Barefoot Innovation Podcast

GenAI is revolutionizing finance! Hear from the winners of AIR's NextGenAI Call for Papers : Delicia Reynolds Hand, Dr. Henry Balani & Dr. Adrienne Heinrich. They discuss GenAI's impact on consumer protection, financial crime & ethical governance.

Jo Ann briefly discusses the changes underway at the U.S. financial regulatory agencies, including thoughts on the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and potential impacts on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Financial crime is surging. Hear Sardine CEO Soups Ranjan discuss AI-driven scams, deepfakes vs. KYC, and why traditional fraud controls fail. Listen and learn how to fight back. Watch this episode as a video here and check out the full  show notes here . 

In this episode, Jo Ann explores the potential for rapid change in financial regulation in 2025, likening it to other historical periods of sudden change. She argues that the convergence of six factors could lead to the emergence of "Regulation 2.0," a new paradigm of financial regulation enabled by technology.

Join Jo Ann Barefoot, Dr. Dave Castillo, Cat Tucker, and Dr. Michael Akinwumi as they explore the future of AI in finance — from the potential to pitfalls — live at the National Bankers Association 2024 Annual Conference.

Behnaz Kibria of Google talks about the fundamental principles that guide model risk management (MRM) frameworks and explores the unique issues emerging for financial institutions from GenAI. 

Jane Barratt, Chief Advocacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at MX Technologies, Inc., discusses the impending game-changing regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to implement Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act. 

Congressman and physicist Bill Foster returns to the podcast to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and digital identity technologies, and how they present great potential and peril for consumers. 

AIR's Nick Cook discusses the "Financial Regulators' Odyssey" — the journey that lies ahead for virtually every financial regulatory body in the world, in catching up their own technology and cultures to the age of digitized data and AI.

Penny Lee, President & CEO of the Financial Technology Association (FTA), discusses how fintechs are trying to change financial services, their evolving relationships with traditional institutions, and new challenges and opportunities.

It's easy to underestimate the importance of system-building in public policy, but Rep. Erin Houchin's bipartisan FUTURES Act would require financial regulators to self-assess their own tech readiness to oversee the tech transformation underway. 

The drive for modern financial regulation has transitioned rapidly to move beyond suptech. Sonny Hashmi, Head of Public Sector at Unqork, shares advice on how government leaders can transform their core technology infrastructure. 

Generative AI is revolutionizing the financial world across sectors. Christopher Calabia, Head of MIT's Central Bank Digital Currency Program, weighs the pros and cons of this new technology while emphasizing regulatory and ethical frameworks. 

Nthupang Magolego from the National Credit Regulator (NCR) of South Africa and Collen Masunda of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) join Jo Ann to discuss using a TechSprint model to tackle really hard problems in financial inclusion. 

AI Ethicist Nell Watson and author of Taming the Machine describes the foundations we need to put in place to build legal, regulatory and ethical systems to channel fiercely powerful new AI technology away from the bad, and toward the good.

Community banks face a tech revolution. Explore the challenges & opportunities with Increase CEO Darragh Buckley, who has a unique perspective and novel ideas. Hear his thoughts on how smaller banks can survive & thrive in a changing landscape.

Upgrade's visionary CEO, Renaud Laplanche, unpacks his pioneering thinking on consumer finance. He unveils 3 key financial consumer needs and explores the evolving landscape of fintechs — progress, challenges and what's next.

To mark Women's History Month, AIR's Shelley Anderson interviews Barefoot Innovation host Jo Ann on her perspective about the progress, and lack thereof, on efforts to drive toward gender equality.

Itai Damti and Alex Acree delve into Unit's design as a "technology operating system" for bank-fintech partnerships, the legal framework they establish between partners, and their view that compliance must be built into these systems from the start.

Kwame is the charismatic head of innovation at the Bank of Ghana. He shares advice for regulators on how to adapt to tech transformation and emphasizes collaboration to break down silos and  foster innovation

Michael talks about the global evolution of financial inclusion and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's ongoing efforts. Learn about digital financial inclusion, consumer protection, digital public infrastructure, and barriers to fair finance. 

Kelly serves on the White House National Economic Council and helped lead the executive order issued in 2023 on AI. She discusses what the order requires, the challenges it aims to address and the upside opportunity of the technology.  

Former CFTC Chairman Christopher Giancarlo updates on the evolution of Central Bank Digital Currencies around the world and predicts where we're headed.

In this special episode recorded live at the Annual Conference of the National Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., Jo Ann speaks with three innovators working to help Minority Depository Institutions modernize their technology to continue serving communities of color.

Generative artificial intelligence is sure to be a hot topic for regulators and financial innovators on the upcoming conference circuit. Here is how attendees can get the most out of events likely to be a harvest of new ideas.