Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice, where Simon Taylor and I talk about fintech companies that we're definitely not giving investment advice on. We kick things off with Polar (think Stripe Billing but for LLMs). Polar tracks things like token usage, execution time, and even GitHub access to handle metered billing for AI-native products. It's not even payments; it’s pre-payments, too. Polar helps you charge for the thing before the thing happens. Hey, as AI agents start shopping for themselves, someone has to keep the receipts… Next up is Multiply Mortgage. “Mortgage-as-a-benefit” sounds cursed, but here we are. Multiply partners with employers to offer discounted mortgages (plus human advisors) to employees with zero cost to the company. Their bet is housing is the new healthcare: too broken to fix individually, but too big for employers to ignore. Especially useful in tech, where compensation is equity-heavy and underwriting gets weird. But it’s also a bet on this macro moment in time; if rates drop or unemployment spikes, the model may crack. Then there’s OpenTrade. Yield-as-a-service for stablecoins. Most stablecoins can’t offer interest directly (thanks, regulators), but OpenTrade does the regulatory gymnastics to plug stablecoins into money market funds via tokenized swaps. But I wonder what’s more disruptive: the yield or the regulatory workarounds? You can’t stop yield from sneaking in the side door (and honestly, why try?). Last up is Spinwheel (think Plaid, but for liabilities). While Plaid figured out the asset side of your balance sheet, Spinwheel builds pipes for the other half: credit cards, BNPL, student loans, and more. They started with embedded debt repayment and found their niche by giving lenders the kind of granular, real-time liability data that credit bureaus can’t (or won’t) offer. With Section 1033 on life support, is Spinwheel poised to become the only player with coverage that actually matters? Plus, manifestations: can someone please build a public credit bureau (kind of like a USPS for liabilities)? And while we’re at it, a stablecoin for the unbanked/underbanked that isn’t built on Tron? Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Substack: https://sytaylor.substack.com   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Companies featured: https://polar.sh/ https://www.multiplymortgage.com/ https://www.opentrade.io/ https://spinwheel.io/

Welcome back to Fintech Takes. I’m Alex Johnson, joined (as always) with my partner-in-fintech-recapping, Jason Mikula. Let’s get into it. First up: at long last, FICO score versions now include BNPL data, but there’s a catch (several, actually). Affirm is furnishing data, but other major players like Klarna and Afterpay? Not so much. We dig into why most BNPLs resist sharing data (hint: it’s expensive, complicated, and gives away their competitive edge), and how open banking could help—if you could reliably connect Klarna to Plaid (you can’t). Then, just when we abandon BaaS Island, the CFPB shows up with a lifeboat with a surprise move in the Synapse bankruptcy. A four-page filing could open the door to using the Civil Penalty Fund to repay depositors. It’s not quite a fintech bailout, but it might be the cleanest way to make people whole … and quietly shut the whole thing down. All of which still raises the bigger question: why did this happen in the first place (BaaS was supposed to be a thin layer on top of FDIC-insured banks)? Next, FHFA (which oversees Fannie and Freddie,  federal home loan banks, and a whole host of other interesting things) does crypto policy by tweet. Director Bill Pulte told Fannie and Freddie (via Twitter) to undertake a study for accepting crypto as mortgage collateral. According to the latest Federal Reserve data, only 8% of households used crypto in any fashion in 2024. So… why? Because someone asked. And in our Can’t Let It Go corner: Jason roasts ABN AMRO’s new sub-brand, BUUT (yes, BUUT), while I spiral over Circle’s $56B IPO valuation (this is meme coin math applied to a narrow bank!).  Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/  And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Jason: Newsletter: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Welcome back to the Fintech Takes podcast. I’m your host, Alex Johnson, and today, one of our favorite guests is making a triumphant return visit—Frank Rotman, founding partner and CIO at QED Investors. Frank has a theory: in his words, the game of life is getting “harder to win.” Debt is piling up, wages are stagnant, and folks are being told they’re the only ones to blame for their financial struggles. His observation is that more people see themselves as playing PvE (Player vs. Everyone), prioritizing personal survival over collective outcomes. In a world where following the rules doesn’t pay off, so-called "irrational" moves like crypto gambles start making a lot more sense. We unpack what this shift means for finance, behavior, and the economy. Then, we take on a big question: is traditional financial theory broken? The old "work hard, save, invest in a 60/40 portfolio" model no longer delivers retirement security, and that's because rising costs, debt, and economic shifts have eroded its effectiveness. So, what might replace it? And how can avoiding financial mistakes be just as important as making smart investments? And finally, we explore how AI is rewriting the future of finance. Instead of generic, one-size-fits-all advice, AI-powered financial guidance could be real-time, scenario-based, and deeply personalized (aka imagine a 150-IQ financial strategist that can help you make smarter decisions on the fly...by actually talking to it? That future’s not so far away). Instead of shopping for financial products, what happens when AI can custom-build financial products to fit our specific needs? Would that create a system that works for everyone—or just make it even more complex? Join us for a deep, challenging, and necessary conversation about the future of money, markets, and human behavior. Newline™ by Fifth Third is an innovative, API-first platform that enables fintechs to launch embedded payment, card and deposit solutions directly with Fifth Third Bank. Visit ⁠Newline53.com⁠ to see how Newline can elevate your business. The world needs MoR. With ⁠Paddle⁠ as your Merchant of Record (MoR), the global growth is yours. The risk, compliance and accountability are ours. Simple.Paddle offers all the benefits of an enterprise-grade billing system but with MoR flexibility, MoR control, and MoR focus on your core product. Visit ⁠paddle.com⁠ to learn more. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Frank: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rotman/ X: https://x.com/fintechjunkie   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson X: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

