Fintech Business Weekly

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Hummingbird cofounder and CEO Joe Robinson about the AI-powered compliance platform’s latest product news. Joe and I had the chance to discuss: * The launch of Hummingbird’s new customer screening and transaction monitoring capabilities * How financial institutions can move beyond disparate platforms and siloed data to more effectively mitigate financ...

In this episode, Alex and I discussed: * Open banking’s do over: parsing the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking * Rescue ships head for BaaS Island, but what precedent does the first-ever fintech bail out set? * The GENIUS Act, legislation to regulate and license permitted payment stablecoin issuers, is already the law of the land. Why are bank trade groups pushing back now? * And, as always,...

In this episode, Alex Johnson and I discussed: * The revelation that JPMorgan Chase intends to begin charging third-parties, including aggregators like Plaid and MX, to access consumers’ data rocked the U.S. fintech landscape last week. Alex and I unpacked what it could mean. * Since we recorded this last week , a group trade associations, including the Financial Technology Association and the Ame...

In this episode, Alex Johnson of Fintech Takes and I discuss: * FICO launches new scores that incorporate pay-in-four buy now, pay later data. But will it make a difference? * The CFPB files a statement of interest in the Synapse bankruptcy, potentially setting up a backdoor bailout to make out-of-pocket depositors whole. Does it set a bad precedent? * A brief word on crypto mortgages. * And, as a...

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts Hey all, Jason here. In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Executive Vice President and General Manager of Payments and Financial Services at BILL’s Mary Kay Bowman . Mary Kay’s career has spanned roles at Amazon, Square, Visa, and now financial operations platform BILL. We had a chance to discuss: * BILL’s evolution from accounts payable and r...

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Luke Voiles , CEO of embedded financing platform Pipe . Luke and I had the chance to discuss: * How Pipe has evolved over time * The kinds of platforms Pipe partners with * Pipe’s embedded card capabilities * Pipe’s relationship with its bank partner * And more! Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Trent Sorbe , Chief Payments Officer at First International Bank & Trust . Trent and I had the chance to discuss: * The different waves of bank-fintech partnerships and the popping of the BaaS bubble * What some investors and bankers got wrong about the first wave of BaaS * What’s different about First International Bank & Trust’s payments platform, K...

In this episode, Alex and I discussed: * Unpacking Chime’s IPO plans * What the hell is going with 1033? * The GENIUS bill advances in the Senate * And, as always, what Alex and I just can’t let go of Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Arad Levertov , cofounder and CEO of buy now, pay later lender Sunbit . Arad started Sunbit 10 years ago — long before BNPL as we know it today exploded in popularity during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Arad and I had a chance to discuss: * What differentiates Sunbit from other BNPL providers in a crowded market * Why distribution is key in l...

In this episode Alex Johnson, of Fintech Takes, and Jesse Silverman, of Troutman Pepper, joined me to talk about: * Recent developments in the bankruptcy case (spoiler: Jesse isn’t a bankruptcy lawyer!) * Who’s to blame for the Synapse disaster * Reflections on some of the regulatory response, including former FDIC Chair Gruenberg’s effort to roll back the 2020 brokered deposit rule and the “Synap...

In this episode, Alex and I discussed: * Alex’s trip to BaaS Island: the founder/CEO of Increase seeking approval to acquire a controlling stake in a bank & the Hatch Bank’s consent order with the California DFPI * Ryan Breslow’s return to one-click checkout / “super app” Bolt * Crypto firms seeking bank charters * And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of Get full access to Fintech...

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Michele Alt , cofounder and managing director of Klaros Group and a 22-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Michele and I had the chance to discuss: * What the opening of the “charter window” means and how fintechs should think about the opportunity * The de novo process vs. acquiring an existing bank * Michele and Klaro’s re...

In this episode, we discussed: * Alex and I recorded this before “Liberation Day” and thus before Klarna chose to delay its IPO; that said, our analysis of Klarna’s F-1 registration statement stands! * A return to BaaS Island: a first-hand account of Mercury and Evolve’s abrupt public parting of ways ; what other banks, fintechs, and regulators can learn from the chaotic split. * It’s charter time...

