Lend Academy Podcast

In today's episode, we have Carol Hamilton, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Provenird. She discusses how AI-powered decisioning platforms are transforming risk management across financial services. She explores the critical balance financial institutions must strike between managing evolving risk threats and maintaining seamless customer experiences, a challenge that has become increasingly complex in today's uncertain macroeconomic environment. She explains how Provenir's platform helps organizations make intelligent decisions across the entire customer lifecycle, from onboarding and fraud prevention to collections, by orchestrating real-time data and AI to provide contextual insights that enable both risk mitigation and opportunity optimization. The conversation delves into key findings from Provenir's 2025 Global Risk Decisioning Survey, revealing that over half of respondents struggle with data integration, while 60% find it difficult to deploy and maintain risk models. Hamilton emphasizes how generative AI is being leveraged not just as a trend but to drive tangible outcomes, speeding up decision-making processes, enhancing model explainability, and analyzing unstructured data. Looking ahead, she describes 2025 as "the year of intelligent decisioning," where organizations can move beyond traditional rules-based systems to achieve the perfect contextual understanding needed for hyper-personalized customer interactions that unlock value while effectively managing risk.In this podcast you will learn:What Provenir does exactly.The types of risk decisions they help their customers make.The biggest pain points in risk management for financial institutions today.The different geographies where Provenir operates.Why they have focused on enterprise businesses.How they approach the tension between preventing fraud and seamless customer experiences.How their clients are managing risks in today's uncertain environment.The different types of simulations they can run inside their platform.How they are using generative AI in their decisioning engine.How their approach differs from others in the market.The purpose of their 2025 Global Risk Decisioning Survey.Some the of the core findings from the survey.How they help their clients deploy their risk decisioning models.How they are working with lenders with credit risk and detecting fraud.What they mean by calling 2025 the “year of intelligent decisioning.”How they approach product development given the different needs of their customers.What is next for Provenir.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

To say it has been a busy year for fintech policy folks would be a gross understatement. With the change in administration to Trump 2.0, we have a 180-degree different perspective on most fintech issues than the previous administration. And there have already been many actions taken by the Trump White House that will have far-reaching implications for fintech.To help us unpack all these issues, I invited back to the show, Penny Lee, the CEO of the Financial Technology Association (FTA) and one of the leading voices in Washington for our industry. In addition to navigating all the complex regulatory changes, the FTA is also putting on their annual CEO Summit this month and, as of this writing, tickets are still available.In this podcast you will learn:The state of play in Washington today and its implications for fintech.Why rescinding the 1033 rule would be such a big deal.How they will be fighting this in court.Why this will be in the court system for a while, whoever wins the initial decision.Where the FTA stands on payments modernization.Penny's thoughts on the remittance tax provision of the Big Beautiful Bill.The BNPL bill that was passed in New York and its impact on the industry.What the FTA is doing with Earned Wage Access initiatives in the states.The state of play for AI regulation in the states as well as the federal level.The prospect for a federal AI bill this year.Details of the annual FTA CEO Summit in Washington happening on June 25.Who is going to be on stage from industry and government.What else FTA members are doing while they are in DC.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Africa is quietly becoming one of the hottest areas for fintech investment. I am overdue to focus on Africa here on the podcast, so when the chance to interview the CEO of the largest African fintech presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity. In a similar way to Latin America, Africa has leapfrogged from offline financial infrastructure to mobile-centric and the one company that has made much of this leapfrog possible, at least when it comes to payments, is Flutterwave.My next guest on the Fintech One on One podcast is Olugbenga Agboola, who goes by GB, the CEO and Founder of Flutterwave, the most valuable fintech in Africa. I think of Flutterwave as a cross between Stripe, Shopify and Wise, and the technology they have built has revolutionized cross-border payments in Africa. It is hard to overstate how important this one company has been to the growth of fintech in Africa.In this podcast you will learn:What drove GB to found Flutterwave.A short history of fintech innovation in Africa.How he describes Flutterwave today.The geographic footprint of Flutterwave.How they enable African small businesses to accept cross border payments.The evolving payment behaviors for both consumers and small businesses.What they are ultimately solving for in Africa.What GB means when he says “payment is partnership”.How the money moves internationally.Why they decided to rebuild the entire stack of their API suite.How they are ensuring compliance across their wide network.How they incorporate financial inclusion into their company goals.Why they are an inaugural partner of the Circle Payments Network.How they are investing in cybersecurity and anti-fraud tools.How they are supporting the next generation of African fintech leaders.GB's vision for the future of payments in Africa and for Flutterwave.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Streamlining international B2B payments is a complex undertaking. TreviPay has been taking the complexity out of this process for several decades now. In my conversation with CEO Brandon Spear, we explore TreviPay's transformation from MSTS, its rebranding inspiration, and its global reach across 30 countries.Our discussion highlights TreviPay's various services, including trade credit management and cross-border payment infrastructure, and its partnerships, such as with HSBC, to expand into complex markets like China and India. Our conversation also delves into the role of AI in enhancing productivity and customer experience, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the B2B payments landscape.In this podcast you will learn:How Brandon describes TreviPay today.What companies need to think about when they look to expand across borders.How TreviPay takes the complexity out of cross border invoices.What TreviPay has done well that banks have not been able to do.Some of the big brands they are serving today.The different geographies they serve.Why B2B payments is 5-10 years behind the consumer space.How they are staying ahead of the new payments innovators.How TreviPay is using AI both internally and in a customer facing way.What they are doing in their partnership with HSBC.The impact that the new tariff uncertainty is having on their business.Why they did the rebrand from MSTS to TreviPay.Brandon's vision for TreviPay.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In this episode, Anthony Soohoo, CEO of MoneyGram, shares his vision for transforming one of the world's largest global payments networks through what he calls a "refounder mindset." Drawing from his experience leading digital transformations at major companies like Walmart and CBS, Soohoo discusses how MoneyGram is modernizing its platform while leveraging its incredible assets: a network of 450,000 retail locations spanning over 200 countries and 20,000 payment corridors.He explores the company's strategic partnerships with Plaid for seamless bank connectivity, collaborations with Visa and Mastercard, and their thoughtful approach to cryptocurrency through stablecoin partnerships with Stellar Foundation and Circle. Perhaps most ambitiously, Soohoo outlines his five-year goal of positioning MoneyGram not just as a remittance company, but as a global payments powerhouse with the scale and recognition of Visa or Mastercard, all while maintaining the company's core mission of democratizing finance for consumers worldwide.In this podcast you will learn:The three things that attracted Anthony to the opportunity at MoneyGram.How he describes MoneyGram today.The most popular remittance corridors for US consumers.The attributes of a typical MoneyGram customer.Anthony's concept of re-founding and how he is bringing that mindset to MoneyGram.The lessons he has learned in his first six months as CEO.How the money actually moves internationally.How they are partnering with Plaid, as well as Visa and Mastercard.Why MoneyGram believes the future of finance is crypto.How Anthony views the alternative payments rails being developed.The biggest challenge for MoneyGram today.His vision for the next five years.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When it comes to fintechs getting bank charters we are entering a golden age. With zero fintech-oriented bank applications approved in the Biden administration we already have several fintechs with shiny new bank charters just a few months into the new administration. So, if you are a fintech and are thinking about bank charters now is the time.To break all this down, I was delighted to chat recently with Michele Alt, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Klaros Group. She was last on the show in 2021 and certainly a lot has changed since then. Michele takes us through the different types of charters and explains the different options for fintech companies seeking charters.On this podcast you will learn:The fundamental change in attitude for bank charters with the new administration in DC.The two paths that fintechs can take to get a bank charter.The pros and cons for each of these paths.Michele's thoughts on the SmartBiz acquisition of Centrust Bank.Why she thinks the timelines for bank acquisitions will be shorter from now on.The difference between an ILC charter and a regular bank charter.Why most ILC banks are located in Utah.Why some of the big names in fintech are applying for the MALPB charter in Georgia.Why Wyoming created the SPDI charter.How the Federal Reserve is reacting to this change in the new bank formation environment.Why some of the crypto companies are looking for federal bank charters.Michele's perspective on the big tech companies getting bank charters.What she would say if Amazon came calling looking to explore an ILC charter.What the fintech banking landscape might look like at the end of the Trump administration.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Moving money internationally is mission-critical for many businesses in the world, particularly those outside the U.S. But, today, for businesses using traditional banks, moving money across borders is often expensive, slow and a terrible user experience. Wherever you have that combination you can be sure a fintech company is attacking the problem aggressively, which is certainly the case here.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Ravi Adusumilli, the President and GM of the Americas for Airwallex. They have built their own payments rails, as an alternative to SWIFT, to serve businesses who want to move money and accept payments internationally. How they have done that makes for a fascinating conversation.In this podcast you will learn:The target market for Airwallex in the Americas.How they help businesses expand internationally.Why they decided to build their own payments rails as an alternative to SWIFT.How the money moves exactly.The percentage of their payments that move in real time.What was behind their acquisition of MexPage in Mexico.Why they decided to build a business themselves in Brazil.How they are working with Brex.How Airwallex is able to serve smaller businesses.How they help tech companies offer embedded global payments as a profit center.How their multi-currency wallets work.Ravi's perspective on stablecoins and other alternative payments rails.His view on the future of embedded finance and global payments.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

