Breaking Banks

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This week on Breaking Banks, it’s a powerhouse podcast mashup you won’t want to miss.

What happens when two leading voices in fintech join forces? You get a fast-paced, insight-packed conversation on the future of finance, banking innovation, and emerging technologies—recorded live in Finland.

Breaking Banks host Brett King teams up with Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu, hosts of the Nordics’ #1 fintech podcast Fintech Daydreaming, for a high-level exploration of where the industry is headed next.

In this episode, they dive into some of the most important developments shaping the future of financial services, including:

     *The rise of mobile money and how it's reshaping economies

     *The role of digital identity in secure, seamless transactions

     *The concept of Q-Day and its long-term implications for cybersecurity in banking

     *Smart contracts and business process in an autonomous algorithmic marketplace

     *Agentic AI, KYM (Know Your Machine) and AI in Financial Transactions, and

     *A sneak peek at Brett’s upcoming book, Branch Tomorrow

This wide-ranging conversation serves as both a primer and a deep dive into the innovations transforming fintech right now. Whether you're tracking the next big trend or trying to stay ahead of digital disruption, this episode delivers high-value insights from three thought leaders at the forefront of change.

Listen now and get future-ready!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_SjmoJZlY4

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There’s something happening beneath the surface of every pizza order, every childcare payment, and every invoice sent by businesses across America. A quiet revolution that most people— sometimes even business owners themselves— have barely noticed.

Traditional banks are being methodically extracted from the daily financial lives of businesses, replaced by something more streamlined, more embedded, as banking becomes just another node in a business operating system.

We dug into those threats last episode on “The Invisible Heist”. This week, Jorge Garcia, Founder and CEO of Linker Finance, and Samer Saab, SVP of Product for Alloy Labs, join host JP Nicols and co-host Barb MacLean as we look at some viable options for banks to foil the heist and create a competitive response.

We’ll look at the surprising opportunities sitting right in front of us, and how banks are rewriting the playbook to land and expand commercial customers through digital banking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX2D6ZE2DdM

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Banking executives, your business customers aren’t leaving you for another bank—they’re leaving banking altogether— at least partially. For now.

As a part of our “Unbreak the Bank” series we dissect the most significant existential threat to community financial institutions since the 2008 crisis: the systematic extraction of business banking services into everyday business software.

Community banks are hemorrhaging 12-18% of operational deposits annually to companies that don’t even consider themselves “banks”, and they’re moving upmarket.

The competitive battlefield has shifted, and “relationship banking” is not enough to compete. Customers are integrating business solutions into their daily workflow, and banks risks being shut out altogether.

Discover why the future isn’t about being the best business bank – it’s about being a relevant layer in the best business experience.

Fintech Takes founder Alex Johnson and Velocita founder Barb MacLean join host JP Nicols to reveal how embedded lending is systematically dismantling banking relationships as Quickbooks, Square, Toast, and others integrate financial services directly into business workflows, and explore some options for how banks can respond. 

https://youtu.be/FV5wUyhng6c?si=KpsHDtG0V4rRXSWt

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7UyoDGpfFo

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Powered by U.S. Bank and recorded live at Fintech Xchange hosted by the Stena Center for Financial Technology, this episode dives into the most pressing issues shaping financial services today.

In our first segment, Jason Henrichs chats with Sima Ghandi, Sr Advisor FS Vector, Co-Founder of Coalition of Financial Ecosystem Standards (CFES) and Phil Goldfeder, CEO American Fintech Council (AFC). AFC, a standards-based organization representing large financial technology (Fintech) companies and innovative banks, promotes a transparent, inclusive, and customer-centric financial system supporting innovation and access to responsible financial products. CFES is a new (2024) industry-led organization with the goal of developing standards that promote safety and soundness for non-banks participating in financial services. They cover:

·  The growing role of bank-fintech partnerships in innovation and growth, and expanding access to financial services.·  The importance of clear risk management and compliance standards in maintaining operational and business viability in the fast-moving world of financial services

Then, the conversation shifts to AI and fraud prevention as Jason speaks with John Sun, CEO of Spring Labs, and Simon Taylor, Head of Content & Strategy at Sardine. Sardine offers an AI risk platform for fraud, credit and compliance, and Spring Labs provides an AI-Native conversational intelligence platform that turns chatter into actionable insight. Together, they explore:

·  The future of financial services in a world increasingly reliant on automation and robots·  The broader implications of AI and Generative AI in shaping the future of financial services

From standards setting in banking and fintech to AI and fraud this episode delivers hot takes and expert insights on the opportunities, risks, and evolving landscape of financial technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBdMjPG1rvE

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This week, we bring you Part III of exclusive insights from Fintech Xchange '25 at the Stena Center for Financial Technology and the University of Utah, powered by U.S. Bank. Host Jason Henrichs engages in a dynamic discussion with Jason Mikula of Fintech Business Weekly and Chris Black, CEO & President of Thread Bank. Their conversation spans topics from Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and regulatory shifts under the new administration to the dual-edged nature of innovation in today's financial landscape.

Chris delves into Thread Bank's unique transformation as it evolved from the historic Civis Bank—established in 1906—into a fintech-enabled community bank. In 2021, new leadership recapitalized and revitalized the institution by adopting an industrial approach to BaaS and launching Thread. Thread's goal is to deliver the unparalleled value of a community bank to individuals and businesses, leveraging intuitive technology to meet customers where they are. Maintaining two local branches, Thread is delivering on its mission of embedded banking -- deposits, loans, and payments, and exemplifies the integration of traditional banking services with modern embedded banking solutions. By transcending geographical limitations and focusing on scalable, durable models, Thread collaborates with partners to manage risks and capitalize on the strengths of partnership banking.

In the second segment, University of Utah alumnus Rhett Roberts, CEO & Co-founder of LoanPro, joins "the Jasons" to discuss the evolving fintech ecosystem and APIs. Are they coming of age? Naturally they talk about cores, and how banks are in the process of conscious decoupling to build resilient infrastructures in order to weather future disruptions.

Rhett shares LoanPro's journey from inception to powering some of the biggest lenders in fintech. LoanPro offers a scalable, API-first lending and credit platform that fosters innovation by streamlining origination, servicing, collections, and payments across various loan types, lines of credit, and credit cards. This narrative underscores the transformative impact of fintech solutions in modernizing financial services.

Listen and watch to explore these compelling stories!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RC9Gt9PodA

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In this episode we continue the series powered by U.S. Bank and recorded at the University of Utah's Fintech Xchange. CAUTION: The episode is hot!

Breaking Banks' Hot Takes host Jason Henrichs, regulars Alex Johnson (Fintech Takes) and Jason Mikula (Fintech Business Weekly) are joined by David Ness, U.S. Bank's SVP Innovation, R&D and Peter Renton, Fintech Nexus, Chairman & Co-Founder. The newcomers jump right in, going straight for Fintech on Fire (#11 on a scale of 1 - 10), and comfortably deliver hot takes from the hot seats, recapping major themes from the event, and making predictions as to what 2025 brings to our industry. Plenty of insights are shared and there's plenty for the risky spice-takers to tackle including BNPL (acronym for a popular industry term, of course, and also our new Burn Now Pay Later hot sauce). Two other clues as to what the group might have talked about....the RegTech Reaper and Stable Coin Scorch . Don't worry, there's plenty more where these came from!

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!

It's a hot conversation, worth being in the room for...to catch the visuals check it out on YouTube (@provokefm and while you are there, hit subscribe)!

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This week we introduce you to a series profiling the digital banks and founders that are changing the world of banking. Focused on first hand accounts from founders all over the globe, the series chronicles the NeoBanking movement from the early days though to today, documenting the players building a new category of digital banking, reshaping the digital movement. Throughout our series we look at foundation stories, challenges each had, and the regulatory approach each took -- a look at the pioneering history of the neo and challenger bank movement.

In this episode, Breaking Banks host Brett King connects with bunq's Founder & CEO. Ali Niknam. bunq is based in The Netherlands, a small country doing big things. bunq, bank of The Free, offers mobile banking that makes life easy for every new chapter in one's life, and for the digital nomad in everyone.

Born out of Ali's interest in creating products that people like to use, bunq began in 2012 and its mobile app came out in 2015, all with the aim to help the world forward and do banking a little differently. bunq has brought lasting change to the European banking industry. Having built a product rooted in customer needs and wants, bunq quickly scaled to become the second largest neobank in the EU. Serving digital nomads across the European Economic Area, bunq makes life easy for location-independent people and businesses starting from the way they manage money: how they spend, save, budget and invest.

On a mission to build the first global neobank for digital nomads, bunq announced its bid to enter the US market (April 2023) by applying for a banking license.

It's an intriguing story, not to be missed!

https://youtu.be/xflfJpM60NI?si=oKMhKcL13Q_eJM9s

This week on Breaking Banks, we take you inside fintechXchange, hosted by the Stena Center for Financial Technology at the University of Utah. As a proud media partner of the event, we explore how industry, academia, and policymakers are coming together to drive the future of financial services.Host Jason Henrichs sits down with Meghan Kober, VP of Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank, Taylor Randall, President of the University of Utah, and Ryan Christiansen, Executive Director of the Stena Center for Financial Technology. Together, they discuss the power of ecosystem building, highlighting the incredible human capital fueling innovation: VCs, startups, and institutions of all sizes collaborating to shape the next wave of fintech growth and banking transformation.

Then, it’s time for the first Hot Takes of 2025, recorded live from 'Silicon Slopes'! Alex Johnson (Fintech Takes) and Jason Mikula (Fintech Business Weekly) are back in the hot seats with Jason Henrichs to break down the latest fintech headlines with sharp insights and no-holds-barred opinions. They dive into:

The latest in open banking, the CFPB and regulation

The fate of BaaS Island, Synapse, and Patriot Bank’s BSA & AML challenges

What really is possible with bankruptcy proceedings and what does it mean for fintech’s future

This episode is packed with insight, energy, and hard-hitting discussions you won’t want to miss!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ-bdJNLu60

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We are excited to introduce you to Provoke.fm's newest podcast....a-spinoff-of-a-spinoff of Breaking Banks. Bankers Bookshelf brings cutting edge banking and fintech research to life, sharing the stories and strategies behind financial innovation, bridging the gap between technology and finance -- a perfect fit for the Breaking Banks family! Host Paolo Sironi, global research leader in banking and financial markets at IBM Institute for Business Value, is a trailblazer in fintech himself.

In this episode, Paolo connects with Ronit Ghose who runs the Future of Finance team in Citi's thought leadership unit "Citi Global Insights", and is the author of Future Money: Fintech, AI and Web 3.

The world of money is rapidly changing, but what does it all really mean? The duo discuss insights from the book with Ronit bringing technical topics to vivid life via narrative deep dives into selected founders and their companies. From London to Lagos, via Ahmedabad, Dubai, Hong Kong, Karachi and more, this episode pulls together the story of how money is changing in the internet era.

Subscribe to Bankers Bookshelf https://provoke.fm/show/the-bankers-bookshelf/ or listen via your preferred podcast platform now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1E9Fs3rco