Skip to main content
October 21, 2025

Agentic AI, Minority Report and the Future of Financial Services | Apis Partners | Ep 78

Ross Butler speaks with Matteo Stefanel and Udayan Goyal, Co-Founders and Managing Partners of Apis Partners, one of the world’s best performing growth-capital firms.

How did two former investment bankers build a globally recognised growth platform, and what does their story reveal about where finance is heading?

Building a Firm Before the Market Was Ready

Drawing on two decades in M&A at DLJ and Deutsche Bank, Matteo and Udayan applied deal-making precision to private-equity investing: identify the future buyer first, then build the company to fit that strategic template.

“We call the likely acquirers before we buy—then we build to their menu.”

The Network as an Edge

Having taken firms like Visa, Mastercard, and First Data public, the Apis founders knew the global payments ecosystem inside out. Many of their mid-level contacts from those deals now lead the organisations that acquire Apis portfolio companies. That continuity of relationships—spanning two decades—has been central to their consistent exit performance.

Fintech’s Next Frontier

For Apis, the most disruptive phase of financial services is happening now. Stablecoins already move more volume than Visa and Mastercard combined, and corporate treasuries are beginning to adopt them for 24-hour liquidity management. Micropayments, decentralised finance, and agentic AI are together redrawing the boundaries between credit, payments, and savings.

Embedded Finance and Subscription-Everything

From iPhones to cars, ownership is giving way to access. Apple’s device-as-a-service model and Jaguar Land Rover’s mobility subscriptions illustrate how financial products are becoming invisible—embedded in experiences rather than sold separately. In this world, the profit pool shifts to those who own the customer relationship, not the balance sheet.

Democratising Wealth

Apis sees the same technological forces opening private-market access to ordinary savers. Platforms such as Moneybox show how digital distribution and AI-driven personalisation can make investing in private assets feasible at scale. The challenge, they note, is balancing precision with fairness—ensuring that hyper-personalised finance doesn’t exclude the less advantaged.

Finance at the Centre of Societal Change

From universal basic income to machine-to-machine banking, Matteo and Udayan argue that finance sits at the core of every major social and technological transformation. Far from being a “boring” sector, it is the mechanism through which the future economy will be built.

Thank you to our episode partner 

Brookfield Private Equity: Global leader in acquiring and driving operational transformation in industrials and essential business services.

For more information, visit: www.brookfield.com/about-us/capabilities/private-equity

Listen & follow: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Substack and Linkedin

If this episode resonated, share it with a colleague who cares about value-creation over slogans.

Ross Butler Founder and Host Fund Shack

🌐 CONNECT on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/rossbutler1/

——————————————————————— 

Subscribe now – and never miss another insight

LinkedIn Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Google Podcasts Amazon Music PlayerFM

Contact Information:

About Fund Shack:
Fund Shack is a private equity podcast and global media channel for alternative investment professionals. Fund Shack is produced by Linear B Group.

Contact:
Katie Mitchell
Email: katie@linearb.media
Company: Linear B Group

Subscribe Now on your preferred platform to gain expert insights into private capital.

Contact Information: About Fund Shack: Fund Shack is a private equity podcast and digital media channel for alternative investment professionals. Fund Shack is produced by Linear B Group Limited.