One of the big challenges for community banks and credit unions is that they often have a very concentrated base of customers. The vast majority of their accounts could be with people and businesses within a 100-mile radius. While setting up digital tools can allow these banks and credit unions to expand beyond their home base, this comes with a lot of expense and complexity. When it comes to lending programs there is a much simpler alternative.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Vince Passione, the CEO and C0-Founder of LendKey. I last had Vince on the show all the way back in 2016, so a lot has changed since then. They have created this new technology they call network lending which solves for the problem of customer concentration for credit unions and banks, at least when it comes to the lending side of the balance sheet.In this podcast you will learn:The highlights of LendKey's evolution over the last nine years.Their long partnership with Navy Credit Union.How they have expanded into the home improvement market.The impact of the CARES Act on their education financing business.How the needs of credit unions have been evolving.The changes that will impact the ParentPLUS and GradPLUS lending programs.What differentiates those credit unions that can go after the younger generation and those that can't.Why private student loans will have to take up the slack, particularly for graduate student loans.How their network lending programs work.Why network lending is a great way for credit unions to diversify their portfolio.How they decide who becomes the lender of record for these loans.Why they launched ALIRO in 2021 to allow others to set up their own lending networks.What the next five to ten years look like for LendKey.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Welcome back to the occasional series on the podcast called Fintech Revealed. This is a sponsored show where we take a deep dive on one topic with a couple of industry experts.Today, we have Nico Simko, CEO and Co-Founder of Clair and Dan Loomis, the General Manager and Head of Product for the Money Group at Gusto. The topic we are doing a deep dive in today is Earned Wage Access (EWA) - one of my favorite fintech innovations of the last decade. We cover a great deal of territory on this show as we delve into embedded finance and the evolution of EWA (for reference I interviewed Nico on the show last year). In this podcast you will learn:Why Clair focuses on being embedded with HR and payroll companies instead of going direct to consumer or direct to employers.What piqued the interest of Gusto to offer EWA.What was involved in getting Clair up and running at Gusto.The two pieces that had to be in place at Clair to be able to embed their tech at Gusto.What employees are using EWA for at Gusto.How EWA is presented to employees in the Gusto app.How Clair worked with Gusto to determine how exactly to integrate EWA into their wallet.How the roll out has been going.What Gusto users are telling them about EWA.How fast a user can get money to their card if they have never used EWA before.Why Clair took the regulatory approach of treating EWA as a loan.What resistance, if any, employers have to offering EWA.What is stopping more payroll companies from signing up for EWA.Some of the limitations of the direct to consumer EWA model.What it is going to take for EWA to become ubiquitous.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Most fintech companies, and increasingly banks, rely on API integrations to run their business. Yet, building and maintaining these integrations can be time consuming and complex, particularly when it is only a part of what an engineering team does. Today, you can outsource these integrations to companies that specialize in this type of connectivity with a unified API platform.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Shensi Ding, the CEO and Co-Founder of Merge. She saw the challenges of API integrations in a previous role and decided this was a problem worth solving. She has built Merge to specialize in helping companies with their API integrations, leveraging one API to add hundreds of integrations.In this podcast you will learn:The problem she saw that led to the founding of Merge.What a unified API is and how Merge offers this.The core categories where they are focused.Why AI is such an important category for Merge.Why large banks and fintechs trust Merge to manage their API integrations.The number of integrations they are working with today.What is involved in adding a new integration.How they make sure these integrations don't break.How they work with custom integration requests.What is needed to get these integrations up and running.How Merge is helping Ramp for their HR integrations.Their experience working with banks.Why they like working with companies that are having challenges with integrations.How they work with the non-technical customer success teams.Why the human element is so critical for Merge's success.The process in adding a new integration into the system.How they are using AI internally.How they work with companies that don't have a robust API yet.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

