Finance Rewired

Monica Lozano, Corporate Board Member of Apple, Bank of America, and Target, and Javier Saade, Partner at Fenway Summer and Impact Master Hldgs., give their take on the current state of our economy, politics, and the future of financial technology. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, they also discuss the contributions of the Latinx community to the American economy and innovation writ large. Lozano and Saade offer insights through the lens of their unique experience as national leaders in business, investment, and innovation and members of the Hispanic community. Host John Collins (@JohnCollins) is a partner as FS Vector, a Washington, D.C. based fintech consulting firm. Visit fsvector.com for more information. This episode was engineered by Albert Holguin.

Another special episode of Finance Rewired this week where we look back at the results of the 2020 election and discuss where we go next.  Lydia Beyoud of Bloomberg Law, Victoria Guida of Politico, and Jim Saksa of CQ join the conversation again to discuss what happened and what it means for Congress, the White House, and the country. Host John Collins (@JohnCollins) is a partner at FS Vector, a Washington, D.C. based fintech advisory firm. Visit fsvector.com for more information. 

A special election episode of Finance Rewired this week featuring insights and predictions from Lydia Beyoud of Bloomberg Law, Victoria Guida of Politico, and Jim Saksa of CQ. They speak with John Collins about the state of the race, what a Biden cabinet might look like, and how the election’s results may affect the financial services and fintech industries. Host John Collins (@JohnCollins) is a partner at FS Vector, a Washington, D.C. based fintech advisory firm. Visit fsvector.com for more information. This episode was engineered by Max Nordby at Astroligator.

Rosario Ingargiola, CEO of BOSONIC, discusses blending blockchain and traditional trading technologies and creating brand new prime brokerage infrastructure to eliminate clearing and settlement risk with digital assets.  Rosario offers his opinions on crypto going mainstream, the state of crypto custody solutions, and what he thinks the next big thing in crypto will be. Host John Collins (@JohnCollins) is a partner at FS Vector, a Washington, D.C. based fintech advisory firm. Visit fsvector.com for more information.  This episode was engineered by Max Nordby at Astroligator. 

Brian Knight, Director of the Program on Innovation and Governance & Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, discusses his paper, The Sandbox Paradox, with John. The Sandbox Paradox delves into the regulatory fintech sandbox concept which offers a regulatory trial program for new fintech firms. Brian is also an exceptional bar-b-quer and shares some tips to try while stuck at home.    Host John Collins (@JohnCollins) is a partner at FS Vector, a Washington, D.C. based fintech advisory firm. Visit fsvector.com for more information.

Jo Ann Barefoot and David Ehrich of AIR, the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, discuss how we can modernize the financial regulatory system by moving from an analog to digital design and establishing a new vision.   Barefoot Innovation Podcast

You've probably been hearing a lot more about DeFi, or Decentralized Finance, over the past few weeks. In this episode, we try to figure out what the heck is going on.  We interview Angela Angelovska-Wilson (DLx Law), Reuben Bramanathan (Blockchain & Cryptocurrency consultant), and Jason Somensatto (0x Labs) to discuss what DeFi is, who's using it, how to regulate it, why to use it, and what yams and sushi have to do with anything.  

Mergers, acquisitions, product releases, regulatory enforcement actions - we talk about a lot of those things in the fintech industry, but what about how it is being used to help people? Dale Pfeifer, CEO and Founder of Goodworld, joins John Collins to discuss how they are making fintech a force for good across the globe.  

Linda Jeng, Head of Global Policy for Transparent Systems, joins John Collins to discuss her work at the Financial Stability Board, the future of distributed and decentralized finance, cashless store bans in the age of COVID, and the nightlife of Basel. In the episode we discuss the Georgetown IIEL Virtual Town Hall - you can find video of that here: https://dcfintechweek.org/iiel-virtual-town-hall/

Ann Marie Mehlum and Javier Saade, both former SBA officials and current Senior Advisors to FS Vector, speak with John Collins about how the current relief programs are working to save small business in America, how they could work better, and how do we use the current crisis to learn and build for a better future. Read Ann Marie and Javier's recent article in TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/10/the-intersection-of-small-business-tech-and-our-financial-system-is-more-important-than-ever/

Amy Friend and Raj Date chat with John Collins about the ongoing economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.   They discuss the differences - and similarities - between this crisis and the financial crisis of 2008, and what lessons learned we may want to take with us going forward.    

