Financial Services: Building Trust

Why It Matters

If telcos successfully translate their data, reach and fraud-prevention capabilities into regulated banking services, they could unlock new revenue streams and reshape customer acquisition and credit access—especially in emerging markets. Failure to address regulatory and integration hurdles, however, risks keeping them confined to low-margin connectivity roles.

Summary

Telecom operators are pushing beyond commodity connectivity to become strategic partners in financial services by leveraging unique real-time signals—identity, device, and location data—and vast distribution networks. VEON highlighted its fintech scale in emerging markets with 60 million users and 200,000 daily loans, while NTT Docomo described acquiring a digital bank to build a broader digital life and trust platform. Panelists argued telcos can offer valuable fraud prevention and alternative credit-scoring, but must navigate regulation, AML/KYC constraints and integration complexities. The debate focused on routes to move telcos from the edge to the core of financial ecosystems via partnerships, acquisitions or in-house fintech platforms.

Original Description

In this DSP Leaders World Forum session, experts from NTT Docomo, Jersey Telecom and Veon Group examine how telcos can shift from being peripheral players to central participants in financial ecosystems by leveraging their unique position with access to real-time signals, such as location, identity and device data. They suggest the two primary approaches are moving from connectivity into signals and financial ecosystem integration, or actively competing for position within the financial ecosystem.

Featuring:

Lasha Tabidze, Group Chief Digital Operations Officer, VEON

Alessandro Bovone, Chief Technical Officer, JT Group

Itsuma Tanaka, President & CEO, Docomo Communications Laboratories Europe GmbH

Broadcast live 20 May 2026

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