There are not many US-based fintech companies that are global from day one. Nearly every company starts in the domestic market, gets established and after a few years starts looking at overseas markets. That was not the case for today's podcast guest. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is John Mitchell, the CEO and Co-Founder of Episode Six. John started the company, which is based in Austin, in Hong Kong in 2015 and they are global-first, currently operating in 40 countries around the world. What they do is provide next generation payments infrastructure to large banks and non-finance brands. In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Episode Six.Why they decided to start the company in Hong Kong.The financial infrastructure that they provide today.How they built their technology to work in any region of the world.Why it was so important to build their systems to evolve.How their infrastructure is able to interface with legacy banking cores.Why, in ten years time, legacy banking cores will still be in production in most places.The number of countries where Episode Six is working today.How easy it is to embed card issuance today.Why applying for a credit card form a large bank is still basically the same as it was 20 years ago.Why Episode Six mostly works on new programs when working with traditional banks.How they are working with Japan Airlines and why the airline invested in Episode Six.What John thinks about the new payments rails that are developing.Why he is bullish on programmable money.The work they are doing in instant payments.What he has learned from other countries that could be implemented in this country.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Most of us have heard the term "AI agent" but it is only the minority of banks and fintechs that have done any kind of implementation. This is partly because it is not a trivial task and there are real risks to getting this wrong. What is needed is some kind of framework that helps reduce these risks and provides best practices for implementing AI agents in financial services.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Simon Taylor, the Head of Strategy and Content for Sardine and the author of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter. Today, Sardine has released a white paper, titled The Agentic Oversight Framework - Procedures, Accountability, and Best Practices for Agentic AI Use in Regulated Financial Services. It is a how-to document for implementing AI Agents into your bank, credit union or fintech. We unpack the white paper in this podcast, with as little jargon as possible, making it approachable for any risk or compliance executive.In this podcast you will learn:Simon's background and why he joined Sardine in 2022.How banks are approaching BSA/AML compliance today.What Sardine is trying to achieve with this new white paper.What concerns people in financial services have about hiring an AI agent.How AI agents interact with humans in compliance departments.How much more effective AI agents can be.The six different processes in the Agentic Oversight Framework (AOF).How you manage the risk of hallucination in your LLMs.How you can scale the AOF beyond BSA/AML into other areas.Some examples of the AOF in action.If you are starting at zero how you start working with AI agents.Why you should jump in now even though the models will continue to get better.Why data security is such a critical component of the implementation of AI agents.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Many of us have used virtual credit or debit cards and haven't given them a second thought. In today's world of contactless payments, there is no difference between a virtual and physical card. But a virtual card is actually a piece of software and as such it can be programmed to act in very specific ways. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Andrew Jamison, the CEO and Co-Founder of Extend, the spend management platform that works with your existing credit card. They use the virtual card concept to extend an existing card with new functionality to manage and control spending for middle-market businesses.In this podcast:How a sabbatical helped form the idea for Extend.The history of virtual cards and the two companies that pioneered their use.Why Andrew started using virtual cards while at American Express.Why we won't be running out of virtual card numbers any time soon.Extend's core virtual card offering and how it works.Why they decided not to offer their own card and use existing cards instead.How they go to market with their bank partners.The customer experience with Extend's technology for the end user .Some of the use cases for their virtual cards.The size of business that is the sweet spot for Extend.How they are able to interface with the digital wallets from Apple and Google.How they work with the main accounting software platforms.How Andrew sees the impact of AI on spend management.What is next for Extend.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Every bank and fintech company has a suite of anti-fraud tools that they use to keep the bad guys out. Few tools are 100% effective, however, and often the implementation of these tools, along with their interfaces with other system leave gaps. And the fraudsters will exploit these gaps. So, how do you get a holistic view of your anti-fraud arsenal and discover where these gaps are?My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Jerry Tylman, the co-founder and partner at Greenway Solutions and the founder of their Fraud Red Team. The Fraud Red Team is all about discovering the gaps, where the weaknesses in the anti-fraud systems are. They are 100% focused on financial services, working with many of the largest banks in the country as well as several fintech companies.In this podcast you will learn:How Greenway Solutions became focused on financial services.What a pen test is and the groundbreaking work they do with fraud controls.The different attack vectors that fraudsters use.Why banks and fintechs need the services of the Fraud Red Team.How successful they are in penetrating the fraud detection systems.How they interact with the anti-fraud providers to banks and fintechs.An example of a recent test they have done that penetrated anti-fraud systems.How they tackle the challenge of account onboarding.Why behavioral technology is a key piece of the puzzle.How deepfake video and audio are being used by fraudsters.The fascinating way that the Fraud Red Team works with deepfakes.Why companies have to completely rethink their internal authentication today.Some of the fintechs they have worked with recently.How they work with check fraud and why it is a growing problem.Why all financial institutions cannot stop investing in anti-fraud tools.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Everyone in fintech knows about the Starbucks reloadable wallet. It has become wildly successful for Starbucks, to the extent that they now have over $1.6 billion in balances on these wallets. Now, Starbucks has unique scale that made this kind of tech investment feasible. But I have been wondering for many years why so few corporations have copied Starbucks' lead here. Enter Ansa.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Sophia Goldberg, the CEO and Co-Founder of Ansa. They call themselves the "modern stored value platform" and they have created the technology to allow any mid-market or enterprise chain to offer their own branded wallet to their customers. They have the capability to create a wallet that can work in app or online and they have recently rolled out the technology to use their wallets in-store.In this podcast you will learn:Why Sophia decided to write a book on payments.The founding story of Ansa.What a branded stored-value wallet is exactly.The core value proposition for Ansa's closed-loop payments as a service.Why the Starbucks wallet hasn't been copied by others.The conditions that had to happen for Ansa's offerings to gain traction.How they decided what verticals they wanted to focus on.What is involved in bringing Ansa's tech live for merchants.What it looks like from the consumer side.How Ansa helps drive loyalty for their merchants.How they solved for in-person wallet adoption with Ansa Anywhere.What they learned by having to switch bank partners.How they are driving revenue.What they are doing to get the word out about Ansa.What success will look like.The feedback they are receiving from the end consumers.The ultimate goal for Ansa.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Every bank that decides to get into the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) space already has an existing legacy business. Most of those legacy businesses have very little crossover with fintech and BaaS, so internally at the bank, there is a completely new skill set that needs to be developed. But then there are those banks that were born digital and for which BaaS is a natural extension of their existing business.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Mike Butler, the CEO of Grasshopper Bank. I first had Mike on the show back in 2019, when he was the CEO of Radius Bank - that was the bank that LendingClub acquired in 2021. So, Mike is back at the helm of another digital bank, bringing his deep experience in BaaS and digital banking. And he has big plans for Grasshopper.In this podcast you will learn:How Mike went from selling Radius Bank to becoming CEO of Grasshopper.The core offerings of Grasshopper.Why Grasshopper has a "work from away" culture.How much they focus on BaaS versus serving customers directly.The core learnings he brought from Radius Bank to Grasshopper.Who Mike thinks of as his main competitors.How the BaaS challenges of 2024 impacted Grasshopper.Why you can't dip your toe in the water when it comes to BaaS.How the expectations of fintechs have changed.The types of fintechs they work with today.Why they decided to acquire Auto Club Trust, an insurance company.Where Mike sees the future growth for Grasshopper.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

If you have ever tried to rollover a 401(k) from a previous job you know what a painful process that can be. Another big problem with 401(k)s is that many people will move jobs and ultimately forget about their old 401(k). Both of these problems are hurting people trying to maximize their wealth in retirement. Enter Capitalize.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Gaurav Sharma, the CEO and Founder of Capitalize. His company solves both problems: they make it much easier to do a rollover and they help find any old 401(k)s that have been forgotten about. And in doing so, they are helping Americans have a more prosperous retirement.In this podcast you will learn:How Gaurav came to be in this country.Why he became fascinated by the retirement market.The total number and amount of forgotten 401k accounts.How Capitalize helps individuals transfer retirement accounts.The regulatory hurdles that Capitalize has to deal with.How and why they pivoted from direct-to-consumer to B2B.What the consumer experience looks like at Capitalize's partners.How they manage the different points of friction in this rollover process.How working with the legacy asset managers is different than the fintechs.The typical amount of money they move in a rollover.How they are going to be working with RIAs.How Capitalize makes money.The scale they are at today.How Gaurav thinks about the retirement landscape and the role Capitalize can play.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In the last year I don't think there is any area of fintech that has received more attention than the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) space. And it is not just the Synapse debacle, it is all the consent orders that have come out of the bank regulators. We have a banking system that pretty much demands that fintech companies partner with banks and we are still yet to figure out what the optimal business model is here.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Jason Mikula, the publisher of Fintech Business Weekly and the Head of Industry, Strategy, Banking and Fintech at the risk decisioning platform Taktile. He has become one of the leading authorities on BaaS and has recently authored a book on this topic. It is the most comprehensive look at BaaS and the many challenges it has faced and we delve into these challenges in this episode.In this podcast you will learn:How Jason ended up living in the Netherlands.His impetus for starting the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter.What attracted Jason to focus so much on Banking-as-a-Service.Why he decided to write a book on BaaS.How he frames the difference between BaaS and embedded finance.Why fintech companies have been attracted to omnibus or FBO accounts at banks.The interview that Jason did with founder and former CEO of Synapse, Sankaet Pathak.Where we are with the Synapse saga (as of mid-February, 2025).What Jason thinks the likelihood the impacted consumers will get their funds back.Whether we will ever learn what happened to missing 90-odd million dollars.His thoughts on the middleware model that was core to the development of BaaS.How he views the BaaS model evolving long term in the U.S.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