You can’t disrupt fintech unless you fully understand its storied history. So what are the biggest lessons we can take away from the past?  Join Alex for a fascinating conversation with Charles Birnbaum, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and author of the article “The Five Waves of Fintech,” as they dive into the five major phases of disruption in the financial services industry. From before the term “fintech” was coined to the impending technological ripples in the future and beyond, Charles shares his insights on the different segments within fintech and the proof points needed for fintech companies to succeed in the coming years.  And later, Alex and Charles discuss the embedded fintech wave and its slower-than-expected progress, as well as the potential catalysts for a new wave of innovation.    00:02:55 - Understanding the History of Fintech 00:08:44 - Wave One 00:17:47 - Wave Two 00:21:29 - The Future of Valuing Fintech Businesses 00:29:38 - The Slow Rise of Fintech 00:34:07 - Navigating Sales in the Financial Industry 00:40:30 - Wave Three 00:41:35 - Wave Four 00:50:50 - Wave Five 00:56:07 - New Waves in Real-Time Payments   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.   Read “The Five Waves of Fintech”: Website: https://www.bvp.com/atlas/the-five-waves-of-fintech   Follow Charles:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesbirnbaum/   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson For more information, please visit www.crowe.com/fintech

Get ready for another episode of Not Fintech Advice with Simon Taylor!  In this episode, Alex and Simon dive into the world of generative AI and its potential as a disruptive innovation. How is AI revolutionizing middle and back-office processes? Alex and Simon also divulge their thoughts on the corporate spend management space and the broader world of ERPs (isn’t it time we finally reinvent the ERP?)  Selling to banks as a fintech company can be challenging, but Alex has a solution. Plus, meet Chargeflow, a company using AI and machine learning to automate chargeback fighting. And find out why Alex is making the case for CDs to bring sexy back.   00:00:00 - Fintech Takes: Not Fintech Investment Advice 00:03:00 - Parallel and the Corporate Card Space 00:09:23 - Rippling Launches Runway: Spend Management Platform 00:13:03 - Regulated Companies Use Chart to Ensure Compliance with Chatbots 00:18:36 - The Power of Context in Marketing 00:24:12 - Automating Chargeback Fighting with AI 00:28:19 - The Rise of Friendly Fraud: Explained 00:37:55 - Automating Banking Processes with AI 00:47:30 - Reviving the Sexiness of CDs 00:52:41 - Challenges of Bank-Fintech Partnerships    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Substack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson For more information, please visit www.crowe.com/fintech

Get ready for another deep dive into the world of banking and fintech with this month’s “Bank Nerd Corner” with the brilliant Kiah Haslett, the banking and fintech editor at Bank Director.  In this episode, Kiah and Alex are diving into the challenges of defining unsecured deposits before tackling Alloy’s latest benchmark report, which revealed the compliance expectations from various fintech companies.  Why can’t Fintech companies get charters? And is doing the bare minimum when it comes to compliance actually a positive thing when it comes to running your fintech company?  And in this week’s “Wait… But Why???” segment, Alex and Kiah debate why everyone can’t just agree on what an uninsured deposit is. Then, stay tuned to find out what’s really irking Kiah this week and the answer (or non-answer) to an unanswerable question.    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson All rights reserved. Crowe LLP, a member of Crowe Global, a Swiss verein. For more information, please visit www.crowe.com/fintech

On this week’s Fintech Recap, Alex and Jason unravel the latest industry buzz and breakthroughs in fintech. And in this episode, they’re diving into neobank Current’s unique credit-building charge card— how is it reshaping spending dynamics, and how will regulators manage to prevent losses? Plus, discover the intricacies of Plaid's partnerships with Pinwheel and Atomic. Later, Jason and Alex discuss the platform, Synapse, exploring BaaS deposits and their regulatory implications before getting into Roger's niche neobank tailored for military members and recruits.    And finally, it wouldn’t be an episode of Fintech Recap without a bit of crypto insanity to liven up the podcast, would it?   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   0:00 Intro 2:20 Current’s Credit Building Card 13:00 Plaid’s New Partnership 24:35 BaaS and Risk 35:21 Roger’s Military Recruit Neobank  44:45 Crypto Transactions   Follow Jason: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mikula-1809a5126/ Substack: https://substack.com/@fintechbusinessweekly   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson For more information, please visit www.crowe.com/fintech

In this month’s special episode of “Not Fintech Investment Advice,” Alex sits down with fintech guru Simon Taylor to talk through some fintech companies that have recently caught their attention. They delve into how AI is reshaping risk assessment and unpack how platforms like Chorus are utilizing custom GPT models to screen for risks, allowing financial professionals to focus on what truly matters most and leave the mundane paperwork behind. Is fintech a more creative process than most give it credit for?  Plus, Simon and Alex explore the potential of Grounded Technologies, a new-age platform aiming to reshape community banks' access to deposits and other assets. In a world where demand isn't the problem, but supply is, can community banks find their way to profitability without necessarily scaling up? And, with PayPal stepping into the stablecoin arena, Simon sheds light on his decades’ worth of crypto insights. For a deep dive into the future of finance and the innovations at its forefront, this conversation is a must-listen.   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Newsletter: https://sytaylor.substack.com   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Chief Payments Executive of the Federal Reserve, Mark Gould, stops by the studio for this special episode of Fintech Recap with Alex and Jason to chat about the evolution of instant payment and how FedNow is attempting to make the clearing and settling of payments instant and final.  Are checks obsolete? How much money does the Fed clear daily? And has the amount of money in circulation increased or decreased within the last ten years?  Mark’s answering all of Alex’s and Jason’s questions and unraveling what a successful rollout of FedNow will look like in the imminent and distant future.  Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Mark: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-gould-7241098/   Follow Jason: Newsletter: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

