#42 Making "Finance 3.0" Stick: Strategy Execution in the Lion’s Den

This episode explores the strategic discipline required to execute a disruptive vision for the future of finance. I am joined by Connie Bloem, Co-founder and Managing Director of Mesh - a digital capital markets ecosystem pioneering the transition to 'Finance 3.0.' Since 2019, Mesh has worked to democratise wealth by tokenising real-world assets, from corporate bonds to institutional real estate. A major milestone in this journey came in July 2024, when Mesh became Africa’s first fully licensed issuance platform for tokenised assets. We discuss the transition from a three-year technical 'hardening' phase to this landmark regulatory achievement, and we explore the leadership choices required to make strategy 'stick' when building the future of capital markets. About the guest: Connie Bloem, Mesh Co-founder and Managing Director: A former management consultant, Connie is committed to transforming financial markets through technology. With a background in industrial and financial engineering, she excels in design thinking and agile development. Connie’s vision is to provide widespread access to future financial markets. She brings expertise from roles at Accenture and Andile, where she contributed to treasury systems and digital banking apps. About Mesh: Mesh.trade is a digital ecosystem for raising capital and trading capital markets assets. Founded on the belief that capital markets should be easy to access, simple to use and transparent, Mesh has built the underlying infrastructure for the future of finance. Through its streamlined, end-to-end global capital markets infrastructure, Mesh provides standardised tools and simplified workflows for complex market mechanisms and multi-geography regulatory requirements. Using the best of leading edge blockchain technology, Mesh has removed the need for many existing market intermediaries, removed the traditional barriers to entry, eliminated excessive participation costs, and made capital raising and investing much more efficient for all market participants. Mesh provides a multi-sided financial markets infrastructure within its ecosystem to connect issuers and investors directly to each other in a trusted way, facilitating easy interaction and secure, compliant and efficient trade. If you’d like to explore the documents mentioned in the discussion, you can find it here: IMF: Tokenized Finance note by Tobias Adrian National Treasury: South Africa’s Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations, 2026 Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.