Innovation April 2026 Fintech Circle

Why innovation in financial services fails before it starts

Most conversations about innovation in financial services begin in the wrong place. They start with the technology and work backwards, hoping the business case reveals itself. After 25 years at C-suite level across regulated financial services, fintech, and alternative investments, that approach fails more often than it succeeds. Not because the technology is wrong, but because the thinking behind it is incomplete.

Author: Declan Sheehy

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This article was published by Fintech Circle in April 2026 to coincide with the publication of Disruptive Innovation in Financial Services. It sets out the central argument of the book: that innovation fails not because of the technology chosen, but because of four specific gaps that most organisations never address. Mindset before methodology. Strategy grounded in market reality. Revenue as the real test of whether an innovation works. And the discipline required to scale inside one of the world's most regulated environments.

The infographic below summarises the four themes. The full article is on the Fintech Circle website.

Why innovation in financial services fails before it starts — four themes: mindset over methodology, market reality check, revenue as the real test, scaling within regulation
Read the full article on Fintech Circle