Breaking Banks

In This Episode In this episode Jason Henrichs and Kiah Haslett, Bank Director's Banking and Fintech Editor riff on FBO (For Benefit Of) accounts, implications for banks, banking as a service and the future of fintech. Then, Jason connects with Paul Davis, Founder, The Bank Slate about fintech partnerships, future landscape, consent orders and AI in banking. https://youtu.be/403ajB3n9mo

In This Episode In this episode Brett King catches up with Ali Paterson, Editor-in-Chief, FF News about ... fintech and banking! Having been part of the architecture, or rather furniture, of the industry for many years, these two leaders, writers and influencers look at fintech -- through rearview mirrors and what's on the road ahead -- in a lighthearted discussion from respective vantage points. There are standout moments (does anyone remember the literal payments race?), personalities, culture, and some favorite stories. https://youtu.be/MEpeF1Wp2uY

In This Episode Brett King connects with industry leaders and influencers Joao Bezerra Leite, 2W Ecobank and former CTO, Banco Itau, and Bruno Diniz, fintech advisor, author, professor, speaker and top 10 influencer in Ibero America for another engaging episode of Breaking Banks about the fintech / payments boom in Brazil and Latin America. The trio focus on several success stories to include Pix pay; NuBank, the reasons NuBank has been so successful; Creditas, and other companies to watch. Can these successes be replicated elsewhere? How might the market react if / when NuBank becomes the largest market cap bank in LatAm? These are just some of the questions the industry veterans tackle in this episode. https://youtu.be/0sMFejq_TQk

In This Episode It's another engaging episode from Breaking Banks' new series, Killing It. Host Jason Henrichs shares a candid conversation with Sankaet Pathak, Synapse CEO and Co-Founder, about Synapse's just completed, very public bankruptcy and acquisition that came with highly opinionated social media commentary. Listen as Sankaet shares his personal story as well as a behind the scenes narrative of Synapse's journey, the challenges faced, and what ultimately brought him to the decision to kill Synapse as a stand-alone entity. Sequencing is important. https://youtu.be/tkIwAiaI2dA Full Show Transcription [00:00:00] Welcome to Breaking Banks. The number one. Killing it. Killing it. There's often a story behind this story. The explosion of social media, private Slack and WhatsApp groups, newsletters, make it difficult not only to decipher fact, but even put together a cohesive story. Synapse is just completing a very public bankruptcy and acquisition with highly opinionated social media commentary. Sankat Pathak, Synapse's founder and CEO, joins me on this episode to share his side of the story and the journey that brought him to the decision to kill Synapse as a standalone entity. Well, thanks for agreeing to have a difficult if not painful conversation about the last chapters of Synapse's journey as a standalone entity. [00:01:00] Building in public is hard and, you know, finding a soft landing is admirable and difficult enough without public commentary. I guess I should be thankful Twitter didn't have the reach and vitriol in 2014 when we like tried to crash land, you know, Perk Street, same maneuver. I sometimes tell people it's like, we landed the plane. People were definitely on fire. But no one died, right? Um, I'm going to start with, you know, there are some of the experts on X saying, you know, all sorts of things, here's what went wrong. Why don't we start with, what are people getting wrong about the narrative in what transpired with Synapse and the TabaPay acquisition? I think the biggest thing that people don't realize is that We didn't file for bankruptcy, and then somebody bought our assets. Uh, we filed for Chapter 11 because that's what Tapupe wanted, uh, as a safe way to be able to acquire the [00:02:00] asset. Um, because of all the noise around the company, specifically with one of our, uh, Ex customers. Um, uh, It starts with a capital M, maybe? Yeah, Mercury. Yeah. Yeah. Um, that was the core of the reason, but I think a lot of people, uh, and again, like on Twitter, I think the mob mentality is vicious and it's fine. Um, uh, sometimes it's fun. Mostly it's painful, but that's okay. Um, their whole narrative was bankrupt Synapse has its Assets being acquired by TabaPay, but it's kind of the opposite. It's more so the liability piece and sequencing is important, but that's the piece that people missed. Yeah, well, I mean you did have two million dollars of cash still on the balance sheet It's not like you were out of runway, you know There are other maneuvers that you could have executed and I don't think that people really understand That asset purchase agreements are the way that a lot of tech companies are acquired [00:03:00] Just because the acquirers don't want any lurking, you know, calm the iceberg liabilities that you don't even know what they are. And you have some that are above the surface, let alone below the surface, not lurking there in court papers that that's actually way more common to do an asset purchase than people would think. Not always bankruptcy. Right. Yeah. Um, but I think that's an important part of the narrative. Anything else that you'd add that you're like, they're just getting that it's wrong. Well, I think, uh, the piece that people don't ask is why did have to, uh, why did we even have to sell? Yeah. Um, and what is the reason, because of which Synapse had to sell? Is it the market? Is it the bank partners? Is it customer churn?

In This Episode Pay by bank is gaining momentum in the U.S., it's a natural evolution of how we pay with funds from our bank accounts. What will it take to get more people to use it and what about readiness for different use cases? Listen as host Brett King, Eric Sager, Plaid's COO and Trevor Nies, Adyen's SVP, Global Head of Digital discuss the state of pay by bank, what is driving it in the U.S., the value it delivers, the next segments to adopt, and how key challenges are being overcome to make it good for consumers and for businesses. Will we start seeing pay-by-bank in everyday e-commerce experiences? Listen to our latest episode of Breaking Banks to find out! https://youtu.be/HDybRTh0mmE

In This Episode Embedded banking is reshaping the industry for those with the right approach. To succeed, banks of all sizes will need a strategy, tools, and technology. Listen as host Brett King connects with Booshan Rengachari, CEO of Finzly, pioneering provider of modern money movement systems to financial institutions, as they uncover the opportunities and keys to success in embedded banking. Attract more corporate banking customers with new advanced features, learn how to handle KYC & KYCC compliance for fintech partnerships, and how open APIs, virtual accounts and ISO 20022 nativity enable embedded banking.

In This Episode Todays’ Breaking Banks spotlights sister podcast Finovate, featuring host Greg Palmer’s recent interviews on the Future of Real-Time Payments with The Clearing House's, Jim Colassano, SVP Product Development & Strategy and a new report on Cost of Living, Lending and Insights from Tink with Jack Spiers, Banking & Lending Director, UK & Ireland. Finovate Spring is around the corner, May 21 - 23, 2024 in San Francisco, CA. Check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yIeYTZbXpQ

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks, we feature an episode from sister podcast EMERGE Everywhere. Is artificial intelligence the key to providing personalized financial advice for all? While companies like Credit Karma are tapping into AI’s vast potential to help customers manage their money, the technology also raises weighty questions about how to use it responsibly. In this episode, Jennifer Tescher, host of EMERGE Everywhere speaks with Credit Karma CEO Ken Lin about how the company has embedded AI into its solutions, the biggest opportunities and challenges right now, and what an AI-enabled future might look like.

In this Episode This week, Jason Henrich connects with Mary Wisniewski to talk about her new podcast, Money Isn't Everything, which will explore unconventional ideas and strategies within the financial services sector.  In her biweekly podcast Mary will tap into her passion for uncovering counterintuitive concepts, sharing stories and looking at complexities, gaps and opportunities in our market with focus on the role banks and credit unions play in driving and improving outcomes, The first episode of Money Isn't Everything airs 4/18, catch it on Apple, Spotify or the Cornerstone Advisors website. https://youtu.be/3PsqPUDBmO8

In This Episode Giving credit when credit is due is always appreciated and a good thing to do. In this case, it is also a solid base for a fintech, one that is socially responsible and financially inclusive. Meet Kashable's Co-Founder and CEO, Einat Steklov, as she speaks with host Brett King about Kashable making its mark in financial services with low cost loans for employees, those with low or no credit scores. With its data models and ability to create new risk profiles and open up access to credit, Kashable underwrites consumers for unsecured loans based to a large extent on employment information. With Kashable's ability to offer access to low cost credit, economic mobility, as an employee benefit with easy repayment -- embedded financing -- everyone benefits. Then, Breaking Banks is delighted to introduce Social Currency, Provoke.fm's latest podcast powered by Sunrise Banks that will introduce you to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, tech and ESG, and how they are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries for a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future. Spotlighting those at the forefront of positive change through social entrepreneurship, Social Currency unveils the stories behind the revolution that is propelling us toward a world where everyone has equitable access to opportunities. In the first episode, Ahead of the Curve, Strategic Foresight, Tyler Seydel, Chief FinTech Officer at Sunrise Banks and co-host Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer, Sunrise Banks and certified practitioner in strategic foresight, get into just that, Strategic Foresight, how organization can solve market opportunity challenges using provocative questions to look at future challenges in new ways, reimaging opportunities. A planning oriented discipline related to futures studies, you'll be surprised as new tools and this new way of future thinking begins to infiltrate projects and everyday work. https://youtu.be/B0iLiO6Sy54

In This Episode SXSW is a safari to the future according to Todder Moning, Lead Futurist at U.S. Bank. But, as Mike Bechtell, Chief Futurist at Deloitte, pointed out in his Fintech House fireside last year: futurists are always wrong. Why attempt to predict the future if you are likely to be wrong? This year Todder and Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer at Sunrise Banks and host of the Social Currency podcast at Provoke.fm, have a fireside chat with Dara Tarkowski, Founder of Actuate Law and host of the Tech on Reg podcast, about which rules to break and which to keep when thinking about the future. From large bank to small, both use the tools of Foresight to gain a competitive advantage when thinking about a future, even when it is likely wrong. Listen in to learn how to break out of your current mindset and preconceptions, including Todder's favorite: Future Safaris. https://youtu.be/VJ5OvH-f-00

In This Episode What happens when two financial futurists get together? They chat about money of the future and related topics worthy of debate. This week, host Brett King connects with Chris Skinner, author, influencer, The Finanser blogger, and advisor to leading organizations, governments and firms across the world to talk about Chris' new book, Intelligent Money, due out this summer. Lots of great banter and thought provoking discussion as they look at cross border payments, smart wallets / super wallets that act as an agent on your behalf, embedded intelligent financial services and payments, and of course AI, to name just a few of the topics they get into. What's your vision for Main Street 2034? Is the need for growth at the heart of some of our problems? Enjoy the debate! https://youtu.be/DC03x1pySWg