It’s time for another episode of Bank Nerd Corner with America’s favorite banking and fintech editor, Kiah Haslett, and there’s only been one bank failure since she Alex last talked! This week they’re discussing Apple’s latest savings product and the company’s complete disinterest in playing the deposit gathering game the way that the big banks do. Then, what’s causing credit card balances to spike? Is it the weird ripples in the economy, or do consumers simply feel overly confident they can pay off their balances? Could it be a sign that consumer financial health is deteriorating?   Plus, Kiah and Alex also tackle government lending programs in fintech, what makes The Bancorp’s business model so great, and the case for making CDs sexy again. And last but not least, Kia goes off on why these absurd fintech acronyms need to stop.    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Was Zelle a stupid way of introducing real-time payments? Is OpenAI’s CEO going all in on making Minority Report a reality? And has Alex secretly been a Swifty this whole time? On this month’s Fintech Recap, Alex and cohost Jason Mikula, dissect the right way to add monetization and value to real-time money movements and debate if Zelle missed a valuable opportunity to drive revenue. Should instantaneous money movement be a basic human right?  Then, the guys discuss the battle of credit card interchange fees, debit card processing for marijuana dispensaries, and Sam Altman’s vaguely dystopian vision of the future. Do we really need crypto incentives for a retinal-based global form of identification to separate us from artificial intelligence when we’re living off universal basic income? Can we just agree we’re not there yet, Sam?  And stay tuned for this week’s “Can’t Let it Go” segment!   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Jason: Substack: https://substack.com/profile/4867166-jason-mikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja?s=20 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

The number of independent workers in Brazil is surging, but still, full employment benefits elude most contract workers. How can this problem be fixed?  In this week’s pod, Alex is taking a deep dive into the world of Brazilian fintech to unpack the state of embedded insurtech with Isaac Matzner, co-founder of Teddy.   They discuss the differences between employment benefits in America versus Brazil, dissect the reasons why both Brazilian and Western insurance companies need to find value beyond pricing, and envision what a sustainable model should look like for the future of embedded finance. Then, the two spend a few minutes chatting about the joys of fatherhood.    0:00 Intro and Explaining Teddy 8:35 Fintech in Brazil 15:32 Adding Value to Insurance 24:16 Embedded Insurance 34:26 Believing in an Embedded Finance Future 42:40 Lessons From a Startup 42:40 Parenting and Outro   Check Out Teddy:  https://www.teddy.com.vc Follow Isaac:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-matzner-78b9633/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

In this month’s “Not Fintech Investment Advice” with Simon Taylor, where Alex and Simon dissect the latest and greatest fintech companies on the market, the guys dissect Noodle.shop’s ploy to be the premier mobile-first solopreneur super app. While it’s reminiscent of the early days of Square, can it develop its own set of creator incentives and create a unique experience? Then, Alex and Simon discuss whether Crux’s plan to transact and manage tax credits for clean energy developers will prove to be an effective wedge before diving into whether or not Vesta will help lenders build a better mortgage journey and why Tint’s embedded insurance system is building new value for its customers.  And, as always, don’t miss out on Alex and Simon’s future manifestations for fintech at the end!   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Welcome back to Bank Nerd Corner, featuring yours truly and—plot twist—not Kiah Haslett. Today we’re flying without our usual co-pilot, but in her place we’ve got Jason Henrichs: CEO of Alloy Labs, Breaking Banks host, and longtime Fintech Takes favorite, first time BNC co-host. Jason knows he can’t out-nerd Kiah (who among us can?), so instead we’re flying full black-box mode: no segments, just rants.  First rant: VCs have no business chasing board seats if they’re not ready to govern!  We still don’t know what the Synapse board discussed, if anything, as customers lost access to their funds. Then there’s Frank, the fintech that sold a fantasy to JPMorgan. The founder’s taking the heat (rightfully so), but not a word from the investors who stood to benefit most. Shouldn’t they share the blame? How do we build governance into the capital stack…before the next meltdown makes it everyone’s problem? Second rant: Financial infrastructure isn’t a policy tool, so stop treating it like one!  Credit bureaus are built to assess risk, not engineer outcomes. But during the pandemic, we paused student loan delinquencies, wiped medical debt, and blocked BNPL data to improve scores, which sounds (and is!) very compassionate…but also encouraged lenders to stop trusting the data. It gets worse! The SSA quietly added living immigrants to the Death Master File used to prevent fraud, flagging them as “dead” and freezing them out of the financial system. You want to change immigration law, fine, but weaponizing infrastructure is sabotage! So, how do we restore trust in the rails before we lose it all? Third rant: Everyone cheered deregulation, but no one told the examiners!  Banks are facing some of the harshest exams in years, and it’s because the regulators with institutional knowledge are gone. What's left are thinly staffed teams defaulting to “no” because they don’t understand “yes.” And fintechs that pursued charters expecting clarity? They’re running into delays, confusion, and examiners who just don’t understand the model. But for most, the charter hasn’t reduced risk…it’s just introduced new kinds.  Fourth and final rant: This isn’t deregulation; it’s deregulation theater!  The CFPB says it won’t enforce parts of the payday lending rule…but doesn’t repeal it. FHFA reverses housing initiatives by tweet. Executive orders bypass public comment with a shrug: “because I said so.” The result is total ambiguity (good actors stay quiet; bad actors run wild). Uncertainty is the new policy…and it’s expensive! Not just for banks and fintechs, but for the trust that holds the whole system together.   Newline™ by Fifth Third is an innovative, API-first platform that enables fintechs to launch embedded payment, card and deposit solutions directly with Fifth Third Bank. Visit ⁠Newline53.com⁠ to see how Newline can elevate your business. The world needs MoR. With ⁠Paddle⁠ as your Merchant of Record (MoR), the global growth is yours. The risk, compliance and accountability are ours. Simple.Paddle offers all the benefits of an enterprise-grade billing system but with MoR flexibility, MoR control, and MoR focus on your core product. Visit ⁠paddle.com⁠ to learn more. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.   Follow Jason: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhenrichs/ Twitter: https://x.com/jasonhenrichs Breaking Banks podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-banks/id641357669   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

