Fintech Recap

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.

This month we had the chance to talk about:

* The launch of Klarna’s bank account gift card

* Affirm’s killer earnings

* Are niche neobanks back?

* Apple opening up NFC (sort of)

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

Also, if you’re attending Finovate next week, keep your eye out for us!

I’ll be taking the stage with some of my favorite industry colleagues, Alex, Jason Henrichs, and Kiah, to discuss the perennial topic in US fintech, banking-as-a-service. I imagine the brokered deposits topic may make a cameo.

I’ll also be attending Alloy Labs happy hour on the This Week In Fintech happy hour on Tuesday — hope to see you there!

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!

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.

This month we had the chance to talk about:

* Mercury, which partners with Evolve Bank & Trust and Choice Bank, informed users based in or with ties to certain countries, including Ukraine and Nigeria, that it would close their accounts — what’s happening and how Mercury is handling it

* Bank regulators’ request for information on bank-fintech partnerships offers clues about what the they may be worried about

* CFPB drops interpretive guidance saying earned wage access may be considered “credit” for certain purposes under TILA

* FDIC votes on rule to effectively reverse 2020’s brokered deposits rule

* 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 Johnson and I had the chance to talk about:

* Jason’s special news: I wrote a book! The book, Banking as a Service: Opportunities, Challenges and Risks of New Banking Business Models, will be available toward the end of the year — but you can preorder now, and if you order directly from the publisher here and use promo code “BAASISLAND,” you get 20% off!

* Pirates invade BaaS island: Evolve Bank & Trust, partner to dozens of fintech programs, hacked by Russian ransomware group LockBit

* Elsewhere in BaaS news: Thread’s consent order

* Apple drops Apple Pay Later, will partner with issuers and BNPL firms instead

* Chevron decision drops (disclosure: neither Alex nor Jason are lawyers)

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

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

* “BaaS Island” is heating up: Synapse files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with TabaPay slated to acquire its assets, and Solid settles its dispute with its former investors, FTV.

* Is 2024 going to be the year of “pay by bank”? Alex and I aren’t entirely convinced.

* A federal earned wage access bill is in the works (but unlikely to pass anytime soon).

* VC darling BloomTech’s CFPB consent order.

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

This month, we were joined by Jon Zanoff of Empire Startups, and we had the chance to talk about:

* The deal of the century: Capital One’s acquisition of Discover

* Another trip to “BaaS Island,” to discuss Lineage’s consent order and other developments

* A preview of New York Fintech Week & Jon’s Empire Fintech Conference

* And what we 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:

* Another trip to “BaaS Island” to discuss Blue Ridge & Choice Bank enforcement actions amid the ongoing regulatory sweep of banking-as-a-service

* Buy now, pay later expansion strategies: subscription plans? Savings accounts? What is more or less likely to work and why.

* PayPal’s attempt to “shock” the world falls flat

* Alex tries to explain Bilt Rewards to me

* And, as always, what Alex and 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, where we unpack some of the biggest stories in fintech, banking, and crypto.

This month, we had the chance to talk about:

* Changing dynamics in reimbursement rules for victims of authorized push payment fraud.

* Revolut’s claims that is growing quickly and a UK bank license is imminent.

* The next fintech trend: unlocking benefits of tax-advantage accounts. Are these companies, or features?

* Alex’s favorite topic: credit building. A quick recap of TomoCredit’s dubious credit builder offering.

* Alex and I take our first visit to “BaaS Island.”

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

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

* the growing “fintech reckoning,” especially among consumer fintechs, with reports of possible shutdowns, sales, and pivots for companies like HMBradley, Petal, Apple/Goldman Sachs, Mint, Braid, Catch, and many others you probably haven’t even heard of

* Alex’s favorite topic, credit builder products: including Tomo’s perplexing offering, Region’s partnership with Self, and the wider product space

* as well as a quick discussion of the Fed’s proposed lowering of the Durbin interchange cap and Plaid’s decision to create a consumer reporting agency subsidiary

* and, like every month, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of

Alex and I had a chance to catch up LIVE at Money2020. We had a chance to talk about our hot takes and trends from Money2020, including:

* what’s off trend (crypto) and on trend (generative AI, compliance)

* trying to parse fact vs. fiction in companies saying they’re “AI-powered”

* fintech infrastructure, including Alex’s visit to the FedNow® booth

* cannabis banking and the SAFE (and SAFE-R) Banking Act

* realizing that most in Congress have no idea what “fintech” is

* and much more!

This month, we were joined by special guest Matthew Goldman, card expert and author of CardsFTW, to talk about:

* A grab bag of banking-as-a-service topics, including the situation at Solid, Stripe and Goldman’s partnership, and where things may be headed in 2024

* Mastercard’s letter clapping back at reporting it plans to hike rates

* Varo’s launch of “Varo to Anyone,” a P2P service that enables Varo users to send money to any US debit card

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