Soft landings are a topic of hot conversation these days. The go-go days where you can always raise another round are gone. The ecosystem is littered with companies with little product market fit, less revenue and even less runway. Many of these are looking for a soft spot to land. Unfortunately M&A is hard in the best of times and many fintechs are now looking to banks as a potential exit.

In the first half of today’s show, Jason Zaler, partner at Oliver Wyman, joins Jason Henrichs to discuss Oliver Wyman’s  new report on bank fintech M&A. In the second half,  Robert Antoniades, General Partner at Information Venture Partners, and Jason H talk about 3 decades of venture cycles and M&A more broadly including strategies for big banks, community banks, fintechs and even VCs.

Read the entire transcript here.

Introductory thoughts on fintech struggles and the shifting landscape of bank-fintech partnerships.

Exploring the difficulties banks face in acquiring fintechs and factors impacting M&A deals.

A deep dive into SoFi’s significant acquisitions, including Galileo and Technisys.

Outlining the playbook for integrating fintech acquisitions successfully.

Challenges fintechs and banks face in complying with emerging regulations.

Discussion on venture capital cycles, overfunded startups, and future fintech consolidation.

Predictions on soft landings, hard landings, and where fintechs are headed next.