While text is a big part of our daily communications most corporations, particularly those in financial services, use it sparingly. Why is that when texting gets many times the engagement of email? We explain why in this interview. But this is all changing, in large part due to the work of my next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast. Dave Baxter is the CEO of Solutions by Text (SBT), a text and payments platform focused on financial services. Their compliance-first approach to texting has resulted in the adoption of integrated text payments by many fintechs and banks as these companies realize they need to meet their customers where they are at. And that is via text message on their phone.In this podcast you will learn:The big names in tech and finance where Dave cut his teeth.How and why he came to be CEO of SBT.Why SBT is focused on the consumer finance vertical.Why many companies in financial services have been hesitant to use texting.How SBT is able to assuage their concerns around using text as a channel.The most popular use case where SBT clients start.How they onboard a client and integrate into existing systems.What happens when someone clicks on a text payment link.How texting effectiveness cuts across demographics.How SBT is using AI in their text messaging systems.What they learned in their recent study with Datos Insights.The potential for text messaging in consumer finance.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The co-branded credit card space is a mature market. Chase and American Express have large deals with airlines and hotels as well as the likes of Amazon and Disney. These are typically huge programs with not just millions but tens of millions of customers. But what about those Fortune 500 companies that are not big enough for Chase or Amex but still want to do their own co-branded credit card? That is where Imprint comes in.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Daragh Murphy, the CEO and Founder of Imprint. Daragh realized that the bank technology being used to power the co-branded card space was decades old and inflexible. He saw the opportunity to build a new tech stack to provide a much better experience for large brands. And they didn't take any shortcuts to get there.In this podcast you will learn:What first brought Daragh from Ireland to the U.S. and why he stayed here.How he landed on the idea of co-branded credit cards.The hardest part about building a credit card company.How granular they can get with their rewards program.Why Chase and Amex only have a limited number of co-branded programs.The size of company that Imprint is looking to partner with.Why they do no outbound marketing whatsoever.Why a typical billion dollar company shouldn't do a co-branded card program.How they were able to get started when dealing with large enterprises as a startup.How they embed the Imprint technology into their clients' app.The thought process we went through when choosing their bank partner.How long it took them to build their own credit card platform.How they are getting their card to the top of wallet.Why they decided to build a call center themselves.How they have deployed AI into their customer support.What is next for Imprint.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Despite the challenges and the obvious risk of failure, Americans are starting small businesses in record numbers. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well but the difference today is that the tools have become so much better. And they are going to continue to improve, particularly as small business owners start taking advantage of the latest AI tools.My guest today on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Karen G. Mills. She is a senior fellow at the Harvard Business School, and she was the head of the Small Business Administration under President Obama from 2009 until 2013. She was first on the show back in 2015 and again when she wrote the first edition of her book, Fintech Small Business and the American Dream, back in 2019. She has now published a second edition that includes a deep analysis of the changes that the pandemic and the PPP had on the American small business landscape. She is very optimistic on American small business and thinks we are on the cusp of reaching small business utopia.In this podcast you will learn:What has changed since Karen wrote the first edition of her book in 2019.The three layers of complexity that prevented the predicted changes from happening as fast as expected.Why she decided to write a second edition.Why the narrative about PPP fraud was not accurate.What fintech lenders did that traditional banks would not do during that time.The analysis they did to demonstrate the success of PPP.How the SBA performed in administering the PPP.Karen's take on the state of community banks and small business lending.Why she thinks big tech is not going to dominate small business lending.Who the winners are going to be.Why small business lending is one of the biggest opportunities out there.Her vision for smart regulation of small business lending.What it will take to get to small business utopia.Why she is optimistic about the future of U.S. small business.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In an article last year, the International Monetary Fund said that the global private credit market topped $2.1 trillion globally in 2023, with 75% of that in the U.S. That number has been rising rapidly for many years as more companies look beyond banks and the public debt markets to raise capital. Along with this rise in private credit, some fintech companies have taken advantage of this growth, bringing new opportunities to investors.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Nelson Chu, the CEO and Co-Founder of Percent. They have created a marketplace where private credit deals get underwritten and presented to a wide range of investors, including individual accredited investors. They have provided access to this fast-growing asset class to many investors for the first time. Full disclosure, I have been an active investor on the Percent platform since 2019.In this podcast you will learn:What Nelson saw in the market that led to the founding of Percent.Why they decided to focus on retail accredited investors.Why private credit has boomed the last two to three years.How investor interest has changed over time.How they can graduate their borrowers to much larger amounts.How their platform works.The geographies where they have borrowers.How they decide what deals make it onto their platform.How they work with credit funds that bring asset-based deals.The different revenue streams they have.The huge range of deal sizes that come on their platform.The performance they have provided to investors.How their technology stack has improved over time.How they manage balancing their multi-sided marketplace.The blend of retail and institutional money on their platform.The scale they are at today.Nelson's vision for the future of Percent.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The earned wage access (EWA) space is maturing and now has some players that are getting real scale. In many industries, it has gone from a curiosity to a must-have for employers. As the space scales, there are bigger questions in play. How can we ensure that all salaried workers have access to this innovative product, so they don't need to provide an interest-free loan to their employers every pay period?My guest today on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Alex Bradford, the CEO and founder of Rain. Rain is part of the new breed of EWA providers that learned from the lessons of the early movers in the space when building their product. They now have over a million employees on their app and they see the real financial benefit that EWA is providing their users, particularly those living paycheck to paycheck.In this podcast you will learn:Why Alex got so excited when he discovered the EWA space.Why he thought the timing was great to start his company in 2019.How their system works for both the employer and employee.The different types of users of Rain.How they know Rain is being beneficial for their users' financial health.How using Rain has changed their users' behavior.The impact that Rain has on employee retention.What they are doing with the large HR software companies.How Rain is engaging with state and federal regulators.What they have on their product roadmap.What it will take to make EWA ubiquitous.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Technology has impacted so many areas of lending but one niche that has remained a manual, human-powered process is middle market lending, where deals are typically $5 million to $100 million. These deals have been consummated on the golf course or at expensive dinners after often months of analysis and negotiation. That is not an efficient way to do business in 2025. Enter Arc.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Don Muir, the CEO and Co-Founder of Arc. Arc is first and foremost a technology company, providing startups and lenders the tools they need to manage their finances. Where Arc shines is in helping companies raise debt capital, they have built one of the most sophisticated systems on the market today to bring borrowers and lenders together to get deals done quickly and easily, even deals in the tens of millions of dollars.In this podcast you will learn:The aha moment that led to the founding of Arc.Why banks are not interested in serving the lower middle market.Why they launched with a direct lending model.How their two-sided debt marketplace works.Details of their commercial banking offering.How they make lenders decisions easier.The range of deal sizes they are doing today.What they offer in their cash management platform.How the SVB collapse has impacted their business.How Arc Intelligence uses AI to helps lenders make decisions more efficiently.Why they have decided to focus exclusively on debt and not do equity.Why demand has been so strong for the last year or more.How Don is thinking about Arc long term.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

