Finance, Innovation and AI: A Dialogue Between Research and Entrepreneurship
Finance Put to the Test of Reality: Fintechs, AI and Sustainability > the New Forces Reshaping Finance
The financial sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by digitalisation, the rise of artificial intelligence and shifting regulatory frameworks. Long regarded as a support or compliance function, finance is now becoming a strategic lever, at the intersection of technology, data and sustainability challenges. At the crossroads of these shifts, a dialogue is emerging between academic research, entrepreneurial innovation and investment, one that sheds new light on the dynamics at play.
A More Accessible Finance… But Not Necessarily Better Understood
One of the most visible changes concerns the democratisation of financial practices. Mobile applications, investment platforms, automation: access to financial services has never been easier. Yet this increased accessibility also raises new questions.
As Moïse Louisy-Louis, Assistant Professor and Scientific Director of the MSc in Accounting and Finance, points out:
"The widespread adoption of mobile banking and AI-assisted financial tools has made finance more accessible than ever. But access to data does not necessarily mean better understanding. Users can now act more quickly, without necessarily having a clearer grasp of the risks involved, particularly those linked to financial products or the growing exposure to cyber threats."
This tension between accessibility and understanding is one of the defining challenges of contemporary finance: enabling a growing number of users to act, without compromising the quality of their decisions.
Fintechs as Drivers of Operationalisation
In response to these shifts, several startups supported by EDHEC Entrepreneurs illustrate how theoretical transformations are becoming concrete, everyday products and services. Each one tackles a different blind spot.
PikkoPay - Streamlining In-Store Payments
Checkout waiting times cost the European retail sector millions of euros every year. PikkoPay addresses this issue directly by turning customers’ smartphones into fast checkout terminals through a simple QR code system.
“Since 2022, our ambition has been to become the go-to fast payment experience in retail. Faced with the millions of euros lost every year in Europe due to checkout waiting times, we developed a QR code that transforms customers’ smartphones into fast checkout terminals.”
Alexandre Chen,Co-founder of PikkoPay
TaxCut - Simplifying Tax Filing Through AI
Taxation remains a major barrier to financial inclusion and accessibility. TaxCut addresses this challenge by automating tax filing through a combination of artificial intelligence and human expertise, making the process more accessible, reliable, and affordable.
Designed for individuals often overlooked by traditional intermediaries, the platform simplifies processes that are typically seen as complex and time-consuming, while providing secure and educational support throughout the experience.
“We want to make taxation understandable and accessible to everyone, without compromising on reliability.”
-TaxCut Founding Team
Yérima Advisory - Supporting Growth Between Europe and Africa
Yérima Advisory supports SMEs and investment funds in their financial and transactional operations between France and Africa. Thanks to its deep understanding of both ecosystems, the firm acts as a strategic bridge for companies seeking to accelerate their growth across the two continents.
At a time when ESG considerations have become essential, Yérima Advisory systematically integrates these criteria into the analysis and structuring of its assignments, combining financial performance with sustainable value creation.
“Our clients, particularly investment funds, expect a comprehensive understanding of ESG trajectories because they have become a driver of sustainable performance and a genuine source of value creation.”
Guillaume Daumon Yérima, Founding Partner
TwoWay - Modernising Communication in Financial Markets
TwoWay automates price sharing and brings greater transparency to trading operations in investment banking. The startup addresses a process that remains largely manual, with a significant share of financial market transactions still conducted through over-the-counter messaging channels.
By streamlining the flow of information between traders, TwoWay enables financial institutions to reduce missed opportunities and improve the efficiency of trade execution.
“A large share of financial market transactions is still handled through over-the-counter messaging, and traders miss up to 80% of them — all missed opportunities. TwoWay puts technology back in the service of the people who keep markets running.”»
Chirine BenZaied, Co-founder of TwoWay
These initiatives reflect a major shift: finance is no longer just being analysed — it is being operationalised, simplified, and embedded into everyday use cases. They also highlight a more nuanced reality: simplifying access is not enough. Users must also be supported in understanding and adopting these new tools.
Artificial Intelligence: A Paradigm Shift
More than a technological evolution, generative AI is reshaping the financial sector to its very foundations.
Hamid Boustanifar, Associate Professor at EDHEC and Academic Director of the MSc in Corporate Finance & Banking, puts it this way:
"Generative AI is profoundly transforming the financial sector by redefining how information is processed, decisions are made and risks are assessed. While it promises considerable efficiency gains and broader access to data and analysis, the speed and unpredictability of its development also raise major challenges around model reliability, transparency, accountability and systemic risk."
Investment and Structuring: Towards a More Integrated Finance
These transformations are also reshaping investment practices.
Through the Generations fund, managed by Ring Capital, EDHEC Entrepreneurs has a front-row view of how selection criteria and value creation are evolving.
"At Ring Capital, we firmly believe that impact and performance are mutually reinforcing. Our ambition is to embody a model in which responding to societal and environmental challenges generates strong returns: by addressing real-world issues, our portfolio companies are positioned in deep markets driven by significant demand. In this dynamic, artificial intelligence acts as a powerful accelerator, capable of turning transition imperatives into scalable solutions and sustainable growth."
Sibylle Behaghel, Principal at Ring Capital and EDHEC Master 2020.
Finance is no longer confined to analysing past performance: it now encompasses broader dimensions, including technology, data and ESG considerations. In this light, the boundary between innovation, performance and responsibility is becoming increasingly permeable.
Rethinking the Role of Finance in the 21st Century
Beyond practices and tools, it is the very role of finance that is evolving. As Gianfranco Gianfrate, Professor of Finance at EDHEC, reminds us:
"Integrating sustainability into our economies and societies is no longer optional — it is essential. Solutions to major environmental and societal challenges will emerge from innovation and disruptive technologies. In this context, the financial system must evolve to direct capital towards entrepreneurs and companies operating at the intersection of sustainability and technology. That is what defines the responsibility of finance in the 21st century."
Between the democratisation of financial services, the rise of artificial intelligence, and evolving expectations around sustainability, finance is entering a new phase, one in which understanding, decision-making, and action are becoming inseparable.
