Everybody’s Robot Fighting

In This Episode Kiah Haslett walked into our Hot Takes session at the Alloy Labs annual member meeting with a thesis she’d been sitting on, and it’s a good one: in a lighter-touch regulatory environment, the prisoner’s dilemma rewards whoever moves first. The strategically correct move, she argues, might also be the morally bankrupt one. And she’s not sure that changes the math. Dara Tarkowski — who sees the grand jury subpoenas before anyone else does — pushed back. Not on the logic, but on the premise. The statutes didn’t go anywhere. The switch can still be flipped. And underneath both arguments is the question we’d been wrestling with the day before: if most banks only have a debt mindset — protect the downside, don’t lose, get your principal back — what are they leaving on the table? And what does it actually cost them to keep waiting for clarity that isn’t coming? Joining Jason Henrichs are Kiah Haslett (Fintech Takes Banking), Dara Tarkowski (Much Shelist, P.C.), and Rick Geloff (Bank of North Dakota).

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks Brett King interviews bestselling author Igor Pejic about his new book Tech Money: A Guide to the New Game of Technology Investing, available May 26th. Brett and Igor discuss turbocharged innovations, frontier technologies, and how AI and technology investment are changing our future. In this wide ranging conversation, Brett and Igor also debate the implications of wars fought largely by AI and how tech-first defense players like Palantir, Anduril and others are changing the sector from an investment perspective.

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks, we feature sister podcast, Social Currency, powered by Sunrise Banks. Social Currency introduces us to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, technology, and social impact—leaders who are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries. In this episode hosts Tyler Seydel, Chief Fintech Officer, and Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer at Sunrise Banks are joined by Brian Tate, President and CEO of the Innovative Payments Association, to discuss where payments policy and innovation are headed next. A graduate of Howard University with experience at the Financial Services Roundtable during the post-crisis reform era shaped by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Brian draws on decades inside Washington to unpack what’s coming for fintech, prepaid products, and the broader banking ecosystem. From regulatory modernization to emerging technologies, he shares his outlook on the opportunities and challenges that will define the next chapter of the payments revolution. To hear more episodes of Social Currency go to provoke.fm or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