It’s time for another round of Bank Nerd Corner with Alex and special guest host Kiah Haslett, and thankfully, only one bank has collapsed since its return. Kiah and Alex are geeking out on all the latest news, like MOVEit’s massive data breach, which highlights the relevance of third and fourth-party risks. With over 140 organizations hacked and 15.5 million people’s data compromised, exactly how many disclosures should be released relative to the victims?  Plus, they tackle why there’s about to be an explosion of bank M&A deals happening in the near future, debate if FedNow’s instant money transfers will make banking more fragile than ever, and answer whether or not fintech is actually winning the deposits war.   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Our favorite fintech obsessive is back from parental leave, and he’s ready to tackle all of the latest fintech news you might have missed from the last couple of weeks with fellow obsessive and fintech newsletter writer, Jason Mikula.  Alex and Jason break down the latest announcement from Goldman that they’re in talks to offload their partnership with Apple to American Express. What’s the reasoning for this abrupt reversal in an otherwise successful launch of the Apple Savings Feature? And is it the final straw in the unraveling of Goldman’s consumer ambitions, or is Apple just a hard partner to work with?   Then, Alex and Jason cover the surging interest in data fraud consortiums, the leaky funnel surrounding middleware BaaS platforms, and one of the worst FDIC false claims situations Jason has ever seen.  Plus, is crypto finally cannibalizing itself with the latest launch of Justice tokens?    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Jason: Newsletter: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

What happens when $270 billion of commercial mortgages expire and mature?  In this week’s Bank Nerd Corner, Alex chats with Managing Editor at Bank Director, Kiah Haslett, about the latest in fintech news, and today they’re tackling what might happen to small banks now that commercial real estate companies are faced with refinancing at significantly higher interest rates.  Plus, what’s the outcome for banks like First Republic Bank, who aren’t in the immediate throes of a liquidity crisis but aren’t really profitable either? Can they simply ride it out as they limp along?  Then, stay tuned as Kiah and Alex discuss the reasons why bank regulators aren’t always on the same page and whether or not Apple can actively pull in deposits and compete with banks.   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

On this week’s podcast, Alex is joined by the wise and powerful Simon Taylor, who’s taking a break from the dreary UK weather to break down a few of the most promising fintech startups and banking as a service platforms. How does Zamp’s outsourced treasury and finance team have a structural advantage in the marketplace? Can ProductFi deliver on its promises to reach underserved communities and still manage to scale? Will Playbook make good on its promise to democratize access to tax advantages for the rest of the 99%?  And how is a Brazilian fintech company utilizing chatbot technology to help 25 million plus self-employed citizens?  Tune in to discover how these innovative companies are disrupting the financial industry and changing the way we think about banking and finance!   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson  

In this special, four-part series, Fintech Takes’ Alex Johnson explores payroll connectivity from a variety of perspectives.    In this episode, Argyle GM Justin Stolzenberg and Column Tax co-founder Gavin Nachbar sit down to chat about the next generation of income tax products and how payroll APIs pave the way for a myriad of innovative use cases.   They discuss how tax products like Column Tax are changing the root function of financial advisors by dispensing real-time, integrated tax advice to consumers and bringing large amounts of data together in a user-centric, problem-centric way.   What other new use cases will these products continue to unlock? And, how are embedded tax solutions addressing consumer market trends such as increasing sources of income and continuous access to payroll data?      Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Alex:    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson   Follow Gavin:    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinnachbar/   Follow Justin    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-stolzenberg-128231112/   Do more for less with Argyle.   Power the digital experiences that drive performance across the customer journey with industry-leading payroll coverage. Automate income verifications, seamlessly fund bank assets, and leverage real-time work to enhance products.    Sign up today and start building your business.   Go to https://argyle.com for more information. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:20 Strategic Verticals at Argyle 7:57 Mapping Out Column Tax 11:04 Unlocking New Use Cases 13:10 Continuous Access to Data 16:52 The Issues with Multiple Jobs 18:57 Consumer Market Trends 21:21 B2B & B2C Embedded Model 24:00 Thinking About Balance 28:10 Looking into the Future

In this special, four-part series, Fintech Takes’ Alex Johnson explores payroll connectivity from a variety of perspectives.   In today’s episode, John Hardesty and Kyle Green talk with Alex about how payroll connectivity streamlines the mortgage lending process, making it more straightforward than ever before for borrowers and lenders alike.    As a GM of Mortgage at Argyle, John gives his insights into the cost structure of mortgage lending, the obstacles facing the employment verification process, and how regulators benefit through increased access to payroll data.   Meanwhile, Kyle, a Senior Product Manager for Simple Nexus, shares his unique opinions about the user experience of mortgage lending technology and the common pain points along the employment verification process.   Plus, what do both envision for the future of mortgage lending technology?   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/     Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson   Follow Kyle:  LinkedIn: Hardesty   Follow John: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hardesty-5aa34672/   Do more for less with Argyle.   Power the digital experiences that drive performance across the customer journey with industry-leading payroll coverage. Automate income verifications, seamlessly fund bank assets, and leverage real-time work to enhance products.    Sign up today and start building your business.   Go to https://argyle.com for more information. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:32 Mortgage as an Industry 10:31 Cost Structure of Mortgage Lending 14:44 Verification 18:32 Historical Background of Verification 24:50 Consumer Permission/Payroll Access 32:12 The Changing Nature of Employment 39:35 Regulators and Technology 44:45 The Future of Mortgage Lending

In this special, four-part series, Fintech Takes’ Alex Johnson explores the wide-reaching implications of programmatic, consumer-permissioned access to payroll data.    In this episode, Alex chats with Matt Gomes, GM of Consumer Lending and Banking at Argyle, and Jonathan Katz, VP of Client Development at Amount, about how payroll data is transforming the lending process and unlocking innovative new product concepts.   They tackle why banks should use payroll data to drive higher levels of automation and provide a better customer experience, how credit reports are inherently flawed (and why change is necessary), and how payroll connectivity helps lenders make better decisions.   Plus, Jonathan and Matt offer their predictions for what consumer lending will look like in the near future.    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/     Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson   Follow Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgomes/?originalSubdomain=uk   Follow Jonathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankatz4/   Do more for less with Argyle.   Power the digital experiences that drive performance across the customer journey with industry-leading payroll coverage. Automate income verifications, seamlessly fund bank assets, and leverage real-time work to enhance products.    Sign up today and start building your business.   Go to https://argyle.com for more information. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:23 Lending 10:21 Gaps in Credit Reports 20:36 Integrating Data with Lenders 26:30 The Compliance Aspect of New Data 33:39 The Nuances of Actual Income 36:28 Consumer Verification 41:52 Where Are We Going Next?