If there is one thing that the last decade of fintech innovation has achieved, it is more awareness around consumer credit scores. The majority of the population know their approximate score and even teenagers are talking about it. For better or worse (I think it almost uniformly positive) consumers look at the score as a measure, maybe even the measure, of their financial health.My next guest on the Fintech One on One podcast is Adrian Nazari, the CEO and Founder of Credit Sesame. It is companies like Credit Sesame that have been at the forefront of the increased awareness of credit scores. Now, with a new B2B offering they are poised to reach even more consumers than ever before.In this podcast you will learn:Why he decided to start Credit Sesame.What is still missing to help consumers manage their credit.What Credit Sesame offers for consumers today.The various ways they are using AI at Credit Sesame.Why they are exclusively focused on credit for financial wellness.Why they decided to start a B2B offering.Who they are focused on with this product.How Adrian is managing both a direct to consumer and a B2B offering.Why he thinks the B2B side will be the growth driver moving forward.How they are working with lenders to improve the borrower experience.How they are different to Credit Karma.The state of the US consumer today when it comes to their credit score.His vision for Credit Sesame.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Small business data is very different to consumer data. When a person is born, they don't need to go and open a bank account, obtain a line of credit or apply for some kind of permit. But a business may be three days old and want all those things. This creates a data challenge. This new business has little to no digital footprint and so the available data may be negligible. Which makes it hard and risky for banks and fintechs to work with them. Enter Middesk.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One is Kyle Mack, the CEO and Co-Founder of Middesk. They are focused on business identity data and have spent a great deal of time and effort making it easier for banks and fintech to verify any business, including those that might only be a few days old. How they are able to do that makes for a very interesting discussion.In this podcast you will learn:The idea that led to the founding of Middesk.Why solving for business identity is so difficult.Middesk's three core product offerings.How they moved from fintechs to banks, to the mega-banks.The shockingly low percentage of new business bank accounts that are approved automatically at banks.The details of the report they send to their customers for each business.How they work with the business data they receive from state and local governments.The huge challenges of obtaining and working with this data.How they interact with those companies helping to create new business entities.Why they created their Address Risk Insights Tool and why it is important.How one address in Wyoming has 375,000 businesses "operating" there.How Middesk is working with lenders today.The scale they are at today.Why the incumbents have not created an offering like Middesk.Kyle's vision for the future of Middesk.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

[Editor's note: This is our last podcast of 2024. We are taking two weeks off and will be back on January 9. Happy Holidays everyone!]The 20 million college students in the US today, while a vast market that is somewhat homogenous, has not been a focus for many banks or fintechs. Since the Card Act in 2010, credit card issuers have not been able to set up shop on campus trolling their wares. That has left a wide open market that no company has dominated, at least not yet. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Carlo Kobe, the CEO and Co-Founder of Fizz. Carlo is a Gen-Z founder with a financial app focused squarely on Gen-Z consumers, specifically college students. He maybe the youngest founder I have ever had on the show, but don't let his youth fool you. He is a deep thinker and quick learner and his thoughtful approach to the market has Fizz well positioned for success.In this podcast you will learn:The formative experience as an international student that sparked the idea for Fizz.How prepared college students are for adult financial responsibilities.The attitude of college student towards credit cards.How Carlo describes Fizz today.How they created a debit card that helps build credit.How they are underwriting these college students for their line of credit.How they are able to empower college students to manage money.Where most budgeting tool fall short and how Fizz is different.How they calculate their "Available to Spend" number.Why they decided to build their own tech stack.The two partner banks they are working with today.How they were able to raise $14 million from Kleiner Perkins.How they are marketing to college students.Why they intend to let their customers go after they age out past 25.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When it comes to embedded lending, point of sale is really where the action is at. We have seen the explosion of BNPL volume over the last decade, but not every point-of-sale transaction is suitable for those platforms. Then we have banks, who have missed out on the credit card volume that has been lost to BNPL. Ideally, they would like to embed a lending solution into the point of sale that they control. This is where our guest today comes in.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Yaacov Martin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Jifiti. Based in Israel, but doing business globally, Jifiti works with large banks to customize embedded lending solutions at the point of sale that they can control. How this technology works and what it means for the future of lending is the focus of this conversation.In this podcast you will learn:The roots of Jifiti and how it began in the gifting business.Why IKEA encouraged them to move into lending.What they have created in embedded lending that is unique.How their technology works on the backend.How they work with the credit box of the lender.Why they chose to focus on banks in their go to market strategy.How they work with Citizens Bank as an example.The range of order sizes that they are working with today.What Yaacov has learned from working with large banks.Why the bank-fintech partnership challenges of 2024 hasn't impacted Jifiti.How their recently launched Tap Now Pay Later technology works.The beauty of working with digital wallets today.How they can power an installment loan through a wallet transaction.How they adapted their technology to work in different global markets.The scale that Jifiti is at today.His vision for the future of embedded finance.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

There is a looming retirement crisis in the US and in many other countries for that matter. A large portion of the population has no retirement savings at all and will have to rely primarily on social security for their retirement income, and the future of that program is shaky at best. In fintech, not a lot of attention has been paid to this huge sector of financial services: retirement savings. And yet, there is so much room for digital innovation as much of it is still antiquated and paper-based.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Romi Savova, the CEO and Founder of PensionBee. An established fintech in the UK with a history going back 10 years that included an IPO in 2021, PensionBee is focused on bringing innovation to retirement savings. They have recently launched in the US market.In this podcast you will learn:The frustration that Romi experienced that led to the founding of PensionBee.The average number of times people switch jobs in their lifetime.How PensionBee helps workers simplify their retirement savings.The state of retirement in the UK.The traction that PensionBee has made in the UK.Why they decided to become a public company in 2021.What was behind their decision to expand to the US now.How their partnership with State Street works.Where they are at with their US rollout.The different investment options available for US investors.How many workplace retirement accounts have been abandoned in the US.The difference between the US and UK when it comes to retirement savings.How the PensionBee onboarding process works.How Romi views the future of retirement in the US.Her goals for PensionBee in the US.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Welcome to a new occasional series we are doing on the podcast called Fintech Revealed. This is where we take a deep dive into one specific topic with a couple of industry experts.In our first episode we are focused on one of my favorite topics: cash flow underwriting. I invited two of the leading credit experts, Kevin Moss and Alex Johnson, to provide a well-rounded discussion on this topic highlighting both the benefits and challenges of cash flow underwriting. We covered so much territory in this conversation, so whether you are curious about cash flow underwriting or are a seasoned veteran, I am confident you will learn a great deal.This episode was sponsored by Prism Data, the modern cash flow underwriting solution.In this podcast you will learn:What cash flow underwriting is exactly.Why cash flow underwriting is not captured in the FICO score.How Kevin was using transaction data at Wells Fargo in the early 2000s.What has happened that has accelerated the use of cash flow data in underwriting.Why banks haven't moved more quickly to implement cash flow underwriting.How subprime and prime consumers have been segregated in the current credit system.How cash flow data is different from alternative data.Why cash flow underwriting gets us back to the traditional way we used to be approved for credit.The real mission of cash flow underwriting.How well cash flow data predicts default risk and where it has the most value.What tokenization for connecting bank accounts will look like for borrowers.How streamlining the authorization process will supercharge cash flow underwriting.The types of lenders and products that are using cash flow underwriting today.The most promising use case for cash flow underwriting.How it can help the mortgage lending process.Kevin's view on how cash flow underwriting will replace debt-to-income.Why regulators such as the CFPB like cash flow underwriting so much.How cash flow data creates a lending market with more fairness.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