In This Episode Have we reached the point where AI is beginning to matter in a commercial sense or are we still in the ‘figuring it out’ stage and it’s not driving outcomes yet? In this episode host Jason Henrichs is joined by Prashant Mehrotra, Chief AI Officer at U.S. Bank, and John Sun, Co-Founder and CEO of Spring Labs, for a deep dive into the frontier that is AI. Listen as these executives share insights on AI as a transformational force, not just one part of the organization. Everyone needs to be brought along on the journey which requires evangelization, education, building, and execution as one. Best techs just exist, it should not feel like you are doing AI, you should just be doing your work — a state where intelligence is embedded and is everywhere. The trio also explore the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility, and using AI thoughtfully. AI is complex, and organizations need to know where best to use it. There’s no need to overengineer every single solution. Generative AI costs every time you use it and human oversight remains essential, particularly in highly regulated environments. As we search for efficiency and transformation for good, is AI the next set of prosperity, similar to the invention of the automobile? This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode In this episode of Breaking Banks, industry leaders Jason Hass (First Electronic Bank), Mike Jorgensen (U.S. Bank), and Louis Mrachek, (Merrick Bank) connect with Jason Henrichs for a dynamic conversation centered on embedded finance. Embedded finance seamlessly integrates financial services into non-financial platforms. Some examples include BNPL, Lending: Business & Personal Loans, and P&C Insurance, simplifying the claim process and getting the payment. The panel explores how fintechs and banks are evolving from competitors into true partners—combining innovation, compliance, and trust to deliver better customer experiences. They also tackle tensions between speed, risk and regulation, and the critical role banks still play behind the scenes. The future of finance may be invisible — but the trust powering it cannot be. This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode We’ve recently seen growth in many areas, but a disconnect always seems to exist between economic growth, especially capital market growth, and what people on the ground are experiencing. In short, the macro story is strong; the reality is more fragile if you look at households. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, what is the first thing today’s consumer pays for every month? Mortgage/rent, health care, food? All good guesses, but no! The primary financial priority: the cell phone. In this episode, Robyn Burkinshaw, CEO of BlytzPay, and Jason Henrichs discuss the reality of financial health in the United States. With 30% of the population living at or below the poverty line and 25% considered unbanked or underbanked, the current system often widens the wealth gap. Jason and Robyn discuss redefining financial health through access, designing for real lives rather than ideal users, and using the system to create stability. And Robyn shares how BlytzPay is working to “break the box” by helping lenders and servicers meet subprime consumers where they are via text-to-pay and a flexible online payment system. The mission is increasingly vital as AI and new technologies can potentially bridge or widen the current wealth disparity. This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode Banks are evolving beyond traditional financial products to offer value-added services that deliver outcomes that matter in customers’ everyday lives. In this episode of Breaking Banks, we explore this shift through a very specific lens. Joining host Jason Henrichs are Marcy Allen, Head of Enterprise Financial Institutions at Carefull, a company focused on helping families protect aging loved ones from financial risk and fraud, and Drew Reilly, VP, Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank They discuss how banks approach value-based accounts and loans, the realities of delivering these services within large institutions, buying versus building, and what happens when financial services appear where customers actually need help, not just where banks traditionally operate. This episode is part of the Hot Take series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode Which trends are genuinely reshaping and transforming banking? Is fintech hitting its “awkward adolescent phase”—past the hype but not yet fully mature? Today we sort through the signal and the noise. Which trends are actually changing how banks work and which are mostly theater. There are lots of pitches coming at banks, but just like in baseball, you can’t swing at them all. How do financial institutions decide what’s worth pursuing versus what’s just the latest headline? Joining host Jason Henrichs are two people who view the landscape from different vantage points: Alex Johnson, Founder of FinTech Takes who analyzes and challenges the narratives shaping fintech, and Meghan Kober, Head of Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank who sits on the side of who decides which innovations get deployed within one of the most innovative banks. Together, they dig into where fintech stands today and what the next phase might look like once the noise settles. This episode of Breaking Banks is part of the FintechXchange recording series at the University of Utah, powered by U.S. Bank.

In This Episode The current regulatory regime in the US promised a lighter touch and more de novo charters. Sure enough, there has been a flurry of activity with a wide range of applications being submitted from long time payment providers like Paypal, neobanks looking to break free from their BaaS sponsors, and even silicon valley insiders looking to build the bank of the future like Erebor. Reading the various applications and hearing the varied business plans raised a very fundamental question: What if bank charters are being issued to companies that don’t actually want to be banks? We tend to treat a charter like a finish line — as if the moment you get one, you’ve crossed into some higher state of legitimacy. But a charter is a regulatory status. Being a bank is an economic role. And those two things may be drifting apart. In this episode of Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs and Jeff Taft, Partner at Mayer Brown, dig into that tension. Jeff has advised on bank formations, regulatory strategy, and some of the most complex de novo and specialty charter conversations in the market. He has a front-row seat to how applicants think about charters — and how regulators evaluate readiness to operate as banks. This conversation was recorded live as part of FintechXchange put on by the Fintech Center at the University of Utah. This Hot Takes series is powered by U.S. Bank. Now let’s dig in to the question: are most charter applicants trying to become banks — or trying to become regulated?

In This Episode Payments are getting faster. From RTP to stablecoins, rails are modernizing. Speed alone doesn’t equal progress, however. As real-time payment systems expand, banks, businesses, and policymakers are asking a bigger question: how do new payment rails actually change how money moves, decisions get made, and value is created? In this episode of Breaking Banks, host Jason Henrichs brings together Dominic Venturo, SEVP and Chief Digital Officer at U.S. Bank and David Watson, President and CEO at The Clearing House to explore what is really changing beneath the surface. The trio discuss: how instant payments are moving beyond consumer use cases into business and treasury workflows, where banks are finding real opportunity (and where they aren’t), and how tools like request-for-payment and stablecoins are reshaping cash flow and transparency. Share with industry friends and colleagues. The episode is not to be missed!