The New York Department of Financial Services has issued a number of letters asking financial institutions, including virtual currency businesses, to detail their plans for responding to the COVID-10 crisis.  You can read our note on the NYDFS work, here. David Cotney, Sr. Advisor at FS Vector, and Simone Garreau, Principal at the firm, discuss the NYDFS action and how fintech companies should be thinking about navigating the larger crisis.   You can read all of our work related to COVID-19 at our website.

PJ Hoffman (@pj_hoffman), Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), sat down with John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices.   ETA represents hundreds of the world's leading financial technology companies and service providers and PJ helps lead much of their regulatory work across the country and globe. In this episode, we talk about PJ's journey through law and politics, what states are doing when it comes to fintech policy, and we dig deep into the Taylor Swift catalog.

Lydia Beyoud of Bloomberg Law (@ellebeyoud) and Victoria Guida of Politico (@vtg2) sat down with John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices for a Very Special episode of Finance Rewired - as we look back at the big fintech news and policy developments of 2019 and look ahead to 2020 .   And we talk a little bit about the holidays, guinea pigs, emo music, and our opinions about the infamous Peloton commercial.

Episode #17: John Pitts, Policy Lead at Plaid, sat down with John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices.   Plaid is a financial data platform that works as a vehicle to move financial data from one place to another. Prior to his position at Plaid, John was the Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs at the CFPB. In this episode, we talk about building a federal agency from scratch, privacy, and a little bit about the "Punkin Chunkin."

Episode #16: Phil Goldfeder, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Cross River Bank (@YPGoldfeder), sat down last week with John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices.   Phil leads the policy and external affairs work of one of the nation's leading partner banks - serving some of the world's most well-known fintech companies as clients.  John and Phil talk about the partnership bank model, how it came to be, and how Cross River approaches new clients.  They also talk about Phil's experience as both a political staffer and elected official, and how that influences his work today.  And, of course, a bit about the VMA's and Taylor Swift's new album.  

Episode #15: Nick Catino of TransferWise sat down with John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices.   Nick is public policy lead at TransferWise, which is focused on improving and changing how we think about cross-border payments.  We chat about global remittances, how to make payments cheaper and easier for global consumers, and what TransferWise is doing across the globe to set standards with policymakers.   

Episode #14: Raj Date of Fenway Summer and FS Vector sat down with  John Collins (@johncollins) in the FS Vector offices.  Raj has decades financial service experience from Wall Street, to helping build the CFPB, to now, as a venture capital investor. We chat about those experiences, how industry perspective can work together with public service experience, and how he chooses and approaches ideas and companies, and then works to build and bring them to fruition.

Episode #13: Joe DePaulo of College Ave Student Loans sat with down with FS Vector Partner, John Collins (@johncollins) in his Wilmington office last week to talk about how College Ave is using technology to make the student loan process better and more transparent.  Joe and John discuss how the federal student loan program and private market work together, how mobile technology has dramatically changed consumer lending, and why transparency is key to helping students navigate their choices when it comes to higher education financing.   

Margaret Liu, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), speaks this week with FS Vector Partner, John Collins (@johncollins) about how states are approaching innovative new technologies and what the future for the U.S. regulatory landscape might look like. Margaret and John discuss the OCC Fintech charter and CSBS' response to that charter, virtual currencies, how states are approaching innovation, and what CSBS thinks about some calls for federal preemption of state money transmission licensing.  And we learn why her teenage daughters still consider her a tech savvy mom.

Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota's Sixth District, and Co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about his journey to Congress and how he thinks government should approach cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Congressman Emmer discusses some of his recently introduced bills, including the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (HR 6974), his work to gain further guidance from the IRS on cryptocurrency transactions, and his call for the White House to hold a forum on blockchain.  They also discuss his time as a talk radio host and how he approaches all of his work in Congress.

Jason Somensatto (@JasonSomensatto)is Strategic Counsel at 0x. Jason and John talk crypto, decentralized finance (DeFi), cryptotwitter, cryptolawyers, and a bit about electric bicycle culture.   You can read some of Jason’s writings and learn more about 0x’s ongoing projects, here.

