Africa is home to half the world’s mobile money accounts—yet faces massive gaps in banking, infrastructure, and financial inclusion. In this episode, Igor Tomych speaks with Rajesh Savji Parmar, founder of Indelible, about how fintech is evolving on the continent.

You’ll hear about:

• How M-Pesa sparked Africa’s fintech revolution.

• Why telcos like MTN MOMO are ahead of banks in payments.

• The shift from remittances and crowdfunding to embedded finance.

• Indelible’s Pay2Nature embeds micro-donations into everyday payments.

• The role of central banks, regulation, and partnerships in scaling fintech.

• Why biodiversity and sustainability are the next frontier for fintech founders.
  

👉 Whether you’re curious about African fintech, embedded finance, or impact investing, this episode is packed with insights from someone who has built businesses across the continent for nearly two decades.

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In this episode, DashDevs CEO Igor Tomych speaks with Lex Sokolin about his journey through fintech’s biggest shifts—from robo-advisors and wealthtech to Ethereum, MetaMask, and stablecoins.

You’ll hear about:*Founding one of the first U.S. robo-advisors in 2009*Lessons from AdvisorEngine’s growth and acquisition by Franklin Templeton*Building research and products at ConsenSys during the rise of DeFi*Scaling MetaMask to 100M+ users worldwide*Why stablecoins are a strictly better substitute for open banking and embedded finance*What the Synapse collapse teaches about counterparty risk*Book recommendations for understanding the future: Accelerando by Charles Stross & Silo by Hugh Howey

What does Revolut’s $75 billion valuation mean for the future of fintech banks? And how will EPI Wero, the new European payments initiative, reshape instant payments, merchant acquiring, and digital wallets across Europe?

In this episode, Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea explore how digital banks are scaling, why Revolut license milestones matter, and what payment innovation in Europe says about the global fintech future.

They cover the rise of SEPA instant payments, the importance of settlement T+1 for merchants, and how local wallets and payment gateways are transforming European commerce. The conversation also looks at the Klarna IPO, FedNow news from the U.S., and the growing role of AI shopping and agentic commerce in retail.

Most importantly, they discuss how payments compliance, digital trust, and cross-border systems will define the future of fintech in Europe and beyond. Whether you’re tracking travel payments, crypto fintech adoption, or the next personal finance apps, this episode is packed with insight.

What happens when fintech banks mature? Why do challenger banks like Revolut, Wise, and Monobank start to resemble high street banks? In this episode, Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea unpack The Great Unbundling in Fintech, exploring EMI license vs. full banking license, fintech compliance and KYC fintech, and the future of neobanks.

They cover the Revolut license expansion, the Wise evolution into wealth management and personal finance apps, and the Monobank case as a showcase of Eastern Europe fintech adoption. The conversation highlights how super apps, stablecoin banking, and crypto fintech are reshaping the industry.

Most importantly, they examine how digital trust, compliance, and the US vs EU banking innovation gap define the fintech future. Whether you’re interested in the Mercury bank model for SMEs or how neobanks integrate wealth management and personal finance apps, this is an essential listen.

In this episode, Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea explore what it means to build AI-native fintech platforms—where intelligence isn’t bolted on but designed into the foundation from day one.

They unpack how Klarna, Nubank, and Monese are re-architecting around AI, why regulation is racing to keep up, and how fintech leaders must balance innovation with transparency, risk, and resilience.

🔍 Key Topics:

✅ What makes a fintech truly AI-native—not just AI-enabled

✅ Embedded AI in onboarding, compliance, lending, and risk

✅ How the EU AI Act and UK sandboxes shape the future

✅ Fragility vs. adaptability: hidden risks in AI-first platforms

✅ Ethical product design in AI-driven financial services

📌 Whether you're building AI-powered products, scaling embedded finance, or aligning with upcoming AI regulations, this episode lays out the real blueprint.

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In this episode, Igor Tomych welcomes Rutger van Faassen, CEO of Informationbanker, to explore the real-world impact of stablecoins—from policy to product.

Why is the U.S. suddenly leading in stablecoin adoption? And what role will remittances, Shopify, freelancers, and cross-border payments play in their mass adoption?

🔍 Key Topics:

✅ U.S. regulatory clarity: Stablecoin & GENESIS Acts

✅ Real-world use cases: Remittances, freelancers, payroll

✅ How stablecoins act as a store of value in high-inflation regions

✅ Risks and auditability of fiat-pegged tokens

✅ Lessons from Apple Pay’s trust curve

📌 Whether you're building crypto payments, watching regulation, or scaling fintech globally, this is essential listening.

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In this first episode of our new Planted Wrong series, we dive into the story of Tally, a San Francisco-based fintech startup that set out to eliminate credit card debt with a robo-refinancing app — and raised millions from top VCs like a16z.

🎯 So why did it shut down in 2024?

We unpack what went wrong, from skyrocketing CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) to weak financial strategy — and how even great products can fail without a solid business model.

📚 Books Mentioned:

– The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

– Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker

💬 What do you think caused Tally to fail? Drop your thoughts in the comments — we’d love to hear your take.

In this episode of Fintech Garden, Igor Tomych sits down with Petr Baron, CEO of tbi fs, to explore how one regional bank quietly built a hybrid challenger model—and succeeded.

From Bulgaria to Romania to Greece, tbi has grown into a digital-first, profit-driven fintech player by doing what most neobanks didn’t: combining a physical presence with seamless digital services.

🔍 Key topics:

✅ Why tbi blends physical service centers with mobile-first experiences

✅ How post-crisis roots shaped a sustainable fintech strategy

✅ The role of merchant-led BNPL in building long-term value

✅ How trust, empathy, and local presence still win customers

✅ What it takes to run a profitable, credit-led fintech bank in 3 countries

📌 Whether you’re building a digital bank, designing a BNPL strategy, or exploring expansion in Southeast Europe—this episode is full of strategic insight.

🎧 In this episode of Fintech Garden, Igor Tomych speaks with Ayo Ojerinola, Founder & CEO of Nobo, about the rise of stablecoins and their role in transforming payments, finance, and global adoption.

They explore:

– What stablecoins are and why USDT/USDC dominate

– Custodial vs non-custodial wallets (made simple)

– Why Stripe and others are embracing stablecoins

– Real-world use cases: DeFi, cross-border payments, tokenized assets

– The UX and regulatory barriers still holding mass adoption back

💡 “People don’t want to manage keys. They just want to pay for coffee.”

👉 Subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone curious about the future of money.

In this episode, Igor Tomych and Sam Boboev explore how digital wallets and big tech are reshaping the future of global payments.They discuss how tokenization, network effects, and super apps like Revolut are turning wallets into complete financial ecosystems—and what this means for users, banks, and fintech builders.

🔍 Key topics:

✅ How tokenization enables continued payments even after cards expire

✅ Why wallets are growing faster in GCC and Southeast Asia

✅ The role of super apps like Revolut in defining the modern wallet

✅ What Europe’s Vero initiative means for Visa/Mastercard dominance

✅ How network effects—not features—are driving wallet adoption

📌 Whether you're building a wallet, integrating with one, or watching where the payments industry is heading, this episode is a must-listen.