Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech CEOs and Founders

If you're looking for AI Native leaders - start at www.tieronepeople.com Steve Hind is the co-founder and CEO of Lorikeet, an Australian AI startup that has raised more than $50 million USD to build AI concierges for high-regulation businesses in fintech, healthcare and energy. Lorikeet's customers include Airwallex, Linktree and Eucalyptus, the telehealth company recently acquired by Hi...

If you're scaling a fintech leadership team, start at tieronepeople.com Clayton Howes is the CEO of MONEYME (ASX: MME), an Australian non-bank lender that has originated over $5 billion in consumer credit and now manages a $1.9 billion loan book across personal loans, credit cards, and car finance. In this episode, Clayton walks through the full 13-year journey: bootstrapping from a desk-size...

Looking to upscale your fintech leadership team? Start at tieronepeople.com Michelle Bagnall is the CEO of BankFirst, a mutual bank with 92,000 members and $4.7 billion in assets that exists to serve nurses and teachers in Australia. In this episode she tells Dexter the origin story of a bank that started with $480 in a shoebox, explains why nobody at BankFirst gets paid a bonus, and makes the cas...

Fintech Chatter is presented by www.tieronepeople.com - executive search for Fintech. In this episode Dexter chats to Jamie Twiss CEO of Beforepay Group (ASX: B4P) and Carrington Labs. Jamie joined Beforepay pre-IPO, turning them from a startup into a profitable ASX-listed fintech writing 40,000 small loans a week with a 99% repayment rate.  Jamie and Dexter discuss why Beforepay is on a mission t...

Fred Schebesta co-founded Finder in 2006, grew it to five markets over 20 years, won a landmark Federal Court case against ASIC over the Finder Earn product, and is CEO of Finder Ventures.  In this episode of Fintech Chatter we cover where Finder Rewards is going, why stablecoins have quietly won the crypto race, what actually makes an employee irreplaceable in the AI age, and what Australia’s reg...

If you're scaling your fintech leadership team, start at tieronepeople.com Chris Brycki founded Stockspot in 2013 with no income, no office and no VC, and built it into Australia's largest automated investment service with $1.5 billion under management. In this episode, Chris and Dexter discuss what it actually takes to build an enduring fintech in Australia: staying lean, rejecting grow...

Brendan Malone, CEO of Raiz Invest, joins Dexter Cousins to mark 10 years since Raiz launched to Australian retail investors. From a joint venture with US micro-investing app Acorns in 2015, Raiz has grown to $2.1 billion in funds under management, over 330,000 active monthly users and over $5.5 billion invested for Australians.  What We Discuss How Raiz started as a joint venture with US app Acor...

David Hyman co-founded Lendi Group in 2013 and built it into Australia's largest non-bank mortgage platform with a $107 billion loan book, 5 million customers, and $350 million in annual revenue. He stepped down as CEO in January 2026 and within weeks was building his next company. In his fourth appearance on Fintech Chatter, David joins Dexter to talk about Mono AI, a platform business that...

Block Just Cut 4,000 Jobs. WiseTech Cut 2,000. Here's What To Do Next. Last week was a wake-up call for anyone working in fintech and tech in Australia. Block — the company behind Square, Cash App, and Afterpay — cut more than 4,000 employees. That's nearly half the company, down from over 10,000 to just under 6,000. The stock surged 24% on the same day. Afterpay is still headquartered i...

🔥 We find the 1% who redefine what's possible - Executive search for fintech → https://tieronepeople.com Checkbox AI just raised $23M at $100M valuation serving enterprise customers SAP, PepsiCo, Telstra, and Woolworths. CEO Evan Wong shares the 9-year journey from bootstrapped startup to enterprise legal AI platform, competing against $5B+ valuation businesses like Harvey. 📊 KEY METRICS: •...

Tier One People placed Matt Baxby as Revolut Australia's founding CEO. Six years later: 1M customers, profitable. The right leader changes everything. Looking for your next hire? Contact Dexter Cousins for a confidential discussion. Welcome back to Fintech Chatter Podcast - I n our first episode of 2026 Matt Baxby reveals how Revolut reached 1M customers and saved Australians $250M in FX fees...

Most people treat networking like fitness - they lie on the sofa for three years, then panic when they're out of shape. In this episode, Dexter Cousins breaks down the 95-5 principle: 95% of your job hunting success comes from 5% of your network. Learn how to identify the critical 5% of your network, activate them strategically, and turn two-minute conversations into warm introductions. This...