In This Episode What's your legacy? Host Brett King connects with the 695th Lord Mayor of London, Michael Mainelli, who is the first American born Lord Mayor of London. A scientist, economist and accountant, as well as a self-proclaimed space junkie who studied aerospace at Harvard (fun fact his father was at one time involved with the Apollo capsule for Boeing), the Lord Mayor shares some of the key initiatives that will keep him busy during his mayoralty -- climate change, space debris removal, a smart economy networks project, and most importantly that London is a partner when it comes to solving global problems, it is a solutions center for technology, science, engineering and finance. Then, a new podcast Beyond Banking by CBD Talks! from the Commercial Bank of Dubai. Beyond Banking by CBD Talks! delves into trends that drive the UAE, middle east, and global economies. In the first episodes host Brett King has welcomed phenomenal guests, and covered topics from climate and sustainability to unicorns and the future of money and banking, while spotlighting leaders shaping financial services and the UAE, Frank Bisignano, CEO, Fiserv and Her Excellency Raja Al Mazrouei. Learn about the UAE and other regions by downloading Beyond Banking by CBD Talks! via Amazon, Apple, or Spotify. From digitization to decarbonization, through the evolution of AI, and the advent of smart economies, listen as we foster conversations Beyond Banking, with an eye towards the future. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-banking-by-cbd-talks/id1711240163 https://youtu.be/G_jql0YSqE4

In This Episode In this next episode of our special series, Killing It!, hosts Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson sit down with Matt Harris, current coach, consultant, advisor and Bloom Credit (credit data solutions) co-founder. Starting a company is hard, at any age, Matt was 22 when he began his journey. It's not just having an idea for your startup, financial backing, energy and good people around you, as most know, it's all the hurdles and discoveries of everything you need to fix and do, that affects your idea, along the way. The journey, and roller coaster, comes with lots of stressors and takes its toll. It can be difficult to step away or step aside. How do you process? How do you separate your identity from the company after investing so much of yourself in it. The founding journey is hard but doesn't have to be.  Accept what is. 'Failure' (whatever that may mean, and it's different for everyone) is not the end of the story. This candid discussion is a master class for startup founders; coaching founders, rather than just investing in their businesses, has become an impactful and authentic way for Matt to make even more change in the world. https://youtu.be/4_FzT8ff0Ms

In This Episode This week host Jason Henrichs hears about all that he unfortunately missed at Bank Director's annual AOBA (Acquire Or Be Acquired) conference for bank senior leadership from Bank Director rock stars and conference session and track leaders, Emily McCormick, VP of Editorial & Research and Kiah Haslett, Banking & Fintech Editor. They cover it all from banking sector challenges, innovations, and market outlook to enthusiasm for balance sheets (yes!), deposits, and necessity of tech adoption for growth and the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBBVrehJ3Yg

In This Episode You heard it here last week, a new series from Breaking Banks, 'Killing It' with co hosts Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson, Fintech Takes. In this first episode we feature a candid discussion with Shamir Karkal, Alliance for Innovation Regulation, Co-founder and CEO of Sila, formerly Co-founder of Simple (BankSimple), America's first neobank which operated 2009 - 2021. A FinTech pioneer, he shares learnings, successes, failures and some of the tough decisions made along his 'simple' journey while reflecting on what it means for him today. Then, Brett King connects with DIVINE, Victor D. Lombard, CEO & Founder, Solvent with tag line, The Future is Freedom. You may remember DIVINE from 2022 when we interviewed him about a venture with AWS' Impact Accelerator. Today he is joined by Brent Chandler, CEO and Eric Lapin, President of FormFree to talk about their new partnership aligned around their missions to empower underserved demographics. The focus is lending, specifically the mortgage space, with new products to help underserved individuals get access to credit and a new two-sided marketplace, FormFree Exchange, connecting lenders and borrowers -- helping credit invisibles get loans and institutions to lend without bias. Tech for good, who doesn't love that! https://youtu.be/xhY6_rHjU4g

In This Episode Drumroll...it's a new series from Breaking Banks, Killing It, candid discussions with entrepreneurs sharing lessons, failures, successes and some of the tough decisions they had to make. From VCs to unicorns, it's a high stakes game with high rates of failure. Not everything goes up and to the right, and success looks different for everyone -- you can grind away and do all you are supposed to do, and get to the point that you have to deliver terrible news to your cofounder and employees who believed in you. There are lots of stories from awesome people who have been knocked to the mat multiple times and gotten back up. It's not uncommon, but how do you bounce back and what does it take to walk away from it. Listen as hosts Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson bring these stories to life. Then, investing in the next frontier, we turn to Greg Palmer, host of sister podcast Finovate as he speaks with Tamara Steffens, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters Ventures, about her perspectives on what’s on tap for fintech and the funding ecosystem this year. Enjoy the show! https://youtu.be/2mcKIL3PNnE

In This Episode Does BaaS go boom, and other predictions and projections for the year. Listen as host Jason Henrichs connects with hot takers Alex Johnson, Fintech Expert & Workweek Creator and Jason Mikula, Managing Director, Fintech Business Weekly about what they've been seeing and what they hope to see in our industry. For those that like analysis they jump into the current state of BaaS, theories on implications for the rest of the year not to mention any projections they think they might need a mulligan for and which are proving true! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoYKt1b0Zo0

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks, Money in the 21st Century, a special episode from sister podcast Breaking Banks Asia Pacific. Listen as Breaking Banks Asia Pacific host Charis Palmer sits down with economist and professor of economics Richard Holden to chat about his new book: Money in the 21st Century and why he believes that the US Fed needs to get going with a 'Fedcoin'. They also cover the global economics of #crypto #cbdcs #mobilemoney and #cheapmoney, and how we’ll all transact in our future cashless world. Enjoy the episode! https://youtu.be/q0uNPddxiDo

In This Episode Excitement over new technologies, new capabilities, new business models, and new companies often turns to hype, but what goes up, must come down. We seem to be working through hype cycles faster and faster, but what’s on the other side is rarely a return to the status quo. In this episode, Simon Taylor,  Fintech Brainfood, Jim Marous, The Financial Brand and Theo Lau, Unconventional Ventures join hosts Brett King and JP Nicols to share insights and debate what upward and downward forces will most impact fintech and banking in the next 12 months, and what that new reality looks like. https://youtu.be/V-7Mo6x9rpE

In This Episode 2023 was the hottest year on record in terms of temperature. ESG, sustainability, clean tech / green tech and corporate responsibility have been hot topics. Are we at war with climate? This week we feature Brett King's recent sit down in Bangkok, Thailand with former banker, fintech investor and now venture capitalist, Paul Ark, with The Radical Fund, an early-stage VC fund investing in founders who are delivering climate resilience for Southeast Asia. Where are investment dollars going? Climate mitigation (how to prevent the world from getting warmer) and climate adaptation (dealing with a warmer world) and what it means for infrastructure resilience and food insecurity, to name some areas of concern, are top of mind. Climate is a complex systemic issue and requires a buffet of technologies to address, improve and help us reclaim our environment. It's an enlightening conversation with The Futurists! https://youtu.be/o2C0X1E8oEw

In This Episode Should you increase your social media savviness to sell products? With digital acquisition reshaping financial services it's certainly something to think about for your organization's benefit. In this episode, host Brett King speaks with Dr. Robin Kiera, Founder and CEO, Digitalscouting about his book, Attention Hacking: The Power of Social Media Selling in Insurance and Finance. Listen as Dr. Kiera delves into the topic and shares industry examples, opportunities and his belief that you need to position yourself and your organization as influencers among your target market. The premise is simple, you need to be where your customer is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uGvauRU2s4

In This Episode Identity, and the future of it, continues to be a hot topic as digital adoption increases in all aspects of our lives. When you are verifying your identity, you want to do it with as little friction as possible and expect it to be fast, secure and compliant. In this episode, host JP Nicols speaks with Incode Technologies' Domingo Guerra, EVP of Trust, and industry veteran with a strong background in cybersecurity and data privacy, about the latest innovations in verifying identity. User expectations are bigger than ever. Positive user experiences and biometric acceptance can make what once seemed scary less so, but are all biometrics created equal? https://youtu.be/pDr66sLB8Jw

In This Episode Iceland is a small country doing big things in fintech, but also in healthtech, renewable energy, gaming, and the ocean-based blue economy. Few countries fared worse during the 2008 global economic crisis, which had a profound impact on the country’s financial system, currency, and overall economy. The economy gradually recovered, and by the 2010s, Iceland experienced steady economic growth. Today Iceland has a high standard of living. Its citizens enjoy access to quality healthcare and education with a relatively low level of income inequality, and it is the global leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion. JP Nicols visited Reykjavik to meet with some of the people innovating to drive these outcomes, including the country’s First Lady who is proud of her country’s achievements, yet declares that “good enough, is not good enough”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atOEvLoB8dQ

In This Episode Does financial services ever have an off-season? Is now the time to update your playbook? . Today, host JP Nicols tackles a few of these questions and then speaks with James Anderson, Paze's Managing Director, about a new launch on track for early next year. Paze is a new digital bank wallet from Early Warning Services, the fintech company that brought us Zelle several years ago and is owned by some of the largest banks in the US. A completely separate venture focused on e-commerce payments, Paze no doubt benefits from learnings in creating Zelle. The US payments world is complicated, Paze aims to be ubiquitous on both consumer and merchant sides, the piece in the middle connecting financial institutions, providing better outcomes, and making purchases more convenient and secure. Launching with more than 1,000 banks, Paze is 100% online payments focused, offered by participating banks and credit unions, built to simplify and secure checkout by tokenizing credit and debit card numbers so users never have to enter card data, usernames or remember passwords. A new product, a new year and the next era of banking just around the corner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJYx8wG_5fs

In This Episode This week we begin our episode with the third in our special series on fintech visionaries reimagining the future of finance. Brett King is joined by Jayesh Patel, CEO of Wio Bank, and Thomas Kuncheria, EEMEA Senior Vice President for Advisors Client Services at Mastercard. Wio, the UAE's first platform bank with a mission to transform banking in its region, is focusing on three core capabilities -- digital banking applications, embedded finance and BaaS. Through partnership with Mastercard, Wio is helping customers thrive in this digital world, offering personalized features and seamlessly integrated services with a goal to make banking simple, transparent and secure, offering customers access to tools to manage their finances effortlessly and at lower cost than other alternatives. It's another interesting piece in the series spotlighting the benefits of partnership and empowering partners to disrupt and revolutionize. Then, are non-traditional loan underwriting criteria -- i.e. market, environmental, community data -- important when painting a picture of a SMB loan applicant? JP Nicols speaks with serial entrepreneur Ron Benegbi, Founder & CEO of Uplinq Financial Technologies who believes so, and whose latest venture, a global credit assessment platform for SMB lenders, has built, in part taking a page from his own personal story. a platform to empower lenders to distill different kinds of data and information for credit decisioning that might enable SMB lenders to approve and manage risk on loans that they might have otherwise declined based on traditional loan underwriting criteria. https://youtu.be/ikalSI19V6A

In This Episode Opening Minds and changing legacy behaviors can be challenging. This week JP Nicols connects with Jim Perry, Senior Strategist, Market Insights about new perspectives young cohorts bring to money in the digital age, not just in practice but in ways the industry can better align its leadership with today's general demographics. Rechanneling, retooling and meeting customers where they are today, to better represent our ecosystem, across the entire spectrum, can make for a more engaged workforce and help financial institutions stay relevant. By setting the bar where it needs to be, bringing value through DEI and sharing different perspectives, financial institutions can also increase stickiness in customer relationships. Then, JP continues the thread of new perspectives and ways of doing things in his recent conversation with Brandon Spear, CEO, TreviPay. When it comes to trade credit for business customers, and the associated complexity that is inherent in the B2B space with multiple stakeholders, applying some B2C principles to B2B can make for a better payment experience, easing and expediting business across geographies, systems and risk profiles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2lxAgRFtVU

In This Episode Want to wow your family over the holidays with your fintech and banking knowledge? We offer a helpful primer for Thanksgiving table conversations as Breaking Banks' Jason Henrichs gathers with industry notables and friends Kiah Haslett, Bank Director; Alex Johnson. Fintech Takes; Jason Mikula, Fintech Business Weekly; and Mary Wisniewski, Cornerstone Advisors to talk banking turkey, give thanks, and share the nerd things they'll be talking about around their dinner tables. Happy Thanksgiving from Breaking Banks!