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Matthew Goldman , a true expert in the card space. Matthew has done stints at Green Dot, AT&T, Bankrate, and Apto Payments, as well as starting multiple of his own ventures. Matthew currently published the CardsFTW newsletter and is the founder and managing member of boutique fintech consultancy Totavi . We had a chance to discuss: * Matthew’s thought...

In this episode, I had the chance to speak with ledgering, reconciliation, and compliance startup NAYA ’s CEO Sherif Kozman . We had a chance to discuss: * Why ledgering and reconciliation, especially in fintech-bank partnerships, is so dang difficult (hint: legacy cores, batch payment files & more) * The consequences of poor ledgering and reconciliation * Advice for banks and fintechs struggling...

In this episode, I had the chance to speak Current’s cofounder and CTO, Trevor Marshall , and Cross River Bank’s Head of Strategy and Development, Hillel Olivestone . We had the chance to talk about: * Why Current decided to build its own tech stack & what it’s enabled the company to do * How Current and Cross River think about the “buy vs. build” debate * The “jobs to be done” addressed by Curren...

In this episode, Alex Johnson and I discuss: * The chaos in DC. What might in mean for banking, fintech & consumers?* Varo Bank struggles on, with a new CEO and some additional capital.* A grab bag of BNPL topics.* And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to speak to Rafa Plantier , Head of Go-to-Market at Gigs , the world’s first operating system for mobile services, enabling companies, including neobanks, HR and travel platforms, and device manufacturers, to seamlessly embed phone and data plans into their products within weeks. Gigs provides an end-to-end connectivity platform with everything brands need to laun...

Hey all, Jason here. Alex Johnson , creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap , where we unpack some of the biggest stories in fintech, banking, and crypto. We recorded this ~very special episode~ live during the Fintech XChange event in Salt Lake City, Utah, late last month — and were joined by Alloy Labs Allianc...

This month, Alex and I had the chance to talk about: * CBW Bank’s fights a $20.5 million civil money penalty that could “imperil” the bank’s existence * Will the IPO window open in 2025? Chime confidentially files to go public. * The CPFB’s parting shots: the bureau files suit against Walmart & Branch (but not partner Evolve Bank & Trust) * And, as always, what Alex & Jason just can’t let go of Ge...

Alex Johnson , creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap. This month we had the chance to talk about: * Our time in Washington, DC, to attend the American Fintech Council Policy Summit, FinRegLab’s AI Symposium, and a variety of other meetings * What’s been happening on “BaaS Island,” with the Synapse bankruptcy m...

In this episode, I had the chance to sit down with an OG of fintech who really needs no introduction, cofounder and CEO of Affirm and PayPal Mafia member Max Levchin . Max and I had the chance to discuss: * How Affirm designs its systems and processes to mitigate third-party risks, including service interruptions and, yes, data breaches * How Affirm thinks about selecting its bank partners and how...

With the Synapse bankruptcy case seemingly nearing some kind of conclusion, impacted end users are left wondering, will they ever get their money back? While, at this point, Synapse cofounder and former CEO Sankaet Pathak can’t really answer that question, he is able to provide greater context on what happened and why. In this podcast, recorded as a X (formerly Twitter) livestream yesterday, Novem...

Alex Johnson , creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap , where we unpack some of the biggest stories in fintech, banking, and crypto. This month we had the chance to talk about: * A return to BaaS Island: the FDIC’s proposed “Synapse Rule,” Five Star Bank quits BaaS, and the evolving (ha) economics of partner ba...

In this episode, I had the chance to sit down with James Doherty , the Head of Business Development for Financial Services at Sinch , the customer communication cloud platform that includes mobile messaging, voice, email and other emerging channel capabilities. We had the chance to discuss: * Financial services’ key “jobs to be done” via communications channels, including acquisition, engagement,...