Fintech Business Weekly publisher Jason Mikula joins Alex to discuss the latest news in fintech and banking.   In this week’s episode, they dissect Apple’s high-yield savings account, discuss how the Netherland-based neobank Bunq will do in the U.S., and name their big takeaways are from Plaid’s newly launched real-time payment capability.   And Jason brags about windmills.   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Jason: Substack: https://substack.com/profile/4867166-jason-mikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja?s=20 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

In this special, four-part series, Fintech Takes’ Alex Johnson explores payroll connectivity from a lending, mortgage, and emerging technology perspective.    In part one, Alex sits down with Argyle founder and CEO Shmulik Fishman to dissect the evolution of the modern payroll and discover how payroll connectivity companies like Argyle are pushing the boundaries of data sharing between consumers and businesses.   They also chat about the role of data privacy in payroll systems, why businesses are slowly shifting away from the reliance on Equifax for information, and the importance of the consumer experience in payroll connectivity technology.    Plus, find out why Shmulik is all in favor of deleting the pay stub.    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson   Follow Shmulik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shmulik/ Personal Website: https://shmulikfishman.com   Do more for less with Argyle.   Power the digital experiences that drive performance across the customer journey with industry-leading payroll coverage. Automate income verifications, seamlessly fund bank assets, and leverage real-time work to enhance products.    Sign up today and start building your business.   Go to https://argyle.com for more information. Timestamps:   0:00 Intro 2:40 Payroll Data Connectivity 6:15 What is Payroll Data? 9:44 Challenges of Collecting Payroll Data 12:30 Data Privacy in Payroll 17:51 Moving Away From Equifax 20:56 The Consumer Payroll Experience 26:27 The Lending Perspective 31:32 Friction and Self Selection 34:36 Building Coverage 38:59 Conversion Rates 40:50 Read and Write Access 45:36 Regulatory Support            48:09 Looking into the Future 50:45 Future Episode Tease

Co-founder of Bloom Money, Nina Mohanty, drops by the podcast to discuss just how many unsolved problems remain in fintech and financial services.   She and Alex talk about a few of the most notable unsolved problems including credit invisibility, the inaccessibility (and unsexiness) of home ownership, and why the Western banking system is largely unequipped to support migrants and refugees.   6:10 Unsolved Problems in Fintech & Credit Invisibility 17:40 Non-Consumer-Facing Credit Methods 20:33 Social Media, Money, and Happiness 29:00 Mortgages and Fintech 40:45 Immigration and Financial Services  52:17 Outro   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Nina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamohanty/   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice, where Simon Taylor and I talk about fintech companies that we're definitely not giving investment advice on! The theme of this episode is infrastructure galore. We kick things off with Ubyx, who are essentially building the Visa for stablecoins–a network of merchants, issuers, and acquirers with a standardized incentive and legal structure that could help stablecoins finally qualify as cash equivalents. We’re not yet at the Visa moment of mass merchant adoption and real interoperability pain (all pain points are still mostly theoretical), but Ubyx is betting that moment’s coming fast. They’re one to watch, especially if you love good nerdy whitepaper... Next up, Codex. They recently raised a seed round (with participation from Coinbase and Circle, among others) to build a layer 2 blockchain network specifically for stablecoins. Codex wants to be the sleek payments rail for stablecoins, and while “just another blockchain” fatigue is real, there’s logic in going vertical. They’re also pitching themselves as a liquidity hub, which, if it works, could be a major edge in reducing fragmentation. Then, there’s Agent AV, which is basically Shopify for AI agents. They’re tackling the wild west of agentic commerce, where bots now shop on our behalf. E-commerce was built to keep bots out—but now, humans are deploying bots on their behalf. The challenge, then, is separating the good bots (authorized agents) from the bad. That’s why a two-sided mode, building for both agents and merchants, makes a lot of sense. It’s early days, but they might be laying rails for a whole new kind of shopping experience. And finally, the dark horse of the episode: Experian. Yes, that Experian. They just launched a new cashflow-based credit score and, in a twist, are skipping the bottom of the data stack to go full-FICO. In an open banking world, they don’t want to be the bureau—they want to be the scorer. No end-of-show manifestations on this go-around; Simon already manifested the biggest fintech nerd gathering ever, Fintech NerdCon, so Alex is manifesting an excellent inaugural NerdCon in Miami come November.  00:02:36 - UBYX 00:16:25 - Codex 00:30:05 - Agent AV 00:41:14 - Experian Newline™ by Fifth Third is an innovative, API-first platform that enables fintechs to launch embedded payment, card and deposit solutions directly with Fifth Third Bank. Visit ⁠Newline53.com⁠ to see how Newline can elevate your business. The world needs MoR. With Paddle as your Merchant of Record (MoR), the global growth is yours. The risk, compliance and accountability are ours. Simple. Paddle offers all the benefits of an enterprise-grade billing system but with MoR flexibility, MoR control, and MoR focus on your core product. Visit paddle.com to learn more. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Substack: https://sytaylor.substack.com   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Companies featured: https://www.ubyx.xyz/ https://www.codex.xyz/ https://www.experian.com/

