Fintech In the Cloud

On today's episode I have the pleasure of speaking with Jess Anuna, Founder and CEO at Klasha. Klasha is financial technology company on a mission to build cross-border payment solutions for African consumers. Jess and I talk about a few things on this episode, from the challenges of raising capital on the continent, to Klasha migrating all their workloads onto AWS as they continue to Scale. Enjoy! Learn more about Klasha (https://klasha.com/business) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On today's episode I had the pleasure of speaking with not one, but two Co-founders Laura Spiekerman, President & Co-founder at Alloy. As well as Charles Hearn, who is the CTO & Co-Founder at Alloy. On this episode we discuss a variety of topics from product evolution to trends as well as the recent emergence of Reg-Tech in Fintech. Enjoy! Learn more about Alloy (https://www.alloy.com/). Also check out a recently published blog on how Alloy built on AWS here. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/startups/alloys-global-identity-decisioning-platform-built-on-aws/ You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Will Uppington CEO and co-founder at TruEra. Will breaks down the definitions of AI (Artificial Intelligence and ML -Machine learning). He also provides insights to trends in the AI space (such as Generative AI, which is quite popular at the moment) and how AI is influencing Fintech as a whole. Learn more about TrueEra (https://truera.com/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

It's a new year and we are officially kicking off season 2 of Fintech in the cloud! To kick off our new season we are doing something slightly different. It is our first live episode with a thought provoking and insightful panel conducted at the Africa Fintech Summit, moderated by yours truly. The panel comprised of AWS customers who are influencing the trajectory of fintech in Africa. The esteemed guests were: Amandine Lobelle - COO, Paystack. Cheslyn Jacobs - Chief Commercial Offier, TymeBank. Wiza Jalakasi - VP of Global Merchant Business, ChipperCash. Our podcast friend and alum, Munya Chiura. Enjoy! If you are interested in this topic and want to learn more and about Fintech in Africa, AWS and Africa Fintech Summit recently published a white paper; titled The Growing Role of Cloud in Africa's Burgeoning Fintech Sector. https://africafintechsummit.com/ecosystem-insights/reports-white-papers/ https://chippercash.com/ https://www.tymebank.co.za/ https://paystack.com/ https://flutterwave.com/us/ You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/

Happy Holidays! I hope you are spending quality time with your loved ones this holiday season or getting some rest. Season 1 of the podcast is completed. Having said this, we thought we'd share a bonus episode with a55 a financial underwriting platform used to offer a credit line system to companies with recurring revenue based in Brazil. LATAM is going through a bit of a renaissance as it relates to the financial services ecosystem. On this episode, we get a glance of the fintech trends in Brazil and how a55 is a part of these ever-evolving trends with Cofounders Andre Silva and Andre Wetter. Enjoy and Happy holidays! See you in the new year. Learn more about a55 (https://www.a55.tech/)You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On the season 1 finale of Fintech in the cloud, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dorothy Copeland, Global Head of Partner Ecosystem & Alliances at Stripe. There is truly no better way to end the season with a fintech that was born on cloud (AWS) and personifies the true DNA of fintech, from a developer driven platform to a global processor offering diverse product constructs all over the world. Stripe is undeniably building economic and payments infrastructure for the internet and the future. Dorothy and I discuss fintech trends, as well as the AWS and Stripe partnership, established since 2011 how it will continue to evolve. Learn more about Stripe (https://stripe.com) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Ciompi, Head of Marketing at Clarity AI. Clarity AI brings societal impact to markets, leading with powerful and scalable AI at the core of their product. In our conversation, we talk about the role of Cloud in sustainable finance and decode the meaning of ESG, Climate tech, as well as some of the future trends that are emerging in this space. Learn more about Clarity AI (https://clarity.ai/). You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Barbara Iyayi, CEO & Founding Partner at Unicorn Growth Capital. An early-stage Web3 VC fund that invests in the future of Finance, bridging TradFi & DeFi to foster more inclusive economies, specifically in Africa. Unicorn Growth backs Web 2.5/3.0 companies providing FinTech & DeFi infrastructure across industries and uniquely helps them scale in markets with high crypto adoption. Barbara gives us a glimpse of some of the emerging crypto and defi trends in Africa and why she thinks Africa has the most lucrative opportunity for fintech, DeFi, and Web3 Learn more about the fund (https://www.unicorngrowthcap.com/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

Joining us on today's episode is Ali Heron, CTO at Petal. Petal's aim is to bring financial innovation and opportunity for everyone. With the use of modern technology, they are building a new approach to credit and authentic financial inclusion, at their core, they lead with Product Design, Engineering and Analytics. This was a really fun episode as we spend a chunk of time also getting to know the woman behind the CTO title, as she shares great anecdotes along the way. Enjoy! Learn more about Petal (http://www.petalcard.com/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking to Travis Holoway, Co-Founder and CEO of SoLo Funds, and Rodney Williams Co-Founder and Chairman at Solo. SoLo has processed over 300,000 loans as one of the fastest-growing Fintech companies in the U.S. and is grounded by an impactful mission: to build a community that enables financial autonomy for all. Travis and Rodney share insights about SoLo's mission as well as decode the concept of Community Lending as a service. Learn more about SoLo Funds(www.solofunds.com) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

Joining us today is James Wallis, Vice President at Ripple. James, leads Central Bank Engagements and CBDCs at Ripple. On this episode, we unpack the difference between Cryptocurrencies and Central Bank Digital Currencies (Also known as CBDC). We also talk about Ripple's role in this space and some of the future trends in CBDC. When this podcast was recorded, Ripple announced Ripple CBDC Innovate, a hackathon to build or update a fintech or payments solution utilizing Ripple's CBDC Private Ledger. You will hear it referenced throughout the podcast. Learn more about Ripple (http://www.ripple.com/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

Joining us on this episode is Alain Meier, Head of Identity at Plaid and Former CEO of Cognito, Cognito was recently acquired by Plaid in January of 2022. Plaid recently announced two new identity products at their forum held on May 19th. On this episode, Alain talks about some of the innovative trends in digital identity and how they will influence fintech today and in the future. And of course, we talk a bit about cloud and its role in their product development. Learn more about Plaid (https://plaid.com/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

Joining us on this episode is Munya Chiura, Head of Growth for Rest of Africa at Flutterwave, one of the few fintech unicorns in Africa. Seven unicorns emerged from Africa in 2021, five out of the seven were fintech. On this episode, we talk about the state of fintech in Africa, lessons that the west can learn from African fintechs. We also talk about key trends that are influencing fintech on the continent as well as how cloud played a significant role in scaling their business. Learn more about Flutterwave (https://flutterwave.com/us/) You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On this episode, we speak to Karim Atiyeh, CTO and Co-founder at Ramp. Karim talks about how Ramp initially started as a corporate card and evolved into a finance automation platform covering expense management, bill pay, accounting, negotiations-as-a-service, and more. We also talk about some of the challenges in corporate spend and how Ramp is addressing them today. Learn more about Ramp (https://ramp.com/). You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)

On our premiere season and episode 1 of the podcast, we speak to Edward Woodford, CEO and Co-Founder at Zero Hash. Edward effectively defines the notion of Crypto as a Service and how it is evolving in the embedded finance ecosystem. He also highlights key trends in the ever-evolving world of Digital Assets and how these trends will influence the future of fintech. Learn more about ZeroHash (https://zerohash.com/). You can also learn more about Fintechs and Startups on AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ or https://aws.amazon.com/startups/FinTech/)