In This Episode Regulators are bringing it, market pressures are adding to it and Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson are jumping right in on Open Banking US with the Ghost Pepper hot sauce. Listen as the dynamic duo decipher the proposed 1033 ruling from CFPB, what it means for financial institutions and consumers, who owns transaction data, how it can be used, and how the sharing of data lakes would enable mutual relationships and better financial decisions. Efforts are underway to bring clarity to the market and while Open Banking US applies to financial institutions, it will also affect big tech with all the data and information they have on us (i.e. Amazon and Apple), and anyone who offers a credit card and digital wallet. How does BNPL fit into the mix? It's another hot take from Breaking Banks. Then, JP Nicols interviews Kevin Hart, CEO of Green Check, about the challenges for banks and credit unions to compliantly and profitably serve cannabis-related businesses (CRBs). Cannabis is legal in nearly half the states, so CRBs have lots of dollars looking for a home, and are popping up in more and more locations. Cannabis is not legal at the federal level, so banking these businesses involves understanding sticky details in licensing requirements, state guidelines, and state specific programs the require extensive monitoring. https://youtu.be/ukr4LtdM-dM

In This Episode This week join Brett King as he discusses the latest research from a newly released study on expectations vs reality in financial services. It's an enlightening conversation with DeAndre Jones, Chief Client Officer, FIS Banking Solutions and John Stuckey, Senior Director, Product, FIS Retail Solutions exploring the priorities of consumers when choosing financial services providers, the priorities of financial services executives in where they are investing for future innovation, and the points of alignment and misalignment between the two populations. Then we learn how Clear is expanding beyond the airport and into fintech, just to be 'clear' airports are where they proved out their thesis around secure identity and what it does to unlock experiences, now they are bringing learnings into the digital space. Digital identity is a hot topic, and financial services is a great space in which to play. It's an interesting segment with host JP Nicols and Derek Gottfrid, Chief Product Officer, there's definitely a 'clear' opportunity (sorry, couldn't resist) in financial services. Enjoy the episode! https://youtu.be/6bl5fC-cBMc

In This Episode Join Jason Henrichs as he speaks with Matt Wilcox, President, Digital Payments and Data Aggregation, Fiserv; Raja Chakravorti, Universal Access Lead, Plaid and Aly Yarris, Financial Access, Partnerships at Plaid about Open Banking today, how banks might want to approach it. Our guests give a quick lay of the land in digital finance right now, talking about data, data sharing and privacy, ownership, the importance of secure connectivity, access points and APIs, Addressing growing consumer demand to access their financial information when, where and how they want, Fiserv and Plaid recently announced an agreement to enable secure connectivity to allow consumers to do just that -- share their financial information with the third-party financial apps and services of their choice working with established connections and key infrastructure. It's an informative segment with relevancy for banks of all sizes. Then JP Nicols connects with Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at M20/20 to talk about themes and highlights from this year's gathering. The duo, and the event, cover a wide range of topics from AI (no surprise!) to RegTech,specifically Open or Connected Banking under the CFPBs 1033, Digital Wallets and Small Business Payments while touching upon keynotes and fireside chats with Regulators, ex-Regulators and Senators. Another epic event! Be sure to move this episode to the top of your list! https://youtu.be/0Q17TGMhl10

In This Episode This week we feature the second of a three part series focusing on fintech visionaries reimagining the future of finance.  In today's first segment, Brett King and JP Nicols are joined by Solana Cozzo, Head of Mastercard Advisors Business Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Mariana Franza, Chief Operating Officer at Ualá. Ualá, an Argentine fintech company, partnered with Mastercard to offer users an innovative and integrated digital experience with convenient and lower-cost services than other alternatives. Argentina has a large unbanked and underbanked population, and Uala has quite a story to tell with 5.5 million customers in 5 years and the ability to meet customers where they are and how they want to engage. It's another interesting segment in the series spotlighting the benefits of partnership and empowering partners to disrupt, revolutionize and grow with agility and speed where there is need. Smart decisions with positive outcomes. Then we travel with Brett to Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world, to hear from one of their fintechs, Wooppay, and its Chief Compliance Officer, Yuliya Salekhova about what Wooppay is doing to drive innovation forward in the country. The first in mobile financial services in Kazakhstan, Wooppay has an unique place and story. Listen as Brett and Yuliya discuss Wooppay's wallet ecosystem and the future of payments. Innovators from around the world reimagining the world of finance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFXypoFG4Ww

In This Episode It's Fintech on Fire, and more Hot Takes from MX's Money Experience Summit in Las Vegas. This episode features three bold panelists eager to tackle hot questions and even hotter wings! For every question and hot take, our panelists Mary Wisniewski, Editor-at-Large, Cornerstone Advisors; Neff Hudson, Trusted Leader in Transformation Change, Castle Hills Consulting, retired USAA veteran (pun intended); and Wes Hummel, CTO, MX will join host, moderator and spice aficionado Jason Henrichs in eating progressively spicier chicken wings. The discussion is hot and the sauces bring out some honest and entertaining reactions. It's another Hot Takes hot session as they look to the future and work up to MXtreme's secret sauce! https://youtu.be/ymHut7J6cIc

In This Episode In this week's episode of Breaking Banks, Brett King engages in an informative and dynamic discussion with Jonathan Anastasia, EVP, Crypto & Security Innovation, Mastercard and Mike Coscetta, Head of Revenue at Paxos Trust Company about why financial leaders should be investing in blockchain now. It's a watershed moment for stablecoins and an opportunity to extend the benefits of blockchain technology to the realm of traditional finance and everyday transactions while ensuring integrity and security for customers. The trio cover it all -- the state of the market today, the volatility, regulatory outlook and crackdown, international trends vs that in the US, growth in crypto in LATAM & other regions -- and then dive in to their partnership, Crypto Source, sharing their vision for crypto in banking, what it means for the industry and how easy it is for banks to turn on, safely and compliantly, while being in control. With banks unlocking crypto, what does it mean for the future of finance? Listen to find out, now's the time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK1pUXA_2Nw

In This Episode Jennifer Sertl, Founder Agility3R, hosts a dynamic panel at SIBOS 2023 with the dream team of Dr. Leda Glyptis, #LedaWrites; Tom Zschach, CIO, SWIFT; and Brett King, certainly no introduction needed here!, sitting in the panelists seats for Innotribe's Future of Money. We're in the midst of a transition, money historically has been the universal medium of exchange, a unit that signifies worth. As we venture deeper into the 21st century, the notion has been broadened and reshaped with tech advances, decentralized finance and other digital assets changing the concept of money and challenging the essence of value exchange. This transition extends to how value is perceived, created and distributed. It's the last of its class ... next year it's the Future of Value! https://youtu.be/r7dNA12VmyA

In This Episode This week we feature the first of a three part series focusing on fintech visionaries reimagining the future of finance. In the first segment host Brett King connects with Mariam Ogunbambi, Chief Client Officer at Engine by Starling, the technology arm of Starling Bank and Bronwyn Francis, SVP, Advisors Business Development, Mastercard. Starling Bank, as many of you know, is Britain’s first digital bank, a true fintech success story. Engine is the platform that powers Starling and is now being provided to banks globally as a Software-as-a-Service solution to help them innovate, digitally transform or launch new digital offerings in their own markets, offering the opportunity to keep up with the pace of change and chance to replicate some of the Starling Bank magic. It's an interesting first segment in this special series! Then, it's time for some more Hot Takes! This time, Fintech on Fire live from MX's Money Experience Summit in Las Vegas. We have three bold panelists eager to tackle hot questions and even hotter wings. For every question and hot take, our panelists Mary Wisniewski, Neff Hudson and Wes Hummel will join Jason Henrichs in eating progressively spicier chicken wings. These hot sauces are guaranteed to bring out some honest and entertaining reactions. It's another Hot Takes hot session! https://youtu.be/c2rTN9sQiCY

In This Episode This week we start with a special segment as we head to SIBOS 2023 in Toronto and prepare for a panel discussion for the Future of Money. We look back over 10 years, pulling clips from prior Future of Money panels, the flagship session for SWIFT Innotribe for many years. Next week we will bring you the highlights from this year's Future of Money panel. It's a two-parter, so stay tuned!  Spoiler alert: as we look back there wasn't much that the various panelists got wrong, in some cases the timing was off, but in most they were spot-on as they discussed the digitization of the banking sector and the explosion of banking through the world.   Then host Brett King connects with award-winning author and tech investor Alex Tapscott to discuss Alex's new book Web3: Charting the Internet's Next Economic and Cultural Frontier.  Referred to as an essential introduction and guide to navigating the next internet revolution, the book and discussion covers everything from the metaverse and NFTs to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity. The Web and the Internet are entering a new age where individuals own their own identities and can securely trade assets like money, securities, intellectual property and art peer to peer.  Web3 promises to shake up business, it is the internet's new frontier. Enjoy the episode! https://youtu.be/MlrixyFaD2w

In This Episode It is always exciting when one can do good by combining personal experience, knowledge, need and work to create something for the benefit of many. This is exactly what Citizens Bank of Edmond President and CEO Jill Castilla did with Roger (think military term indicating message received). Listen as Jill and Jason Henrichs discuss how the bank launched a digital bank for military recruits -- entry-level recruits many of whom enter basic training without bank accounts. The lack of an account can delay training start date and a recruit's first paycheck, and financial stability, predatory lending and financial literacy can be threats to military readiness. It's a fascinating success story. Then, as it is FinovateFall, we feature a Finovate conversation between 'MC' Greg Palmer and Elizabeth McCloskey, TruStage Ventures, where they cover the fintech funding landscape specific to Credit Unions and DEI Initiatives. https://youtu.be/8G7zuQFBzj0