[Editor's note: This interview was recorded on November 13 and in the fast-moving transition to a new administration, some items discussed here as possible or unlikely have already come to pass.]The new Trump Administration is going to have a dramatic impact on leadership at Federal banking regulators as well as on the new rules impacting fintech. So, I thought it would be useful to bring on an expert to tease out this impact and how fintechs can adapt to the changing of the guard.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Armen Meyer, the Co-Founder of the American Fintech Council, the former head of public policy at LendingClub and a public policy expert. We cover a lot of territory on this show as Armen prognosticates on what the change of administration could mean for fintech.In this podcast you will learn:Armen's history with fintech and forming the American Fintech Council.What changes we are likely to see at the top of the regulatory agencies.Why the Federal Reserve will see a lot of noise under Trump.Why the CFPB will not focus their attention on Section 1033.What might happen with the new BNPL rules.The future of the credit card late fee rules.What might happen with EWA, overdraft rules and regulating big tech.The impact on BaaS bank consent orders.How the state regulators may react to the changes at Federal agencies.How the pendulum swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans impacts banking and fintech.What the end of the Chevron Doctrine might mean for fintech.Whether we will see some kind of new limited fintech or payments charter.Why Armen is optimistic for the new Trump Administration.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The consumer lending space has seen a great deal of innovation in the past decade or more. But the number of completely new lending concepts that cross my desk has reduced to a trickle in the past couple of years. That is why I was excited to see an idea that was completely original and compelling.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, the CEO and Co-Founder of Sorbet. While you could think about Sorbet as an unsecured consumer lender, because that broadly defines them, they have discovered a completely untapped niche: PTO (Paid Time Off). Most employees accrue PTO that has real value and Sorbet has figured out how to tap into that value to create a lending product.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Sorbet.The size of the unused PTO marked in this country.The percentage of employees that accrue PTO.How their PTO advances work.How they integrate with payroll systems.When the issued their first loan.Their unique capabilities to underwrite PTO.What they consider to be their technological moat.What happens if someone uses all their PTO and then leaves their job.The two types of personas that uses Sorbet.The average loan size and the range of interest rates charged.What they have learned in the data so far.How they are going to market.How they are educating the market on the concept.What they learned from the earned wage access space.The three revenue streams they have.Their biggest challenge in growing the business today.How they are funding their loans.The early pivot they made that transformed the company.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When you have been covering fintech as long as I have you get to know others in the space doing similar things. Zack Miller, the founder and managing editor of Tearsheet, was writing about fintech and interviewing people as I was getting serious about fintech lending back in 2012.Since I no longer own a fintech media company, we are no longer competitors so I wanted to get him on the show to talk about Tearsheet. He has done a great job building it up into one of the leading media companies in the industry today.In this podcast you will learn:How Tearsheet went from a passion project to a fintech media business.How they started doing small-scale high-end events.What they found out in their Gen-Z working group.The different components of Tearsheet and how they make money.How they decide what goes into their content.How to build trust with the largest financial institutions.The trends that Zack is looking at most closely.What banks have learned from their fintech partnerships.Why he is still a big fan of blockchain.What the future holds for Tearsheet.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Account payable automation software is one of those areas of fintech that doesn't get as much coverage as it should. Creating an efficient accounts payable system is a pain point for pretty much every company, but particularly for those businesses occupying the middle market. This is the opportunity that our guest today seized upon when starting his company nearly 25 years ago.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Michael Praeger, the CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder of AvidXchange. Mike founded his company all the way back in April 2000 and it is been through several phases in its growth to where it is today. It took them 10 years to get to $10 million in revenue but in the following decade they went from $10 million to $400 million. And then he took the company public. How he was able to do this makes for a really interesting discussion.In this podcast you will learn:The catalyst that led to the founding of AvidXchange in 2000.How they were able to grow over 30% a year for 12 years in a row.What excites Mike is the business today.Why they decided to raise a large amount of money in 2015.How he describes the different components of their business.The huge number of accounting systems they integrate with.Why they focused on the middle market and have not gone after small businesses.The core benefit they are bringing to the table.How Avid Pay Direct is able to enhance a standard ACH payment.Why cross border payments is not a major part of their business.Why middle market companies are not focused on speed of the payment.Examples of how they are using AI in their systems today.How being a public company has changed AvidXchange.Why he decided to start his own podcast and what it is about.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

While there are tens of millions of Americans still struggling with their financial health the reality is that fintech is starting to have a significant impact here. Some companies are reaching scale and are helping those people living paycheck to paycheck save huge amounts of money in aggregate particularly when it comes to punitive bank fees.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Zuben Mathews, the CEO and Co-Founder of Brigit. As a college student, he lived the challenges of not having enough money and was motivated to do something about it. Today, Brigit is helping over one million people become more financially healthy, and in the process saving them over $1 billion in overdraft fees.In this podcast you will learn:The problem Zuben had in college that led to the founding of Brigit.How he got the company off the ground.His thoughts on the impact of overdrafts and NSF fees.What Brigit's app provides and how it helps consumers.Why they decided to make subscriptions their primary revenue stream.The top use cases for their wage advances.How they are measuring their impact on the financial health of their users.The mechanics of how their advances work.The data they look at in their underwriting process.How their users are becoming more educated about financial health.How their credit building system works and why it is different.How they help people earn more income.The astounding amount of revenue they are earning per employee.Why they decided to call the company Brigit.Zuben's vision for Brigit.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Imagine serving unsecured consumer loans to a population that has no credit file and no banking activity whatsoever. This population primarily uses cash and operates outside of the traditional financial system. Is it even possible to serve this population with short-term loans profitably?My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Roberto Salcedo, the CEO and Co-Founder of Baubap. Roberto and his team have done exactly that, building the technology and the underwriting models themselves to serve Mexico with small dollar loans. How he has been to do that makes for a fascinating story.In this podcast you will learn:How he was able to leverage his knowledge as a banker to start Baubap.Why Mexico has lagged the rest of Latin America in adoption of financial services.Why the cash economy in Mexico makes it harder for banks.Baubap's core lending product and how quickly it is delivered.How they created their hypothesis for their unique approach to underwriting.The types of data they feed into their underwriting algorithms.How they started using AI in their initial models.Why they created all the fraud, identity verification and KYC features themselves.How they have been able to improve their approval rates over time.Some of the signals they use to indicate creditworthiness.The typical borrowers they are working with.Their lucrative referral program.How they are finding their borrowers.Their track record of profitability.How they were able to close a $120m debt facility from a US investor.Roberto's expansion plans for Baubap.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Despite all the advances in fintech lending, the way data has been furnished to the credit bureaus has remained largely unchanged for several decades. We still operate on a 30-day payment cycle with no allowance for real time data. Not to mention all the recent credit innovations such as BNPL and short-term cash advances. This is about to change.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Christian Widhalm, the CEO of Bloom Credit. They have created a system that can work with cash flow data, can work with BNPL, can work with real time payment data, all while staying within the legacy confines of the Metro 2 data format of the credit bureaus.In this podcast you will learn:How Christian helped the founder of Bloom Credit get things going.Why Bloom Credit pivoted from B2C to B2B.What convinced him to join as CEO in 2021.The problems with Metro 2, the 26-year-old credit bureau data format.How their solution works as the intermediary between the bureaus and lenders.How Bloom Credit works with real time payment data.Why they store the payment data themselves.The types of FIs using Bloom Credit today.How Bloom Plus works and how it is different from Experian Boost.How Bloom Plus can help people build credit without taking on debt.The key trade lines from a checking account that are reportable to the bureaus.How new immigrants and new adults can enter the credit system.Why this is such a great opportunity for community banks and credit unions.How winning Finovate Best in Show in May has helped Bloom Credit over the last few months.Christian's vision for Bloom Credit.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When you think about it, most, if not all, fintech innovation comes via the analysis and application of data. And financial services is more data-dependent now than at any time in its history. But this creates a challenge for brand new startups. How do you get access to data when all you have is an idea? Enter Fintech Sandbox.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Sarah Biller, the co-founder of Fintech Sandbox. This industry non-profit provides free access to financial services data that can be critical for startups as they develop their initial products. As the need for large datasets accelerates an organization like Fintech Sandbox provides ever more critical for the growth of the startup ecosystem.In this podcast you will learn:The driving force in starting Fintech Sandbox.How they persuaded their first data providers to provide free access to data.Some of the companies providing data for them today.How they go about finding new data sources.What their Data Access Residency program is and who it is for.How the types of companies they see have evolved over the last decade.The impact of AI on the demand for data from their new cohorts.Some of the companies that have been through their program.How open banking is going to impact fintech once the new rules are implemented.What is happening at Boston Fintech Week (Oct 14-18) this year.Why it is important for Fintech Sandbox to be a non-profit.How they are funded.How Sarah is thinking about the next 10 years of Fintech Sandbox.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

