Banking with Interest

Robert Fisher, the CEO of $500 million-asset Tioga State Bank and chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America, talks about the top concerns facing bankers right now, including staffing shortages and tech upgrades. He also discusses the controversial nomination of a new comptroller of the currency, how ICBA wants to address credit unions buying banks, and much more.

James Reuter, the CEO and President of $26.7 billion-asset FirstBank in Lakewood, Co., believes bankers had better wake up to the debate over a U.S. central bank digital currency before it’s too late. He argues that the Fed is almost certain to act, but how it does so could determine the fate of banking.  

Buy-Now-Pay-Later has seen explosive growth during the past year, with a new deal announced seemingly every day. What’s behind BNPL’s rapid rise, why are there concerns about it, and is it the next bubble about to burst? Yizhu Wang, the senior fintech reporter at S&P Global Market Intelligence, answers all that and more.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration called for a law that requires banks to report aggregate information to the IRS on inflows and outflows to accounts. But banks have been fiercely fighting back against the plan. Ian Katz, a bank policy analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, offers his views on who is likely to win this political battle, as well as what may happen to the nominee to lead the OCC and whether the White House will renominate Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Jo Ann Barefoot, a former regulator and now CEO of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, discusses her efforts to help banking regulators contend with the rapid tech evolution in the financial services sector. She discusses why she’s optimistic that tech can help banks and their supervisors better manage risks, assist the underbanked, and combat long-term challenges like climate change.

Wade Arnold, founder and CEO of Moov Financial, talks about how his startup is tackling one of the fundamental parts of banking—making it easier for businesses to accept, store and disburse money.  He also discusses the massive changes under way in the payment system, including the impact of real-time transactions and the rise of cryptocurrency, as well as how the pace of innovation is accelerating.

Greg Becker, CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, talks about his bank’s strategy, including its recent expansion of its capital markets business and M&A business, and where it’s going next. He also assesses the competitive landscape between banks and fintechs and reveals his greatest source of optimism—and concern—for the banking industry right now.

Nima Ghamsari, the founder and head of Blend, talks about his journey as an entrepreneur, from his early days selling items on eBay to founding a fintech in 2012. Since its inception, Blend has moved from helping banks and fintechs with digitizing the mortgage process into what he calls “proactive finance,” including helping financial institutions to digitize personal, auto and other types of loans. Nima also shares his views on the competitive dynamic between banks and fintechs and where he thinks the industry will go next.

There’s been a lot of chatter in the media recently about regulatory concerns on stablecoins, as well as the potential the Fed might offer its own central bank digital currency. But there’s precious little information about what those things actually are—and how they could impact the financial services sector. David Andolfatto, a senior vice president in the research division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, goes through the basics on stablecoins and CBDCs, including why regulators have worries on stablecoins and why a digital dollar could be in the offing.

Begun in 2017 with the promise of a better approach to overdraft fees, fintech “Dave” has seen tremendous growth, including more than 10 million customers. CEO Jason Wilk talks about why Dave started by targeting overdraft, how he sees the policy debate over the controversial fees—and his ambitious plans for what’s next.