🚀 Hire outstanding Fintech talent - https://tieronepeople.com ✅ Follow Dexter on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dextercousins/ ⬇️ Download the worksheet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rkcgAsabfYtPrZw1owzg1BpsnUxvLCDR/view?usp=sharing In this episode of FinTech Chatter, Dexter Cousins shares insights on how to find your next role in the fintech industry using the Lean Startup methodol...

Thinking about your next career move in 2026? Maybe you're actively hunting for your next role in Fintech? This is Episode 1 of a 5-part series that completely flips the script on job hunting in fintech. Whether you're looking for a permanent role or exploring fractional opportunities, this approach will transform your entire career conversation. Most job seekers approach their career tr...

In this episode, Dexter discusses the silent crisis affecting job seekers, highlighting the alarming rates of burnout and mental health issues before employment.  He explores the current job market landscape, the challenges candidates face, and the impact of financial stress on mental health.  Takeaways Two-thirds of job seekers are experiencing burnout. The average job hunt takes almost six month...

Dexter Cousins brings a new weekly insight on Fintech careers and hiring. In this episode he explores the growing trend of C-suite professionals contemplating a shift from their current roles to alternatives that better support their well-being.  While at the same time executives who have made the shift by becoming self-employed or starting Fractional service offerings, are seeking permanent work...

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins speaks with Dan Jowett, CEO of OpenMarkets Group, about the rapid convergence of Tradfi and DeFi About OpenMarkets Group Power your Fintech, Advisory, or Trading business with an end-to-end Wealth Management and Trading solutions.  Openmarkets empowers financial institutions and advisers to deliver a seamless investment experience to their cl...

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins speaks with Joni Pirovich, a crypto compliance expert and founder of Crystal AOS. They discuss Joni's journey from being a crypto lawyer to a tech founder, the challenges of hiring in the compliance space, and the role of AI in enhancing productivity and filling the compliance knowledge gap in the digital assets space.  Joni and Dexter c...

Is Ethereum the layer to exchange value via the internet?  In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins speaks with Jake Denny, Chief Commercial Officer of Pier Two, about Ethereum staking and its commercial potential. Tune in for a discussion on the differences between Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Solana, the future of money through smart contracts, and the real world use cases that are bein...

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, Dexter Cousins speaks with Morty Tollo, co-founder of Elbaite and Faststables.com, about the intersection of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralised finance (DeFi).  They discuss the evolution of Elbaite, the importance of stablecoins in solving everyday business problems, and the challenges posed by regulation and banking in the crypto space.  Morty shar...

In this final episode on Housing Affordability, Fintech Chatter host, Dexter Cousins speaks with Dean Fraser, founder of BrickFloor. BrickFloor aims to help "Forever Renters" through innovative property technology and fintech solutions, including a market price guarantee product that locks in a price for sellers before they go to market. Find out more - https://brickfloor.com.au/ Chapter...

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins speaks with Matt McKenzie, CEO and co-founder of Nuj, a Regtech company making serious strides in the Aus$ 4trn Superannuation sector. Nuj’s plug-and-play solution streamlines workflows while ensuring compliance with all current and upcoming regulations. The platform enables quick integration, with automated workflows, audit trails, and real-...

Another instalment of our series on Housing Affordability! In this episode, Dexter speaks with OSQO CEO Stuart McGregor on how they're using Blockchain technology to solve housing affordability and the last frontier of finance yet to be adapted for the internet - Debt! Starting with deposit gap loans - Stuart shares his bold and ambitious vision https://depositgaploans.com/ Chapters 00:00 Int...

Kicking off a new career series on Fintech Chatter, Dexter Cousins speaks with Alan Costello, employee number two at Afterpay, about his journey from the early days of the company to its current status as a global leader in the fintech space.  As Alan reflects on 10 years with the business he shares insights on the challenges of rapid growth, the importance of timing in business, and what it was l...

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, we continue our series on the challenges of housing affordability in Australia. Dexter Cousins speaks with Michael Ragavan, founder of Our Leg Up. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Housing Affordability 02:48 The Concept of OurLegUp 05:37 Innovation in Financial Products 08:37 Challenges in Product Development 12:17 Investor Relations and Capital Raising 14:21 Lega...