In This Episode When does a fintech become what they set out to disrupt?  Is it when they start offering bank-like products?  Get a banking license?  Is it when they go all-in and buy an actual bank?  In this episode sister pod, Breaking Banks Asia Pacific, asks whether this is good, bad, or something else for competition. The Asian Banker founder Emmanuel Daniel says fintechs struggle to maintain their innovative edge when they get sucked into the bid to become a bank, and Wise’s Surendra Chaplot believes you can be bank-like and still forge a path that is sensitive to customer needs. What do you think? https://youtu.be/onpSzYTTCM8

In This Episode This week FinovateFall Master of Ceremonies Greg Palmer and host of Provoke.fm's Finovate podcast gives a taste of things to come as he shares two conversations with FinovateFall keynoters Luke Williams, NYU Stern School of Business Professor and Author of Disrupt, and Manas Chawla, Founder of London Politica. No spoiler alerts here, so you'll need to listen to the episode and come to FinovateFall NYC September 11 -13th to hear Luke talk about Disrupt and Innovation, and Manas talk about Geopolitical Risk and Gray Rhinos. https://youtu.be/eg34z-Cfizc

In This Episode John Pitts, head of Policy at Plaid, and Jason Henrichs were recently talking about open finance and the Interagency Guidance on Third Party Due Diligence -- no doubt these are hot topics in your house like they are in ours -- and the idea to record some Hot Takes  came to life. In the time it took to ship out Breaking Banks hot sauce, the Federal Reserve Bank decided to do its own hot take and create a supervision program for “Novel Activities.” Jonah Crane, partner at Klaros Group, former regulator in residence at the Fintech Innovation Lab and longtime regulator at the US Department of Treasury joined in on the fun and Dara Tarkowsi, partner at Actuate Law and host of Provoke.fm's Tech on Reg podcast accepted the challenge to co-host with Jason for the first half. Then, if that wasn’t hot enough, in the second half, Frank Rotman, co-founder of QED Investors, 5x Forbes Midas Touch investor and Jason talk about building in the upcycle vs. building in the now cycle. Frank brings the heat and great insights! https://youtu.be/hHK1Ey_v7OA

In This Episode The Metaverse Economy: How Finance Professionals Can Make Sense of Web3 is Arun Krishnakumar and Theo Lau's new book. Listen as Brett King connects with Theo Lau, frequent guest and Founder, Unconventional Ventures. The metaverse is evolving, the way the metaverse is now, is not close to where it will be. The book is designed to equip fintech professionals with an in-depth understanding of the emergent economic models in the Metaverse and across Web3, and also understand the risks associated with the Metaverse and help these professionals prepare for what lies ahead in this immersive environment. The concept of community in the metaverse is important, we don't want to leave people behind. Then Brett and Jason Henrichs shift the subject to talk about recent fires in Greece (sadly we can also add Maui to the list), the Impact of these fires and the EU response to climate change with author and influencer Dr. Leda Glyptis. July 2023 just scattered the record for the hottest month, per NASA, since 1880. There is no denying that climate change is here. Some of these extreme events are naturally occurring, others man-made, but the number and extent of these occurrences is increasing and there are concerns of irreversible desertification. Banks and regulators need to be front and center, and take more of a stance. In natural disasters the financial system sometimes breaks down -- financial inclusion and financial access are concerns. Major systemic banks in Europe are asking themselves the hard questions, not just taking superficial steps. The cost for these extreme weather events is growing exponentially, economics are in play. Covid made people realize there are no boundaries, it's everyone's problem. Climate change also doesn't stop at borders, a similar degree of focus and urgency is needed. Will Europe lead? https://youtu.be/scHsKDRFP2Y

In This Episode Rising interest rates caught many by surprise. We saw some banks fail, Fintech venture funding dropped 50% year over year. IPOs were pulled. M&A for banks and fintechs are in limbo. Many say this is nothing short of an innovation nuclear winter unlike anything we've seen before. For others, this state of the world seemed vaguely familiar before a decade plus of Zero Interest Rate Policies. Except, it isn't just a reversion to the mean. There are many structural differences from 2008 and 2000 before that. It feels familiar, but are we really entering the Twilight Zone of Fintech? Is it a dystopian future or will there be an unexpected twist? Listen as Jason Henrichs hosts another HOT (yes, we added some spice!) episode with Rahul Baig, Managing Director, Head of Venture Capital Coverage at Wells Fargo, Sarah Hinkfuss, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, and Amias Gerety, Partner at QED investors. There was plenty of hot sauce to go with the Hot Takes and debates. Amias even shares his secret recipe for the homemade sauce he was sipping. https://youtu.be/tpM_UJx_9Tc

In This Episode This week Brett King and JP Nicols are joined by the infamous Ron Shevlin, Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors and Forbes' Author of Fintech Snark Tank. Listen as they talk about Ron’s latest Forbes articles that have created some buzz! From The Checking Account War Is Over (And The Fintechs Have Won) to The Banking Crisis Has Only Just Begun, they have lots to discuss before they get into what banks need —  is it Innovation or is it Invention or Just Growth?  Then Greg Palmer host of Provoke.fm's Finovate podcast begins his FinovateSpring Best of Show winner spotlight series with a conversation on the future of biometric payments with Deepak Jain, Founder & CEO, Wink. Additional best of show interviews can be found on provoke.fm/show/finovate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XZUToGk7Q0

In This Episode Welcome to this week's episode of Breaking Banks where we feature pieces from cohosts and Provoke.fm sister podcasts NextGen Banker and Tech on Reg. First, David Reiling, host of NextGen Banker, interviews Sheel Mohnot cofounder of Better Tomorrow Ventures, discussing Sheel's first foray into the fintech world with a non-profit and why he’s dedicated his career to making the consumer experience better. Spoiler alert, they also talk about his recent viral wedding in the Taco Bell metaverse. Then we shift to Biometric Signatures: The Digital Dotted Line, and Dara Tarkowski’s conversation with Matthew Gibson Co-Founder of Syngrafii. From virtual signing rooms to remote pens and more, they cover the digitization and compliance of signatures and the changed landscape of biometric signature capabilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIg9avTcTS0

In This Episode Live from Guatemala, Brett connects with execs from Plus TI at the Monitor Plus Conference to talk about financial crime and how AI, data sharing, real-time monitoring and the balance of human and machine learning can prevent fraud, boost bank business and benefit customers. Then, close to 90% of the world’s carbon emissions come from coastal and marine ecosystems, but there is ambiguity on how exactly to measure, manage and take advantage of its protection towards the creation of credits. In this segment from Breaking Banks Europe, host Roberto Capodieci connects with Cerulean Ventures Co-Founder, Jahed Momand. Listen as they talk carbon credits and dive into unlocking the blue carbon credits marketplace. https://youtu.be/RdumATIhnNY

In This Episode Today we feature a special anniversary episode of Breaking Banks with hosts Brett King, Jason Henrichs and JP Nicols looking back over 10 years and 500 episodes of Breaking Banks. Listen as the team reflects on highlights and their favorite moments, throughout you’ll hear from some special guests and hosts. Thank you to our loyal listeners for helping to make us the #1 global fintech podcast. Here’s to 500 more and continuing to chronicle fintech innovation around the globe.  Cheers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoQf1UNN4ac

In This Episode Next week is the 500th episode of Breaking Banks. Every week since 2013 we've been featuring the innovators, players and personalities working towards a more innovative and inclusive financial future. We received so many comments on this special milestone we feature several in the second half of today's show. Be sure to tune in next week, as you do every week!, as hosts Brett King, Jason Henrichs and JP Nicols cover industry changes, highlights and their favorite moments over the past 10 years. But first we start this episode by featuring sister podcast Finovate's interview on better understanding the competitive landscape with Financial Insights. https://youtu.be/Uqn3BCRUK0c

In This Episode Host Jason Henrichs gets spicy, and sheds a few tears, with industry experts Alex Johnson, Creator, Fintech Takes and Amy Radin, Author and Executive Advisor to Enterprises and ScaleUps in this episode of Breaking Banks. The wings are spicy and so is the conversation as they cover current economic challenges, the crypto meltdown, BNPL, value creation, down rounds for neobanks, and everything next! This episode is HOT! https://youtu.be/YaFNv_XR4hU

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks a crossover episode from The Futurists featuring the dynamic duo of  Robert Scoble and Brian Roemmele — prior Breaking Banks guests, tech evangelists, sought-after specialists, and highly regarded futurists. Listen as they dive into the implications of Apple’s Vision Pro with hosts Brett King, Katie King, and Brian Solis. They riff and discuss what it all means for computing, experiences, even detailing the experience of wearing the Vision Pro, the breakthroughs Apple had to make to get this far, and what likely comes next.  https://youtu.be/J2DczXytsgw

In This Episode Meet Breaking Chains Crypto, a new podcast In the Breaking Banks/Provoke.fm family of podcasts that is hosted by Yield App. BreakingChains Crypto covers the news, rumors and developments in Crypto, DeFi, Web3 and what makes the industry tick. Breaking Chainsbrings an insiders perspective on the true secrets and developments, what really makes a difference in the industry, and how the most exciting coins, tokens and verticals to emerge from the industry will change the world. In this episode, Rhys and Lucas Kiely, Yield App’s Head of Web3 and CIO, along with Ajit Tripathi, strategic advisor at Polygon Labs, discuss the current landscape and share reasons why they think the battle of the L2s is only just starting, how Chat GPT – whileincredibly useful – has striking similarities to a Big 4 consultant, and why South Korea has shown evidence that it is fertile ground forproducing some notable degens. https://youtu.be/nijGlwHrWto

In This Episode This week it's a Breaking Banks and FInovate podcast mashup as fintech luminaries opine on Finovate Spring (San Francisco). Listen as respective hosts Brett King and Greg Palmer, also VP and Director of Fintech Strategy, The Finovate Group dish with Mary Wisniewski, Editor at Large, Cornerstone Advisors; Alex Jimenez, Managing Principal, Financial Services Consulting; Theodora Lau, Founder, Unconventional Ventures and Deva Annamalai, Founder/CEO of  RightFrame Consulting, a Bespoke Fintech Payments Consulting firm, and talk trends, highlights, surprises, opportunities and make a few predictions along the way. Then Brett speaks with KakaoBank CEO Daniel Yun. KakaoBank, a South Korean neobank, is one of the most successful challenger banks out there today. Started in 2017 with a small team and through joint venture, it had 1 million customers within its first few days. Today, KakaoBank has 26 million customers and is one of the most profitable challenger banks globally. There's much to celebrate as it looks to the future and ways to innovate, expand and continue its success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vIgzqN13Sc