With the benefit of some hindsight (finally), what are the big takeaways from SVB?   Kiah Haslett, managing editor of Bank Director, is in the studio to chat with Alex about why the SVB collapse is redefining how we think about “safe” banking.    They explain how a herd mentality and poor time management culminated in SVB’s failure and dissect why a safe bank could actually contain so much risk.    Plus, Kiah and Alex discuss why the stigma surrounding the Federal Reserve Window is so great and debate whether or not banks can be good at both innovation and risk management.   Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/   Follow Kiah:    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson  Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson  0:00 Intro 6:29 SVB Failure 15:19 What Makes a Bank Safe? 19:36 Running Out of Time 24:12 Other Banks Facing Similar Issues to SVB 29:42 BaaS, Neobanks, and FinTech 34:50 Wait— what? (Federal Discount Window) 53:37 Choosing Between Innovation and Risk Management

What fintech companies should you be keeping a close eye on? Kicking off season 3, Alex is joined once again by Simon Taylor, writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter, for another Not Fintech Investment Advice! Podcast. The pair are live at the Fintech Meetup conference in Las Vegas. Discover how Portabl is taking on Apple in the digital identity space, how Getmomo has entered the rental market at just the right time, and why underwriting is Parker’s secret sauce Plus, Alex and Simon’s roundup of the Fintech Meetup event. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Simon:  LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

Join Alex and co-host Jason Mikula at the Fintech Meetup conference, live from Vegas. They get into conversation with a very special guest, Jon Lear, the President and Co-founder of Fintech Meetup about issues surrounding trust in large financial institutions, the latest news on SVB, and the evolution of BaaS in Europe. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Jon: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonlear/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonlear Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Jason:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

This is a special one as Alex gets into conversation with Nicole Casperson, host of podcast Humans of Fintech and founder of the Fintech is Femme newsletter. Alex and Nicole talk community building at this online event, getting into questions around fintech inclusivity, discussing whether B2C fintech is dead (or should be), and how Gen Z and missional values need to align. Plus you’ll also hear questions from the audience, including the unsexy parts of banking that fintech needs to look at next. Follow Alex: LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Nicole: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicole-casperson-0820a5133/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolecasperson Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ 00:00 Intro 03:36 Getting Into Real Talk 09:25 Is B2C Fintech Dead? 12:58 Habit Creation 19:09 Integrating Behavioral Finance 25:09 Paycheck-to-Paycheck Living 27:07 The DEI Transparency Report 33:26 The Generation That Cares 35:25 Aligning Mission To Work 41:53 Make Money, Solve Societal Problems

Why is fintech heading into a period of consolidation and contraction? Answering this question and more is Alex’s guest, Sarah Kocianski. Sarah is an experienced fintech strategist and research analyst, based in London with over a decade of experience in fintech. Alex and Sarah bounce around some ideas in the format of the game show, Jeopardy (which, being British, Sarah had to look up). They discuss potential increases in banking regulation, why macroeconomics are going to hurt the buy-now-pay-later space, and the types of companies interested in making acquisitions. Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkocianski/ Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

How can you fix a broken financial model? This question and more answered in the latest Bank Nerd Corner episode. Alex is joined by Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director. They get into some of the headlines and news that have caught their attention over the last few weeks, including a worldwide chip shortage for bank cards, ModernFi’s fintech marketplace and why FIS can’t get Worldpay to work. They also get to nerd out trying to answer an impossible fintech question on who, exactly, public utilities are for? Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/

This is part two of a special crossover episode with fintech friends Reggie Young and Matt Janiga, hosts of the wonderful Fintech Layer Cake podcast.  In this episode, Alex, Jason, Matt, and Reggie dig into the weeds of the Durbin Amendment and its effect on competition, the harsh realities of account-to-account payments, and the changing relationship between fintechs and banks. Plus, the four play their very own version of Who’s Coming to Dinner. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Jason:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja Follow Reggie: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reginaldcyoung/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReggieCYoung Follow Matt: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwjaniga/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/regulatorynerd

What fintech companies do you need to know about? Alex is joined by Simon Taylor, writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter, for another Not Fintech Investment Advice! podcast. Discover why now is an interesting time to build a credit workflow tool, why sometimes a corporate credit card isn’t necessary for an expense management product, and why franchising may be the key to scaling up proptech innovations.    Plus, you’ll hear Alex and Simon’s Fintech wishlist. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Simon:  LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

Take a look back at all the big developments in fintech over February, from BNPL to crypto to outright ponzi schemes! Alex is joined by Jason Mikula, writer of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter. They take a deep dive into Affirm’s horrific quarter, the state of Apple’s BNPL offering, and the latest round of enforcement activity in crypto. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Jason:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

Sorting out hype from reality is one of the hardest jobs in fintech. Frank Rotman, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer at QED Investors, joins Alex on today’s episode to do exactly that. Alex and Frank dig into what went wrong with a recent fintech acquisition by JP Morgan Chase and how investors can do a better job spotting founder fraud. They apply first principles thinking to a bunch of cliched fintech predictions, including ones on ChatGPT, BNPL, and cashflow underwriting. And finally, Frank faces a lightening round of quick questions, including what he’d change in financial services if he could wave a magic wand. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Frank: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rotman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/fintechjunkie

Welcome back to the Fintech Takes podcast. I’m Alex Johnson, and as always, I’m joined by my partner-in-crime, Jason Mikula. Today, we’re unpacking Klarna’s public debut, the growing rift between Mercury and Evolv, and why getting wrecked might just be the best education in lending First up, the BNPL giant Klarna has finally gone public, filing an F1 as a foreign entity. Now as a public company, we’ll get to see their actual numbers. With 93M active consumers, Klarna isn’t small, but its path to profitability is still a question mark. The key stat? Transaction margins. Klarna’s European banking license gives it an advantage in low-interest rate markets, but as it pushes deeper into the U.S., credit losses are an issue. The big question: can Klarna mature fast enough to bring those losses down? Next, we’re diving into the fallout between Mercury and Evolv. Mercury has stopped onboarding customers through Evolv and is actively shifting accounts elsewhere—publicly, at that. Meanwhile, Evolv seems caught off guard for Mercury’s departure, with mixed signals on whether this was a surprise or a slow-moving train wreck. So, what really happened? And what does it say about the state of fintech-banking relationships?  And finally, is taking a beating the only way to master lending? We think so. The right order? Start with lending, get punched in the face by risk, and then consider a bank charter. Doing it the other way around? Painful. Avoidable. And yet...it keeps happening. Please stop! Newline™ by Fifth Third is an innovative, API-first platform that enables fintechs to launch embedded payment, card and deposit solutions directly with Fifth Third Bank. Visit Newline53.com to see how Newline can elevate your business. The world needs MoR. With Paddle as your Merchant of Record (MoR), the global growth is yours. The risk, compliance and accountability are ours. Simple.Paddle offers all the benefits of an enterprise-grade billing system but with MoR flexibility, MoR control, and MoR focus on your core product. Visit paddle.com to learn more. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/  And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.   Follow Jason: Newsletter: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

