Fintech Business Podcast

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Michele Alt, cofounder and managing director of Klaros Group and a 22-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Michele and I had the chance to discuss:

* What the opening of the “charter window” means and how fintechs should think about the opportunity

* The de novo process vs. acquiring an existing bank

* Michele and Klaro’s recent work on SmartBiz’s acquisition of United Community Bancshares and its subsidiary, Centrust Bank

* Thinking through when becoming or buying a bank makes sense vs. when it might not

* The open letter Michele coauthored alongside many other industry experts advocating for changes the federal bank regulators can make to streamline de novo bank formation

* What Michele is keeping her eye on in DC at the moment

* And much more!

In this episode, we discussed:

* Alex and I recorded this before “Liberation Day” and thus before Klarna chose to delay its IPO; that said, our analysis of Klarna’s F-1 registration statement stands!

* A return to BaaS Island: a first-hand account of Mercury and Evolve’s abrupt public parting of ways; what other banks, fintechs, and regulators can learn from the chaotic split.

* It’s charter time: a brief discussion of SmartBiz, OakNorth, and OneMain’s progress on charters; prescient, given the news this week that Stripe has applied for Georgia’s merchant acquirer limit purpose bank (MALPB) charter (more on Stripe’s news from me here, including a copy of the public portion of its application.)

* And, as always, what Alex and I just can’t let go of.

In this episode, I had the chance to talk with Matthew Goldman, a true expert in the card space. Matthew has done stints at Green Dot, AT&T, Bankrate, and Apto Payments, as well as starting multiple of his own ventures. Matthew currently published the CardsFTW newsletter and is the founder and managing member of boutique fintech consultancy Totavi.

We had a chance to discuss:

* Matthew’s thoughts on where fintech debit & credit card businesses stand in 2025, including if interchange alone is a sustainability business model (hint: it’s not)

* Whether or not there’s room for another big consumer fintech out there

* The changing infrastructure space, including the difference between issuer processors and program managers

* Crypto & stablecoins

* and more!

In this episode, I had the chance to speak with ledgering, reconciliation, and compliance startup NAYA’s CEO Sherif Kozman. We had a chance to discuss:

* Why ledgering and reconciliation, especially in fintech-bank partnerships, is so dang difficult (hint: legacy cores, batch payment files & more)

* The consequences of poor ledgering and reconciliation

* Advice for banks and fintechs struggling to manage manual processes

* And more

In this episode, I had the chance to speak Current’s cofounder and CTO, Trevor Marshall, and Cross River Bank’s Head of Strategy and Development, Hillel Olivestone. We had the chance to talk about:

* Why Current decided to build its own tech stack & what it’s enabled the company to do

* How Current and Cross River think about the “buy vs. build” debate

* The “jobs to be done” addressed by Current’s Build Card

* Current’s latest Datos Insight case study

* The beauty and resiliency of ACH flat files (yes, really)

* And more!

In this episode, Alex Johnson and I discuss:

* The chaos in DC. What might in mean for banking, fintech & consumers?* Varo Bank struggles on, with a new CEO and some additional capital.* A grab bag of BNPL topics.* And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of.

In this episode, I had the chance to speak to Rafa Plantier, Head of Go-to-Market at Gigs, the world’s first operating system for mobile services, enabling companies, including neobanks, HR and travel platforms, and device manufacturers, to seamlessly embed phone and data plans into their products within weeks. Gigs provides an end-to-end connectivity platform with everything brands need to launch and operate their own multi-market mobile service.

We had the chance to discuss:

* The opportunity banks and fintechs see in the mobile connectivity space

* What geographies and customer segments may be more open to bundling mobile service with their financial provider

* How Rafa’s experience in banking and fintech has informed how he thinks about mobile phone service (and vice-versa)

* And much more!

Hey all, Jason here.

Alex Johnson, creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap, where we unpack some of the biggest stories in fintech, banking, and crypto.

We recorded this ~very special episode~ live during the Fintech XChange event in Salt Lake City, Utah, late last month — and were joined by Alloy Labs Alliance CEO Jason Henrichs (the more Jasons the merrier!). We had the chance to talk about:

* Revelations that the Department of Justice is investigating the Synapse catastrophe

* Patriot Bank’s BaaS-related enforcement action

* Ramp’s launch of Ramp Treasury

* Rohit Chopra’s land stand at the CFPB

* And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of…

If you enjoy listening to this podcast and find value in it, please consider supporting me (and finhealth non-profits!) by signing up for a paid subscription. It wouldn’t be possible to do what I do without the support of listeners like you!

This month, Alex and I had the chance to talk about:

* CBW Bank’s fights a $20.5 million civil money penalty that could “imperil” the bank’s existence

* Will the IPO window open in 2025? Chime confidentially files to go public.

* The CPFB’s parting shots: the bureau files suit against Walmart & Branch (but not partner Evolve Bank & Trust)

* And, as always, what Alex & Jason just can’t let go of

Alex Johnson, creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap. This month we had the chance to talk about:

* Our time in Washington, DC, to attend the American Fintech Council Policy Summit, FinRegLab’s AI Symposium, and a variety of other meetings

* What’s been happening on “BaaS Island,” with the Synapse bankruptcy moving into its next phase as depositors are left wondering when — or if — they’ll ever be made whole

* The CFPB’s rule defining larger participant in the digital wallet space

* …and, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of