In This Episode With 80% of Americans never defaulting on a loan but less than half having a prime credit score, today we spotlight an episode of sister podcast and NextGen Banker host David Reiling's conversation with accidental banker and Leaders in Lending host, Jeff Keltner, also SVP Business Development at Upstart as they talk about using AI or predictive algorithms to improve access to affordable credit with less risk to banks, and how this technology uses larger sets of data to help understand the real risk. Tech doing its magic and continuing to make an impact. Then we turn to another Provoke.fm podcast and Finovate host Greg Palmer's conversation with Jacqueline Baker, author, podcast host and leadership consultant, about her recent book, The Unexpected Leader: Discovering the Leader Within You. To lead it's imperative to see yourself as a leader right out of the gate. There are of course always headwinds, but everyone can be a leader, and with four levels of leadership there are many opportunities. Interestingly many of the best leaders are those that have leadership thrust upon them. You may be our next great leader! Enjoy the episode! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQkLUwOrblc

In This Episode Society has grown more complex and polarized, with this comes an increased likelihood of complicated disputes. How is the legal industry evolving to deal with a hyper connected society? Dr. Cain Elliott, Head Legal Futurist, Filevine and advisor to chatbot and  generative AI platforms connects with The Futurists hosts Robert Tercek and Brian Solis to delve into the legal issues around AI, not only regulatory but inside corporations with respect to how AI should be managed. With the profession digitizing to move faster and operate more efficiently, AI will have a significant impact from automation of legal functions to smart contracts. Listen as they cover the broken business model of legal services, the political and regulatory barriers to change and the transformative potential of legal tech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsZJAdYNBII

In This Episode This episode begins with a special Breaking Banks mashup as Brett King and Breaking Banks Europe's Matteo Rizzi connect with Andres Perez, Co-Founder and Director, Fintech Association of South Africa, a young non-profit born from the race to digitization, not a battle between banks and fintechs. The three year old association is dedicated to promoting and supporting the growth and development of fintech in South Africa, and is enjoying nice traction. A population of 43 million, South Africa is in a unique position with 96% of its population financially included. Recent investments and strong support indicate that there's opportunity to be had in South Africa's unique ecosystem. Finasa.org.za is helping champion responsible innovation, and the ability to make more of an impact through collaboration. while developing and upholding best practices and standards that prioritize consumer needs and data privacy. Then Brett turns the focus to LatAm with a model problem that will be increasingly looked at around the world as he speaks with Yoel Gavlovski, CEO and Co-Founder, QUASH.ai, a Miami-based startup and Fintech Americas winner that is focused on an alternative approach for credit scoring and lending targeted to emerging economies. For financial institutions seeking to increase credit origination to the underserved who have thin credit files, or low to no credit reference information, Quash.ai is finding different ways to get more information on clients, transforming data and using advanced analytics to turn these clients into low risk creditworthy borrowers. Prediction as a Service, adding capacity for FI's for better lending, using large learning models, has increased inclusion for many who would previously have been rejected. How's this for a stat: in performance analysis, since implementation, 20% of the people who previously would have been rejected, have now been included with no added risk to the lending institutions. https://youtu.be/3IPFWvk2QRA

In This Episode Relationships are important, in all aspects of life. The nature of relationships is changing -- trust is a big factor in any relationship. Just like with partnerships one needs to be reliable, consistent, relatable, and credible, and there needs to be interest from all parties. In this episode, Brennan Andrews, Marketing Director, Dart Bank and James White, General Manager, Banking, Total Expert speak with Jason Henrichs about relationships in banking. They touch upon how during this downturn banks may need to rely on things like relationship lending & pricing to keep customers loyal. What is old is new again. Banks need to get back to building strong relationships with their customers, a solid relationship can be a competitive advantage and knowing your customer makes it easier to provide personalized financial wellness. It's time to be proactive and predictive, unlocking the power of data to rethink value and how best to deliver it. It's back to basics and competing on more than just rate. Personalization, if wrong can be worse than doing nothing, it all comes down to solid relationships! Then, vendors can be great partners, an opportunity for financial institutions is the optimization of these relationships. In our second half, Jason connects with Cyrene Wilke, Horicon Bank's CIO and Patricks Sells, True Digital Co-Founder on the topic of vendor selection and partnerships. You may be surprised to hear that success is not always about picking the right partner, sometimes it's as simple as progress over perfection as no one benefits from analysis paralysis. Traction is good. Risk and compliance do of course factor into vendor selection. Banks need to be innovative, but aware of the rules. You can do great things but need to do it in a safe manner. The number of vendors banks work with, transactionally and symbiotically, adds to complexity, but the network effect can be beneficial as banks aim for best in breed and look to approach things from different perspectives. Relationships are key and banks also need to collaborate and learn from each other. It's a delicate dance. https://youtu.be/opww89WAXic

In This Episode This special episode of Breaking Banks begins with a mashup interview with the new Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas Lyons, Brett King and Emerge Everywhere host Jennifer Tescher. The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation, a municipal governing body covering the historic center of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's financial sector. As ambassador for the UK's Financial & Professional Services, and accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign, he retains traditional powers, rights and privileges, and some ceremonial duties. Look for the Lord Mayor of London at the coronation of King Charles III. As a top global financial center, The Lord Mayor of London wants to help companies grow, scale, and stay in London and the UK.  With London's fintech success, he's focusing on tech innovation across the board -- green tech, biotech, life sciences, renewable tech -- encouraging start-ups and looking to create more investment from the UK system as well as access to funding. He's thinking 30 years ahead, framing options for the growth economy, and looking at the painful divide in society and widening gap in numeracy, financial literacy and financial inclusion --  initiatives he's working hard to address in his mayoralty. Part of the answer lies in fintech, with London all about building bridges and partnerships. Then Brett continues the investment theme with a conversation with Alex Sion, Managing Director, Motive Partners, mentor of hundreds of start-ups and lecturer on innovation, fintech and digital strategy having co-founded a neobank himself and having led innovation efforts at Citi and JP Morgan Chase. They discuss current challenges for banking and what has happened in the startup world particularly in fintech where Silicon Valley Bank was a big supporter and validator, and what the next chapter looks like. It’s all things fintech from a VC perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGptCgG_dWs

In This Episode How many closed loop city transit cards do you have lying around? If you are a traveller you have lots of these souvenirs as every city has its own transit card or way of doing things, Can open payments and better payment systems improve public transportation and bring the unbanked into the financial ecosystem? Aaron Klein, Senior Fellow, Policy Director, Center for Regulation and Markets, Brookings Institute, not to mention former US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and US Dept of the Treasury, and Gillian Gillett, Program Manager, California Integrated Mobility, California Dept of Transportation (CADOT) think so. Listen as they share latest research and interesting insights, to include California's adoption of new payment rails for urban transport, with host Brett King. The faster the payment, the faster we move, with implications for EVs and business. Digital inclusion remains important as is reforming how we charge for micropayments. Our connect theme continues as we look at Fintech as a Service (FaaS) and Brett catches up with NayaOne, CEO, Karan Jain, former Westpac exec. NayaOne is helping transform how banks bring new products to market. They need only 'Connect Once' as the platform enables FI's, fintechs, regulators, and industry bodies to collaborate with a pre-vetted fintech marketplace. A 2020 PwC global study showed that 75% of banks are investing in developing a more customer-focused business model by collaborating with fintechs. Banks want these partnerships, but not everyone realizes innovation the same way. Banks need to be fintech friendly and ready. Culture is important and action needs to match words if banks want to be at the leading edge and make an impact for their customers. https://youtu.be/Ens-lMdv0AQ

In This Episode Today's episode checks in on the embedded finance story, how software platforms are embedding payments and financial services into their software offerings. Listen as Brett King speaks with Becky Kopplin, Payment Strategist and Product Leader at Qualis Partners and Matt Downs, Group President, Worldpay for Platforms, FIS about what software-led, embedded payments are and how they compare with other integrated payment models. The trio cover the difference between embedded finance and embedded payments and how they affect banks, how cloud business management platforms make deeper payment workflows so attractive and where trends will take us next. The ability to offer embedded payments in context and at the moment when you need it, making it as easy as possible are key elements of success (and experience), and will help banks become increasingly more relevant in this digital age.  Brett closes by interviewing New York Times best-selling author Diana Kander about her latest book, Go Big or Go Home. In today's hyper competitive and rapidly changing world, to succeed Kander and co-author Tucker Trotter suggest creating memorable experiences to help you land business and to ensure you are not instantly forgettable and regretfully mediocre. Whether a start up, established brand, or something in between, thoughts will be provoked. For more information, visit FISglobal.com/WorldpayPlatforms https://youtu.be/mCt9_hHH71o https://youtu.be/fPKlZzjEln0

In This Episode Artificial intelligence offers both risks and rewards for business leaders. On the one hand, AI has the potential to improve business operations, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and drive innovation. AI can be used to automate repetitive tasks, analyze vast amounts of data, and provide valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making. However, there are also risks associated with AI, such as the potential for biased or inaccurate decision-making, the possibility of job displacement, and concerns around data privacy and security. Leaders must carefully consider these risks and rewards when implementing AI in their organizations and ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to mitigate potential negative impacts. Is there more to it than that? After all, that introduction was actually written by the AI-powered chatbot called ChatGPT, so maybe it had some built-in bias. To dig deeper host JP Nicols speaks with a human, Al Cowger, who is an attorney and author of the book One Nation Under Algorithms: The Threats of Algorithms and AI to Civil Rights, Legal Remedies, and American Jurisprudence. Al has a new article coming out in a technology journal at Case Western Reserve University entitled Corporate Fiduciary Duty in the Age of Algorithms, where he looks at the growing use of algorithms and artificial intelligence and the potential threats and new liabilities they may create for business managers and board members. In our second half, the promise of conversational AI has so far been a disappointing series of chatbots helping banks reduce cost but doing little to inspire customers or improve the service experience. Can ChatGPT help the sector do better? Breaking Banks Asia Pacific hosts Rachel Williamson and Simon Spencer, resident AI expert, tackle the subject, ask ChatGPT, and offer a use case of a Singapore-based insurtech firm that is using big data and AI to help deliver their products. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFoeHC1uD40

