Payments Innovation: Recent Episodes
Currencycloud
The Payments Innovation Podcast: FinTech | Innovation | eCommerce is dedicated to helping business leaders navigate today’s global digital economy. Whether you’re looking to stay informed on the latest in payments technology, listen to experts on the future of eCommerce or simply learn about cutting edge FinTech companies, this podcast is for you. Each episode features an interview with a globally-minded business and tech expert, discussing topics like: global payments, money transfer services, financial innovation and FinTech, eCommerce, APIs, business transformation and more.
The Korean won has been a restricted currency since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98. Now, though, regulatory changes are putting the won on the verge of internationalization.
In today’s episode, host Anthony Man and J Young Lee, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at SentBe, explore the historical context of this development, when and how it might happen, and why it is getting economists so excited.
Also, find out just what’s driving the explosive rise of Korean cross-border payment Fintechs.
The foreign exchange landscape has changed beyond recognition since Rahim Harji founded FX platform Datasoft Group.
Rahim and host Scott Ernenwein examine how Datasoft has helped traditional brokers evolve to survive - and why crypto and blockchain might just spell the future for cross-border payments.
And finally, with Rahim’s two brothers also running highly successful foreign-exchange companies, find out just what dinnertime is really like for the Harji family!
On today’s show, Scott Ernenwein caught up with Ankur Patel, Founder & Head of Data at Glean AI, the intelligent bill payments solution that gives finance teams visibility and clarity into their vendor spend.
What we talked about:
- Improving customer experience with machine learning and automation
- The importance of capturing burn rate amidst our current economic climate
- How visibility into vendor spend provides transparency for investors
- The future of Fintech and new revenue streams
To ensure you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Vauban are making investing in private markets as easy as ordering a book on Amazon.
On today’s show, Alex Barr caught up with Aric Oslerne, COO of Vauban from Carta,, the investment platform on a mission to democratize private investment, and unlock trillions in capital worldwide.
What we talked about:
- How technology is speeding up the investment process
- The impact of Covid on VC globally
- The best mindset for a successful startup launch
- Vauban’s exciting recent acquisition by US-based Carta
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
For many, investing is seen as the preserve of the wealthy or financially savvy.
Thanks to Mary Agbesanwa, Fintech Growth Lead at Seccl championing the transformative power of technology and how it can be used to democratize investing, more people are accessing the financial markets and making educated, informed investment decisions
In the latest episode of Payments Innovation, we discussed:
- The role of embedded investing in democratizing the investment space
- Millennials and Gen-Zers becoming more engaged in their investing
- How Wealthtech can take steps to open up investment to newcomers
- How Seccl is educating ordinary people to be long term investors
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Investing has always been about the education of the individual instead of the community.
Thanks to Hayden Smith, COO and Co-founder of Pearler, that stigma is changing. Creating a community of confident investors for long-term success through financial education.
Join us as we discuss:
- The evolving world of investing with confident, educated investors
- Millennials and Gen-Zers becoming more engaged in their investing
- The challenges of launching Fintech in foreign countries
- What is the future for Pearler as Fintech continues to expand
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Fintech faces unique challenges as the expansion of real-time digital payments expands into the B2B space.
Varying international regulations in Fintech present a unique challenge to the industry.
Michael Chang, Director of International Payments at EasyPay, a former teacher and now one of the industry’s pioneers in cross-border payment systems, helps businesses expand their cross-border payments and become compliant with each country’s regulation requirements.
Join us as we discuss:
- Cross- border payment solutions
- Challenges expanding Fintech in APAC countries
- B2B payments in North America
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
“The entrepreneurial journey is always filled with detours, mistakes, and regrets.”
It takes hard skin to power through, according to our guest. You need the ability to ideate the solution to a problem and then execute it flawlessly.
Henrik Zillmer is the charismatic Co-Founder and Chairman at AirHelp, a lifelong entrepreneur, and a former First Lieutenant of the Danish Artillery.
He’s also an alumnus of the Y Combinator accelerator and holds a Masters's from the prestigious Copenhagen Business School.
Join us as we discuss:
- The problem-solving mindset every entrepreneur needs
- COVID’s continuing impact on the travel industry
- How his company became stronger, leaner, and more resilient
- Leveraging AirHelp’s global reach to deliver their successful new products
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here — and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Fintech is one of the fastest growing industries on the globe today.
In this episode, we take a look at the projected growth of Fintech through the perspective of crypto to real-time payment systems.
Shamir Karkal, Co-founder and CEO at Sila and Cara Hayward, Director of Strategic Partnerships, North America at Currencycloud, both see the bright future of the Fintech industry as it expands with crypto-currency to real-time payment systems.
Join us as we discuss:
- Biggest trend in Fintech is growth
- Staying power of Fintech
- Global movement to real-time payment systems
- The crypto ecosystem
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here, and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Imagine an agile, accessible super app that combines every financial vertical in one place.
Budgeting, analytics, payments, investing, savings, whatever you want to do with your money, it’s all there at your fingertips. Emma is introducing new realms of opportunity to its rapidly growing user base.
The energetic Co-Founder and CEO, Edoardo Moreni, is one of my favorite former guests, and a visionary entrepreneur with a Masters in computer engineering.
This time around, we discuss:
- Vital lessons for founders
- How concept goes a long way when it comes to getting funding
- Listening to customers and executing the vision of what they want
- The evolving investment opportunities of this uncertain market
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here, and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Behind every digital transaction, there’s a vast infrastructure of APIs and monitoring systems ensuring the security and speed that the public now expects.
In this episode, we take an expert look into these global systems and learn more about the ever-evolving complexities behind them.
Ho Chee Wai, Country Head of Singapore and Vice President of Neobank & Cards Strategy at NIUM, shares his perspective on the rising trend of digital payments and how NIUM had to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic.
Join us as we discuss:
- The new frontier of real-time payments in APAC
- Maximizing the benefits of global partnerships
- Adapting to supply chain issues and inflation
- Building symbiotic relationships between companies
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
The average lifespan of a tech startup is seven years with only 3% of businesses making it past 10 years.
For TransferGo to celebrate a decade in the business, it’s a huge accomplishment and shows their dedication to employees, customers and the overarching business.
Justinas Lasevicius, COO & Co-founder at TransferGo, shares the ingredients to success as well as where remittance is heading.
Join us as we discuss:
- Ther recipes for creating a successful Fintech
- Solving challenges during multiple global crises
- Creating digital inclusion through financial service accessibility
- The future of remittance during a economic slowdown
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
We are thrilled to introduce our newest podcast host, Ned Barker, Remittance Senior Consultant at Currencycloud. Ned has a rich history in the Fintech space specializing in cross-border payments.
Ned’s episodes will include:
- The latest in remittance trends
- New innovations in the embedded finance and Fintech industry
- Transformations in the remittance space
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
There are very few investment apps that were truly created for those that have no experience with money management but want to learn.
All too often the apps say they’re catered to those interested in learning about financial planning, but the price to become part of the investment community is just too high.
So, what does investing with spare change in mind look like? Can it be successful?
To find out, we spoke with Jay Swanston, Chief Platform Officer at Moneybox, an investment app dedicated to teaching people how to manage their money and invest smartly without having to break the bank.
Join us as we discuss:
- Lessons learned from crowdfunding and working with investors to build Moneybox
- How the Fintech app plans to continuously improve its user experience
- The challenges of launching a new product and the future of Wealthtech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
In the B2C space, buy now, pay later companies are one of the trendiest ways to get what you need fast.
For B2B, it’s an upticking trend that Alternative is capitalizing on.
Imagine being able to afford a small business loan that will change the capabilities and profitability of your company. That’s what Alternative is doing with its integrated solution for the changing landscape of interest and approval rates.
Baxter Lanius, CEO and Founder at Alternative, walks us through the company’s goals and niche market.
Join us as we discuss:
- How Attentive is creating a unique buying experience for buy now, pay later
- Macro trends in the debt capital market
- Why embedded finance is the payment of the future
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
In this special two-part episode, we are thrilled to welcome two vibrant young experts from the global payments ecosystem.
Lynda Strutton is the Vice President of Customer Success at Tribe Payments, and Stephane Vandenplas is the Senior Payment Processing Consultant at Currencycloud.
Consumers are more demanding than ever, and merchants have to adapt quickly if they want to survive. How can acquirers and partners make this happen?
Join us as we dive into:
- The unique challenges facing merchants who want to go global
- Helping companies manage the costs of doing business overseas
- How it’s crucial to localize your offerings
- The importance of merchant education
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
The global market is a volatile place influenced by the day-to-day politics of powerhouse countries.
That doesn’t mean that investing needs to be hard whether it’s the first time you’ve set aside assets or you’ve been growing your portfolio for years.
Kane Harrison, Founder & CEO at Wombat, an award-winning investment app, saw the need for an easy way to invest (without the bells and whistles) that was focused on wealth management at every level.
Join us as we discuss:
- Wombat’s launch journey and laser focus on thematics
- The future of investments, from cash to cryptocurrency
- Lessons learned from launching a trading platform
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Raise your hand if, as a small business owner, you’ve put company expenses on your personal credit card?
It happens to many. They put up their own resources, money, and even credit scores for their small businesses. And for good reason: They want to see their businesses thrive and succeed, so they do what they think they have to do.
But what if there were another way?
What if, instead, small business owners weren’t shot down left and right whenever they apply for loans or lines of credit to get their businesses off the ground or keep them running?
Ken So saw a need, so he founded Tilful, a service dedicated to bringing financial inclusion to small businesses and helping them build and gain access to credit.
Join us as we discuss:
- How Tilful aims to go beyond the top 5% of small businesses with great credit and help everybody
- Why you should stop putting up your own assets to keep your small business going
- The challenges facing small businesses when seeking access to meaningful credit
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
As the web evolves, so do the possibilities.
For human communications, for art, and for the basic way we transact business.
In this episode, our special guest is Nikesh Lalchandani, the Head of Policy at Emerging Payments Association Asia, and a best-selling author who’s currently working on his Ph.D. in Finance at Sydney’s prestigious University of Technology.
Join us as we delve into:
- The evolution of the internet and how that shaped the birth of fintech
- Solving customer problems and making things cheaper with technology
- How Web 3.0 is opening up accessibility for the world marketplace
- Working globally to achieve goals together
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Why are more and more Fintech’s turning to crowdfunding in addition to traditional VC investment?
Because being accountable to the people actually using your product incentivizes you to shape it to their needs.
That was a key consideration for today’s guest Edoardo Moreni, CEO at Emma Technologies, when funding th e company's money management platform, which offers a wide range of banking and investment options to its users.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Open Banking has opened doors for wealth management
- Crowdfunding vs. VC investment
- The future of Open Banking, Wealthtech and NeoBrokers
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or he re and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Marketplaces of the past used to work by collecting money from a card, funneling that money into an operational account, and then bank transfer funds out the account.
Which means: A lot of money sits between buyer and seller.
But what happens when the company holding your money suddenly fails?
A question asked by Nick Fulton, Co-Founde r & CEO at trustshare, who join s the show to discuss why a marketplace wants to go transactional, changes in regulation, the loss of revenue due to payments made outside the marketplace, and helping marketplaces grow through excellent customer service.
Join us as we discuss:
- The lightbulb moment that led to the founding of trustshare
- B2B & B2C marketplace growth impact
- Who’s driving the expectations of payments within the marketplace
- How fraud is being mitigated
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or he re and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Millennial and Gen Z Europeans want to invest. But without platforms that feel similar to the experiences they use every day, that adoption will continue to take longer than needed.
And while the challenges to create these platforms may be steep, Andrej Hano, Co-Founder at Birdwingo, is lead ing the charge.
He joins the show to discuss the biggest investing hurdles for young Europeans and how his company is solving the problem.
Join us as we discuss:
Why it’s taken so long for fintech founders to build into the European investment industry
- How Birdwingo is prioritizing customer experience & building brand trust
- Helping new European investors enter the market
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Banking as a Service (BaaS) is too often seen as a threat by traditional banking institutions.
In reality, it’s an opportunity — it’s a new channel for banks to deliver more services and better customer experience.
And the banks who realize this stand to win big.
So says Ron Shevlin, Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors, who joins the show today to discuss the many opportunities BaaS offers brands and banks alike.
Join us as we discuss:
- What’s behind the meteoric rise of BaaS
- The opportunities BaaS provides
- The intersection of BaaS and embedded finance
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
With 25% of ecommerce that's made of B2B marketplaces, a differentiated B2B purchasing experience is convenient and efficient. Today’s guest has the agenda to create the best payment methods for B2B trade.
Hear our conversation with Louis Carbonnier, Co-Founder at Hokodo:
- What it means that B2B sales are migrating online
- How convenience, choice, and trust are payments differentiators
- The growing trend of embedded finance services
More information about Louis and today’s topics:
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiscarbonnier/
- Company Website: https://www.hokodo.co/
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Regulation tech has grown up alongside the boom in Fintech. But where’s it headed in the near term future?
Hear our conversation with Ben Parker, Director and Founder at eflow Global:
- Regulation changes and potential financial crime
- The boom in Fintech and growth of regulation tech
- How the explosion in wealth tech will affect regulation
More information about Ben and today’s topics:
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-parker-1a72069/
- Company Website: https://eflowglobal.com/
- Reuters did a report last year
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
In Fintech, it takes a village…
If you want to change the world of finance, you need to find the right partners and get a community behind you.
And open-source Fintech can help you to do both.
In this episode, Jared Jones, Ecosystem at Moov Financial, explains how MOOV has built a thriving community by galvanizing the Fintech industry around their open-source releases.
Join us as we discuss:
- The value of open-source Fintech
- How to maintain the human connection in technology partnerships
- Why everyone in the community should get excited for Fintech DEVCON
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
With Fintech, the opportunities are endless. There are so many underserved groups clamoring for financial products that will finally address their needs.
And if you can provide, it will pay off.