"AI is probably the most talked about and least understood topic within financial services today," said John Sun, the CEO and Co-Founder of Spring Labs (previously, I had another co-founder of Spring Labs, Adam Jiwan, on the show back in 2020). The company is at the cutting edge of AI innovation in financial services with several interesting use cases in production today.The Spring Labs team decided that what the industry needed was a new event focused on AI applications beyond just the use of chatbots. So, they created the AI-Native Banking and Fintech Conference, happening in Utah on October 7. Tickets will be available here right up until the show kicks off.In this podcast you will learn:How Spring Labs has evolved since its founding in 2018.Where they are focused today.What Gen AI applications they have in market today.The key markets they are focused on.The first use cases they deployed for their Gen AI product.How they are inserting AI tools into existing workflows.The outputs that come from these tools.Why they decided to start an AI-focused fintech conference.Why they chose Salt Lake City as the location for this first event.Who is attending the event.The AI topics they will be covering.What John is personally looking forward to on the agenda.How people can get tickets to the event.John's vision for Spring Labs.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

There is no faster-moving space in finance right now than the anti-fraud space. With all the advances in Generative AI, the fraudsters are more difficult to catch than ever. But there is one place where fintechs and banks can focus that has real promise: authenticating the mobile phone. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Rodger Desai, the CEO and Founder of Prove. They have developed sophisticated tools to verify identity through a mobile phone that can help banks and fintechs across a variety of touchpoints. We explain why the phone may hold the key (literally) to the future of ID verification and authentication.In this podcast you will learn:What led to the founding of Prove.Why they decided to focus on financial services.The different types of services Prove offers today.ID verification best practices and why you need to add authentication.Rodger's thoughts on the ready availability of PII due to data breaches.What data they are returning back to their clients around authentication.How they work with transactions that happen on a desktop rather than a phone.How we should be thinking about sophisticated fraud rings today.How to combat Gen-AI deep fakes.Why key management is the answer to how you authenticate.The role of visual cues when it comes to verification.What the popular attack vectors are for criminals.Who is winning in the arms race between the criminals and the good guys.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Today's show is our special 500th episode of the Fintech One-on-One podcast. Rather than do a retrospective or a look back at some highlights from the last 11 years of interviews what I decided was to do my regular interview but with a fintech pioneer. I wanted a big name so I was delighted when the CEO and Founder of Cross River Bank, Gilles Gade, decided to join me.I first interviewed Gilles (along with Adam Goller) on the show way back in Episode 32 in March 2015. A lot has changed since then as Cross River Bank has become a market leader in Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and they have expanded way beyond their initial focus on marketplace lending.A lot has happened in the BaaS space over the last year and we discuss this in depth as Gilles shares his thoughts on the past, present and future of bank-fintech partnerships. And much more.Enjoy episode 500!In this podcast you will learn:The origin story of Cross River Bank.How Cross River has been able to stay as a leader in the fintech lending space for over a decade.The staggering numbers of loans that have flowed through Cross River.How they expanded beyond the lending space.How they developed their payments capabilities.Why they moved away from the core providers to develop their own banking core.The points he was making in his recent American Banker op-ed.The lessons learned from the recent challenges in the BaaS space.Gilles' thoughts on the higher bar now required to work with a BaaS bank.What was behind their decision to start an investment bank earlier this year.The scale that Cross River Bank is at today.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

An e-commerce merchant is a unique type of business. They are built on top of a platform like Amazon, eBay or Shopify and as such there is a great deal of empirical data about their business. Which means that there is rich data available for lenders to feed into their underwriting models.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Ricardo Pero, the CEO and Founder of SellersFi. He saw the opportunity for a lender focused on e-commerce when a friend of his with an Amazon store was looking for a reliable source of working capital. He realized that lenders were not serving this market segment well.In this podcast you will learn:How Ricardo got the idea to start SellersFi.Why he started with Amazon and how they have evolved since then.The number of e-commerce platforms they work with today.The suite of working capital solutions they offer.Why they created a digital wallet for multiple currencies.How they gather the data to make an underwriting decision.When they use accounting data.The reasons they decline loan applications.The impact of Amazon closing down its own lending program.The different sizes of merchants that are connecting to their platform.The scale that SellersFi is at today.How demand is trending from e-commerce merchants.Ricardo's vision for SellersFi.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Today, the back office for many lenders and originators is still very manual and human-intensive. We are talking lots of emails, reading contracts and processing Excel files. In some cases these processes have been in place, pretty much unchanged since the 1990s. That is because there has never been a comprehensive solution available to automate the capital markets process for originators and lenders.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Stu Wall, the CEO and Co-Founder of Setpoint. They call themselves "the operating system for capital markets" because their system can replace the manual processes that have been in place with state of the art technology that takes advantage of automation and standardization. While they started in the real estate space they are now making real inroads into other lending verticals.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of SetPoint.The mission and vision of the company.What they mean when they talk about the "operating system for asset-backed lending".How they replace the existing processes based on Excel and email.How SetPoint has earned the trust of the market.Their response to the build-buy-partner conversation.The biggest challenges in capital markets for asset-backed lenders and originators today.Why they started in the real estate space.The different lending verticals where they operate.Some of the originators they are working with today.Why this will likely be a winner take most market.How they were able to get Citi and Wells Fargo to back their company.Their biggest challenge in getting deeper market penetration.Some of the features that are on their product road map.What is involved in onboarding a new lender or originator.Stu's vision for the future of SetPoint and the automation of capital markets.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