In This Episode No matter your sector, innovation is transforming the financial world. The impact is hitting fast and hard. At times, innovation may seem like a nice to have, especially in an uncertain market environment, but it’s clear that innovation is having a significant impact on businesses around the world. In today's episode of Breaking Banks, host Brett King speaks with Melissa Cullen, Global Head of Strategy, Product and Commercialization at FIS Banking Solutions; and Tony Warren, Global Head of Strategy and Solutions Management at FIS Capital Markets Solutions about findings from FIS' 2023 Global Innovation Report.  Listen as they discuss what the world's leading financial institutions and companies think about Embedded Finance, ESG and DeFi, as well as implications of Generative AI. Innovations are appearing faster than ever. With so much disruption -- and opportunity -- the industry must be all the more agile to turn the change to their advantage. Shownotes: The full report can be accessed here: www.fisglobal.com/global-innovation-report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEwKBgI3R94

In This Episode It's another spicy episode of Breaking Banks featuring Jason Henrichs and custom hot sauce fans Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor, Bank Director and Alex Johnson, Creator, Fintech Takes. The three are back at it and always game for taste testing and discussing hot issues in financial services. Along with the sauce, we offer an entire episode onDeposits.  Are they hot or not!? Every bank wants and needs deposits, there are several types of deposits, some riskier than others. Banks need to update deposit strategies and determine their value proposition. With tech making it easy to move deposits, and every bank competing for them, lack of strategy can be dangerous. Deposit strategy and betas are coming up in discussion around SVB andSilvergate...deposit strategy, it’s something every institution needs to think about. Enjoy the deep dive! https://youtu.be/UdSvwdzgNYM

In This Episode Today's special episode of Breaking Banks comes to you live from Fintech House @SXSW. Listen as guest host Dara Tarkowski, Managing Partner, Actuate Law and host of Breaking Banks' sister podcast Tech on Reg speaks with Mike Bechtel, Chief Futurist at Deloitte Consulting and David Reiling, Chairman and CEO, Sunrise Banks; Author, Fintech for Good; and host of Provoke.fm's NextGen Banker. These are wild times, it helps to have a futurist with a background in anthropology to put things in perspective. Where are the opportunities in evolving technology, what's hype and nonsense? At times we are so busy wondering if we can do something, that we don't always think if we should. Intentionality and mindfulness are good things, and mild chaos is where opportunity lies, where niches and new angles can be discovered. In 2013 there were 2.7 billion unbanked people in the world. Today the number stands at 1.3 billion. Huge strides have been made in the last decade vs. the last hundred years. Listen as Brett King connects with Kosta Peric, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the second half of the show. It's important for everyone to be part of the economy -- an economy that includes everyone benefits everyone. Listen as they discuss global advances in banking and payments, digital public infrastructure, and the importance of mobile wallets and identity. Game changing innovation at work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBUr4DJKdRs

The banking industry is entering a perilous new phase, and new developments are happening quickly so we’re dropping this episode early. The second largest bank failure in history came suddenly with Silicon Valley Bank being shut down by regulators on March 10. This comes just two days after Silvergate bank announced it was closing “voluntarily”. Joining our resident recovering banker and host JP Nicols are Kiah Haslett, managing editor at Bank Director, and John Maxfield principal at Maxfield on Banks, who has written extensively on the history of banking and bank failures. They examine where this all fits in the history of bank closures, why it happened, and where the risks and opportunities are from here. John argues that while scarcity is the primary constraint in most industries, for banking it’s abundance. Was a decade and a half of low to zero interest rates too much of a good thing? What’s the role of Fed interest rate hikes? JP and John debate if banks being too boring is riskier than being too “innovative”, Kiah muses about the role of faster money movement, and she’s ready for more hot wings after all of these hot takes, but we’ll save that for a show that Jason hosts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whKMyNynkBI

Financial health is a composite of an individual's financial life, whether they are spending, saving, borrowing and planning in ways that enable them to be resilient and pursue opportunities. In today's episode we look at finhealth from a different angle. Listen as Jason Henrichs speaks with two leaders bringing financial health, financial services and healthcare, to the next level. MA-based, non-profit, About Fresh and its Co-Founder and CEO, Josh Trautwein and Jennifer Tescher, President and CEO, Financial Health Network and host of Provoke.fm's Emerge Everywhere. Cool things are happening at the intersection of fintech, healthcare and food accessibility all with the goal to provide better health outcomes for everyone. Today we spotlight About Fresh's Fresh Connect, a platform that enables healthcare providers to connect patients to the food they need to be healthy. With the help of a debit card, doctors prescribe free fruits and vegetables. Once enrolled in the program, the debit card enables the patient to purchase produce and healthy items at stores, farmers markets, mobile marts and online where they already shop. HIPAA compliant, the system recognizes eligible healthy foods at checkout, covering the cost. This tech enabled food prescription program is helping to transform patient care, improve health outcomes -- healthcare teams can measure impact via frictionless payment technology --and provide access to healthy foods, overcoming challenges of food deserts and even branch deserts.  Good things are happening in FinHealth!  https://youtu.be/CV9poQ5iS4o

This week on Breaking Banks we feature sister podcast Breaking Banks Europe as they take a sneak peek at Finovate Europe, March 14th and 15th in London. As with other Finovate conferences, get your votes ready! There will be demos aplenty, listen to learn about this year’s enhancements, stellar all-star panels, conference sustainability efforts and different networking opportunities, startup booster and… “HOT OR NOT?” Curious? Breaking Banks Europe host Francesca Aliverti connects with Greg Palmer, VP and Master of Ceremonies, Finovate conferences, not to mention provoke.fm’s Finovate podcast host, and Theodora Lau, Unconventional Ventures, who started her speaking career several years back on the stage at Finovate. Make plans to attend in London....if we don't see you there, make sure to listen here! https://youtu.be/-Zp2-qmw4Mg

The personalization of finance is here. Listen as Brett connects with Emmanuel Daniel about his book "The Great Transition" where Emmanual, founder of The Asian Banker and global thought leader in the future of finance, outlines the transition that the finance industry will go through from its platform stage today into the personalization of finance. Personalization will have a profound effect on how institutions, markets and society will function in the network age. He introduces the term ‘financialization of everything’ to describe how entire economies will interact with cryptocurrencies, blockchain and new trends in gaming to shape the personalization of society. Predicting the future of finance. Then, in 1992, John Hope Bryant brought a bus full of largely White corporate leaders to witness the disinvestment in South Central LA. This was the first big move for Operation HOPE, Inc., a nonprofit that John, Chairman and CEO, founded to empower underserved communities through financial literacy. In this episode from sister podcast Emerge Everywhere, John Hope Bryant and Jennifer Tescher, President and CEO, Financial Health Network, discuss everything he’s learned in the 30 years since that first bus tour – including the importance of financial inclusion and building Black wealth.  https://youtu.be/b_Y--fSi8uw

Making lemonade out of a lemon....being sued is not necessarily a bad thing, in this case it spurred the development of a personal financial management tool that is helping many clear debt and learn to budget. Gone are spreadsheets and lessons from our elders on how best to budget. It sometimes takes a village and a community, as users share tips and stories so that everyone wins. Listen as Jason Henrichs connects with Carmen Perez, CEO and Founder, Much, about her journey and inspiration in creating a budgeting app to help others win with money management. Much is changing the way people think about money and helping users take control of their financial journey. Then we spotlight sister podcast NextGen Banker. The digital banking world is no doubt convenient. Delicia Hand wants to make sure it’s fair, too. David Reiling, host of NextGen Banker, speaks with Hand, the director of financial fairness at Consumer Reports, who helped put together a framework that evaluates how well digital financial products are working for consumers. Delicia talks about the framework — which includes principles like privacy, inclusivity and transparency — as well as how working on Capitol Hill during the Great Recession framed her perspective on developing financial policy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Et9z8xmxU

Dreams becoming reality. This episode spotlights champions leading the way forward towards an inclusive financial ecosystem for the Black community. In the first segment, Jason Henrichs connects with Kenya McKnight-Ahad, the CEO and Founder of Black Women's Wealth Alliance, BWWA. BWWA resulted from combining Kenya's background in economic development with her desire to engage with Black women about how to empower themselves financially. Kenya's focus on improving the lives of others by illuminating and encouraging the creation of generational wealth, as well as her passion for entrepreneurism and community building, has created health & wellness opportunities for Black women, providing wealth education, business support services, small grant program, career services, and a building, ZaRah where Black women can flourish. Kenya worked with Mary Stoick, SVP Director of Tax Credit Lending, Sunrise Banks to make ZaRah happen. Sunrise Banks is truly more than just a bank, it helps in fulfilling dreams. BWWA is well on its way with its new incubator space and furthering of Black community building. Then meet Damon Jenkins, SVP and Regional Market President, Twin Cities for First Independence Bank and Bryan Toft, CRO, Sunrise Banks. First Independence Bank's mission is to deliver financial services with an affinity for under-served and minority communities, and Sunrise Banks is focused on creating financial empowerment for all as a socially-responsible community bank. Together they discuss how banks have fallen short of true inclusivity. Banks need to be close to their community and not tone deaf to how their practices affect the people they serve. The trust gap is real and everyone's experiences are different. Connection is important for trust, banks need to both meet people where they are and do a better job communicating how banking can be beneficial for building wealth. In building cultures of inclusivity, there is the need to understand the issues, problems and how best to solve them, this is important inside the bank and out. Social responsibility and banking on values can create partnerships, opportunities to combine resources and help more people faster, creating systemic change, building futures and equitable outcomes, The future of Black finance is bright. https://youtu.be/a6ac6hJWCgo

Live from AOBA (Acquire or Be Acquired Conference)! As bank leadership and executives focus on strategy & growth, explore paths to creating more value and the evolving competitive landscape, Jason Henrichs, Alex Johnson and Mary Wisniewski take time out to gather around the firepit to problem solve and offer up some spicy takes and take-outs. Banking is complex, redflag those that don't recognize that. Competition, economic challenges and friction can garner results, leading to business opportunities and new business models for those looking to differentiate and innovate. As banks continue to fight for deposits, the trio cover fintech partnerships, affinity groups, fees - those that cost and the idea of subscription, debt - both a trap and tool, and how some critical parts of banking are just plain squishy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH-OwqRhlTs

In This Episode Rising competition, changing customer expectations, and the fight for talent are top of mind these days. With possible regulatory changes and economic fluctuations, it’s essential that banks remain focused and agile. Brett King, Jason Henrichs, James White, Banking Industry Principal, Total Expert, and Ron Shevlin, Chief Research Officer, Cornerstone Advisors and Forbes' Fintech Snark Tank author engage in a lively discussion on the value of agility in banking. Tomorrow’s winners will be proactive, finding innovative ways to remain nimble, to make sure that their financial institution stays on the right track. Then meet Breaking Banks' newest sister podcast, Breaking Banks Asia Pacific and host Rachel Williamson as she looks at open banking in India. Open banking is opening the door for millions of people to take part in the formal banking sector, be it an individual opening a bank account or a small business getting a loan. Rachel and Smita Aggarwal, Global Investments Advisor, Flourish Ventures, with 30+ years experience as a banker with some of India's biggest banks, discuss how new business models are being built in a region of empowered citizens who are more data rich than economically rich. #opportunity #financialinclusion https://youtu.be/YSmJ4r_xl3g

The U.S. can be a tough and complex regulatory environment. Listen as Brett catches up with Peter Hazlehurst, Co-Founder and CEO, Synctera. Peter's background with Uber Money, consumer payments at Google and experience creating financial products for banks, fintechs, and large tech companies has helped create an end to end platform to enable fintech builders to create products with embedded banking and card issuance. Aside from the need for regulatory clarity, they cover KYC, global identity verification and portability (can Apple and Google help?) and some interesting specialized neobanks. Then, Brett King and his The Futurists co-host Robert Tercek, connect with payment tech expert David Birch, author of “Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin”, "The Currency Cold War", and "Identity is the New Money" about all things identity and digital assets...it all gets very interesting indeed!