That’s why today’s guest, Priyank Singh, Cofounder of Stilt Inc., started a company based on serving the underserved — and why Stilt is helping other Fintechs follow suit.
Join us as we discuss:
- The challenges immigrants face when seeking credit
- How Stilt helps them overcome those challenges
- Why and How Stilt is helping other Fintechs find their footing
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
The pandemic may have accelerated it, but the remote revolution is upon us.
It’s unlikely that work will ever be the same again.
But if remote work is here to stay, we need the financial tools to fuel it.
In today’s episode, I speak with Sahin Boydas, Head of RemoteTeam at Gusto formerly of RemoteTeam.com, about the pros and cons of remote work and the role of fintech in the new world of work.
What we talked about:
- The advantages of working from home
- What to watch out for in remote work
- Why fintech is essential for a distributed workforce
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
The financial problems of immigrants living abroad, but still needing to interact with their country of origin, were not being solved despite the huge influx of new banks all over Africa.
Recognizing this area of concern, Rian Cochran, Co-Founder at Lemonade Finance, jumped on the opportunity to provide a solution for in-need immigrants — stemming from issues faced as an immigrant himself.
Join us as we discuss:
An introduction to Lemonade Finance & what led to its founding
Going deeper & attacking regulation
What differentiates Lemonade Finance
What to expect in 2022
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Gender bias is not new. It’s prevalent in every industry, including Fintech. Women grow up expecting unequal retreatment in the workplace.
That’s changing, now more than ever.
In today’s episode, Faye McDonough, Portfolio & Business Operations Director at Growth Lending, and Lindsay Davis, Head of Markets at Atomic, visit the show to share their experiences as women in Fintech, how they’ve navigated their careers, and how they see the dynamic shifting in the near future.
Join us as we discuss:
Bias & gender balances in the workplace
What women bring to the team
Establishing your values & never compromising
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Whether it’s buying or selling, what’s the most important currency in any B2B marketplace?
Trust.
And any B2B payments solution is incomplete without it.
In today’s episode, Rahul Shinghal, Co-founder and CEO of Tazapay, visits the show to explain how Tazapay is using payments to put the trust back into B2B transactions.
Join us as we discuss:
- Why trust has been neglected in B2B
- The value of partnerships in the payments space
- Why payments is really a compliance industry
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Since the pandemic began, retail investing has exploded in popularity.
Technology has made it easier than ever to get involved, while the bullish markets make it particularly enticing.
But is this trend a fad or the new normal?
To help answer that, we sit down with Dan Raju, Co-Founder and CEO of Tradier, who is confident that 2022 will be the year of retail investing.
Join us as we discuss:
- Why the retail investing space is booming after the pandemic
- The Graduation Effect and why it’s easier than ever to get involved in advanced trading
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
It’s been a wild couple of years for the international fintech industry.
Everything has gone digital, opening up vast new opportunities for consumers — as well as triggering an avalanche of fraud.
In this episode, we welcome Don Ginsel, CEO and Board Member at Holland Fintech, an association that connects people and organisations in the financial value chain, enabling consumers and businesses to profit from innovation and development.
He offers a feast of insights into how change brings challenges as well as opportunities.
Join us as we discuss:
- The constantly evolving worldwide ecosystem of digital finance
- Can regulators keep up with the pace of fintech innovation?
- Fintech’s role in fighting cybercrime and keeping customers safe
- The importance of financial education and inclusivity
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Retail investing has been on the rise in the wake of the pandemic, but that rise has gone smoother in some markets than others.
The European market, in particular, poses many challenges for retail investors — and even more for the Fintechs looking to break into the market.
In this episode, Martin Sokk, Co-Founder and CEO at Lightyear, explains how Lightyear is overcoming European retail investing challenges to offer a simpler path for everyday people to grow their wealth.
Join us as we discuss:
- What needs to be fixed in the European retail investing sphere
- The importance of a simple solution to operate across Europe’s many currencies
- Why Fintech’s will eventually stop being seen as challengers and integrate into the existing financial landscape
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Banking as a service has been a hot topic for a while; but just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s the right path for everyone.
A brand needs to consider its DNA and where it can bring the most value to the customer.
Just ask Yuval Brisker, Co-Founder, CEO & President at Alviere, who explains how they’ve differentiated themselves by being hyper selective of their customers.
Join us as we discuss:
- Yuval’s background and what Alviere does
- Shying away from the hot topic of banking as a service
- Targeting particular customers to differentiate from other platforms
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Private jets may conjure up images of rockstars and real-life monopoly men, but the truth is, private aviation is a key component to modern international business.
And companies offering jet services know that the only way to provide unparalleled customer experience is by having a robust, cross-border payments capability.
Just ask Nick Davis, Founder at InstaJet, a company offering an easy-to-use and environmentally-friendly option for those looking to skip the airport lines and travel in style.
Join us as we discuss:
- How payments are fueling the on-demand private aviation industry
- Why more people than ever are opting for private aviation
- How InstaJet is staying green
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Let’s not sugarcoat it: When you’re breaking into a new market, there are some serious hurdles.
Whether it’s navigating labyrinthine regulations or just getting the lay of the land — breaking into a new market is easier with partners.
Just ask Marcus Shin, Managing Director at Wirebarley, where he and the team have broken into several new markets in the past few years — all with the help of partners.
Join us as we discuss:
- The regulatory challenges in the US and abroad
- Tangible examples of how partnerships help you succeed
- Why startups depend on speed — and how partners help you attain it
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
We live in a world of instant gratification — and consumers want everything to work in real-time.
Yet until recently, real-time payments were anything but…
Now the real-time revolution in payments is finally here — and you need to know how to reap the rewards.
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Matt Wilcox, President, Digital Payments and Data Aggregation at Fiserv, who can answer all your burning questions about the real-time payments revolution.
Join us as we discuss:
- Shifting consumer expectations around real-time payments
- The education component necessary for real-time
- The future of real-time payments
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
The Amazons of the world have democratized access to revenue for sellers worldwide.
Still, with funds taking weeks to clear, e-commerce sellers still face enormous obstacles when it comes to scaling.
How do we democratize that fundamental part of every business?
Today’s guest, Anas Sohail, Head of Sales at Payability, has the answer. He and the team at Payability are removing the friction for sellers and democratizing access to the funding every business needs to scale.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The difficulties faced by e-commerce sellers when scaling
- The crucial difference between lending and funding
- How Payability integrates into existing e-commerce platforms
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
When Facebook went down recently, many creators lost their ability to monetize their content — their livelihood — because of the outage.
Could blockchain technology give creators an avenue to break the shackles of traditional social media?
Today’s guest, Solo Ceesay, is banking on it. As COO and Co-Founder at Calaxy, Solo and his team are empowering creators with a crypto-fueled content platform that is revolutionizing how creators can capitalize on their creativity — from where they congregate to how they get paid.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The previously untapped utility blockchain can provide creators
- Why user experience lags far behind the technology when it comes to blockchain — and how Calaxy hope to change that
- The value NFTs can offer creators
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player
International transactions have continued to be a challenge. But Incard is looking to change that, offering 100% tailor-made solutions for online entrepreneurs in the French and UK markets.
Today’s guest, Théo Cesarini, Co-Founder and CEO at Incard, discusses the Incard brand and how the French landscape will evolve over the next couple of years.
In this episode, we discuss:
Problems faced by Incard customers and fintech in general
What makes Incard unique
How the French fintech landscape is evolving
Choosing France & the UK to launch Incard
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
When you think of European finance, the UK may be the dominant market you think of first…
A close second? France.
And if you want to be at the cutting edge of Fintech, you need to understand the French market.
That’s why we’re so excited to welcome a new host to our podcast team — Mohan Madouri, who, as Directeur Commercial of France here at Currencycloud, has the inside scoop on the exciting innovations coming out of this important region.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Mohan’s career path
- Why the French fintech market is so exciting
- What to expect in upcoming episodes
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
If you are going to build your business on top of a BaaS platform, it better be sturdy.
And that means finding a partner bank and BaaS who understands your goals and needs.
Today’s guest, Trent Sorbe, is Founder & President of Central Payments, where he’s helping build the sturdy platform businesses need to feel confident in their Fintech business.
In this episode, we discuss:
How Central Payments are laying the foundation for Fintech and embedded finance success
The importance of a reliable banking partner for Fintechs and brands in the BaaS space
Why you should never lose sight of the product component
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
If you ask your friends who own stocks in Amazon or Apple, odds are they’ve never voted on a shareholder proposal. But when the definition of a shareholder means to have a say in the way a business is run, it’s time to recognize the disconnect between stockholder and company.
We speak with Antoine Argouges, Founder at Tulipshare, about shareholder activism, choosing campaigns, and future plans for his company.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Becoming a shareholder activist
- How Tulipshare chose their campaigns
- The community response to Tulipshare’s activism
- What 2022 holds for Tulipshare
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
It’s getting tougher for traditional banks to compete with the emerging neo-banks. While many are taking the steps to keep up, these banks must look into replacing legacy infrastructure if they want to stay relevant in the long term.
Today’s guests, Dieter Halfar, Partner at Elixirr, and David Reiss, Programme Director, Strategic Partnerships at Currencycloud, talk about what financial services should be focusing on and what’s next for the space.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Discussing key considerations for a finance company
- Thinking carefully about the product features that you launch
- Core differences between an off-the-shelf banking as a service provider and the orchestration layer
- The importance of customer acquisition and retention for new banking brands
- How to stay relevant as a traditional bank
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
These days, 50% of investors under 30, a demographic that essentially grew up on social media.
While many trading platforms are incorporating aspects of social media, none has truly integrated social and trading from the ground up.
Benjamin Chemla, CEO and Co-Founder of Shares, is planning to change that by offering the first true social trading platform.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What social trading is and how it adds to the Wealthtech market
- Why the GameStop controversy and purpose-driven investing bodes well for social trading
- Why Benjamin is confident Shares can avoid the fake news trap
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Who hasn’t received an email from their bank for an account that’s completely irrelevant?
It makes you feel like your bank doesn’t care about you one bit, right?
Banks have all the data they could ask for to understand their customers, but, clearly, most of them don’t know how to use it.
But customer data platforms are changing that.
Today’s guest, Izabella Gabowicz, COO at Sensibill, is someone helping lead the CDP revolution. She joins the show to share why CDPs are such an exciting tool for leveraging data to deliver better customer experiences.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How CDPs make banking more human
- How to Use a CDP to marketing noise into highly targeted marketing
- How CDPs foster empathy
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
One of the greatest silver linings to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the obliteration of the requirement of physical proximity to the office.
Where you once had to target your hiring practices and campaigns to a specific area, now a lot of companies have dropped their geographical requirements all together, allowing you to work from anywhere.
And while that’s good news for the employee, it presents some unique challenges for the employer, specifically if they’re hiring international employees in locations where they don’t have an entity. On this episode of Payments Innovation, we talk with Aurel Albrecht, Founder at Lano, about:
- How Lano can help you break down those geographic walls when it comes to hiring
- Why the remote work trend is so good for businesses
- The key challenges that companies should be thinking about when hiring remotely
- The opportunities Lano and their clients are seeing from a multi-currency perspective
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
If you look at the best software out there in any category, you find an interesting trend:
Most of it was designed to solve a problem its creators faced.
Whether it’s Slack or MongoDB, these products weren’t solutions in search of a problem to solve.
They’d already solved one.
The same is true for today’s guest, Rhett Roberts, Co-Founder & CEO, Product Officer at LoanPro, a company offering simplified solutions for loan servicing built when Rhett needed to find a way to solve issues faced in his auto lending business.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why solving first makes for successful companies
- How LoanPro is simplifying loan servicing
- The value and flexibility of a cloud-first API solution
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
You get a text message letting you know a bill is due. You then open your payment app, scroll through, and pay the bill. If you have any problems, you’ll need to dial and call customer support. Now what if all those steps could’ve been handled through the initial text message?
Today’s guest is helping make that connectivity a reality: Will Graylin, CEO at OV Loop, discus ses his history in the payment industry and what’s driving his enthusiasm to take messaging connectivity to the next level in the U.S.
In this episode, we discuss:
Diving into the payment industry
Understanding the connectivity ecosystem
Discussing the super wallet
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
For those old enough to remember a time before, Fintech can seem like a dream come true — it allows us to bank, sell, invest and even gamble whenever and wherever we want.
But these same tools can become a nightmare for those without the financial education to wield them responsibly.
That’s why today’s guest, Vivi Friedgut , CEO/Founder at Blackbullion , is on a mission to educate young people so that they can make better financial decisions — and she’s using technology to enable the solution.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
Why schools are poorly-equipped to educate on finance
-
The positives and negatives of the Fintech landscape
-
What it will take to solve the financial education problem
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube !
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Why are more and more Fintech’s turning to crowdfunding in addition to traditional VC investment?
Because being accountable to the people actually using your product incentivizes you to shape it to their needs.
That was a key consideration for today’s guest Edoardo Moreni, CEO at Emma Technologies, when funding the company's money management platform, which offers a wide range of banking and investment options to its users.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Open Banking has opened doors for wealth management
- Crowdfunding vs. VC investment
- The future of Open Banking, Wealthtech and NeoBrokers
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Companies looking to build banking within their model have had to face 3 big challenges over the past decade: managing bank relationships, keeping up with compliance, and building technology to take their banking to market.
Today’s guest is helping Fintech solve these problems: Itai Damti, CEO at Unit. He joins the show to explain banking as a service and how Unit is helping companies with their banking integrations.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
Banking as a service
-
How Unit stands out, its vision, and its customers
-
Areas for improvement in banking in the future
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Sometimes, you can get lucky with a few bets on the stock market but, usually, you need some advice if you really want to succeed with your investments.
Yet, most advisors fail to deliver real value — so where do you turn?
Fintech, of course...