How did banks do in Q4 2022 and how is 2023 shaping up?  Alex is joined by Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director. They get into some of the headlines and news that have caught their attention over the last few weeks, including bank earnings and Jiko offering easy access to T-Bills. They also get to nerd out on some bank history, and pose an impossible-to-answer question. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ 

Which fintech companies do you need to know about? Alex and guest, Simon Taylor, turn the spotlight on four companies that caught their attention this month and talk about the larger trends behind these companies. Simon is the writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter. He and Alex dive into four interesting companies disrupting investing, payments, mortgage lending, and creator fintech.  Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:43 Still NOT Fintech Investment Advice 02:22 Unpacking The Offer 05:20 Simon’s Rant 09:11 Keeping Users On Platform 10:05 Account To Account Payment Powered By Open Banking 19:43 Buy Now, Pay Later Model 21:04 The Fintech Disruptor 23:59 Banging The Drum For Long Term Benefits 32:01 The Future Of Mortgage Lending

Kicking off season 2 Alex and co-host Jason Mikula get straight into the Fintech news making waves. From Revolut’s latest super-premium offer, what’s really behind Capital One’s layoffs, and why Robinhood is basically a drunk college kid. All the fintech news and searing analysis from two of the sharpest minds in the business. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Jason: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:33 The Revolut Rollout 03:33 But What’s The Point? 06:50 The Non-Reality Playbook 09:35 Throwing Spaghetti At The Wall 15:48 Meet The Chief Sleuthing Officer 17:59 Chime’s Thoughtful Growth Strategy 24:08 The Pro Innovation Approach 26:40 An Outrageously Popular Newsletter 34:19 Robinhood As A College Kid

We live in the golden age of Fintech, with companies springing up all over the place. The pressure to stay ahead of the curve is immense and it’s easy to lose track of your mission when you’re struggling to keep up with the latest trends. That’s when you need a Fintech nerd. Alex Johnson is the creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, host of this podcast, and self-confessed Fintech nerd. He talks to some of the most knowledgeable nerds in the business about the latest Fintech trends, emerging companies you need to keep tabs on, and all the Fintech news that matters. Be part of a community exploring the fun side of Fintech, answering your questions and always staying curious. Each week you’ll hear expert analysis and fascinating conversations between Alex and one of his expert co-hosts, a Fintech operator working right at the coal face. The second season drops soon with new episodes every week. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this look back over October’s Fintech news, find out why Money Lion fell foul of regulators, and major takeaways from the CFPB’s Buy Now, Pay Later report. Alex is joined by Jason Mikula, writer of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter. They get into Money Lion’s lawsuit woes, why the simplicity of Buy Now models is a strength, and take a deeper dive into Walmart’s checking account offer. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Jason:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

An open finance economy has the potential to benefit millions of people. Find out how Jim Magats is building systems that change lives. Alex and Jim get into how he helped PayPal rebuild trust with the bank, why being on the customer’s side always wins, and why you should never sacrifice customer experience for innovation. Follow Jim: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-magats-3601931 Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Join Alex in the first of his live podcasts, with some seriously spicy takes from his guests. Find out why Jason believes banking as a service is BS and why he’s bought the hot sauce with him. The show comes from live from Colorado where Alex, Jason and Adam were recording during the Fintech Devcon 2022 event. They get into why BAAS is broken, why disruption doesn’t work without a plan, and how fintech solutions are being presented in a whole new way, as part of an ongoing narrative. With plenty of hot takes (and hot wings), join Alex and the panel for a great discussion on the latest fintech trends. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

When you don’t have enough credit data it’s impossible to get a mortgage, loan or even a credit card. Misha is on a mission to bring financial equity to millions of Americans. Find out how. Between 50 and 70 million people in the US don’t have enough data built up in the credit system to access financial products. The barrier is particularly high for recent immigrants to the US. Nova Credit is solving the problem by allowing people to bring their credit history with them. Alex and Misha get straight into the heart of the issue when it comes to accessing global credit data, how Credit Nova is helping bridge the gaps, and how he persuaded big finance that consumers should be the owners of their own data. Follow Misha: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mishaesipov Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Since 2013, 70 billion records have been stolen or compromised and that’s hit businesses hard. But NeuroID has a solution. One that does impact customer experience.  How do you know someone is who they say they are? Neuro ID is leveraging neuroscience technology to create a frictionless answer, saving fintech companies time and money. Meet Jack Alton, CEO of NeuroID. He and Alex jump straight into it, discussing why if you think your identity hasn’t been stolen, you probably just don’t know about it yet, how NeuroID actually works, and how his company is reconnecting fintechs to the humans on the other side of the screen. You’ll also hear Jack’s take on why poor customer experience drives potential customers away forever. Follow Jack: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jackalton Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