This week FS Vector Partner, John Collins (@johncollins), speaks with Brad Carr(@BradJCarr) of the Institute of International Finance (IIF). Brad is Senior Director of Digital Finance Regulation & Policy at the IIF and host of the FRT Podcast. John and Brad talk artificial intelligence, cloud, and crypto.  They also delve into Brexit and how well do those job ads in The Economist real work?

This week FS Vector Partner, John Collins (@johncollins), speaks with Diego Zuluaga (@DiegoZuluagaL) of the CATO Institute. Diego is with the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at Cato and recently authored a piece for Politico discussing some approaches to financial services that both conservatives and progressives might be able to get on board with.  Optimistic! Diego and John discuss his piece, the current state of crypto regulation in the U.S. and a number of other topics, including - how many airline phone apps are too many?

Jackson Mueller, Associate Director for the Center for Financial Markets at the Milken Institute speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about his work covering the global fintech and capital markets spaces. Jackson discusses some of his research - and critiques - of regulatory sandboxes, and what lessons we can learn here in the United States from what other countries have implemented.  They also discuss the state of fintech in the middle east and, in honor of March Madness, their respective college mascots.      READINGS  FinTech: Considerations on How to Enable a 21st Century Financial Services Ecosystem FinTech: Building a 21st-Century Regulator’s Toolkit Comment Letter to the Global Financial Innovation Network  

Amy Friend, Senior Advisor at FS Vector, has had a storied career in Washington.  Starting as a junior House staffer she went on to become Chief Counsel for the Senate Banking Committee during the financial crisis, overseeing the crafting, negotiation, and passage of the Dodd Frank Act. Later, she would become Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Counsel at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) where she led the agency’s innovation work, including the creation of the Special Purpose National Bank charter for fintech companies. This week she speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about her second run at the OCC.  We talk in depth about the Fintech charter, why it’s important and what sort of companies should be considering it.  We also discuss what Amy’s been up to since leaving the OCC, what she’ll be working on here at FS Vector, and what the techiest thing about her is. This episode is part 2 of 2.  

Amy Friend, Senior Advisor at FS Vector, has had a storied career in Washington.  Starting as a junior House staffer she went on to become Chief Counsel for the Senate Banking Committee during the financial crisis, overseeing the crafting, negotiation, and passage of the Dodd Frank Act. Later, she would become Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Counsel at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) where she led the agency’s innovation work, including the creation of the Special Purpose National Bank charter for fintech companies. This week she speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about  her time on the Hill and during her first run at the OCC, and explore some behind the scenes stories of the financial crisis and the work to bring us back from the brink.  This episode is part 1 of 2.  We will release the second part of the conversation, next week.

Amy Davine Kim, General Counsel and Global Policy Director at the Chamber of Digital Commerce speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about her work leading engagement with regulators on behalf of some of the world's largest blockchain companies.  Amy and John discuss the depth and breadth of the blockchain industry and how it's changed over time, how the Chamber handles the very different policy interests of its members, and why they believe the United States needs to pursue a national action plan for blockchain or risk losing its competitive edge.   Amy also provides a preview of the Chamber's upcoming DC Blockchain Summit.

Rob Morgan, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at the American Bankers Association (ABA) speaks with FS Vector Partner John Collins about his work leading fintech for the nation's largest financial services trade association.   Rob works with ABA's members on navigating the quickly evolving market, regulatory, and political fintech landscapes.  Rob and John discuss the different approaches of large and community banks to tech issues, why ABA is investing in non-bank companies, and what does ABA think of the proposed OCC Fintech Charter. 

FS Vector Partner John Collins speaks with two reporters who cover the financial technology space in Washington DC.  They report on the industry players, the politicians, the regulators, and the influencers who are working in our nation's capitol and beyond.   Lydia Beyoud of Bloomberg Law and Colin Wilhelm of the Washington Examiner joined John in FS Vector's offices in Washington, DC.  They discuss what the new Democratic Congress might have in store for the fintech industry, the current state of Blockchain in Washington, and the policy stories they think will have the most impact over the coming year.   Follow Lydia and Colin on Twitter @ElleBeyoud @ColinWilhelm

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Finance Rewired, produced by FS Vector. In our first episode FS Vector partner, John Collins, speaks with Paul Watkins, Director of the CFPB's Office of Innovation, in his office in Washington, DC.    They discuss what the heck fintech actually is, what's up with Sandboxes, and how Paul ended up coming from Arizona to Washington.