Like the revolutionary investing technology today’s guests, Chuk Orakwue, Managing Partner, and Louis Ortiz, Head of Growth, are delivering at Xantos Labs.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why average people struggle to maintain a thriving portfolio
- Why you need to do better than average with your investments (and how you can)
- How Xantos Labs is differentiating itself from existing investment technology like Robin Hood
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Paytech is one of the most important emerging sectors in Fintech, yet for many, it’s a mystery.
Not so for James Teodorini, Senior Paytech Consultant at Currencycloud, today’s guest and our newest host on payments innovation. He joins the show to demystify Paytech.
In this episode, we discuss:
- James’ background
- The definition of Paytech
- The guests James will feature in upcoming episodes
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player
In recent years, Fintech has helped fuel Africa’s economic success.
Now, some Fintechs on the continent are ready to expand their operations internationally.
And that’s not just good news for Africa — it’s good news for everyone.
Today’s guest, Omosalewa Adeyemi, Head of Global Partnerships and Expansion Team at Flutterwave, is leading the charge for one such Fintech. She joins the show to share why Flutterwave is a perfect fit for North American markets.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Flutterwave’s unique value proposition
- The effect of COVID on merchants and international payments
- What Flutterwave looks for when partnering internationally
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
If you are dealing with hundreds — if not thousands — of payments a day, you could hire a 30-person finance team, read 600 pages on ACH, and another 300 on the wire system.
Or you could save yourself some time and money by listening to today’s guest.
That’s because Sam Aarons, as Co-Fo under & CTO at Modern Treasury , has helped build a way for you to automate these payments, no matter where you bank, without the hassle you’d face building that capability in-house.
In this episode, we discuss:
The 3 pillars of Modern Treasury
The importance of meeting your customers where they’re at
Their new double-entry accounting product, Ledger, which can save you even more time and money
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or here and don ’t forget to check out our YouTube !
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Remember when there’d be a pitch for startup capital, with a straightforward yes or no in response? Well, things are a little different now, and we have people like Prashant Fuloria, Fundbox CEO, to thank for that.
What we talked about:
-
The working capital marketplace
-
Banks vs Fundbox: the cost of managing unpaid receivables
-
The Fundbox customer experience
-
Small business COVID-19 economic recovery
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
Prashant’s LinkedIn profile
-
Fundbox’s website
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Cross-border remittances used to be slow and the fees could end up being upwards of 10%, but thanks to innovations like blockchain and better banking partnerships, that’s all changing.
Today’s guest is someone helping to lead that change: Manos Yoganathan, Vice President at Remitbee. He joins the show to explain how.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
The remittance revolution
-
How blockchain technology is improving the remittance space
-
The challenge of partnering with banks in Canada
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Cashless participation is the catalyst in the mission to drive equitable stock ownership through ESPPs (Employee Stock Purchasing Plans). Aaron Shapiro, CEO & Founder of Carver Edison, is here to tell us all about it in the latest episode of Payments Innovation.
What we talked about:
-
Aaron’s journey into the corporate equity niche
-
Carver Edison’s place on the ESPP spectrum
-
Do ESPPs offer diversification opportunities?
-
The win-win-win situation created by cashless participation.
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
Aaron’s LinkedIn profile
-
Carver Edison’s website
-
Carbon, Carver Edison’s equity education platform
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
In finance, partnerships can often be hard to pin down, but understanding the ins-and-outs of partnerships can mean a world of difference for Fintechs everywhere.
Which is why this episode, as part of our Fintech Karaoke series, Cara Hayward interviews Kara Parkey, Director of Business Development at MX, to learn the secrets to successful partnerships.
They discuss:
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What defines a partner and the best way to choose them
-
How to get buy-in and sales alignment
-
The future of partnerships
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
The rich stay rich, and get richer, not by increasing their income, but by controlling their expenses. Spend management might not be an obvious option but it’s always worthwhile.
Thejo Kote calls it like it is: companies have a problem managing their spend. Fortunately for us, his firsthand experience inspired him to found Airbase.
What we talked about:
-
Spend management deserves your focus
-
How and why Airbase gives you spend management superpowers
-
The current and future state of the spend management marketplace
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
Thejo’s LinkedIn profile
-
Airbase’s website
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Currencycloud’s Payments Innovation podcast is about 3 years old, and we couldn’t be prouder of all the conversations we’ve had about new business perspectives on the global digital economy.
Today, we’re introducing a new podcast host who will pioneer a Payments Innovation series focused on our current clients and how they’re scaling.
We’re excited to highlight our newest podcast host Scott Ernenwein, North America Account Manager: Fintech and Banking at Currencycloud.
In this introductory episode, you’ll hear about:
-
Scott’s background in banking
-
His insights into current customer transformations
-
Challenges facing customers at scale
-
His vision for the client episodes
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
The pandemic may be in its final stretch, but it’s changed the world forever — especially how we work.
Now, an internationally distributed workforce has become more attractive.
But that can be a major challenge without the right tools.
Our latest guest, Matt Drozdzynski, CEO and Founder of Pilot, is one of the people helping to provide those tools, offering businesses ways to deal with everything from payroll to compliance across borders.
He joins the show to discuss:
-
How COVID transformed how we work
-
How Pilot is helping to power the shift in international work
-
The future of distributed work
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Not every business tanked during the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t experience challenges.
Shaun Puckrin, Chief Product Innovation Officer at Global Processing Services, shares details of the journey from the growth side of the pandemic, in the latest episode of Payments Innovation.
What we talked about:
-
Not all companies fell off the face of a cliff when COVID-19 became a pandemic, but why? Surely there were other challenges for them during this time?
-
The value of international payments and what’s next for the cross-border ecosystem.
-
The challenger-bank-in-a-box solution.
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
Shaun’s LinkedIn profile
-
GPS’s website
-
Shaun’s Twitter profile
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Compliance often used to be seen as something you reluctantly dedicated resources to in order to please the lawyers. But that’s changing… Because behind every great Fintech is the ability to manage risk.
Who said compliance can’t be sexy?
Certainly not today’s guest, Charlie Delingpole, Founder and CEO at ComplyAdvantage, where his work helping companies leverage compliance as a strategic business asset is finally making compliance sexy.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
The kinds of risks compliance addresses
-
Why compliance is a competitive advantage for Fintech
-
How ComplyAdvantage is making compliance intelligent
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Embedded finance is the game changer we never knew we needed.
Robert Cortright, Founder & CEO at DriveWealth, walks us through the what, how, and why on the latest episode of Payments Innovation.
What we talked about:
-
Fractional trading, financial literacy & AI
-
Brokerage vs. embedded finance
-
What to expect from the digital financial ecosystem in the next year or so
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
DriveWealth’s website
-
Greenlight financial literacy initiative
-
Bob’s LinkedIn profile
To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Payments Innovation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Bringing on new full-time employees from different countries comes with its share of complications. From resolving legal grey areas to providing a first-class experience for the employee, Panther aims to solve these issues.
Matt Redler, Founder and CEO of Panther, joins us to discuss how the company is changing the way remote work operates with employees in multiple countries.
We talked about:
-
How Panther got started
-
The issues with hiring employees globally
-
What sets Panther apart from similar companies
To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Payments Innovation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
Matt can be reached at the following:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattredler/
Matt@withpanther.com
These days, banks are finally realizing what almost every other industry has already caught on to:
If you want to succeed, you need to build around customer experiences.
Just ask Alex Wheldon, Co-Founder, President and Chief Product Officer at Rho Business Bank, where he’s helping to usher in the new, customer-focused, paradigm for modern banking.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
Why customer-focus is the new zeitgeist for modern banking
-
How Rho approaches partnerships
-
The example Rho is setting for other financial institutions
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Open banking is a hot topic these days, but depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on, there are some large differences in the ways these markets are handling this innovative sector.
As Head of International at Plaid, Keith Grose understands the differences between these markets better than most. He joined us on the show today to help untangle open banking.
What we talked about:
-
The transatlantic differences in open banking
-
The difference between open banking and open finance
-
The COVID-19 effect on open banking
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
When it comes to Fintechs and modernizing finance, it’s all about improving user experiences.
And few banking products need it more than the traditional bank wire.
In this episode, Chris speaks with Marwan Forzley, CEO at Veem, about how his company is fixing the user experience issues with wiring money.
They discuss:
-
Why partners are essential to modern finance
-
The effects of COVID on Veem’s business demand
-
The problems with traditional bank wires (and how they can be fixed)
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
There are many ways you can expand your organization’s reach. But when you want to expand your international presence, sometimes the best method is through partnerships.
That’s one way Lucian Lauerman, Head of Solutions for Business at OANDA, is approaching their expanding reach as the company launches its new FX platform.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
The history of OANDA
-
OANDA’s influence in the FX space
-
Why partnerships are the way forward for the company
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Buy now, pay later.
It’s a useful way to manage transactional visibility, and I got to speak about it with David True, Founder and Partner at Paygility Advisors.
What we talked about:
-
Common gaps in knowledge for non-US companies entering the US market
-
Sponsor bank positioning
-
The ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ movement
-
Interchange rates and subscription revenue
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
David’s LinkedIn Profile
-
Paygility’s website
-
NYPAY’s website
-
NYPAY’s conversation about ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
We’ve all heard it, but the past year has proven it — we are finding new ways to work, to socialize, to educate, to shop and to pay.
And when it comes to Fintech, crisis is the mother of innovation.
In this episode, Cara speaks with Brady Harris, CEO, and Adam Steenhard, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy, at Dwolla, about how they are helping to revolutionize the payments space and why the pandemic is a boon for Fintech more broadly.
They discuss:
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Why payments has grown since the advent of COVID
-
The importance of simple integration in Fintech
-
Why partners are more valuable now than ever before
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Buy now, pay later, a concept introduced in the ’90s, has since undergone a
digital transformation for consumers across the globe.
Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm are the few of many that offer consumers a buy now, pay later option for everyday purchases online.
But what about brick-and-mortar purchases?
This is where Arad Levertov, CEO and co-founder of Sunbit, saw an opportunity to disrupt the buy now, pay later space, and did so in a way that encouraged strong relationships with consumers.
In this episode, we discuss how Sunbit addresses:
-
The need for brick-and-mortar buy now, pay later options
-
Very competitive APR rates and payment plans
-
How Sunbit has built a loyal consumer base
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Many payment solutions sit atop legacy infrastructures that don’t allow for much flexibility.
New economy companies and FinTechs are looking for more.
In this episode, we chat with Patricia Montesi, Co-founder and CEO of Qolo, about how she designed a next-gen payment solution that embraces modern banking capabilities.
What we talked about:
-
The gap in the marketplace that led to the founding of Qolo
-
How FinTechs are forcing banks in the US to become more progressive
-
The value that expertise brings
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Financial literacy is a hotly debated topic.
How do you educate consumers to make smarter investment decisions?
Sometimes, the best approach is to learn by doing.
That’s why Phillip Barrar, CEO of Moka, is fostering financial literacy not through courses, but through action and participation. He joined the show to discuss how Moka’s products promote financial inclusion in a simple and intuitive way.
He discusses:
-
Moka’s products and how they work
-
Why the rise of Fintech is good for the consumer
-
Why financial literacy comes from action and participation
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Recently, the nation became enthralled with an underdog story of ordinary people pushing Gamestop’s stock way past its value to stick it to greedy traders only to be stopped by the power of Wall Street…
Only that wasn’t the whole story.
To learn what really happened, we turned to Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-founder & CEO at Alpaca, in our latest episode for some much needed context on the controversy.
Yoshi explains:
-
What really happened with Gamestop
-
Why Robinhood had to stop allowing Gamestop purchases
-
How the payment order system works
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
US regulations mean we don’t see nearly as many startup banks as Europe.
So, if one manages to get past the regulatory hurdles, what do they prioritize?
For Rodrigo Suarez, Head of Innovation at Piermont Bank, a startup bank serving SMBs, speed and culture are the secret to success.
In this episode, we discuss:
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The challenges a startup bank faces
-
Why the SMB space is ripe for innovation
-
Why speed and culture matter
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
In retail, digital transformation is everywhere and obvious. You buy a product online, it gets delivered to your home. No more browsing aisles or waiting in checkout lines.
But B2B lags behind — especially when it comes to subscriptions. Why is that?
Today’s guest, Daniel Saks, President & Co-CEO at AppDirect, says it’s all to do with the demands of the digital supply chain.
And at AppDirect, he’s helping companies meet those demands.
What we talked about:
-
AppDirect’s place in the digital supply chain
-
Why recurring digital goods are so different from one-time physical goods
-
How embedded finance is impacting digital supply chains
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
Remote work leveled the playing field for working moms.
The dogs, babies, and kids showing up in Zoom chats have revealed the human side of our colleagues.
Shouldn’t we be thinking about creating a more flexible, sustainable, and human work environment for everyone?
After all, every one of us can do something to challenge the norm.
This International Women's Day, women in technology have the opportunity to lead the challenge by being visible and vulnerable according to Neve Taylor, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Leader & Chief Storyteller at Together Equal, and Chiedza Muguti, Head of Product at Penta, a digital business bank platform. In part two, we talk with Annika Allen of global diversity and inclusion at Barclays.
What we talked about:
-The specific skills women bring to FinTech
-What's most rewarding about flexibility and remote work
-What women can choose to challenge this year
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
These days, everything we could ever need is a click away.
From groceries to furniture, every purchase is on-demand…
Shouldn’t our paychecks be, too?
After all, your money is yours when you’ve earned it — not when your employer pays it.
That’s what motivates Matt Kopko in his role as Vice President of Public Policy at DailyPay, a fintech company making the monthly obsolete by giving employees access to wages they’ve already earned whenever they need them.
What we talked about:
- Why the monthly paycheck is antiquated
- Why no one should have to take out payday loans
- How DailyPay enables on-demand payments
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
SMEs face a unique set of challenges and risks that traditional banks have historically been weary to take on.
But thanks to fintech, SMEs have never been better served.
Sometimes, disruption is the only way to achieve financial inclusion.
In our latest episode, we speak with Pedro Pinto, Head of Growth at Neat, one of the fintechs spurring on the financial inclusion revolution and helping SMEs increase their chances of success.
We discuss:
- Why SMEs have been traditionally seen as risky
- How fintech has fueled financial inclusion
- The long-term ramifications of COVID-19 for SMEs
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Payments Innovation in your favorite podcast player.
GPI stands for global payments initiative. Think: the Amazon parcel tracking equivalent in the international payments space.
Is SWIFT gpi about to go the way of the dinosaur? That’s what we’re here today to debate.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, host Richard Arundel, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist at Currencycloud catches up with David Birch, author and FinTech thought leader, and Piers Marais, Product Director at Currencycloud.
Richard, Dave, and Piers discuss...
- The 4 benefits SWIFT gpi affords to end users
- Why SWIFT gpi might actually be the Cutty Sark
- How FinTech will look in the near future
Check out these resources we mentioned in the show:
- White paper referenced at [2:44]
- Dave’s book is The Currency Cold War
Subscribe to FinTech Today here, and find Dave at www.chyp.com and Piers at www.currencycloud.com.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
It’s a global phenomenon: People are being more cautious with their finances.
Last year brought home the importance of saving, investing, and getting out of debt. Everyone deserves access to tools to help them achieve financial wellness.
(Good news — there’s Plum.)
In this episode of Payments Innovation, host Lauren Passey chats with Thanos Bismpigiannis, Head of Product at Plum Fintech, about financial wellness and resiliency. The two discuss…
- Why financial wellness is what customers need most
- The process for building financial resilience
- Automation in wealth-tech
Connect with Thanos on LinkedIn or Twitter, but first download Plum.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Is the rise of neobanks another case of out with the old, in with the new? Not necessarily.
Traditional community banks have the opportunity to leverage their funds and connections in the new world of Banking as a Service (BaaS). Not to mention, there’s still plenty of space for fintechs to partner up with established players and go to market.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, host Chris D’Antuono catches up with Founder & CEO of the only BaaS consultancy in the U.S., Cokie Hasiotis. The two discuss…
- 3 key insights for fintechs in Banking as a Service
- Why American BaaS providers should go more niche
- The future of customized banking
Subscribe to FinTech Today here and follow Cokie on Twitter @cokiehasiotis.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
These days, we are one click on a smartphone away from buying anything we need.
Everything is immediate. Well, except for the money we’ve earned.
But thanks to innovations like Earnings On Demand, that’s changing.
In this episode, I sit down with James Herbert, Founder & CEO at Hastee, to find out how his company is helping people unlock the money they’ve earned when they need it.
What we talked about:
- The outdated way we are paid
- Why the link between effort and reward needs to be more obvious
- How Earnings On Demand helps workers and companies alike
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
The pandemic may have accelerated it, but the remote revolution is upon us.
It’s unlikely that work will ever be the same again.
But if remote work is here to stay, we need the financial tools to fuel it.
In today’s episode, I speak with Sahin Boydas, CEO & Founder at RemoteTeam.com, about the pros and cons of remote work and the role of fintech in the new world of work.
What we talked about:
- The advantages of working from home
- What to watch out for in remote work
- Why fintech is essential for a distributed workforce
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
No matter what vertical you’re in, small businesses are always looking for ways to save money and — ultimately — time. One big time suck? Back office administrative duties.
Claudio Romano, Founder & CEO of ORCHID B, has set out to help new SMEs navigate administrative duties and manage all back office operations in one single platform.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, Claudio discusses…
- Why operating an SME is so complicated
- How ORCHID B takes new owners from anxious to competent forecasters
- The #1 role new SMEs need to be filled
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Financial innovation is happening at a record pace.
But when it comes to small businesses…
If you aren’t solving their cashflow problems, nothing else matters.
In today’s episode, I speak with Derik Sutton, VP of Marketing at Autobooks, to learn why cash flow is everything when it comes to small businesses.
What we talked about:
- The cashflow problem for small businesses
- How fintechs have squeezed out banks for deposits
- The different incentives for banks and fintechs
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Financial literacy is one of the most crucial things to master for anyone.
If you want good outcomes in life, it pays to understand money.
Yet, we aren’t teaching our kids finance — at home or in school.
Benjamin Nachman, Founder & CEO at Jassby, is trying to change that. His company is offering banking services for kids as young as 8 years old that will help parents teach financial literacy — without any boring lectures.
In today’s episode, he joined me to discuss:
- Why finance isn’t being taught to kids
- How Jassby can help
- How he’s planning to teach long-term financial wellness
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Those who innovate in trying times are often the names that stick around.
Everyone agrees this year has been more trying than most.
But it could have been a whole lot worse without the innovators leading us through.
And when it comes to finance, Paul Golding, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Macquarie Group, has studied all the innovators making a difference in these uncertain times.
He joins me on the show to share his insights on the world we find ourselves in for 2020 and beyond.
We discuss:
- The biggest impacts COVID-19 is having on SaaS marketplaces
- Why debit use is exploding and credit has declined
- How PayPal has positioned itself post-pandemic
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
When was the last time you dealt with a government agency?
The experience is rarely something to write home about.
But when it comes to payments, that could be changing.
That’s because Danny Shader, CEO at PayNearMe, is reinventing the payment experience for government agencies.
He joined me on a recent podcast to talk about how PayNearMe’s new platform is helping to make dealing with the government a little easier.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to fix less-than-stellar payment experiences
- Why consumer expectations for payments are at an all-time high
- PayNearMe’s growth philosophy
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Most people think they’re bad at banking, but they’re not.
People just don’t take the time to develop better financial habits because, well…
Banking is boring.
But Steve Le Roux, Founder & CEO at Envel, thinks he can change that. His company is tapping into behavioral science to reward people for banking better — and not rewarding the bank when they don’t.
In this episode, Steve explains:
- How the broken banking system inspired Envel
- How behavioral science and AI can fix it
- Why user experience is everything
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
One of the biggest challenges for small businesses is accessing capital. Weeks can pass before sales result in payment — especially for online merchants.
But what if there was a way to access that money as soon as you make the sale?
That’s exactly what Keith Smith, Co-Founder & CEO at Payability, is bringing to small businesses, allowing them to unlock that capital and use it when they need it.
In this episode, we discuss how Payability addresses:
- The capital concerns for small businesses
- The hard-hit sector of online-only business
- How to provide capital for entrepreneurs with weak credit
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
With so much uncertainty in the pandemic…
The last thing anyone wants to worry about is getting paid.
Luckily, like everything else digital, the pandemic is accelerating existing trends.
And that’s making it easier for everyone to get paid when they need it.
My guest today is Andrew Garner, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Business Partnerships at Netspend, where he’s helping solve payroll problems for the pandemic and beyond.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How the pandemic is affecting payroll
- Existing trends that are being accelerated by the crisis
The future of payroll
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
In the payments space, there’s one area that shouldn’t be overlooked:
Digital gifting.
It’s a rapidly growing area of payments. And with that growth comes innovation.
In this episode, my guests are two of the people driving that innovation: Brett Narlinger, Head of Global Commerce, and Helena Mao, VP of Global Product Strategy, from Blackhawk Network.
We discuss:
- How the gifting world is changing
- The effect COVID-19 has had on gifting
- How the demographics for digital gifting have changed
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Your product has one purpose…
Solving a customer’s problem.
But what do you do when they don’t even know they have a problem?
That’s a challenge Mark Ridley, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Green Shoots FX, tackled in starting his FX company.
He joins the show today to share the lessons he’s learned in launching Green Shoots.
We discuss:
- How to educate your customers
- How to enter a crowded market
- What to do about your customers’ other problems
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
How you treat your customers matters.
But for many banks, the level of service you can expect is direct correlated to your account balance.
That needs to change.
And Archie Ravishankar, Founder and CEO at Cogni, is on a mission to do just that. At Cogni, he’s rising to the challenge with a platform to help the underserved, Gen Z and everyone else with their financial needs.
What we talked about:
-Why customer service matters
-Why Gen Z are an important demographic to reach
-How digital banks are shaking up finance.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Thinking about innovation, it’s easy to conjure technologies that transformed the world we inhabit.
Cars drive by. Planes fly overhead. Skyscrapers tower over our cities.
But sometimes the most transformative innovations are the ones that go unnoticed.
And that’s especially true for payments.
In today’s episode, I speak with Alex Reddish, Chief Commercial Officer at Tribe Payments, about how the future of payments will unfold.
We discuss:
-Why the best innovations in payments are often invisible
-The role of partnerships in payments
-Why we need regulation and education
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
International payments has been a hot topic for a long time.
But for those blazing new trails, there’s a lot to consider.
What do you prioritize before hitting the market?
To answer this question, I chat with Alex Arnold, Founder at Dunbridge Financial, to find out the most important considerations he had before launching earlier this year.
Alex explains:
-Why traditional banks are deficient (and sluggish) on payments
-The 3 key go-to-market considerations for Dunbridge
-How to plan ahead and grow the right way
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Open banking is being embraced by banks and fintechs alike.
It’s still young, but it’s evolving at light speed.
And pretty soon, it’ll be woven into the fabric of everyone’s financial lives.
In today’s episode, Rafa Plantier, Country Manager, UK & Ireland at Tink, covers what you need to know about the open banking transformation.
He explains:
-Why open banking is a more inclusive way of offering financial services
-Why partnerships are the key to success for banks and fintechs
-How open banking and newer payment solutions will become standard
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
In today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce two new Payments Innovation hosts from Currencycloud’s EMEA team.
I’m joined by Lauren Passey, Sales Director, and Alex Barr, Senior Sales Consultant, to discuss why they want to host, what’s exciting them in finance overseas and what to expect in their upcoming episodes.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Why are some developers opting for an open-first model?
Well, there are many benefits, but one stands out:
Community.
That’s why Wade Arnold, Founder and CEO at Moov.io, opted for an open-source approach to building the company’s portable platform for embedding banking services in any application.
In this episode, Wade and I discuss:
-How Moov are moving finance forward
-Why open-first made sense for the platform
-What fintech really means — now and in the future
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Consumer products these days are sleek.
So, why do business products look like they were all made in preparation for a 19th-century world fair?
Hamed Abbasi, Co-Founder & CEO at Plooto, is on a mission to prove there is no reason business products can’t be just as sleek.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How Plooto is innovating accounts payable and receivable
-Why most business products create a terrible experience
-How to make complex products easy to use
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
If you want to succeed…
You have to always put your customers’ needs first.
And partners are a great way to do that.
Just ask Johanna Pugh, MD North America at Mambu, an innovative fintech that has broken into new markets and stayed customer-centric by leveraging their partner ecosystem.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How partners help you stay focused on the customer
-Why the customer is all you need to worry about
-How partners help you break into new markets
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Falls Fintech almost didn’t happen.
The 12-week accelerator program started on March 9th, 2020.
By March 13th, participants had to pack up and go. But the story doesn’t end there…
What kind of fintech entrepreneurs would let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them from innovating?
In today’s Challenger Series episode, I’m excited to be joined by 3 amazing guests involved with the accelerator program:
Nikkee Rhody, SVP, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Falls Fintech and Vice President - Product Development & Marketplace Strategies at Central Payments.
Fonta Gilliam, CEO and Co-Founder at Invest Sou Sou.
Rishi Chand, Account Manager at Mastercard.
We discuss:
-How Falls Fintech started
-How they overcame the pandemic
-What the post-COVID-19 future holds for fintech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
To partner or not to partner. That’s the question.
As a fintech company, you’ve made the decision to expand your offering through a partnership. What does the partnership look like? How much control are you going to be giving up? What are the things you need to be thinking about when making decisions around partnerships?
It can all be a bit (okay, a lot) confusion, which is why on this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we got to sit down with Marcel Klimo, Tech Evangelist at Vacuumlabs, for a conversation all about, among other things:
-Technology in fintech partnerships
-The decisions you need to be making
-The agile approach,
-Monolith vs. microservices
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
Until next time!
Open banking seems like it’s been just around the corner for years.
Now it’s here…
But most organizations are still a little scared to move into it.
Why?
To find out, I caught up with Phil Peters, EVP/Chief Operating Officer & Head of Institutional Banking at Radius Bank, a company who’ve embraced open banking with open arms.
In this episode, Phil explains:
-
Why Radius moved into open banking
-
How embedded finance is shaping the future
-
What makes a winner (and why there will be many)
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Open banking seems like it’s been just around the corner for years.
Now it’s here…
But most organizations are still a little scared to move into it.
Why?
To find out, I caught up with Phil Peters, EVP/Chief Operating Officer & Head of Institutional Banking at Radius Bank, a company who’ve embraced open banking with open arms.
In this episode, Phil explains:
-Why Radius moved into open banking
-How embedded finance is shaping the future
-What makes a winner (and why there will be many)
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Debundling has had a huge role in fintech’s rise.
But that era is over…
Welcome, everyone, to the era of rebundling.
In today’s episode, Ben Soppitt, Founder of Unifimoney, explains why the time has come for fintechs to start rebundling everything they’ve debundled.
He goes over:
-Why fintechs debundled in the first place
-Why it’s time to rebundle
-Why Unifimoney caters to the affluent
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Over the last decade, consumers have embraced the rising quality of personal loans fueled by smaller, more nimble technology.
Given the economic uncertainty around the pandemic, will that appetite fizzle out or burn well into the future?
To find out, we spoke with Scott Satov, Chief Executive Officer at Loans Canada.
He went over:
-Loan Canada’s part in the rise of personal loans
-How technology has shaped the personal loan market
-The present (and future) state of personal loans
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
It took a global pandemic.
But I think everyone realizes it now.
Innovation is no longer a choice. It’s a necessity.
And that’s why we’re happy to announce the launch of even more Payments Innovation podcast.
That’s right, we have 3 new series launching so you can keep up with every aspect of innovation in the fintech world.
Rich Arundel, General Manager at Currencycloud, will be hosting #embeddedfinance, which takes a look at the future of payments.
Chris D'Antuono will be hosting #challengers, getting in-depth with the shifting landscape of challenger banks.
Cara Hayward, Director of Strategic Partnerships, North America, will be hosting #fintechcaraoke, a series looking at the absolutely vital world of alliances in fintech.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Banks have finally caught on to something we’ve known for a while…
The future of finance is digital.
As they close ATMs and move online…
They’re realizing just how many companies got their first.
Companies like SHiFT Connect, a major player in international FX and payments.
I caught up with Kevin Copping, Institutional Sales and Marketing Manager, to go over how SHiFT is preparing for the coming of the cashless, digital world.
Kevin covered:
-What SHiFT is doing globally
-Why the world will inevitably cashless
-What shifted for SHiFT and FX under COVID-19
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
The world has changed so much in 50 years…
So why is it credit cards remain almost the same?
There must be a better way to do credit.
But how?
Nitya Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO at Simpl, has created a buy now, pay later service he is confident will shake us from our out-dated credit-card dependency.
I caught up with Nitya to find out how services like Simpl might just be the final nail in the coffin of credit cards.
He covered:
-How the Indian financial landscape inspired Simpl
-Why credit cards are becoming obsolete
-Why Simpl is thriving during COVID-19
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Once you master something, it’s natural to want to help others master it, too.
It’s a rewarding experience of giving back, whether it’s a game, a musical instrument…
Or building a Fintech.
On today’s show, I caught up with Mike Kane, Co-Founder at Hydrogen, the Fintech enablement platform that has made it easier than ever before to build a Fintech from scratch and get to market in record time.
What we talked about:
-How Hydrogen came to be
-How they help you avoid siloed systems
-Why simplicity matters
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
You’ve created an amazing financial brand.
You have big ideas and so much work to do.
But now you have to worry about everyone’s favorite topic: Compliance.
OK, it’s not the sexiest topic and, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can end up taking over all of your time.
Luckily, on today’s show, we have Matt McGuire, Co-Founder and Practice Leader at The AML Shop. He’s here to explain how his company makes it easier for companies to spend more time on their business and less on making sure they are compliant.
Matt goes over:
-How you should think about compliance
-How companies like The AML Shop address compliance issues
-How to approach compliance across borders
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Philanthropy is not just a hobby of the well-to-do. You don’t need a monocle, furs or a top hat to give.
Thanks to modern financial technology, everyone can be a philanthropist.
And your company would do well to join in.
To explain why, I invited Dale Nirvani Pfeifer, CEO & Founder at Goodworld, onto today’s show.
Goodworld offers a whole ecosystem of modern ways to charitably give — including tools to help your business increase its impact.
What we talked about:
-How Goodworld came about and is modernizing philanthropy
-Why the purpose of a corporation is being redefined
-How philanthropy is impacted by social media and millennials
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
- www.cheerfulgiving.com
- www.business.goodworld.me
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
A lot of businesses are like a Ferrari with wagon wheels.
Well-oiled machines held back by one outdated component.
And for a lot of businesses, that component is accounts receivable.
On the show today, I’m joined by Garima Shah, President of Biller Genie, a company dedicated to modernizing those janky wooden wheels and bringing them in line with the rest of the car.
What we talked about:
-The problem with current accounts receivable processes
-Why paper checks should go the way of the dodo
-How to operate a fintech without touching the flow of funds
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
In the US, it’s hard to top the pilgrims for a national identity story.
It’s an enduring symbol of a country worth struggling to live in.
But those struggles never really went away — they just modernized.
Modern problems require modern solutions, which Joaquín Ayuso de Paul, GM at Rayo, and his team are helping to provide with their global bank account.
He came on the show today to explain the significant financial hurdles immigrants face and why modern fintechs are better equipped to solve them than legacy banks.
What we talked about:
-The financial pain points immigrants navigate
-How Rayo is helping US immigrants solve them
-How to find the perfect partner and provide value to a niche audience
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Do you ever use to think about the journey your $20 bill took to find your wallet?
The places it’s been. The things it purchased. The hands it passed through…
Well, I guess we’re all thinking about that last one now and opting for contactless payments.
But that’s just one of the ways COVID-19 is ratcheting up existing financial trends.
That’s why we invited Jennifer Worley, SVP Product & Marketing at Meta Payment Systems, on the show today. She’s been studying the payments trends surrounding the COVID-19 crisis and came on to share what she has learned.
Jennifer explained:
-How social distancing has renewed the urgency for contactless payments
-Why traditional distribution models don’t work under in today’s crisis
-Why businesses are rethinking how to get cash to people who need it
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
The pandemic is like an advertisement for the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared.
Yet, financially, few Americans are. Most have less than $500 in savings!
They need to follow the Boy Scout credo. And they need Fintech to do it.
And my guest today, Ahmed Siddiqui, Head of Product at Branch, is trying to help get American workers merit badges in financial wellness.
Branch is a challenger bank making financial tools for the American worker to unshackle them from the two-week payment cycle limiting their financial success.
What we talked about:
-Why Branch pivoted to payments
-How they are keeping the service free for employers and employees
-What the future holds for Fintech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
In the wake of the sudden COVID-19 economy, we might forget the small-scale financial crises people face every day.
In the huge segment of the workforce living paycheck-to-paycheck, any sudden expense can become a financial crisis.
And until recently, their only option was to start a cycle of debt through expensive short-term loans.
Our guest today, Frank Dombroski, Founder and CEO of FlexWage Solutions, is leading the charge — without the high charges — for an alternative. His company offers a solution that provides people with early access to earned wages.
What we talked about:
-The genesis of Flex Wage
-Challenges to adoption
-Why early wage access appeals to HR and Benefits
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
The COVID-19 crisis has hit everyone — often on multiple fronts.
For many, the only thing as scary as the pandemic is the economic side-effects.
And, unsurprisingly, this is causing major shakeups in the world of payments.
On the show today, we spoke with Daniel Webber, Founder and CEO of FXC Intelligence to learn more about trends in the industry and get a forecast for what to expect as the crisis plays out.
And, while much of the news is bleak, there are some notable silver linings.
Daniel went over:
-How the hard-hit travel industry is responding
-The issues with remittances in the current climate
-The good news coming out of the industry
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
It’s hard to talk about anything these days without it somehow circling back to the pandemic.
But, since this is a show about innovation, it’s not all bad news — innovation thrives in challenging times.
Crises spur new ideas, creative spins on what we do already and demonstrate the value of thinking differently. And Fintech is no exception.
So says my guest today, Erica Dorfman. And when it comes to innovation, she should know. That’s because Erica is the VP of Cash at Brex, a company who consistently nails it when it comes to thinking outside-the-box.
We had a chance to talk about:
- The benefits to Brex owning its entire tech stack
- How Cash is innovating the high-yield business cash management account
- The positive possibilities a pandemic provides
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, our socially-distanced world has paradoxically revealed how connected we really are.
A pandemic that knows no borders has everyone realizing the borders our technology can cross just as easily. We’ve learned to work together, apart.
And payments are no exception. Technology has made it easier than ever to work, sell, pay or get paid internationally.
We’re joined today by Iain McNicoll, Regional Head of SMB Americas at Payoneer, a company dismantling the barriers in international payments.
Iain covers:
- How technology like Payoneer is simplifying payments abroad
- Why small sellers are entering new markets
- Why international freelancing is booming
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
In the world of transaction technology, we all care about the same things:
- Security and Risk reduction
- Customer experience
- Friction minimization
Today commonly these concerns are handled by the use of EMV chips and NFC. But what if there were a way to send and receive transaction data over a distance of several feet securely?
I sat down with Eric Allen, CEO of LISNR to find out if audio is becoming a disruptive force potentially taking over as the new standard and what the benefits are of this innovation.
What we discussed:
- The origin story of LISNR’s data-over-audio
- How the technology works
- Why audio is a great option
- Additional benefits
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Paying bills is nothing new, and it's not likely to change. We will always have to pay bills, but should we be paying them like we did 100 years ago? Today, one in four bills gets paid in check or cash.
It's 2020! Why is it so complicated for people around the world to pay a bill? And how can people who work abroad pay their bills back home instead of sending cash?
On today's episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we invited Fabian Saide, CEO of Paykii, to talk about cross-border bill pay using his company's platform.
What we discussed:
- How the idea for Paykii developed
- The way the Paykii platform works
- The rise of superapps in economies that big banks are not serving well
- How Paykii structures partnerships so they work for remittance providers and financial institutions
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Who's behind the boom in fintech startups? How are digital-wallet entrepreneurs, for instance, launching their ideas? How much of their products are they building in house?
The front end of fintech garners a lot of attention, but the back end has often gotten ignored. Nevertheless, there's an infrastructure powering everything. What is it? Who is it? How will it change?
On today's episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we invited Chris McCann, managing partner at Proof of Capital, to take us down the fintech rabbit hole by exploring these ideas from his popular article, The FinTech Infrastructure 101. Chris helps us understand the fintech ecosystem, specifically who does what and the value of the chain.
What we talked about:
- How the idea for The FinTech Infrastructure 101, Chris' article, got started
- The landscape of banking as a service and the "really, really, really new idea" of APIs
- What fintech companies are using to power their existing applications
- Trends that are fundamentally challenging the core assumptions of fintech
- How fintech ecosystems could develop differently around the world
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
When your toaster and your TV are programmable, doesn't it make sense that your payments should be programmable, too?
Card payments often settle on ACH, but accessing the ACH Network for electronic payments is tough. It can take years to figure out accounting, corrections, automating returns, identity verification, and reconciliation.
What if those technical gaps were fixed? What if there were a simpler system? Would businesses use it?
The gaps have been fixed, a simplified solution has been created, and businesses are using it.
That solution is called Dwolla, and we had a conversation with the company's founder, Ben Milne, on this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Venmo offers people a completely digital, cashless payment network experience. But commercial enterprises, weighed down with invoices and contracts, often still rely on paper checks. What if you could use the blockchain to digitize the process for these companies and help them get their revenue faster, cheaper, and more efficiently like Venmo does for individuals?
Jeremy Almond, CEO of a business-to-business payment network called PayStand, believes you can. A completely digital cashless payment network experience, PayStand works like Venmo only with a contract and an invoice in the process.
We invited Jeremy onto the podcast to talk about PayStand and the future of the blockchain for business-to-business payments.
What we talked about:
- How complicated commercial transactions could be fully digitized on an app
- Working through many different kinds of systems to make digital commercial payments happen
- How to move money through smart contracts without running afoul of U.S. regulations
- Banks are experimenting with blockchain for commercial payments
- Repositioning blockchain from a cryptocurrency delivery mechanism to a safe and automated payment solution
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
How much could your business save if you didn't have to pay credit card processing fees? Could you get a 30% net margin increase? It's possible but tough under the current regulations.
To solve this problem, InterPayments, a financial technology firm, developed SurchX, a product that can help businesses recover the maximum allowable amount of their credit card processing fees by passing them onto a consumer as a surcharge.
Andrew Bart, the chief growth officer for InterPayments, joined us on the podcast to talk about how SurchX works and who it can benefit.
What we talked about:
- How SurchX got started
- The difference between SurchX as an ISV and other surcharge solutions in the market
- How acquisitions and mergers are shaking up in the fintech space
- Andrew's predictions for the future of the surcharge industry
- How much money surcharging involves (trillions!)
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Merchant cash advance (MCA) solutions have been making finance payments easy for retailers and restaurants since 2005. So how does someone who was in the pioneering days of MCAs shift into the in healthcare system?
Scott Griest decided to find out. He built a product to automate loan origination for medical procedures. This platform was built in a way where other originators could license it as well, leveraging the technology with their own financing partners.
Scott is the founder and chief operating officer of PrimaHealth Credit, which is a fintech startup concentrating on patient health care finance.
What we talked about:
- The early days of MCA solutions, 2005-2007
- How MCAs fit in the U.S. regulatory framework for lenders
- How MCAs can differentiate themselves in their crowded space
- The value and solutions MCAs can bring to healthcare
- Building the tech stack to help doctors collect on their own plans
- Scott's advice for entering, operating, exiting, and investing in fintech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Why do so many of us toss our change in charity jars? Because it’s easy. So, what if there was a physical jar for your credit card, where you simply dip your credit card, and boom, you’ve donated? No forms, no iPad, no “What’s your address?” “Check this box.” “Put your name here.”
Just a simple credit card dip to give?
Well, that jar does exist. It’s called DipJar, and we sat down with their CEO, Chris Selland, on this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast. He told us all about how DipJar is increasing engagement (and increasing donations) for charities.
What we talked about:
- DipJar evolved from a tip jar
- Engagement is the secret sauce of DipJar
- It’s not just a device — it’s a platform
- DipJar is a management platform:
- Spark: a visualization platform
- Biggest area of growth — socially responsible for-profits
- Fintech, payments platform, P2P payments, B2B payments
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
If you could solve one problem in ecommerce transactions, what would you solve?
If you answered “friction,” that’s the same place Yitz Mendlowitz started. But he found out very quickly that friction is a consumer issue, not a merchant problem.
The problem merchants want solved is fraud liability.
In this episode, Yitz shares how credit card networks are finally listening to ecommerce merchants, and started to shift fraud liability away from the merchants and onto the card issuers (the banks).
Yitz is the co-founder of PAAY.
What we talked about:
- Friction is not the major transaction pain point for merchants
- The main pain point for merchants: fraud liability
- The original Card Not Present policies weren’t written for the ecommerce age
- How friendly fraud impacts the financial landscape
- New policies to benefit merchants
- Credit card networks, banks, card issuer, acquirers, fraud, liability, card not present
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Global trade payments are a little … broken.
Plenty of fintechs and startups have created better trade payment platforms domestically. Plus, various payment systems have focused on the international P2P transactions. But few fintechs have really tackled the global B2B space.
That’s exactly why Asnee Fernando founded Shoptaki.
Asnee came on the Payments Innovation podcast to share all about Shoptaki’s capabilities, which streamline global trade payments by using collaborative AI.
What we talked about:
- B2B transactions are not as simple as using Amazon
- The global problem with B2B wire transfers & checks
- How does Shoptaki solve these global trade issues?
- What about blockchain?
- How difficult is it for a business to move to Shoptaki?
- Collaborative AI
- Distributed AI
- Blockchain
To reach Asnee:
- Go to Shoptaki’s website
- Email Asnee at asnee@shoptaki.com.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Fintechs are the future. Banks represent tradition. And in between … is our data.
In this episode, we interviewed Adwait Joshi, Chief Seer (actual title) at DataSeers, a company dedicated to “creating simple solutions to handling complex data.”
Adwait has used data to solve pain points in healthcare, animal health, and, now, financial services. In this episode, he shared how DataSeers is using data to create win-win-wins for consumers, banks, and fintechs.
What we talked about:
- Getting data out of silos
- How to halt fraud (as it’s happening)
- Stopping financial loss
- Better fintech-sponsor bank relationships
- Fintechs can utilize DataSeers as a plug & play for fraud monitoring
- You can configure DataSeers for a variety of products
- What’s on the horizon for financial services?
-
- 1) Smaller community banks are becoming sponsor banks for fintechs
- 2) Remittance will increase
- 3) Global banking will increase
- AML, fraud detection, monitoring, money laundering
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Open banking actually serves smaller financial institutions, like credit unions and community banks, more than anyone else … they just need to know the value.
That’s why we invited banking experts Ralph Marcuccilli & Kelli Schultz on this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast. They explain the ins and outs of open banking, and what it can mean for smaller financial institutions.
Ralph was a 20-year veteran of the banking industry, and, in 2010, he founded Allied Payment, where Kelli is now the President. She comes from 2 decades of experience in and around the networks surrounding banking platforms.
What we talked about:
- Open banking: the answer for smaller financial institutions
- Open banking can serve businesses
- Allied’s next product: real-time bank payments
- Community banks, fintech, and credit unions
- Why Allied was well-positioned for open banking
-
- 1) ‘Allied was born in the cloud’
- 2) Allied has an API-driven vision
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Why we all love credit cards: they’re speedy, convenient, and transparent.
Why we all dislike credit cards: they’re expensive.
What if you could make a bank account transaction at the speed, convenience, and transparency of a credit card transaction, but without the fees?
That’s the basic premise behind Hamed Arbibi’s newest venture, VoPay.
In this episode, 3-time Founder and CEO, Hamed Arbibi talks about how VoPay is creating a new financial landscape in Canada, enabling rapid bank-to-bank transactions, without overbearing credit card interchange fees.
What we talked about:
- Hamed saw the banking industry was ready for real-time payment processing
- 80% of business transactions go thru banks (& they’re invisible)
- How VoPay is creating speed & visibility thru bank-to-bank processing
- The similarities between EFT in Canada & ACH in the US
- 1 more differentiator: VoPay’s product is built on customer feedback
- Real-time bank-to-bank processing
- Bank account payment transactions
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
The term “disruption” doesn’t just get thrown around occasionally. “Disruption” gets thrown around incessantly — especially in tech, and, perhaps even more especially in fintech.
Let us introduce perhaps the one founder who is not actually trying to disrupt traditional banking.
Meet Eric Solis, a 3-time fintech founder, former SVP of investments for Merrill Lynch, former VP of Investments for Prudential Securities, a full stack entrepreneur with educational credits in bitcoin, AI, and business from MIT, Oxford, and Stanford.
Eric came on the Payments Innovation podcast to share about his latest creation — MovoCash, and how he’s using it to solve problems for the underbanked, without disrupting traditional banking.
What we talked about:
- What is MovoCash
- Eric says they solve 3 problems traditional banks couldn’t:
-
- 1) Guaranteed payment
- 2) Getting money off the ledger
- 3) Preventing fraud & creating denominations
- Eric’s not actually out to disrupt the banks
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Across the United States, challenger banks are springing up, such as Chime and Simple. But, within the US, most of these don’t actually have their own charter.
Meet Varo Money — the digital bank that wants to become the first challenger bank to receive its own US charter.
I spoke with Wesley Wright, Varo’s COO, on the Payments Innovation podcast to hear about why pursuing their own charter is so important. Wesley’s response?
Because they want to own the entire customer experience.
What we talked about:
- Traditional banks haven’t responded to everyone’s needs
- Varo focuses on long-term, core banking relationship with customers
- Varo’s goal: own the customer experience
- The sponsor bank model versus being a chartered bank
- What would need to change to become their own charter
- How does Varo determine which processes to keep in house and which to outsource?
- Varo’s “customer-centric” approach
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Have you ever tried purchasing life insurance? It seems like it should take less than 60 minutes, but it rarely takes less than 60 days.
So Yaron took that process, laden with pdfs, phone calls, and paperwork, and turned it inside-out, co-founding Haven Life.
On this episode, Yaron gives his insights on:
- Why buying term life insurance has been so difficult traditionally
- Giving customers what they need
- Allowing customers to purchase how they want
- How Haven Life is using modern tech to align with the customer
- Rapid application approval
- How Yaron defines success
- Yaron’s insights into the future of insurtech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
It would be easy to chalk Brandon’s passion into something driven by his near-death experiences. But that’s only half the story.
Brandon Dewitt is CTO at MX, a company that grew from the merging of his own company, MyJibe. At his heart, he’s a computer scientist. He wants to help people solve real-life problems, by separating out those things computers do well to help people with their lives.
But a while back, he found out he had over a dozen tumors. The docs gave him 30 to 90 days. That was over 4 years ago.
On this episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast, Brandon discusses his passion for consumer-friendly, computer-driven financial analysis built for the everyday person.
What we talked about:
- Everyday people need a different financial visualization
- Visibility for consumers
- Showing a consumer’s “trajectory,” with colors and graphs, not just the exact numbers
- Consumers don’t want to look at their own numbers
- The banking industry is becoming more consumer-focused
- Banks actually want to do what’s best for the consumer
- Brandon’s beating more than cancer
- Financial services is really good at reducing risk
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Problem: Local financial institutions don’t have the access to resources or multiple branches that a larger bank like JPMorgan has. So, usually, local community lenders find a niche, and double down on 1 type of lending products. But, that creates at least 2 problems:
- An over concentration in geography
- An over concentration in 1 lending product
So Ian Lampl stepped in, and by comparing lending to the bond market, LoanStreet was born.
On this episode, Ian tells us all about his end-to-end lending platform that 600 local financial institutions are already falling in love with.
What we talked about:
- Community lenders had 2 problems: geography & product
- Most people thought ‘matching’ would solve the issue
- The problem wasn’t ‘matching.’ The issue was infrastructure
- How LoanStreet modeled their loan platform after the bond market
- LoanStreet’s platform is actually better than the bond market’s standardization model
- Example LoanStreet in action
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
“I don’t have that much cash available. Is there any way I can get a loan to finance this?”
“I’m sorry, not really,” said the dentist. Adam Rice overheard the conversation, and the idea for Loan Connect was born. Their goal is simple: provide Canadians with personal loans that lenders actually compete to provide.
On this episode, Adam discusses how the platform works, and how it’s defying the odds (and the banks) in Canada.
Adam is the CEO and Founder of Loan Connect, with an MBA from UNSW, and a Masters in Communication and Management from UWO.
What we talked about:
- Loan Connect had a “chicken-and-egg” problem
- Canadian banks are slow to change
- Example of getting a personal loan in Canada
- Loan Connect’s desire to help the end-user
- Why Adam went around the “big 5” & focused on credit unions.
- Traditional Canadian banking
- Fintech in Canada
- Lending/borrowing in Canada
To contact Adam:
- Email him at adam@loanconnect.ca
- Connect with him on his LinkedIn
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Richard Donaldson is the VP of Management and Marketing for Requis, a technology company that according to their website “connects buyers and sellers, enabling enterprises to procure, manage, and dispose of assets with greater visibility, simplicity and capital efficiency.” Richard joins us on the Payment Innovations podcast to share his insights for how the future of enterprises are changing, all because of the way that their company is changing asset management.
There is a very large gap of technology solutions of the enterprise supply chain, which Requis is working on filling.
Of the global 2,000 enterprises (as measured by Forbes) those companies represent more than $12 Trillion of procurement per year. Their massive amount of buying and selling each year adds up to over $20 Trillion per annum--which is the same size as the entire US economy based on GDP. That’s twice as big as the consumer economy!
In order to keep all of this working like clockwork, Requis has four main pillars which are the keys to their success. They are:
Requis has four main pillars
- Procurement
- Marketplace Facilitation
- Directory Creation
- Asset Management
Never before have all four coexisted within one company that was built to be cohesive.
Daniel isn’t interested in using tech to provide a better, faster way to use your credit or debit card over your cell phone, online, or anywhere else.
He’s interested in building something better than credit and debit cards altogether.
On this episode, Daniel Muller, Founder & CEO of AeroPay, joined us to share how he’s disrupting the entire payments industry (and helping both customers and businesses make and save money).
What we talked about:
- Why Daniel started AeroPay
- What is AeroPay
- AeroPay’s main focus (small & local businesses … for now)
- The pitch to consumers via education
- But what about debit cards?
- AeroPay’s business model (it’s actually not about the fee)
- Interchange fees
- Debit card fees
- Credit card fees
- Mobile payments
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Financial services make plenty of sense. If you are a financial services professional. But what about the rest of us?
On this episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast, our guest Carey Ransom joined us to discuss his passionate belief that financial services should revolve around the average human’s life.
What we talked about:
- People in financial services understand the financial game. But what about the rest of us?
- Customer-focused product dev vs. profit-focused profit dev
- The 1 product Carey is particularly proud of — Payoff
- The 1 problem Carey is waiting for a founder to solve:
- AI & ML in fintech
Checkout these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
- Carey’s podcast, AccelerateOC
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Successful people get our attention.
We’re fascinated by how they got to where they are.
Well on the latest episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we didn’t just interview someone successful. We interviewed Brendan Holt Dunn who’s carrying on his family’s legacy — five generations’ worth of successful business. Brendan is the CEO at Holdun Family Office and Founder at Holt Fintech Accelerator.
He came on the show to talk about his family, their businesses, and their fintech accelerator.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
Marqeta isn’t your usual sort of fintech. They don’t wrap their API into a legacy system. They own everything, from the hardware, to the API.
Dave Matter, Head of Global Product Strategy at Marqeta, recently joined us on the Payments Innovation podcast to discuss what he sees as the future of banking, and how their unique product is taking advantage of financial service opportunities around the globe.
Dave has worked in fintech with digitizing student loan processing, and with investments, mortgages, Quicken loans … you name it, he’s done it.
What we talked about:
- How Marqeta has no middle layers and is a full stack, fully certified program manager
- How Marqeta works with the issuing banks
- The advantages of working with Marqeta
-
- 1 — Time to market
- 2 — Marqeta supports various form factors
- 3 — Onboarding time for customers
- 4 — Different country, same interface
- The future of Marqeta
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
When it comes down to payments and foreign exchange exposure, small and medium sized businesses don’t have a good understanding of what it’s costing them.
It varies from company to company, obviously, but even the big companies can be oblivious to the charges — up to 5%.
On this episode, I talked with Pourash Pant, co-founder of Tigerflo Global Payments, about why most SMBs don’t even realize how much they’re losing.
What we talked about:
- The reality of foreign exchange payments losses
- Why SMBs are particularly susceptible to the “used car dealership model”
- Average losses for small businesses and medium businesses
- Educating SMBs in foreign exchange solutions
- The next 5-10 years in FinTech
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
A lot of people ignore the middle part of the United States.
The “flyover” states, as they’re called, get a bad rap. They’re ignored for the likes of New York, LA, Silicon Valley, and Austin.
But there is so much happening in Middle America. Incredible things really.
On this most recent episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast, we sat down with Nikkee Rhody, Vice President of Product Development and Marketplace Strategy at Central Payments, and Co-Founder and Managing Director at Falls Fintech.
We talked about Middle America, what’s going on with Falls Fintech, a fintech accelerator, and what their plans are for the coming year.
For many businesses, the 2008 financial crisis was a death blow. But for at least one opportunistic entrepreneur, it was the moment he made a game-changing dive into a fintech business.
David Gens is the Founder, President, and CEO of Merchant Growth, a fintech specializing in delivering financing to small retail businesses in Canada.
David joined me on the Payments Innovation podcast to share how he’s leveraging AI to deliver game-changing financing to small business.
What we talked about:
- How the 2008 financial crisis impacted financial services
- Traditional financial institutions aren’t really competitors anymore in the small business financing arena
- David’s first challenge was building trust with small business owners
- David alleviated some of the trust issues by partnering with big-name logos
- Merchant Growth’s financing structure: built on data
- Leveraging AI to drive financing
- One fintech CEO’s predictions about the financial services
- Small retail businesses needed a new funding source after the 2008 financial crisis
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.
Until next time!
As a Business Development Rep, Brady is experienced in enterprise-level solution selling with determination to learn and master complex industries.
With years of experience Brady has worked for Healthify, TruClinic, and Better before joining the Currencycloud team.
In this episode we welcome Brady to the hosting team at the Payments Innovation podcast.
On this episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast we sit down with Bill Dague a Senior Data Scientist at Quandl. Before he began working with Alternative Data at Quandl he was at Nasdaq, before they acquired Quandl.
According to Bill, the world of data science is changing, for employees dedicated to working in the field, and companies seeking to maximize revenue by leveraging its power through data.
Sometimes, the byproduct data can help companies to sort out the following unexpected benefits:
-new consumer insights
-deeper understanding of consumer trends and habits
-competitive dynamics by industry
-broader overall picture of the economy
Data can come from anywhere, which is why it’s such an important field. Due to the ubiquity of the data available to companies, Bill explains that we are only now just beginning to scratch the surface of how that data can be relevant and useful to companies. For instance, most data is tied up in a small handful of companies. Bill shared that from his perspective it appears that the playing field is about to open up with new emerging companies stepping into the arena.
Cara has a passion for helping community banks and credit unions survive and thrive. As the daughter of parents who were small business owners she understands the importance of community financial institutions to the survival of small and medium size businesses who provide the majority of jobs for the American people. At Currencycloud, Cara partners with financial institutions to provide better solutions for their commercial customers looking to facilitate global business.
Prior to joining Currencycloud, Cara spent 4 years at CBANC as the Director of Business Development helping community banks, credit unions, and their vendor partners navigate complex challenges in the industry. Before that she spent over six years at Barclays in New York as a VP in Sales where she was responsible for securing large hedge fund mandates for the firm.
Cara holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire where she concentrated on entrepreneurship. When she’s not learning what keeps community financial professionals awake at night, Cara enjoys playing soccer, relaxing with her dog, traveling and pretending to be a home chef.
In this episode we welcome Cara to the hosting team at the Payments Innovation podcast.
76% of banks use fintechs for payment solutions for their corporate clients.
Why, then, are some banks still stuck in the Dark Ages?
Craig Jeffery, Managing Partner at Strategic Treasurer LLC fills us in on the latest B2B Payments Survey Report and his predictions for the future of bank/fintech relationships.
In this episode, we cover:
- The current landscape of B2B payments
- Improving enterprise customer experience
- Protecting against fraud
To listen to this episode and more like it, subscribe to Payments Innovation on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Natalie Cartwright and her team at Finn AI have a mission: to improve the financial well-being of 100M people by 2025. And they’re leveraging AI to achieve that mission.
What we talked about:
- How Finn AI is applying AI in the financial services industry
- How do virtual assistants create more value for customers?
- How do virtual assistants create more value for financial institutions?
Check out these resources
- Finn AI
- Natalie’s LinkedIn
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Until next time!
Since the 80s, we’ve watched automation make the buy side of trading much more effective. But when it comes to the retail side, the technologies haven't evolved at all.
But that’s where Quantreex comes in. It’s a web based trading platform that allows you to create automated trading strategies in under a minute. It also leverages AI and machine learning to help you control risk and increase returns.
On this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast we caught up with Ali Kousari, Co-Founder of Qantreex, to get an inside look at why this solution works and what it could do for you.
Ricardo Pero is changing the landscape for how and where small to medium businesses find capital funding.
In 2016, he left JP Morgan to start SellersFunding. We got a chance to sit down with Ricardo to learn all about his inspiration behind starting his company and how his product will transform funding for these important enterprises.
From lead time to risk assessments, big banks and cash advance merchants have made it really difficult for these startups to get the funding they need.
When your industry is growing on average 15-20% year over year, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how great your product is, you’re going to have an issue with your budget. And SellersFunding is stepping in to fill in the gap with an integrative solution to solve this once and for all.
There’s no getting around it.
It’s tough to enter a foreign market.
From the application process to the fees to the language barriers; it can be a balancing act.
We had the opportunity to chat with someone who knows this journey all too well. Marcus Shin from WireBarley answered all of our questions regarding entering a foreign marketplace with an M2M business model. In this episode, w
Rick Lynch is the senior vice president for business development at Verifi. He got into the payments industry in 1999, and has been innovating in the space ever since. We sat down with Rick on this week’s episode of Payments Innovation to learn more about what Verifi is doing to shake up the industry and equip business owners to take control of their chargebacks.
They’re creating post-authorization tools to help reduce risk and loses after the sale by preventing and fighting chargebacks, preventing customer disputes, and any other negative events that happen after the sale. While most of the vendors you see in the marketplace today are really focused on before-the-sale, Verifi is focused on the opposite--and it’s really working out in their favor.
Government grants nearly equate to free money for businesses. Owners and founders don’t have to dilute their equity by taking on investors, and, usually, there’s no requirement to pay back any money. Plus, there is a lot of it. North of $200B a year, in the US, Canada, and the UK alone.
How can companies access these pools of cash? We asked Teri Kirk, founder of Funding Portal how businesses can access this money and write winning grant requests. She told us how on this episode.
Has your company considered Point of Sale financing?
Here’s a better question: does your company even know what Point of Sale financing is? And how it could benefit your business by bringing in more customers, allowing them to potentially spend more money with you?
On a recent episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we sat down to chat with Daniel Shain, co-founder at Credit Genie, for a discussion around why businesses choose Point of Sale Financing, why customers choose Point of Sale financing, and why it may just lead to bigger profits for your organization.
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you probably double-down on your personal skill set, pursuing those pieces of your business(es) that you’re most passionate about. The other areas of the business, whether it be HR, legal, or financial, may not get the attention they need.
That’s where entrepreneur Marc Alloul found himself.
He’s a physicist engineer who left a $12B enterprise in 2000 to start his own company.
He quickly found there was no real user-friendly budgeting platform built for high-level, fast-moving entrepreneurs who don’t necessarily have a background in finance or accounting.
So, he started Budgeto. In a nutshell, it’s a budgeting software program developed for entrepreneurs to get a budget up and running with just a few clicks. Currently, 35 thousand budgets are on the platform.
This episode explores Budgeto’s features, why it was started, and who’s using the platform.
On this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast I sat down with Andrew Graham to get an inside look at what his team did to generate additional revenue, increase customer satisfaction, and improve efficiency in their company.
Andrew is the Co-founder and CEO at Borrowell, a Canadian Fintech company helping consumers with their credit decisions. Andrew is also a Harvard MBA and is member of the Fintech Advisory Committee.
On another episode of Payments Innovation podcast, we interviewed Rafael Lourenco, Executive Vice President, at ClearSale. Many merchants think of fraud prevention as a technical decision, but it’s much more than that.
In this episode, Rafael explains why fraud management can drastically affect a business’s revenue, costs, CX, and overall bottom line.
On another episode of Payments Innovation podcast, we interviewed Brian Billingsley, Chief Revenue Officer, at Modo.
Brian talked about how Modo adds value to customers and why Modo is set apart from its competitors.
When you grow up in a family of small business owners, it’s as if you’re raised with a unique sense of empathy for this special kind of entrepreneur. So much so that you usually become one yourself.
That’s the story of Eytan Bensoussan. He grew up watching his grandparents faithfully work in their business day in and day out. But he noticed a pattern that didn’t sit well with him. At the end of a long day running their business, his grandparents would retreat in their home to do their bookkeeping. They’d sit and work on payroll, invoices and all the other financial responsibilities that fell on them.
That’s why he founded NorthOne, a small business banking service built on the idea that API’s should power the future of banking. The kind of banking that will be mobile first. He wanted to create a way to remove as much of the financial “busy work” as possible from small business owners.
Payment options options are endless. PayPal, Visa/Mastercard Debit, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Amazon Balance, … The list goes on.
This provides phenomenal variety for consumers.
But consider a commercial payer.
They now have to have multiple systems to pay a variety of payees in each of their methods of choice. Or risk losing a partner or contractor by not providing payments in their desired method.
That’s why when we found out about Sipree, we were astounded.
Being in the payments space ourselves, we understand how impressive it is to have a uniform payments system. Sipree takes in payments on the payer’s side, and then spits them out to the payees … in almost any method on the market.
We had to find out more, so we invited Mark Sole, Sipree’s CEO and Co-Founder on our Payments Innovation podcast.
He gave us all the details on their amazing platform.
While plenty of new pay methods are soaking up all the attention, ACH is being left left out of the popular arenas.
We understand why.
ACH can be cumbersome, requiring layers of authorization to finalize a single transaction. Many perceive it as outdated, awkward, and time-consuming.
It’s time ACH had a makeover.
Yelena Reznikova joined us on this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast to show how she’s leveraging the power of ACH and tech to drive profit for businesses, and convenience for consumers.
Yelena is currently the Director of Partnerships at Quovo in New York, a data platform that provides connectivity to financial accounts and is now a part of Plaid, where she’s worked since receiving her MBA from Harvard Business School. Previously, she worked in VC and product at Indicator Ventures and Troops.
She doesn’t believe ACH is dead. She believes with some technological TLC, it becomes an underutilized alternative to the dizzying amount of new payment methods on the market.
Listen in for 3 reasons you should consider ACH as a payment method.
Ever split a bill with a group of friends? Ever get stuck with more than your fair share?
That’s the sort of issue CashStash is committed to solving: Co-Founder Turner Coggins came on the Payments Innovation podcast to share how his new application allows users more transparency in their shared payments. With CashStash, users can store funds in a shared virtual wallet, giving all members visibility into who’s paid, who hasn’t, and who may need a reminder message.
Turner is a Senior Financial Consultant at Capco., has worked with PwC, and received his MBA from Emory. He’s seen it all in finance.
As Millennials are clouding out prior generations in the coveted 18-34 consumer space, they are using credit cards less and less. Many of them have no credit, which puts them in the never-ending “you don’t have credit, so we can’t offer you credit” cycle. Or they’ve been told to steer clear of the debt trap, so traditional plastic is a non-option for them.
This leaves gaps, for both consumer needs and merchant revenue.
And that’s where Sezzle comes in. Sezzle is a payment method that offers 0-interest 0-fee lines of credit to consumers while they are shopping. See a $200 jacket at a participating merchant? Use Sezzle and break that up into 4 easy payments of $50.
We brought on their CEO and Founder Charlie Youakim, for our Payments Innovation podcast. He shared how the app works, why it works, and why merchants are partnering with him.
Payments shouldn’t be the only thing going digital.
Giving to your favorite local charity should be easy. Digital easy.
Hector Pages knows. He grew up in Puerto Rico and saw firsthand devastation from natural disasters. So when he found In/PACT, he had to jump on board.
In/PACT is the creator of Good Coin, an integrated giving solution that allows payments to nearly 1.8 million nonprofits.
Now, users can give straight to their favorite charities through their mobile banking app or online.
Hector serves as the Chief Growth Officer for In/PACT, and he joined us on the Payments Innovation podcast to tell us all all about the collision of giving and digital.
Artificial Intelligence. Machine learning As buzzwords go, they’re the hottest things in almost any tech space. “AI” conjures spectacular images of Sci-fi films and robotic engineering. But when it comes down to the reality of your international commerce, you need to know how AI affects your business.
We went straight to the top of the AI and machine learning industry by roping in Emerj CEO and Founder Dan Fagella for our latest episode of the
Payments Innovation Podcast. This guy’s career is nothing short of mind-blowing: He’s a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion, started and sold his first company just to “pay for Ivy League grad school,” and since then has been a serial entrepreneur.
Currently, Dan is running his highly successful AI and Machine Learning research company, Emerj, which has become the international go-to for businesses and executives needing to understand the implications of AI upon their companies.
He delivered an action-packed 15 minutes of what AI means for fintech and international commerce.
Cookie cutter solutions don’t work for everyone. Often, smaller community banks are left out, especially when considering international exchanges.
Mike Salerno, Vice President of Global Banking at FNB Omaha, saw a host of opportunities following the recession as larger banks tightened up. This allowed other correspondents to come in and establish partnerships.
Mike and FNB have made a commitment to continue to service their downstream and correspondent banks. This includes partnering with them to help them come up with and work on creating a solution set.
More and more workers are abandoning the traditional "Nine to Five" jobs for contract 1099 work.
While this provides more freedom for workers, Dylan Massey, Co-Founder and CEO of Intercheks, says this also presents some issues when it comes to streamlining the payment processes for individual contractors, some of whom may come and go or have multiple side jobs.
Dylan talks to us about his pathway to Interchecks and how his team is helping to solve specific problems by working to streamline the payment process.
As US merchants expand their operations across the world into emerging markets, they quickly discover an interesting fact: Many cash-centric nations, have leap-frogged over the usage of plastic.
Now, many of these traditionally cash-heavy nations, have found tech integrations that allow merchants to sell online and collect cash with receipts, QR codes, and other methods.
There’s around 300 different major payment methods available across the globe. If your company is going global, it can be intimidating navigating the cultural, regulatory and technical aspects of such a wide variety of payment options.
That’s what Steve Villegas does. He’s a pro at payment integration. He’s the Partner Management & Head of US Office for PPRO, where he and his team are educating companies on how to accept payments in the preferred method of countries from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia.
You don’t want to miss this.
There’s a simple way to make international transactions easier for you and your clients:
Make payments in local currency.
Bob Murray is the Director of Foreign Exchange at Brookline Bank and he’s been involved in foreign exchange markets since the early 80’s. Throughout the years, he’s seen how foreign exchange can really touch all areas of a bank. From international payments to wire transfers, having a solid foundation in foreign exchange markets is critical for the success of a bank.
Bob has also noticed something else that has stayed the same in the several decades he’s been in this space: it’s still fundamentally a relationship market. Without a relationship formed between a foreign exchange salesperson and a customer there can be no hope for a productive and lasting business exchange between the two parties.
We sat down with Bob in this episode of Payments Innovation to talk about Brookline Bank, the foreign exchange market, international currency exchange best practices, and educating customers on this space.
Jeff is passionate about all things Fintech and Payments. He has consulted with eCommerce platforms, PSP's, Challenger Banks, and Financial institutions of all types and sizes to deliver business-critical payments, banking, and compliance solutions via cloud and on-premise.
With over 10 years working in the finance, banking, and payments space, Jeff has extensive knowledge in solving problems and removing barriers to entry for Fintech's in the new digital era.
In this episode we welcome Jeff to the hosting team at the Payments Innovation podcast.
Paper checks are dying.
But not as fast as you might think.
While many individuals are demanding instant payment systems, most companies still operate by paying bills by check every month. The overall rates of check usage dropped significantly from 2000 through 2015, but in the last few years the percentage of check usage has plateaued. There has not been enough disruptive innovation in this particular space to force companies into the next evolution of digital payments.
Stuart Bain is the Senior Vice President at Alacriti, Inc. His team at Alacriti is focused on bringing superior payments technology and flexible payment options to companies all over the country.
