Fintech Business Podcast

In this episode, Alex and I had the chance to discuss:* The top themes and discussions from Money20/20, which, surprise!, involved a lot of agentic AI* The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s “debanking” report (and my own experienced getting “debanked,” sort of, by cross-border payments firm Wise)* EarnIn’s argument that asking for tips is its First Amendment right* And, as always, what Alex and I just can’t let go ofA reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Brett King, futurist, author, co-founder of Moven, co-host of Breaking Banks, whose books include Bank 4.0 and The Rise of Technosocialism — and the soon-to-be-released Bank 5.0. We had the chance to discuss:* How and why people adopt or do not adopt new technologies, in financial services or otherwise* Why certain geographies still use cash and checks and the cost of payment acceptance* The implication of the rise of agentic commerce* Brett’s new book, Bank 5.0: The Rise of the Agentic Bank* What a banking system built for the machine-to-machine economy looks like* How smaller banks that still depend on branches and face-to-face service can navigate the rapidly changing environment* And much more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Pallavi Kuppa-Apte, cofounder and CEO at dispute automation platform Decisionly. We had the chance to discuss:* Some of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing card disputes — EFTA/Reg E, TILA/Reg Z, and card network rules* What the Apple Card enforcement action shows about how hard disputes are to get right, even for the largest companies* Why agentic commerce is likely to drive a surge in disputes and first-party fraud* Why manual dispute management is no longer fit for purpose in the current operating environment* How Decisionly is different — true zero-touch automation, boosting efficiency and lowering write-offs and fraud losses for card issuers* Addressing the “black box” concern: auditability, explainability and issuer control in AI-driven disputes* Advice Pallavi has for card issuers just getting started, as they scale, and those at a more steady state* And much more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Current cofounder and CTO Trevor Marshall. Trevor and I had the chance to discuss:* Why Current decided from day one to build its own tech stack, rather than relying on legacy technology service providers* How developing its own tech enables Current to ship faster and better meet its customers’ needs* How the analysis of buy vs. build in fintech and banking have changed over the past decade, especially with the rise of AI* The possibilities and risks of the rise of consumer AI agents* What advancements and opportunities Trevor is most excited about* And much more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Hey all, Jason here. In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Modern Treasury cofounder and CEO Matt Marcus and cofounder and CTO Sam Aarons. We had the chance to discuss:* Unpacking the basics of a national trust bank charter: what it is and what it isn’t* How obtaining a trust bank charter will integrate with and enhance Modern Treasury’s capabilities* Examples of how customers are leveraging Modern Treasury’s infrastructure* The latest on payment rail adoption: FedNow, RTP, stablecoins, and more* And more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Hey all, Jason here. In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Current cofounder and CEO Stuart Sopp. Stuart and I had the chance to discuss:* Current reaching EBITDA profitability and what has driven its continued growth* How Current intends to remain focused on its core demo, which are the over 150 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck* How providing the most product value for this demographic has led to more efficiency as a business and faster paybacks* Current’s focus on expanding its product suite to provide the best full banking, liquidity and credit solutions for everyday Americans, including now offering up to $1,000 in earned wage access* The balance between top line growth, unit economics, and building a sustainable business* What it means to be “IPO ready” in today’s market, and Current’s path forward* Stuart’s advice for other fintech operators, including the importance of staying true to your mission* And more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Alex and I had the chance to discuss:* Whop, which launched a feature letting users create their own neobanks in just 15 minutes. What could go wrong?* The Revolut data breach that is putting crypto whales’ lives in danger* Chime’s proposed acquisition of its partner bank, Stride* And, as always, what Alex and I can’t let go ofA reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Tamas Kadar, cofounder and CEO of fraud prevention & AML platform SEON. Tamas and I had the chance to discuss:* How fraud vectors have changed over SEON’s nearly 10 years in business* How AI is reshaping fraud and how financial institutions fight it* The challenges of dealing with the consequences of widespread data breaches and the creation of synthetic identities* The value of analyzing users’ digital footprints and device intelligence for detecting and preventing fraud* And much more!You can also find the “Hidden Risk Files” Tamas mentioned during our discussion here. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with the Aaron Klein, the Miriam K. Carliner Chair and senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution.Aaron and I had a wide-ranging discussion on consumer payment and consumer credit regulation and public policy, including:* Why, despite the existence of The Clearing House RTP and FedNow, U.S. consumers don’t have widespread free or low-cost access to instant payments* The link between remote deposit capture, plane loads of checks, and 9/11* Consumer credit and small-dollar lending, including overdrafts, payday loans, and fintech apps such as EarnIn, Dave, and MoneyLion* Why someone with a bank account would use a check casher* And much more!A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Hey all, Jason here.Something the banking industry has been struggling with since the emergence of fintech is how to evaluate, onboard, and manage fintech partners, particularly those that are early stage, often unprofitable startups.As bank-fintech partnerships multiplied, so did the problems, eventually gaining mindshare with regulators, leading to more than a dozen fintech-related consent orders in recent years.A variety of proposals for how to simplify and improve bank-fintech partnerships have been floated, including the idea of “standards.” The topic has gained renewed attention following reports that the FDIC is working with bank and fintech trade groups to setup a standard-setting organization.But are fintech standards fit for purpose? That’s a major theme in this recent discussion I had with Alex Johnson, creator of Fintech Takes, and Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs. A reminder, if you’re enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe