Publishing Reimagined: How Money20/20 Wrote a FinTech Book in Five Days

Making sense of a complex, rapidly evolving topic requires the collective insights of true industry experts. Since its establishment in 2012 by payments and fintech veterans from Google, TSYS, and Citi, Money20/20 has served as the gathering ground for the entire money ecosystem. From established banks to start-ups, their events are where the industry meets, learns, and does business.

Hosting annual conferences across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the USA, the Money20/20 team noticed a trend: the rapid convergence of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). The team had a wealth of data drawn from hundreds of conference presentations highlighting the latest industry developments and was comprised of experts directly from the industry who have seen some of these shifts happening in real time. They wanted to capture these valuable insights, synthesize them, and make them accessible to a broader audience to showcase where the future of finance was headed.

Finding a Better Way to Write

The timing aligned perfectly. In November 2025, Catherine Bernard of Taylor & Francis – one of the world’s leading academic publishers, whose subsidiary imprints include Routledge – connected with our team to try out the Book Sprints method. They were eager to try out a new, rapid approach to publishing. As it happened, there was active conversations internally between Taylor & Francis and Money20/20 about the possibility of writing a book.

Catherine initiated conversations with Scarlett Sieber, the driving force behind Money20/20, about authoring a book. Scarlett had previously co-authored a book around embedded finance and through that process she became intimately familiar with just how long it takes to write a book, edit the book, and get it published.Given how fast the industry is moving, she was looking for an option to get the book out very soon after writing it. Our Book Sprint methodology offered, collaborative approach that perfectly matched the pacing of the fintech industry. Intrigued by the opportunity to unite her global content team, Scarlett and Catherine set the Sprint in motion in just two short months.

Gathering Global Perspectives in One Room

Taylor & Francis brought in Meredith Norwich, a senior business editor at Routledge, to provide real-time feedback for the content to remain perfectly tuned to its audience. Publishing Director Catherine Bernard also joined the room for the crucial first day and a half to help steer the project’s vision.

To ensure the book captured a truly global view, Scarlett invited five key Money20/20 team members representing Asia, the MENA region, Europe, and the Americas, alongside their PR Director. As Scarlett noted, the goal wasn’t just to write a book. It was about assembling the right minds to make sense of market realities. With so much industry noise surrounding stablecoins and digital assets, often told through a single, narrow lens, connecting regional signals was vital. The team brought specialized knowledge of regional business developments, banking nuances, and government regulations.

The Five-Day Sprint

While most Book Sprints utilize 8 to 15 contributors, this intimate group of six carried a substantial workload. Guided by Book Sprints CEO and Senior Facilitator, Barbara Rühling, the team operated out of their shared New York office in late January, using their brisk walks in the cold air to clear their minds between intensive drafting sessions.

Fortunately, as experienced and prolific writers, the group aligned quickly and resolved disagreements on the fly. Beyond drafting original content, they undertook the massive labor of sifting through hundreds of transcripts from content sessions at Money20/20 shows to extract the data and quotes needed to support their core arguments. The group debated concepts, scrutinized every chapter, and sweated over the finer details, all driven by one mission: to clarify the future trajectory of global finance for the industry.

To celebrate their work, Scarlett surprised the team on the final day with custom Money20/20 sweaters with a convergence logo designed for them, each bearing the title “Author” on the sleeve.

[from L-R] Co-authors Ian Fong, Scarlett Sieber, Tina Loncaric, Dhanum Nursigadoo, Kinga Swiderska, and Virginia Pereira Alvarez flaunting their Money 20/20 author sweater. Photo by Barbara Rühling.

Live from Money20/20 Europe: Unpacking the Book Sprint

The official debut of the fintech book, The New Intersection of Money: The Convergence of TradFi and DeFi, took center stage on Day 2 of the Money20/20 Europe conference in Amsterdam to 8,000+ people. Co-authors Scarlett Sieber, Dhanum Nursigadoo, Kinga Swiderska, and Virginia Pereira Alvarez gathered for a dynamic panel session moderated by Dr. Efi Pylarinou, founder of the widely followed Fintech Book Club. The panel was immediately followed by a book signing session, during which the authors signed hundreds of copies for eager attendees.

Day 3 of Money 20/20 conference in Amsterdam book launching of The New Intersection of Money: Where TradFi and DeFi Converge. Photo from Money 20/20.

Book signing. Photo from Money 20/20

Scarlett Sieber and Catherine Bernard unpacking session on The New Intersection of Money: The Convergence of TradFi and DeFi

On Day 3, Scarlett Sieber and Catherine Bernard re-joined the stage for a special behind-the-scenes session to unpack the realities of writing a book in just five days.

During the session, Scarlett emphasized that despite her deep subject matter expertise, the rapidly evolving fintech landscape requires continuous learning. She noted that working closely with peers who hold local market knowledge challenged and refined the group’s broader global perspectives. This dynamic underscored the importance of remaining humble and open to correction, proving that when industry leaders are placed in a collaborative environment, the power of proximity elevates the final manuscript into a much stronger, more comprehensive guide.

A New Benchmark for Fintech Book Publishing

The resulting fintech book, The New Intersection of Money: The Convergence of TradFi and DeFi, was edited and produced by the Book Sprints team before being prepared for final publication and release by Taylor & Francis under their Routledge imprint.

Reflecting on the experience, Scarlett noted that the process mirrored the sector they were writing about: 

“We tested a new way of writing a book… We built something fast, collaborative, and a bit unconventional. It felt much closer to how this industry actually moves, in partnership at pace.”

The New Intersection of Money will be prominently showcased at upcoming Money20/20 events:

• October 18–21, 2026: The Venetian, Las Vegas

Purchase your copy from Routledge today to explore the ideas, innovations, and expert perspectives shaping the future of finance.

Write Your Own

Does your organization have complex, high-value insights that need to be captured before they become obsolete? Don’t let your thought leadership get bogged down in slow, traditional publishing pipelines. Contact Book Sprints to publish your own market-defining book in just five days.