In this Episode: As the costs of meeting customer expectations and competitive pressures continue to rise, more banks are considering mergers and acquisitions to gain scale and stay relevant, but there are deep structural regulatory constraints that can often be an impediment. Everything from the way geographic boundaries are defined, to the way competition is measured to the way products and services are evaluated have mid-twentieth century origins that don’t seem well-suited for today’s financial services landscape. As we lead up to Bank Director’s Acquire or Be Acquired (AOBA) conference, Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor for Bank Director magazine, joins us to walk through some of the increasingly outdated modes of analysis, some of the ways regulators are planning updates, and what “good” and “bad” mergers look like. We also debate whether it’s all enough to achieve the stated goals of maintaining competitive markets for the good of the public, and Kiah draws on her experience as a soccer referee to show a few yellow cards to the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTAPar8eNZo

It's an epic episode as Breaking Banks kicks off its 10th year. This week we offer you a megamix and extended play as Jason Henrichs, Brett King and JP Nicols chat with 10 industry all-stars about what is next in financial services. Big predictions from big names! Henri Arslanian, David Birch, Leda Glyptis, Theo Lau, Liz Lumley, Jim Marous, Ron Shevlin, Paolo Sironi, Chris Skinner and Mary Wisniewski. Cheers to 2023!! https://youtu.be/A73dCMkoPYA

For the last show of 2022 we end the year by looking back at how we started it. Brett, Jason, and JP made some 2022 predictions, listen to find out just how clear their crystal balls were. Spoiler alert: None predicted the crash in crypto prices or bankruptcy filings by some of the biggest platform players, global price spikes, or Twitter being taken private by Elon Musk, but we did get a few things right. The hosts all agreed on the need for financial institutions to better vet and manage fintech partnerships and the need to have a viable strategy beyond traditional M&A. Jason saw fintech valuations coming back to earth, a slow down of the fintech funding frenzy, and some early cracks in the foundations of interchange. Brett was looking forward to advances in AI, AR and VR. All were cautiously optimistic on the sufficiency and efficacy of the technical and compliance infrastructure to support the global growth of crypto and defi. Join us next week for a forecast megamix for 2023 and a celebration...2023 marks 10 years of Breaking Banks! https://youtu.be/V_9qozsCGnc

Banking leaders aren’t confident that they have the tools in place to effectively serve Generation Z customers, those born between 1997-2012. David Stillman, Founder of GenGuru and co-author of Gen Z @ Work says this lack of confidence is well-founded. He draws on his decades of research to talk about the challenges of meeting the needs of five different generations of customers, why Gen Z doesn’t want work/life balance, and how Gen Xers can avoid making the same mistakes with Gen Z that the Boomers made with Millennials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjcG-AtPy3k

In venture timing is everything, it can make you or crush you. Listen as host Amber Buker speaks with former entrepreneur, CEO, current investor, active board member for public companies, and General Partner, Ken Denman, Sway Ventures about his varied career. He thoughtfully shares executive, strategic and operational insights from his experiences, and touches upon his love of looking around corners. In a tough market like today, you need to give yourself a runway (24 months may be the new 12 months!), figure out the North Star and keep your eyes wide open as to what the future holds. Great companies are built in downturns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAhORmw3yNo

Regulatory scrutiny as it relates to banks and fintech partners is starting to get hot as regulators get more vocal. This week on Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs covers this and more with his guests Kirsten Muetzel, Chief Risk Officer, Fundid; Keith Evans, VP, VMO, First Northern Bank; and Clayton Mitchell,  Principal, Crowe LLP.  Listen as they discuss the regulatory complexity of creating fintech partnerships, vendors as partners and the value of these partnerships as financial institutions work their way down the Yellow Brick Road. Then, Dara Tarkowski, host of Provoke.fm's Tech on Reg speaks with Resolver's  Amanda Cohen, Director of Products about Reg-Tech and risk management. Resolver is changing the landscape of risk management by analyzing risk data in context to use risk as strategy in business development. By leveraging this type of tech, modern businesses are now able to keep a pulse on the regulatory market and transform into risk-intelligent entities. https://youtu.be/Sbl6LHkAlKY

Host Jason Henrichs kicks today's episode off with song — it's not to be missed and neither are the conversations with Michael Kitces, Nerd's Eye View and then Theodora Lau, Unconventional Ventures. The markets are a bit frightful and there is strain on individuals and financial service providers. Our guests address the role of technology and empathy. Michael covers the role tech plays in financial planning. Much has been said of robo-advisors but there are parts of the process and the trusted advisor relationship that can't be digitized. Tech makes you efficient but advice delivery, expertise and deep financial advisor relationships can't be automated. Tech doesn't supplant the human, it augments the human relationship, the right combination changing individual trajectories. Money is emotional and current situations have people stressed. Theo addresses empathy. People need help managing money; many don't have the right data, tools to take action, and lack discipline. Debt is going up and, with record inflation, savings are dwindling. A recent Tik Tok trend shows younger generations budgeting the way the Greatest Generation did...a.k.a. the envelope method. How do we help people understand implications before it's too late? We need to keep learning, Tech and empathy-- opposite ends of the spectrum -- are they at odds? https://youtu.be/zNPN51DXchE

In honor of Native American Heritage Month and Day (11/25) we have an incredible episode hosted by Amber Buker and Jason Henrichs. First, Amber speaks with Dawson Her Many Horses, SVP & Head of Native American Banking about Wells Fargo's new report on Indian Country’s Once-In-a-Seven Generation Opportunity. Wells Fargo is a leading provider of capital for the native american and Alaska native markets banking 4 out of 10 federally recognized tribes in the US, equating to roughly $3B in credit commitments and $3.9 billion in deposits. Incredible but often invisible opportunities exist to partner with tribal economies. Then Jason sits down with Amber to talk about what inspired her to start Totem. You need only listen to the founding story and Amber's interest in aligning opportunities with mission to understand. What better way to help others than by starting an identity-focused bank! Totem, a truly mission driven company, supporter and advocate for native culture with a goal to create pathways to financial inclusion for Native Americans through digital banking — closing gaps in service in this market, taking friction out of the system and creating value. Banking by and for Native Americans, the fastest growing racial demographic on the 2020 census (160% population jump vs. 2010). Yakoke (Thanks in Choctaw) for listening, enjoy the episode! https://youtu.be/-LUp03vgM4M

The party goes on....or does it? Are we back to normal before things went crazy? Jason kicks this episode off with a conversation with Jason Mikula, Fintech Business Weekly. They dive into one of JH's favorite topics....interchange! Listen as The Jasons discuss payments, rewards, mobile wallets and the rise of commerce players (Walmart and Amazon) becoming more fintech focused with what they do. Then JP connects with Nick Chandi, CEO and Co-Founder, Forward AI created to solve SMB cash flow problems. It's difficult for small businesses to share their accounting data with banks and other financial players to speed access to secure financing. Forward AI’s API enables SMBs to connect in an easy way to share data and bridges a gap for financial institutions, lenders and other fintechs to help SMBs stay financially healthy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3K__IiPhHI

This week JP Nicols continues exploring the risks and opportunities in the global economy and how to balance fraud and friction with these live recordings from Money 20/20 in Las Vegas. We start in Latin America, with Sergio Almageur. Founder and CEO of Yaydoo, which simplifies finance with its B2B payment automation tools and helps small businesses manage invoices, payables, receivables, and cross-border payments. Then we connect with Misha Esipov from Nova Credit and discuss how they’re addressing the challenges of immigrants and expats getting credit in the U.S. Listen to learn how to unlock opportunities for those historically excluded from the credit system and companies looking to serve them, and how Nova Credit recently partnered with HSBC to provide the bank with global access to its cross-border credit data product. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyWWHTLViIo

If you want to play the game, learn the players. Listen as Amber Buker records live from the MoneyPot podcast booth at M20/20 with Kelsey Weaver, a Founder, Investor, Bank Board Member and Philanthropist, and Siya Vansia, SVP, Chief Brand and Innovation Officer, ConnectOne Bank. The OG Fintech Girl Gang members share insights on what fintechs need to do as investment dollars tighten and how bank investors are creating new paradigms that recognize value is not the same as valuation. Then, futurist and humanist Gerd Leonard joins Brett King and Robert Tercek to talk about a positive future, one that is inclusive, sustainable and purpose driven. What kind of world do we want? As talk turns to putting things in action and global perspectives, they cover tech & reboots, regulation, NFTs and crypto. https://youtu.be/Gp2e4ZsRo94

Everyone talks about reducing friction, but could there be too much of a good thing? New research shows that in processes like account opening making it too easy actually reduce’s the customer’s confidence. Today’s theme is about balancing fraud and friction in the global economy… in identity verification, onboarding, payments, payroll, and more.  First JP Nicols talks with Michael Ramsbacker, Chief Product Officer from Trulioo, then Eynat Guez, Cofounder and CEO of Papaya Global joins the show.These are the first of several interviews from Money 20/20 in Las Vegas, where we’re recording live. In coming shows you’ll  hear more interviews from Jason Henrichs. Amber Buker, and Chloe James with other experts and entrepreneurs. https://youtu.be/xMZx8qVbeps

