FintechTalks

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib Kalita sits down virtually with Chris Black, CEO of Thread Bank, to explore the evolving financial services landscape and the role community banks play in powering fintech innovation. Chris shares Thread Bank's growth story, the bank's technology-first approach to building modern financial infrastructure, and the leadership lessons he's carrie...

Sanjib sits down with Michelle Beyo, Founder & CEO of Finavator, for a wide-ranging conversation spanning open banking and digital identity to AI, data portability, stablecoins, agentic finance, and human data rights. Michelle shares why onboarding is no longer just a one-time KYC check, and why trust, continuous validation, and smarter data practices are becoming critical for fintech growth....

In this episode of Fintech Talks, Sanjib Kalita sits down with Dave Birch, author, advisor, and commentator on digital financial services, live from Fintech Meetup. They discuss the biggest forces reshaping fintech today: AI, payment system resilience, and digital identity. Dave shares why the future of finance may be driven less by banks using AI internally and more by customers using AI agents t...

In this episode of FintechTalks, recorded live from the floor at Fintech Meetup, Sanjib Kalita sits down with Grace Keith Rodriguez, CEO of Caliber Corporate Advisors, to explore what it takes for fintech companies and leaders to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Grace shares how Caliber helps fintech brands sharpen their messaging, find their “white space,” and communicate with authent...

In this episode of FintechTalks, host Sanjib Kalita sits down with Rhim Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Arva AI, live at Fintech Meetup. Arva AI is using agentic AI to automate financial crime compliance operations across banks and financial institutions, including BSA/AML workflows, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, onboarding reviews, and investigations. Rhim shares how his background in...

Live from Fintech Meetup, Sanjib Kalita sits down with Amanda Estiverne-Colas of Perficient to explore the future of payments, financial education, loyalty, and digital assets. Drawing on more than 20 years in financial services, Amanda shares why fintech products need to do more than enable transactions. In an increasingly cashless world, they also need to help consumers better understand money....

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib Kalita sits down with Rodger Desai, CEO of Prove , to explore how mobile phones became one of the most powerful tools in digital identity. Roger shares Prove’s founding insight: the phone network already solves the tradeoff between security, convenience, and privacy — and that same cryptographic foundation can transform how we verify and authenticate people...

In this episode of FintechTalks , Sanjib Kalita sits down with Brian Dally , Co-Founder & CEO of Groundfloor , to discuss how retail investors are gaining direct access to private market alternatives. Brian shares how Groundfloor combined product-market fit with regulatory innovation to open real estate debt investing to everyday investors — delivering consistent returns through a vertically i...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Len Covello, CTO of Engage People, to explore how loyalty is evolving from static rewards into real-time, in-the-moment value. Len shares his unconventional path into fintech and loyalty, and how Engage People is reimagining the space with a “pay with points” network that lets consumers redeem rewards instantly at checkout—online or in-store....

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Avinash Chidambaram, Founder & CEO of Cybrid, to explore how stablecoins and programmable payments are transforming B2B money movement. Avinash shares his journey from global payments at BlackBerry and Apple Pay to founding Cybrid after experiencing firsthand how instantly “digital cash” can move across borders. They discuss real-world use...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Carey Ransom, Managing Director of BankTech Ventures, to explore how banks and entrepreneurs can work together to drive the future of financial services. Carey shares how BankTech Ventures acts as a bridge between innovative fintech founders and community banks, helping banks modernize while staying deeply rooted in the communities they serve....

In this episode of FintechTalks , Sanjib Kalita sits down with Stefania Di Bartolomeo, Founder and CEO of Physis Investment, to discuss how AI and sustainability are converging to reshape investment decision-making. Stephania shares her journey from impact investing to building Physis, an end-to-end AI platform that transforms fragmented sustainability and financial data into actionable insights f...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Dana Warren, Venture Partner at Canaan Partners, to explore how decades of fintech experience and the power of pattern recognition are shaping the next generation of founders and investors. Dana shares her journey from leading major partnerships at Stripe, PayPal, and American Express to joining one of Silicon Valley’s most storied venture fir...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Rory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, to explore how merchant connectivity is redefining the future of payments and digital commerce. Rory shares how Knot helps fintechs seamlessly connect users’ cards to their favorite merchants; reducing churn, boosting engagement, and simplifying how people pay online. They also discuss Rory’s entrepre...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Phil Goldfeder, CEO of American Fintech Council, to discuss how fintech innovation and policy are shaping the future of financial services. Phil shares how AFC connects fintechs, banks, and regulators to drive responsible innovation, strengthen consumer protection, and build a more inclusive financial ecosystem. They also talk about fintech’s...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Sherry Wu, CTO of the University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU), to discuss driving digital transformation in community banking and building a culture of curiosity and collaboration. Sherry shares her journey from global tech roles to fintech, how UMCU blends personal service with digital-first experiences, and what it takes to choose the rig...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Maik Wehmeyer, Co-Founder and CEO of Taktile, to talk about reimagining credit and fraud decisioning, the rise of AI in risk management, and why agility is the biggest challenge for today’s lenders. Maik shares his journey from building credit models to founding Taktile. He explains how Taktile helps institutions harness AI and LLMs for smarte...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Dan Kimerling, Founder and Managing Partner of Deciens Capital, to talk about zero-to-one investing, building fintech companies from scratch, and why the best venture partnerships are artisanal, not industrial. Dan shares his journey from founding Standard Treasury (acquired by SVB) to launching Deciens, now investing out of its third fund. He...

In this episode of FintechTalks , Sanjib sits down with Julián Huertas, Relationship Manager at Zulu , to talk about building cross-border payment infrastructure, empowering SMBs in Latin America, and finding the right partners to scale globally. Julián shares how Zulu pivoted from a B2C wallet to a B2B cross-border platform, why owning the rails is key to long-term success, and how compliance bec...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Ryan Breslow, Founder and CEO of Bolt and Love.com, to talk about building for scale, disrupting payments, and launching a SuperApp for North America. Ryan shares the decade-long journey of building Bolt into an 80-million-user checkout network, why ending guest checkout is just the beginning, and how the upcoming Bolt SuperApp aims to unify a...

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Jason Mikula, publisher of Fintech Business Weekly , to explore how regulation, policy, and market dynamics shape the future of fintech. Jason shares lessons from building Marcus at Goldman Sachs, why banking-as-a-service is at a turning point, and how global differences in regulation impact innovation. He also explains how Fintech Meetup help...

Sanjib Kalita sits down to interview Nikolas Ioannou and Marc Baghadjian, the Co-Founders of Hypercard. Watch the video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjzLNCzgJXs

Our first official episode is live! In this discussion, Sanjib sits down with Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs, to discuss the New Era of Banking. Jason explains how digital transformation, AI, and shifting customer behaviors are driving fundamental changes in the industry. Jason also emphasizes the need for community banks to innovate and form new partnerships in order to thrive, and how Fintech...

In this installment of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Simon Taylor to discuss market trends and banking innovation. Simon addresses the need for empathy in understanding industry challenges, the importance of agility, and the transformative power of emerging technologies like AI and tokenization. Don’t miss these insights on staying competitive in a fast-evolving financial landscape!

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Amias Gerety, a partner at QED Investors, for an engaging conversation that spans Amias's career from his days in the U.S. Treasury during the Obama administration to his current role in venture capital. Amias reflects on his time as the acting assistant secretary for financial institutions, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at the f...