People often say that technology in insurance is just five years behind other areas of finance. But the reality is the technology rails that have been built for payments, lending and deposits have taken decades of evolution. Insurance is different. There is no Plaid, Stripe or even ACH for insurance, and so we have a product that still relies on a human for the vast majority of transactions. But that is going to change.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Wayne Slavin, the CEO and Founder of Sure. His company is building the infrastructure needed to bring insurance fully into the digital age where people can buy insurance and make a claim all without needing to speak to a human. Today, their insurance products are being embedded into the offerings of fintech companies but Sure's goals go way beyond embedded insurance. In this podcast you will learn:The interesting a-ha moment that led to the founding of Sure.What was missing in the insurance industry before Sure.Why the digitization of insurance has lagged other areas of finance.How Sure's embedded insurance product works.The really big difference between fintech and insurtech.The different types of insurance products they can offer today.What is involved for a fintech working with Sure to offer insurance.How they work with the insurance carriers.Some of the fintech companies they are working with today.How claims work with Sure.Why it has been important to connect the insurance and payment transaction.Why they launched Anywhere Insurance to speed up new insurance programs.What the future holds for embedded insurance.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The humble credit score has come a long way. Consumers, particularly younger consumers, are more aware of their credit score today than ever before. Historically, banks and credit unions have been the gatekeepers of our financial lives so it makes sense that they would want to provide information and context around credit scores. At the same time drive their customers to relevant products based on this information. Enter SavvyMoney.My guest today on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is JB Orecchia, the CEO and Founder of SavvyMoney. His team has created a sophisticated platform for banks and credit unions to provide credit score information as well as personalized education and product recommendations. So, a bank's customer doesn't have to go to Credit Karma to learn about their credit score, they can do it right within the banking app.In this podcast you will learn:How his background in lending informed the creation of SavvyMoney.Why consumers are more aware of their credit score today.The types of financial institutions that use SavvyMoney.The ROI for the typical bank or credit union.Why this is most powerful as a retention product.The integrations they have with the major digital banking platforms.What is involved for a new financial institution to onboard SavvyMoney.The tiny fraction of consumers who opt out.The primary product categories their FIs are focused on.How banks can compete with fintechs in customer acquisition.Why their Get My Rate product is such a big deal for FIs.How they are thinking about Generative AI for SavvyMoney.JB's vision for the future of SavvyMoney.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The financial system has become so much more complex over the last couple of decades that it is difficult to know what current trends will have staying power. How will the future financial system organize itself and will it look that much different to what we have today? I put these questions to one of the global thought leaders in fintech.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Emmanuel Daniel, the founder of The Asian Banker (now part of TAB Global) and one of the most interesting people in fintech today. He talks about the Great Transition, the title of his recent book, and details what is going to be important for the success of the financial institution of the future.In this podcast you will learn:How starting The Asian Banker launched a global platform.A short history on the rise of fintech in China.Why the Chinese regulators found the rise of fintech so challenging.Why China will struggle to be leaders in the AI revolution.Why Emmanuel decided to write a book on the personalization of finance.What the U.S. needs to do to ensure the dollar remains the reserve currency of the world.What is to become of platforms and the whole of idea of intermediation.Emmanuel's advice to innovators when it comes to regulation.How the next banking crisis will unfold.What could precipitate a change away from the dominance of the large banks.What is needed for the safety and soundness of the financial system of the future.Why the most important thing in the future is to be networked rather than large.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The core of the card payments system as we know it today has been around for many decades. This system has a number of major shortcomings, not least of which is the 45-character limited established by the ISO 8583 standard. That may have been enough characters back in the 1980s but it is severely limiting in today's complex world. But problems like these create opportunities for creative minds.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Oban MacTavish, the CEO and Co-Founder of Spade. They have built a system for real-time intelligence of card merchants which is impressive in and of itself. But what I found most fascinating is they have built one of the richest data sets in country on credit card merchants. With coverage that is second to none.In this podcast you will learn:The realization about archaic card payments that led to the founding of Spade.How the card payments value chain works today.The main thing that really needs to improve with card payments.How Spade is able to add more context to card payments.The disparate data sources they use to feed their system.How they update their merchant data.Who buys their data.The enriched data they send back to their clients.The main use cases for their data.Why they are not working with personal financial management tools.How they are working with Corpay, the corporate payments company.How they can help merchant acquirers.Oban's vision for Spade.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The Generative AI hype is not dying down. But where are the use cases in fintech beyond the basic chatbot? Particularly in fintech lending where AI has been used in underwriting for more than a decade. But not Generative AI. That is why I was very interested to chat with today's guest who has created a patent-pending Gen AI use case.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Ryan Rosset, the Co-CEO and Founder of Credibly. They are a small business lender that has been around since 2010, but today they call themselves a "data science driven lender". We find out what this means and much more in this episode.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Credibly.Why they decided very early on to take on a bank partnership.How they have changed as the industry has evolved over the last 14 years.The suite of financing products they offer today.How much progress has been made when it comes to access to capital for small business.The speed of their underwriting process.What they mean when they say they are a "data science driven lender."How they are using their patent-pending Generative AI system in underwriting.The data they are feeding into this Gen AI-system.Other places where they are looking to leverage Gen AI.Why they decided to launch their own business banking product last year.Ryan's perspective on banking-as-a-service and the current challenges.The scale they are at today.What is next for Credibly.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

It is the big challenge for fintech: making the financial lives better for the those who are underserved. We have come a long way in the past decade but there is still so much more that has to be done. And one of the people who has been at the center of this fintech transformation is Arjuna Costa, Managing Partner at Flourish Ventures.He is someone I have wanted to get on the show for many years, so I am fortunate that the stars aligned and we were able to sit down for the engaging discussion (I had another Flourish partner, Emmalyn Shaw, on the show back in 2019). We cover a lot of territory here, including a topic I have never before covered on the podcast.In this podcast you will learn:The journey Arjuna took from microfinance to venture capital.The early days of the Omidyar Network and how they thought about financial inclusion.How Flourish Ventures grew out of the Omidyar Network.The five principles they believe that underlie a fair financial system.The advantages of having a single funding source.How Flourish measures success.What is different today from investing 10 years ago.The change in the quality of entrepreneurs and business models.How much better financially people are doing today in emerging markets.What else needs to happen to really make a difference.How Flourish is helping to address the challenges of the mental health of fintech founders.The state of fintech venture capital in 2024.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

While BNPL has gathered all the attention these past few years, there is another point-of-sale financing category that has been around for decades: lease-to-own, sometimes called rent-to-own. It has historically been full of unscrupulous actors charging excessive fees and it is not an area that has received much attention from fintech companies.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Neal Desai, the CEO and Founder of Kafene. After a thorough analysis of different opportunities he landed on lease-to-own as an area that could use some fintech innovation. He is doing things very differently to the legacy players in the field and is building a sizable business.In this podcast you will learn:The detailed research that Neal did before founding Kafene.Why he decided to focus on lease-to-own financing as a category.How his time as a trader on Wall Street helps him run Kafene.How the Kafene offering works.The types of companies they partner with.Their average approval amount.How they underwrite these subprime consumers.Their unique approach to helping consumers who are experiencing difficulties.The regulatory structure they use with their lease-to-own agreements.Their approach to adding merchants into their ecosystem.How the rise of BNPL has impacted the growth of Kafene.The breakdown of early buyouts, returns and charge-offs.How Kafene is building trust in a space not known for good actors.How they make money.The big challenges today when it comes to growing their business.The scale they are at today.Neal's vision for the future of Kafene.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The resources that consumer lenders have to work with today are better than ever before. Gone are the days when risk officers could just pull a bureau file and have access to the best data about a potential borrower. The credit infrastructure tools today are more sophisticated and predictive, allowing lenders to serve more borrowers without expanding their credit box.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Misha Esipov, the CEO and Co-Founder of Nova Credit. They are at the forefront of this movement to bring more and better data to lenders and have become one of the leading credit infrastructure companies. I last had Misha on the show back in 2017 when they were just a startup, so a lot has obviously changed since then.In this podcast you will learn:How Misha describes Nova Credit today.Why they decided to move beyond the Credit Passport product.The performance of the Credit Passport borrowers with American Express and others.How the Credit Passport works.The history of Cash Atlas and why they got into cash flow underwriting.The challenges of building a cash flow underwriting engine.What Income Navigator is and how it works.The different types of income they work with.Why they launched the Nova Credit back in March and why it is significant.The types of financial institutions they are focused on today.What is driving the new attention paid to alternative data.What they learned from their State of Alternative Data in Lending 2024 report.Some of the best practices in implementing cash flow underwriting.How lenders are using cash flow underwriting today.Why they decided to create the Cash Flow Underwriting Summit.What is on their roadmap for the next 12-18 months.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes