Everything is Fintech

Join us for another edition of Everything is Fintech, where host Oliver Smith sits down with Megan Caywood, CEO and founder of Caywood and former Chief Product Officer at Barclays, to explore the transformative power of agentic AI in financial services.

Key Discussion Points

The Evolution of Digital Banking Megan shares her journey from Starling Bank—one of the UK's first true digital challenger banks—to leading digital transformation at Barclays. She reflects on how far the industry has come from the friction-filled banking experiences of the mid-2010s, when opening an account required paper forms and logging into mobile apps involved multiple security codes.

The Agentic AI Revolution The conversation centers on what Megan calls "agentic transformation"—the shift from AI that simply predicts to AI that acts, executes, and learns autonomously within regulated frameworks. She envisions a future where consumers have a "CFO in their pocket" that doesn't just provide insights but actively manages finances on their behalf.

B2B Applications in Banking Megan details Caywood's current focus on bringing agentic AI to banks' internal operations, particularly in areas like daily liquidity management and compliance reporting. She explains how these systems can create transparent audit logs that satisfy both internal needs and regulatory requirements.

Challenges and Opportunities The discussion explores critical questions about the future of banking: Will banks develop their own agents, or will consumers use independent agents that disintermediate the bank-customer relationship? What are the roadblocks to adoption, from risk aversion to legacy systems? And is the agentic AI hype sustainable?

The Human-AI Partnership Megan emphasizes that agentic AI's success depends on organizations embracing an "interintelligence partnership" that empowers AI to act autonomously while focusing human creativity on higher-order work.

Caywood: https://caywood.ai/

Follow Megan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megcaywood/

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Nathan Marion, Head of B2B at Nubank, joins us to explore the innovative world of NuPay and how it's transforming the payment landscape in Brazil.

He shares fascinating insights into how Nubank—one of the world's largest digital banks serving over 100 million customers—is expanding beyond consumer banking into the B2B space with NuPay, their revolutionary payment solution.

Key Takeaways:

• NuPay offers transaction-specific credit up to 36 installments (vs. standard 12), enabling purchases that would otherwise be declined
• Seamless integration as a checkout button that requires no customer onboarding—if you're a Nubank user, you can pay instantly
• Reduced fraud and costs for merchants through closed-loop processing, leading to higher conversion rates and lower chargebacks
• PIX's revolutionary impact on Brazil's payment ecosystem and why the country has become a global fintech innovation leader
• Nubank's impressive scale: serving 60% of Brazil's adult population and expanding into Mexico, Colombia, and potentially the US

Nathan also discusses real-world applications like Uber partnerships, the future of Latin American fintech, and how Brazil's regulatory environment is driving world-class financial solutions.

NuBank: https://international.nubank.com.br/about/

Follow Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlmarion/

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In this episode of Everything is Fintech, hear from two of Africa’s most inspiring fintech leaders— Olugbenga "GB" Agboola, the CEO and co-founder of Flutterwave, and Benjamin Fernandes, the founder and CEO of Nala Money. They share their raw, unfiltered stories about what it really takes to build game-changing companies in Africa’s complex financial landscape.

From navigating impossible visa challenges to figuring out how to make payments work across 54 countries, this conversation is packed with insights, laughs, and moments that will make you stop and think. GB and Nala’s founder talk about the hustle, the heartbreak, and the hope that drives them to keep pushing forward.

You’ll hear about the “Flutterwave Mafia” (yes, it’s a thing), the untapped potential of Africa’s booming population, and why building fintech in Africa is both the hardest and most rewarding thing they’ve ever done.

Episode Highlights:

• GB’s journey from PayPal engineer to building Flutterwave in 2016.
• How Nala Money pivoted to cross-border payments and the grind of building local infrastructure.
• The crazy regulatory maze of operating across Africa’s 54 countries.
• Why Africa’s growing population is the biggest opportunity for fintech.
• The inspiring ripple effect of Flutterwave alumni starting their own companies.

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What happens when a 220-year-old investment giant collides with cutting-edge tech? Beth Saint, CMO of Schroders, is here to spill the secrets. Tune in to Everything is Fintech, where Beth takes us behind the curtain of one of the most respected names in finance to reveal how she’s shaking up the game.

Highlights include:

• Why AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s Schroders’ secret weapon for hyper-personalized customer experiences
• The bold move to turn 6,000 employees into brand amplifiers (and why it works)
• How trust is built in the chaos of market crashes—and why reputation is everything
• Beth’s unapologetic take on modernizing a legacy brand without losing its soul

The conversation is raw, real, and packed with insights that will make you rethink the future of finance and marketing.

Schroders: https://www.schroders.com/en/global/individual/

Follow Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsaint/

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Delve into the dynamic world of the creator economy with two visionary leaders: Michael Cavallaro, Co-Founder and CEO of Manifest Financial, and Crystal Jackson, Founder of essentL. Together, they share their unique journeys and discuss how fintech is reshaping the landscape for creators, solopreneurs, and micro-businesses.

Michael Cavallaro brings his extensive experience in investment banking and fintech to the table, offering insights into how Manifest Financial is addressing the critical gaps in financial services for creators. From providing business banking solutions to tackling challenges like credit access and cash flow management, Michael explains how Manifest is empowering creators to organize their finances, leverage their earnings, and scale their businesses.

Crystal Jackson, a creator herself with over 5 million followers across platforms, shares her personal story of navigating the creator economy and the challenges she faced in accessing essential business infrastructure. As the founder of essentL, she highlights the importance of HR benefits, payroll, health insurance, and IP protection for creators who are building their brands and businesses. Crystal’s passion for helping creators treat themselves as corporations shines through as she discusses how essentL is filling a critical void in the market.

This episode also explores broader themes, including the stigma creators face from traditional financial institutions, the rise of entrepreneurship among younger generations, and the growing influence of creators in shaping media consumption and commerce. 

Tune in to learn how Manifest and essentL are paving the way for creators to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Manifest Finacial: https://www.manifestfinancial.com/

essentL: https://essentlcreator.com/

Follow Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cavallaro-55a4296/

Follow Crystal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-jackson-mba-8893b72bb/

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On the latest episode of Everything is Fintech, Mike Blandina, CIO of Snowflake, shares his deep expertise on the transformative impact of AI in enterprise finance. Drawing from his 35+ years in fintech and financial services, Mike explores how businesses can harness AI to drive innovation while navigating the complexities of trust, accuracy, and regulatory compliance.

Key highlights include Snowflake’s groundbreaking approach to AI deployment, the importance of starting small with repetitive tasks to build reliability, and the role of human oversight in achieving higher accuracy. 

Mike also delves into the challenges posed by fragmented data systems and evolving global regulations, offering actionable insights on how companies can remain adaptable and competitive in a rapidly shifting technological and geopolitical landscape.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the future of AI in enterprise finance and how to strategically implement it for long-term success.

Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/en/

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeblandina/

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In this episode of Everything is Fintech, we sit down with Michelle Gill, EVP and GM of Small Business and Financial Services at PayPal, to explore the cutting-edge developments in agentic commerce. Michelle shares insights into how PayPal is revolutionizing the payments landscape by enabling AI agents to autonomously complete transactions, manage subscriptions, and more. From the challenges merchants face in adapting to this new environment to the exciting opportunities for consumers, this episode dives deep into the future of commerce and the role PayPal is playing in shaping it.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how AI agents are transforming commerce by autonomously completing transactions and creating seamless shopping experiences.
• Discover how PayPal is helping merchants adapt to agentic commerce through simplified integrations and partnerships with major players like Google and Perplexity.
• Understand the shift in consumer behavior and how AI-driven experiences are becoming mainstream, with 40% of holiday shoppers expected to use LLM surfaces for discovery.
• Gain insights into what’s next for agentic commerce, including autonomous order dropping and inventory management by 2026.

PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/home

Follow Michelle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-gill-47b2a85/

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In this exciting episode of Everything is Fintech, we sit down with Andries Smit, Chief Growth Business Officer at inDrive, live from Money2020 Middle East. inDrive, the second most downloaded ride-hailing app globally, is making waves in 48 emerging markets with its unique approach to mobility and financial inclusion. Andries shares the company’s mission to challenge systemic injustices in ride-hailing, offering transparency and choice to both drivers and passengers through an innovative bidding model.

The conversation dives deep into how inDrive leverages fintech solutions to address real-world challenges, such as providing driver loans to improve livelihoods and productivity. Andries also discusses the company’s strategic expansion into new markets, focusing on areas with unmet needs and systemic inefficiencies. 

With a bold vision to impact a billion lives by 2030, this episode offers a fascinating look at how inDrive is reshaping mobility and financial services in emerging markets.

inDrive: https://indrive.com/en-in
Follow Andries: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andriessmit/

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Welcome to the Everything is Fintech podcast’s special 2026 Predictions episode! Join the global Money20/20 team of fintech futurists, Oliver Smith, Dhanum Nursigadoo, Virginia Pereira Alvarez, and Sheryl Chen, as they dive into bold, brilliant, and potentially outrageous predictions for the future of finance.

From AI revolutionizing the industry to the rise of community finance orchestrators, stronger financial regulations, and ChatGPT’s potential to become the first true financial super app, this episode is packed with insights, debates, and a healthy dose of uncertainty. Will these predictions come true? Who in the *F* knows?

This conversation is just the beginning! The ideas explored here will spark even more debates, discussions, and groundbreaking insights at Money20/20 events happening all year long across the globe: Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the USA.

Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the twists and turns shaping the global financial system. Don’t miss this wild ride into the unpredictable frontier of fintech!

Read more predictions: https://www.money2020.com/content/predictions

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What happens when a self-proclaimed geek, a former intelligence officer, and a fintech disruptor walks into a podcast? You get Ran Goldi, the man behind Fireblocks, a company that powers 15-20% of all blockchain transactions globally.

In this no-holds-barred episode of Everything is Fintech, we cut through the fluff to talk about:

• Why most banks and fintechs still don’t have a clue about stablecoins (and why they need to get their act together).
• The wild origin story of Fireblocks, from hacking prevention to moving trillions securely.
• How AI and blockchain are colliding to create opportunities (and chaos) in fintech.
• The paranoia-fueled strategies that keep Fireblocks ahead of 85 competitors.

Hit play to find out why Goldi thinks the future of finance is already here, and why most of us are still playing catch-up.

Fireblocks: https://www.fireblocks.com/

Follow Goldi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rangoldi

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