Stuart joined us for this episode of Payments Innovation to discuss billpay industry trends, the evolution of checks as a form of payment, and what younger generations are demanding from new payment methods.
The days of region-locking payments are coming to a close.
US Unlocked is a prepaid card for international consumers to make purchases in the US.
Brion Bonkowski is the CEO at Tern: Enabling Global Commerce which acquired US Unlocked several years ago. Tern purchased US Unlocked because Tern were interested in acquiring their impressive tech platform. Tern has now built out tech to enable people to launch other prepaid platforms around the world.
Brion joined us for this episode of Payments Innovation to talk about Tern and US Unlocked, the capabilities of their prepaid cards, and the challenges that come alongside operating in this space.
Many financial institutions are stuck in the past with outdated technology.
But tech innovators like Google and Facebook aren’t going to wait for them to catch up.
Don Halliwell is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Zafin, and he’s been in the digital transformation space for over 10 years. Don and his team are in the partnership space with banks. They provide them with the agility required to meet customers where their needs are.
Zafin equips financial institutions with the software technology they need to overcome digital transformation challenges in the ever-evolving digital landscape of the financial industry. They are the worldwide leader in digital banking, and they work with over 30 largest banks in the world including in the US and Canada.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, we’re joined by Don to talk about pushback to digital transformation, the current marketplace in this space, and the future of the digital banking industry.
Why doesn’t the US have real time payments?
Many nations around the world, including the UK, have these solutions, but not the US.
To dive into this question, we spoke with Tim Mills, the Vice President of Real Time Payments Business Development at The Clearing House.
The Clearing House has been around since the middle of the 19th century. They were established to create more efficiency surrounding interbank clearing and the settlement of payments. 160 years ago, clearing checks between financial institutions was a lot easier said than done.
In the past century and a half, The Clearing House has moved to such areas as ACH payments and high value payments. They have moved to acting as an advocate around payment related issues for the financial industry. And now in the 21st century, they are playing a leading role to modernize the payments landscape.
Tim has a 20 year background in payments including time in Bangladesh and Trinidad. He has been with The Clearing House since 2004 working to make real time payments a reality in the United States. In this episode of The Payments Innovation Podcast, we talk to Tim about Real Time Payments in the US, the challenges that still need to be overcome, and what the future holds.
Many entrepreneurs fall into no man’s land when it comes to their bank account.
They’re too big to keep a personal account, and too small to get attention from banks.
Every specializes in bank accounts for online businesses, and they are looking to simplify the entire bank account process for online entrepreneurs.
Jeremy Black is the Co-Founder and CEO of Every. He began his career as an online entrepreneur in a pre-Shopify world. He ran an e-commerce operation in music industry before he moved onto roles in the tech community.
Jeremy spent a lot of time in banking and enterprise software before he felt the call to return to the entrepreneur life. His role at Every is to advocate for the next generation of online entrepreneurs. This week, we spoke to Jeremy about Every’s platform, his target market, partnerships, and the future of his business.
Community Banks fund over half of the small businesses in the US. They are an essential and often overlooked part of the economy.
Tina Giorgio is the President and CEO at ICBA Bancard. Tina has been in this role for a little under 2 years, but she has spent the last 30 years in community banking.
“Community Bankers, at our core, are about serving our local community. There’s a lot of communities in the United States who would not be properly served if it wasn’t for their local community bank.”
Many community banks simply can’t compete with larger entities. They need representation, especially in the evolving world of payments. So Tina and her team are advocates for these banks.
They have specifically been working in the area of merchant funded rewards. ICBA Bancard provides benefits through these reward programs to both merchants and their customers. Merchants see a higher number of transactions by implementing these programs, and merchants get to support both national and local business while getting rewarded. It’s a win for everyone.
Tina joined us for this episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast to talk about community banking, merchant funded reward programs, and overcoming challenges in her role.
Paying strangers for big purchases is difficult.
Do you pay with cash? Most people don’t like walking around with that much money. Do you make a bank transfer? That might take more time and involve more fees than you bargained for.
Pete Janes is the Founder & CEO at Shieldpay, a company specializing in digital escrow accounts that help remove the danger of large transactions with strangers.
A lot of private marketplaces leave buyers and sellers to their own devices, and as a result there is a large fraud rate. As high as 12%! Shieldpay was born when a friend of Pete had his car stolen via a fraudulent purchase back in 2016.
Pete knew this was a large problem that needed to be solved. He also knew it had implications for the real estate world. And that this type of transaction was applicable for international payments as well!
In this episode of Payments Innovation, Pete talks to us about Shieldpay’s method, the vetting process, their advantage over competition, real estate transactions, and the future of his company.
Buying from Amazon versus ordering from a catalog.
One is a lot easier than the other. One is a lot faster than the other. And one feels a whole lot more “2018” than the other.
So why do many B2B companies still make purchases through outdated means? John Tomich is the CEO & Co-Founder at Credit Key, and he believes that many B2B practices are lagging 10+ years behind B2C, and that includes ecommerce. But the tide is shifting.
As people are getting used to purchasing B2C products so easily through Amazon and other online retailers, they are starting to expect the same experience on the B2B side of things. Why should they have crawl through a clunky, poorly designed distributor site? Or order manually through a catalog? Yes, that still happens!
John’s company, Credit Key, is bringing that simple shopping cart solution to the B2B world. Their platform allows B2B companies to offer innovative payment options and real-time credit extensions all within an easy to use interface that matches B2C Ecommerce experiences. There’s a B2B payments revolution happening, and Credit Key is on the front lines!
In this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we sit down with John to hear about the B2B payment space, delivering credit extensions in real time, and competition within the industry.
Banking is becoming more mobile.
You want to be able to manage your portfolio and trade stocks on the go, but security is at the forefront of everybody’s mind. How do you ensure that your favorite apps are securely storing and managing your data?
Nathan Richardson is the CEO at TradeIt, an API infrastructure that links retail investors and app developers with any online financial broker. Nathan first dove into the API space when he headed up Yahoo Finance in the early 2000’s. Nathan and his team developed a financial data ticker as a widget that they distributed to partners.
Years later, Nathan started TradeIt when he saw that many financial institutions in the US were behind in implementing API technology. He knew he could build a platform that could help brokers offer secure solutions to customers. He found that financial institutions that adopted API strategies and learned to innovate tended to be the most successful.
These same institutions are engaging their customers better -they are meeting them in the apps they already love. Best of all, there is no one size fits all approach. Clients can customize TradeIt’s platform to fit their needs.
Nathan joined us for this week’s episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast to talk about the background of TradeIt, pitching his platform, and the future of API technology for financial institutions.
Customer loyalty matters.
But there aren’t many examples of modern companies that are rewarding their customers very well.
Michael Rolph is the CEO and Co-founder of Yoyo Wallet, a platform that helps retailers surprise and delight their customers through streamlining payment options and customer loyalty programs.
Retailers can use Yoyo’s technology to allow customers to pay through their own app and get rewarded for purchases. Or, as Michael would describe it, “We’re doing Starbucks meets clubcard, democratized for all retail, and better.”
Yoyo provides real time data and insights to go along with these campaigns so retailers can see exactly what is working and what is not. Marketing doesn’t need to be a shot in the dark, and Yoyo helps retailers see their customers more clearly.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, we sit down with Michael to talk about customer loyalty, lessons learned by starting Yoyo, the Yoyo platform, and the future of the company.
As an entrepreneur, you don’t get many shots. Time is a finite resource, so how do you choose where to spend your time when investing in a dream?
Daren Jackson (President, CEO, and Founder of Rapid Financial Solutions) has experience in this area. Over the years, Daren has spent time navigating regulations and complexities in the Payments world, and has come with up some do’s and don’ts for FinTech Entrepreneurs.
In this episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we talk to Daren about how he got his start in FinTech, how he’s learned to roll with the many changes in the US Payments system, and how to succeed as a FinTech Entrepreneur.
What if there were a better way to buy and sell rental homes without having to go through the pain of waiting until tenants moved out, letting the home sit empty for months while it sells, losing rent, maintenance costs, and property value?
How many bills do you have to pay every month? If you sat down and listed out all of your bills from memory, I bet you’d miss one or two.
Some bills change every month. They can be due on different days, be for different amounts, and they can even hit you with huge late fees if you let one slip through the cracks. It can feel like a stressful full-time job just to make sure you’re paying your bills on time every month.
Steve Gordon, VP of Product at Handle Financial, was sick of wasting his time paying (and sometimes missing) bills. Steve was instrumental in developing a platform called Prism that allows people to not only keep track of all of their bills within one place, but to pay their bills more quickly and efficiently as well.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, we talk to Steve about outdated methods of tracking bills, building the Prism platform, the benefits of Prism, and how to get started with the App.
Regulations, compliance, identity verification, bank partnership, the list goes on. In fintech, there’s a growing list of obstacles to consider when developing your financial product.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could peer into the mind of someone who’s sole goal was to solve these issues? You can. On our latest Currency Cloud Podcast, we spoke with Sankaet Pathak, CEO and Founder of SynapseFI.
Sankaet’s growing company now handles these account creation issues, as well as, compliance services, bank partnerships, fund settlement, account aggregation, risk mitigation and others. With a growing list of customers north of 150 fintech clients, Sankaet’s knowledge on the industry is profound.
Fact: If you have no fraud, you’re losing business.
On today’s Payments Innovation podcast, Chris (Currencycloud) talks to Tedd Huff (VP of Product, GlobalOnePay) about who has the most online fraud, what makes fraud “friendly,” and where the future of fraud prevention is headed.
“Online fraud on average ranges anywhere from 0.3% up to 3% of total revenues for businesses in North America,” Tedd said.
It usually isn’t possible to stop a breach once it’s happened. So stopping it ahead of time is the key piece to handling fraud.
Doing business across borders adds complex layers to your enterprise. But moving payments into other currencies? This should be simple. That’s what we think … and that’s what our latest guest thinks.
He’s built an entire business on the premise of ethical, common-sense trading.
On our latest podcast, Jeff Scanlon, CEO and President of Paymentearth joined us to unravel the complexities of FX payments. Previously, Jeff worked at Ruesch International overseeing the LA Territory, and later at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, where he quickly topped the chart in the sales department as customers enjoyed his ethical and transparent style.
After nearly 25 years in the FX industry, he and a colleague decided a better, simpler, more transparent option needed to be available to small and medium size businesses doing international payments.
That’s how Paymentearth was born in July of 2016.
With the steady increase of Fintech start-ups, is there a sense of reliability with these financial services? How trustworthy are fintechs in general? Do they have any regulations like a bank?
These are challenges that fintech companies have to hurdle, when proving to consumers that they are a reliable source. And it all starts with transparency.
Joined with us today, we have financial technology expert, Rocky Motwani, president and cofounder of Jiko. We will discuss how fintechs try to become a trustworthy financial resource.
Welcome to Payments Innovation! Today, Chris (Currency Cloud) is interviewing Bruce Parker (Modo Payments) about what he means when he says payment interoperability.
After two decades in the software side of the payments business, Bruce has seen a lot of technology and infrastructure challenges when it comes to managing data in payments… and navigating exchange between systems and networks among all the various participants in the payments ecosystem.
At Modo, he’s focused on how payment data gets exchanged—and, in particular, how to achieve interoperability. “What Modo does is connect the dots,” Bruce said. “We connect between the new and the old.”
Most consumers, especially next-gen consumers, don't have access to the tools they need to live healthy financial lives. They grapple with problems such as erratic cash flow, limited savings, and access to responsible credit. Banks and fintechs offer no holistic solutions.
We interviewed Colin Walsh, CEO and co-founder of Varo, an app that integrates basic banking products with financial health tools. Before starting Varo out of his guest bedroom, Colin spent 25 years working in traditional financial services companies.
Varo's mission is to improve the financial life of the customer. They want to merge big bank capacity with startup fintech focus to create a bank that helps people live better.
Money matters to small businesses.
Working capital can be hard to secure when operating a small business and BlueVine is helping to change that.
In our interview with Eyal Lifshitz from BlueVine, a FinTech company specializing in providing fast funding to small businesses, we talk about how they are passionate about helping customers and how their industry is evolving.
For a lot of folks around the world, currency exchange isn’t something they think about.
The ease and feasibility of exchanging and sending currency across international borders never crosses the minds of most people.
On this episode of Payments Innovation, we sat down with Johnathan Holland, Founder and CEO of Curexe to talk about what it takes to tackle those initial steps of acquiring that initial bank account and get on the right path.
Money 20/20 is the who’s who of FinTech.
On this episode of Payments Innovation, we hear from Andrew Morris, who is Chief Content Officer of Money 20/20, the largest global FinTech conference.
Through Money 20/20, Morris gets to stay on the cutting-edge of issues that drive the direction of FinTech, and he’s here to share five of them.
Many of us take for granted the opportunity for readily available, diverse, and quality financial services.
Others of us are not so lucky.
In our interview with Tatiana Delgado from BeeTech, a Brazilian FinTech, we learned of how people across the globe need payment innovation to increase their quality of life.
Host Chris D’Antuono had an enlightening conversation with Wayne Akey from Agile Payments about why SaaS platforms should consider being part of a payment facilitator program, also known as PayFac.
Agile Payments has been involved in the payments landscape for about 20 years. In that time their niche has been partnering with software service platforms and embedding payments.
Here’s what we learned from Wayne’s expertise.
Perfection.
That is what Ilie Ardelean & Bryan Walley, the CPO and COO of Exactuals pursue every day in the payments space.
In this episode of Payments Innovation, we sat down with Ilie and Bryan to talk about how they pursue a perfect customer experience with a constant eye on compliance, diligence, and accuracy.
We also talked about the importance of strategic payments, captive data points, and future payment trends.
FinTech is a hot term right now. But how are companies using it to actually drive their strategies?
That's what we're going to cover on this podcast. In this intro episode, you'll hear from your hosts and learn why this podcast will be your go-to guide for navigating the roadblocks in FinTech.