A boutique bank with a big vision! Seattle Bank's Josh Williams, EVP Chief Banking Officer and Head of Partnerships speaks with Jason Henrichs about Seattle Bank's forward-leaning approach and how they are leveraging tech to guide BaaS partnerships. Call it BaaS' second era, they talk about the next iteration of BaaS, embedded finance, and what banks have to get right if they want to compete in the space. Seattle Bank is keeping its eye on the puck and where it's going as they continue to solve client and market problems. Then, "Deep Tech" is transforming every industry. Tricia Martinez, Managing Director Techstars, Industries of the Future Acceleratorcovers Deep Tech. What is Deep Tech? Tech that addresses deep engineering and science driven problems such as AI, biotech, quantumcomputing...tech with potential to revolutionize industry and problems our world is up against. As an example we connect with Spiky.ai’s Co-Founder Furkan Eris. Spiky.ai powers and increases the engagement of forward thinking companies with the goal to use data to empower everyone. Trust and human connection is so important in financial services, as things go more digital, how do you ensure effective communication, improve management and assessment, and make the most of your team, with the goal to get the best out of everyone? Forward-thinking tech! https://youtu.be/9us83y5WjZ0

Work practices have changed. Attracting and retaining talent is more critical than ever. There are three pillars in helping generate meaningful work behavior -- character, leadership and culture -- all three so important. Listen as Brett King speaks with Making Meaningful Work authors Daniel Szuc and Jo Wong about how these pillars and soft skills are needed to make work more human. With digital nomads adopting different working styles, how do you create culture? The three M's will help with that! Then, sustainability and climate are key initiatives for our global community. David Reiling, host of Provoke.fm's Next Gen Banker, covers these in the second half of the episode as he speaks with Marilyn Waite, lead of the Climate Finance Fund, a $75 million philanthropic platform covering the markets of China, Europe and the United States. Fintechs can play a key role in these initiatives, they'll get into that as well as positive change, Carbon Accounting Financials and hopes for tomorrow's banker. https://youtu.be/faJE0CA9m60

Back to life, back to reality . Or at least back to "in real life." Conferences are back. Finovate had its largest show ever in New York City and the Provoke team is crisscrossing the globe to speak, record and fight. That's right, fintech fight club made another appearance at Finovate with Lindsay Davis of Atomic squaring off against Mary Wisniewski from Bankrate. The best fight yet and it's available at provoke.fm This week far fewer punches but Jim Marous, Chloe James and Jason Henrichs talk about all things Finovate. One of the key takeaways from the return to in person is the awkward "how do I end this conversation" in real life vs. online. Jason demonstrates how much easier it is online by hanging up on Jim! Then Chloe connects with Sam Kilmer, Cornerstone Advisors and James Robert Lay, Digital Growth Institute. With current volatility what wins deals and how has deal-making changed? New patterns, new approaches and opportunities to transform banking for good. We hope to see you in person soon too! https://youtu.be/uCDSeLhDdWc

Opportunity abounds for those willing to go after things differently. Being a fast follower doesn't work, fintech is compromising the model and traditional infrastructure is being pushed on. It's time to solve hard problems! After crisscrossing the globe to speak at industry events, meet with leaders and record, the Breaking Banks hosts are all at their mics to talk about global trends in innovation, fintech and broader tech, and the effect on incumbent banks and challenger banks. They offer a mix of insights and perspectives on what they're seeing, where they think things are going and what industry leaders should do as we head into the 4th quarter and strategic planning season for 2023 and beyond! https://youtu.be/0OPEeYxkKJY

Some like it hot and that would include the regulators. The acting comptroller of currency has been very public about unseen risks and unintended consequences that can disrupt the financial system. Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director and Alex Johnson, creator of Fintech Takes and host Jason Henrichs break it down while eating hot wings. This episode is hotter than the Trinidad Scorpion sauce that almost made Jason cry. https://youtu.be/vQlJ-HB8OLM

Building trust with those who never opted-in and those who opted-out of the system is central in today's conversation with three founders from two neobanks that are making a difference, Obsidian Bank's Damon Kirk and Steven Farrar, and Totem’s Amber Buker. Each neobank has it's unique needs and challenges, but there is commonality. Obsidian Bank serving the Black Community and Totem the Native American community. The segment is enlightening, each is an active participant in the community they serve, For Us By Us! Then, Jason Henrichs connects with Asra Nadeem, Draper University -- it's not a college or university -- it's an accelerator for entrepreneurs. They talk about Draper's mission, programs and success as well as Draper Startup House's participation in Fintech Islands (Barbados, startup event), spotlighting founders of a diverse group of early-stage fintechs. The fintech ecosystem in the Caribbean is relatively new but evolving rapidly, the islands representing a substantial market opportunity and an attractive environment for building new fintechs and the expansion of existing companies globally. https://youtu.be/rcwnFZxtmdg

Interested in both a positive, beneficial relationship with information and excelling at work and other ventures? Listen as Ross Dawson and Brett King discuss Ross's latest book, Thriving on Overload, and cover topics like flourishing in an accelerating world. Achieve superior outcomes in all aspects of your life by developing 5 powers that together enable extraordinary performance:  purpose, framing, filtering, attention, and synthesis. Become an information master! But first, fresh from Fintech DevCon, Jason Henrichs speaks with Jared Jones (Ecosystem Lead, Moov) about the importance of vulnerability, even for developers in our space, and the need to humanize tech. https://youtu.be/45oOSa0fVRI

In Episode 444, we feature a segment on what makes Australia a great environment for fintech innovators. Our series continues with this episode’s focus on payments. First, Brett connects with Paul Byrne, CEO of Zai, a paytech company boldly transforming the future of financial services, powering mid-market and enterprise level business customers, and automating payment workflow so executives can focus on running their businesses. Then Brett speaks with Damian Kassabgi, Head of International Public Policy at Block, parent company of Afterpay, a phenomenal Australian success story. Damian’s business acumen and strong grasp of public policy offer a valuable combination that makes for an insightful conversation. Finally, Brett connects with Henri Arslanian at Consensus 2022 to discuss Henri’s latest book, The Book of Crypto: The Complete Guide to Understanding Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xl4nS74UVQ

Learn about 5 practical strategies to unlock innovation, connect with customers and grow. In this week's episode Jason Henrichs and Jim Marous, The Financial Brand, interview Allison Netzer and Liz High about their book Think Like A Brand Not A Bank. Maybe you don't necessarily put the customer first. Great brands get great returns every time. Then Brett King takes over the mic with his The Futurist co-host Robert Tercek as they speak with Glenn White about the Metaverse as a Branding Statement. In the digital domain, marketing is technology. Glenn White builds advertising systems for brand managers inside game worlds. In this segment, Glenn explains the complex strategic decisions that govern how brand advertising will evolve in the Metaverse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCCtHLUatNI

In This Episode In this episode, host JP Nicols connects with Greg Palmer of Finovate about new entrants in the fintech space, companies spotlighting new launches who are eager to share their tech and what they can do for our industry at Finovate Fall. Finovate is all about showcasing cutting-edge banking and financial technology, supporting new companies and new ideas, particularly those not exactly in the mainstream now but looking to tackle upcoming challenges. We finish with Fintech Fight Club Cage Match Edition with MC Greg Palmer, referee JP Nicols, and fintech fighters Wade "Moov and Groove" Arnold, Lindsay "Knockout" Davis, Ambika "The Bay Area Bruiser" Sharma, and Ron "The Shiv" Shevlin. It's a battle of ideas and perspectives...pros and cons...an entertaining and thought-provoking format. Enjoy the match! https://youtu.be/ZsGpvKXgB9g

In This Episode In this week’s episode Brett King and Robert Tercek, Brett’s The Futurists cohost, interview two-time presidential candidate, entrepreneur, journalist and futurist, Zoltan Istvan. We dive into how the species might evolve to adapt to living with AI, a changing climate and even to life off-planet. It's controversial, dynamic and the philosophy and ethics of humanity are front and center in the debate. We’ll see you in the future! https://youtu.be/8ocmx8IS33o

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Today, Brett King and David Birch connect with two executives from FIS about bank board-level conversations they are having. Listen as Himal Makwana, SVP Head of Product Strategy & New Initiatives and Fiaz Sindhu, VP Mid-tier and Community Banks cover discussions andstrategies for banks to be competitive in the crypto space, how bank clients are engaging with crypto today, and how banks can be moreinvolved in the sweeping changes that crypto and blockchain are having on tradfi. Then Amber Buker speaks with Parker Graham, CEO of Finotta, a fintech helping banks personalize their mobile experiences with financial journeys that take the friction out of cross selling. Parker's background as former tackle with the Baltimore Ravens and then aprivate banker provides a colorful backdrop to his founder story. Parker formed Finotta after a sharp pivot from wealth tech, reemergingjust months later with a key customer and new funding. https://youtu.be/jHOPz7iKXa0

This week on Breaking Banks hosts Jason Henrichs and Brett King catch up with DIVINE, Victor D. Lombard CEO & Founder, about his new startup Solvent, an AIO financial empowerment and wealth building platform for the system impacted, and Denise Quashie head of AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders, with Solvent one of 25 in this cohort, where black founders get the resources, training, tech and support needed to scale their startup faster, the accelerator works with startups in and out of the fintech space. Then Jason connects with Ben Borodach -- Co-Founder and CEO, April Tax and Ronen Assia, Managing Partner, Team8 Fintech on ways to make taxes, well, less taxing. https://youtu.be/SRoP-Px0Leg

Techcrunch reports fintech accounted for 21% of all venture capital dollars raised in 2021. When things go up, they also have a Newtonian way of coming down. The same article says that 10% of all layoffs in Q2 came from the fintech sector. Neobanks such as Chime, Nubank, Klarna and Revolut were rocketships that now have pulled IPOs and taken massive valuation haircuts. Does this signal the end of neobanking? Ron Shevlin, Chris Skinner and Jason Henrichs debate what's next for the neos. In the second half, Amber Buker, former partner at Alloy Labs where she led strategic insights, decided a global economic meltdown was the perfect time to start, wait for it, a neobank. Tune in to hear it isn't crazy as it sounds. She even convinced Alloy Labs Alchemist fund to invest. That's both a disclosure and vote of confidence. This week on Breaking Banks - is it the end or the end of an era? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRREcQRMxqQ

This week we have a particularly spicy guest... Simon Taylor, writer of Fintech Brainfood, one of the best weekend reads on all things fintech, formerly head of ventures at 11FS and now Head of Strategy and Content for Sardine. Despite the time difference, Simon and Jason Henrichs dig into some real brainfood with some Hot Wings and Hot Takes on the future of fintech, why Web3 matters and why the intersection with KYC and risk management practices could completely upturn traditional finance. In the second half, Chrissy Oelke who spearheads UX at Horicon Bank and Jason talk about Horicon’s journey towards personalization. The genesis of this conversation was a panel Chrissy and Jason did for Total Expert. Here Jason takes the opportunity to understand Horicon Bank's why behind the decision to embark on a user experience overhaul, the challenges they've faced and the road ahead. https://youtu.be/dw6jBkyZNpQ