Waves in the Finoverse

Maxim Afanasyev has been coding large language models for over 20 years, long before the AI boom. He's an applied AI expert who's worked at McKinsey building AI transformations and now leads AI strategy at Alphabet.Maxim and Anthony discuss why 95% of AI applications don't deliver bottom-line impact, the global shortage of applied AI experts (only 200 mature professionals worldwide), and why banks are solving yesterday's problems instead of tomorrow's value propositions.They cover why LLMs became persuasion machines by learning human biases, how customers are now smarter than banks because of AI agents, and why agentic payments will force financial institutions to rethink their entire business model. Maxim also explains why cutting 20% of your workforce signals that your CEO failed at transformation.Timestamps00:00 Intro01:08 Coding LLMs 20 Years Ago in a Soviet-Era AI Lab06:02 How RLHF Turned Neural Networks into Machines for Persuasion10:48 From AI Winter to AI Hype: What Actually Changed13:40 Why 95% of AI Applications Fail to Deliver Bottom-Line Impact20:22 The 200 Applied AI Experts Problem25:27 How to Nurture Applied AI Talent Through Experimentation32:52 Why Bank Chatbots Create Dead Weight Loss42:48 How AI-Smart Customers Are Breaking Legacy Banking Models52:08 Asia's Lead in AI Adoption & Why Banks Must Rethink Value01:04:14 Agentic Payments, Trust & the Renaissance of Physical Experience01:16:25 Agents, Regulation & the Future of Human-AI Interaction01:25:00 AI Deepfakes, Recruitment Fraud & the URL-to-IRL Shift01:35:04 Why CEOs Who Cut Jobs for AI Are Really Admitting FailureFollow Maxim AfanasyevFollow Anthony Sar

As this year sets a $200B record for AI funding, Esther Wong and Antoine Blondeau debate over the future of AI investing at Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2025.Wong is a former SenseTime executive and one of Asia’s leading AI infrastructure investors, and Blondeau is an early OpenAI investor and a pioneer behind the foundational technology that became Siri.The two investors sit down with Anthony Sar and tackle the biggest question shaping AI investing today: will the real returns come from AI infrastructure or AI applications?It’s a rare, unfiltered look at how the smartest people in AI are thinking today.Connect with us here: Esther Wong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-wong-76a6a410a/Antoine Blondeau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoineblondeau/Anthony Sar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysar/Finoverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnovasia/Timestamps00:00 Trailer00:55 Introduction02:14 Current State of AI Investment04:19 Infrastructure vs. Application Layer06:38 Future of AI and Investment Strategies19:03 Advice for New AI Investors24:13 Final Thoughts and Advice for Founders

From Jamie Dimon and Larry Fink to even President Trump, everyone is moving toward crypto.In this conversation, Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, one of the world’s largest digital asset ecosystems with 300 million users, explains why this shift is happening now.Recorded live at Hong Kong FinTech Week, Richard shares what he is seeing behind the scenes as crypto begins to outpace traditional finance and as governments around the world approach him to rethink their digital asset strategies.Connect with us here:Richard Teng: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-teng-3497b527/ Binance: https://www.linkedin.com/company/binance/ Anthony Sar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysar/ Finoverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnovasia/ 00:00 Trailer00:59 Transformation in the Financial Sector02:11 Institutional Adoption and Market Maturity08:28 Compliance and Regulatory Challenges12:22 Global Crypto Adoption and Strategic Moves20:09 AI and Blockchain Convergence23:01 Personal Insights and Advice for the Future

Philip Johnston is shaping the next frontier of digital infrastructure with Starcloud, building space-based data centers to meet AI’s surging energy needs. The company raised $21M in seed funding before launching a single satellite, a “record number,” according to Philip, and has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.Before Starcloud, Philip founded Opontia, raising over $50M to acquire and grow digital-first brands. Earlier, he worked at McKinsey & Company on projects with national space agencies, and he holds an MPA from Harvard amongst many more degrees.Join Anthony Sar, CEO and Co-Founder of Finoverse, for a conversation with Philip Johnston on the race to build orbital data centers, why AI’s growth threatens to overheat the planet, and why space may be the only place left to grow.Connect with us here:1. Philip Johnston- https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipjohnst0n/2. Anthony Sar- https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysar/3. Finoverse- https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnovasia/

Dr. Hon Weng Chong is the CEO and Founder of Cortical Labs, the company pioneering computers powered by living neurons. A physician turned technologist, Dr. Hon’s path began with projects like bringing Xbox consoles to children’s hospitals and creating diagnostic tools for childhood pneumonia.Today, Cortical Labs has raised over $10M to build the CL1, a bio-computer powered by 200,000 human brain cells that can learn to play Pong in minutes. Researchers can rent access for about $300 a week, a glimpse into a future where biological machines may outlearn silicon by adapting in real time with far less data.Join Anthony Sar, CEO and Co-Founder of Finoverse, for a conversation with Dr. Hon Weng Chong on the science, ethics, and implications of building neuron-powered machines, and why the next frontier of AI might not be silicon at all.Connect with us here:1. Dr. Hon Weng Chong- https://www.linkedin.com/in/hochong/2. Anthony Sar- https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysar/3. Finoverse- https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnovasia/

Steve Monaghan, a pioneering leader in digital transformation and AI innovation in financial services, shares his insights on the evolving role of technology in banking. With a background spanning aviation, banking, and entrepreneurship, Steve has developed groundbreaking solutions, including the world’s first AI underwriting platform for life and health insurance. A former senior executive at AIA and DBS, he has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to drive growth and redefine industries.Join Steve and Anthony Sar, CEO and Co-Founder of Finoverse, as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of adopting AI in large institutions, the role of startups in driving innovation, and how to build trust and foster a culture of curiosity in the age of advanced technologies.00:00 Setting Realistic AI Expectations in Banking05:35 Balancing Risk Management and Innovation10:34 Building Trust in FinTech and AI23:08 The Future of Trust in Technology33:53 Embracing AI to Amplify Human Potential43:59 The CEO’s Role in Driving Innovation50:55 Overcoming Fear and Balancing Expertise01:00:25 Newton’s Laws of Organizational Change01:03:58 Building a Rebel Alliance for Change01:16:38 Curiosity and Continuous Learning in Innovation

Esther Wong, the CEO and Co-Founder of 3C AGI Partners, one of the leading AI venture funds out of Hong Kong. A former founding leader at SenseTime, she steered strategic investments and raised over $5 billion to fuel Asia’s AI powerhouse. With 20+ years in high-level roles at institutions like J.P. Morgan, Barclays, and CICC, Esther blends financial acumen with tech insight.Join Esther Wong and Anthony Sar, CEO and Co-Founder of Finoverse, for an engaging discussion on the future of AI. 00:00 Introduction and Esther Wong’s Expertise04:25 Innovation in AI Infrastructure vs. Applications06:10 Commoditization of LLMs and the Evolution of AI Giants10:55 Risks and Biases with Intelligence Technologies15:37 The Future of AGI and Society23:08 Bioengineering and Neurocomputing30:30 Metaverse and Augmented Reality44:07  Esther’s Investment Philosophy and Predictions58:07 Space Technology and AI Development1:03:53 Challenges in AI Applications and Infrastructure

Antoine Blondeau, a 25-year veteran entrepreneur, investor, and AI pioneer who developed technologies behind Apple’s Siri and predictive text systems used worldwide.As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Alpha Intelligence Capital he is managing a $500M fund that backs breakthrough AI startups globally.Antoine Blondeau joins Anthony Sar, CEO and Co-Founder of Finoverse, to share rare insights on building scalable AI businesses that matter.00:00 - Lessons Learned from 25 Years in AI04:06 - Common Mistakes in Startups09:59 - Promising Areas for Productivity, Healthcare, and More11:30 - AI’s Role in the Future of Entertainment12:52 - Transforming Healthcare with Technology16:49 - Personalizing Education and Lifelong Learning20:08 - Trust and Adoption of AI Systems23:37 - Intelligent Technology’s Impact on Jobs and Workforce Evolution38:16 - Nvidia and the Future of Computing Infrastructure44:57 - AI Meets Crypto: Opportunities and Challenges