How is TripActions Liquid giving employees the best travel experience possible? Meet Michael Sindicich, the GM taking his time to create frictionless solutions. Welcome to the first episode of The Fintech Factor, the podcast exploring cutting-edge Fintech companies, and what their point of differentiation looks like. Host Alex Johnson and Michael, GM of TripActions Liquid, get into how his company is automating the whole expense management process, what makes TripActions Liquid different from other products in the space, and the years it took to get the business model just right. You’ll also hear how a travel company can survive a pandemic and Michael’s hot take on why you should charge for a better product, even when your competitors are offering it for free. Follow Michael: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-sindicich-97513879 Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ Follow Alex:  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Welcome back to Fintech Takes! I’m Alex Johnson, and today we’re unpacking stablecoins with James Wester, co-head of payments research at Javelin Strategy & Research.  James isn’t new to the space—he’s led strategic communications for blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies at PayPal (highly relevant to our conversation!) and has been a market research analyst at IDC. First up, we dive into whether stablecoins can disrupt traditional payment systems like cards and ACH. Merchants loathe interchange fees, but replacing cards with "cheaper" stablecoin solutions overlooks the added value of cards (fraud protection, rewards, and consumer trust). As for ACH, it’s already a low-cost option, so what makes stablecoins stand out? Then, we dive into how Stripe’s $1.1B investment in Bridge made even the skeptics rethink stablecoins. While they may not replace traditional payment rails, stablecoins have huge potential in closed ecosystems like Starbucks or Disney (imagine paying for your coffee with “Starbucks Coins” or skipping the line with “Mickey Bucks”—seriously, picture it!). Next, we tackle the UX hurdles of stablecoins. Right now with crypto, if you send funds to the wrong address, poof! They’re gone. For stablecoins to really take off, they need to be as smooth as the Starbucks app, making payments simple and rewarding users without them even noticing the tech behind it. Stablecoins need that same familiarity, aka dollar-backed balances and real-world incentives, to drive adoption. In the end, stablecoins could outpace prepaid and pay-by-bank systems with their flexibility, liquidity, and potential for ecosystem-wide adoption (which comes with major advantages), although regulatory hurdles loom. They won’t topple cards overnight, but in the long run? They could really reshape retail ecosystems. It’s a slow burn, but the potential is huge. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow James: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswester/ X: https://x.com/jameswester   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson X: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

We live in the golden age of Fintech infrastructure and with a wealth of tools and APIs, it’s quick and easy to start a fintech company. But this low bar comes at a cost. When everyone’s using the same tools, how can you build a company with long-term competitive differentiation built into it? Alex Johnson wants to know too and as the host of The Fintech Factor, he’ll be asking this question to founders of cutting-edge Fintech companies, discovering what their point of differentiation looks like. With inspiring guest interviews over 30 minutes and Alex’s unique takes, this is the podcast for aspiring Fintech founders to work out how to stand out in a crowded space. Here’s how each episode breaks down. Alex sets the scene, placing the company in the context of the Fintech landscape, before digging into the guest’s background and how they got into the space. Next comes the meat, where we understand what sets the company apart from the rest and the challenges they face getting to that point. Finally, Alex wraps up with the guest’s unique perspective on what’s on the Fintech horizon.

Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice! I’m Alex Johnson, creator of Fintech Takes, recording live (!) at Fintech Meetup with my co-host, Simon Taylor—the genius behind Fintech Brain Food—sitting right across from me. How lucky are we?! Wait... how lucky are you?!? First up, Payman AI’s agentic payments API lets AI initiate transactions under human oversight in a monitored, auditable environment. Backed by Visa, Coinbase, and Circle, they’re blending wallet control with agent intelligence in stablecoins. Can we hold AI accountable without a chatbot fiasco (looking at you, Air Canada)? AI can go rogue, but so can humans—card controls and approvals manage it. So, how much autonomy are we willing to give AI agents? Next, staying on theme, Shiboleth is taking a fresh spin on BaaS with continuous, AI-driven verification. Gone are the days of “trust but verify”—now it’s all about constant verification. Shiboleth scans everything from customer complaints to service calls, helping banks detect red flags in real-time. With fraud losses at an all-time high, can Shiboleth’s solution scale? And can AI really spot subtle compliance risks without getting bogged down? Now, let’s talk about Stablecore (i.e. stablecoins, but with a twist). This hybrid platform helps financial institutions use stablecoins alongside legacy systems.The short-term play is integrating with orchestration partners like Zero Hash. But as for long-term vision, are we ready for a world where deposits flow through stablecoins? Next, Estrada unbundles corporate cards, letting any Visa or MasterCard plug into spend management, ERPs, and even consumers’ wallets—without needing to issue their own cards. It’s “Bring Your Own Card” as a service; Estrada lets businesses tap into corporate card data without reinventing the wheel. Finally, we explore fintech "franchising" to help distribute products through banks and credit unions. Innovation’s ahead of customer acquisition, but what if we could rethink distribution? 00:02:15 - Payman 00:17:13 - Shibboleth 00:30:22 - Stablecore 00:43:51 - Astrada 00:52:20 - Manifesting Fintech Ideas  Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/ Substack: https://sytaylor.substack.com   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Companies featured: https://www.paymanai.com/ https://shiboleth.ai/ https://stablecore.com/ https://astrada.co/

This week on Bank Nerd Corner, Kiah and Alex welcome a special guest (arguably the MOST special?), former Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Michael Hsu. Together, they explore the fascinating crossroads where financial tradition, innovation, and regulation collide. From the challenges of de novo bank formation post-Great Recession to the rise of Banking as a Service (BaaS), we unpack the risks and rewards of each path. And we’re turning it into a fun,  “Would You Rather” game, tackling burning questions like: Would you rather see a banking system with higher risk tolerance for new bank formations OR fintechs operating through BaaS? Would you prefer robust fintech industry standards OR direct regulatory oversight of fintechs? Can fintech thrive without bank charters? Plus, we tackle the core issue of fintech regulation: should we lean on industry standards, or is direct regulatory oversight the only way to protect consumers and avoid future crises?  Tune in for a thought-provoking “Would you Rather?” roulette and a super fun dive into the future of financial services—straight from one of the industry's key players. Roll the dice, hit the gas, and let’s see where the game takes us! Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Read more about Michael here: https://www.occ.gov/about/who-we-are/history/previous-comptrollers/previous-acting-comptrollers/bio-michael-hsu.html Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson