Fintech Takes

Sorting out hype from reality is one of the hardest jobs in fintech.

Frank Rotman, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer at QED Investors, joins Alex on today’s episode to do exactly that.

Alex and Frank dig into what went wrong with a recent fintech acquisition by JP Morgan Chase and how investors can do a better job spotting founder fraud.

They apply first principles thinking to a bunch of cliched fintech predictions, including ones on ChatGPT, BNPL, and cashflow underwriting.

And finally, Frank faces a lightening round of quick questions, including what he’d change in financial services if he could wave a magic wand.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Frank:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rotman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fintechjunkie

How did banks do in Q4 2022 and how is 2023 shaping up? 

Alex is joined by Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director. They get into some of the headlines and news that have caught their attention over the last few weeks, including bank earnings and Jiko offering easy access to T-Bills. They also get to nerd out on some bank history, and pose an impossible-to-answer question.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Kiah:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/



Which fintech companies do you need to know about? Alex and guest, Simon Taylor, turn the spotlight on four companies that caught their attention this month and talk about the larger trends behind these companies.

Simon is the writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter.

He and Alex dive into four interesting companies disrupting investing, payments, mortgage lending, and creator fintech. 

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Simon:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:43 Still NOT Fintech Investment Advice

02:22 Unpacking The Offer

05:20 Simon’s Rant

09:11 Keeping Users On Platform

10:05 Account To Account Payment Powered By Open Banking

19:43 Buy Now, Pay Later Model

21:04 The Fintech Disruptor

23:59 Banging The Drum For Long Term Benefits

32:01 The Future Of Mortgage Lending

Kicking off season 2 Alex and co-host Jason Mikula get straight into the Fintech news making waves.

From Revolut’s latest super-premium offer, what’s really behind Capital One’s layoffs, and why Robinhood is basically a drunk college kid.

All the fintech news and searing analysis from two of the sharpest minds in the business.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:33 The Revolut Rollout

03:33 But What’s The Point?

06:50 The Non-Reality Playbook

09:35 Throwing Spaghetti At The Wall

15:48 Meet The Chief Sleuthing Officer

17:59 Chime’s Thoughtful Growth Strategy

24:08 The Pro Innovation Approach

26:40 An Outrageously Popular Newsletter

34:19 Robinhood As A College Kid

We live in the golden age of Fintech, with companies springing up all over the place. The pressure to stay ahead of the curve is immense and it’s easy to lose track of your mission when you’re struggling to keep up with the latest trends.

That’s when you need a Fintech nerd.

Alex Johnson is the creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, host of this podcast, and self-confessed Fintech nerd.

He talks to some of the most knowledgeable nerds in the business about the latest Fintech trends, emerging companies you need to keep tabs on, and all the Fintech news that matters.

Be part of a community exploring the fun side of Fintech, answering your questions and always staying curious.

Each week you’ll hear expert analysis and fascinating conversations between Alex and one of his expert co-hosts, a Fintech operator working right at the coal face.

The second season drops soon with new episodes every week. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this look back over October’s Fintech news, find out why Money Lion fell foul of regulators, and major takeaways from the CFPB’s Buy Now, Pay Later report.

Alex is joined by Jason Mikula, writer of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter. They get into Money Lion’s lawsuit woes, why the simplicity of Buy Now models is a strength, and take a deeper dive into Walmart’s checking account offer.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

An open finance economy has the potential to benefit millions of people. Find out how Jim Magats is building systems that change lives.

Alex and Jim get into how he helped PayPal rebuild trust with the bank, why being on the customer’s side always wins, and why you should never sacrifice customer experience for innovation.

Follow Jim:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-magats-3601931

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Join Alex in the first of his live podcasts, with some seriously spicy takes from his guests. Find out why Jason believes banking as a service is BS and why he’s bought the hot sauce with him.

The show comes from live from Colorado where Alex, Jason and Adam were recording during the Fintech Devcon 2022 event.

They get into why BAAS is broken, why disruption doesn’t work without a plan, and how fintech solutions are being presented in a whole new way, as part of an ongoing narrative.

With plenty of hot takes (and hot wings), join Alex and the panel for a great discussion on the latest fintech trends.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

When you don’t have enough credit data it’s impossible to get a mortgage, loan or even a credit card. Misha is on a mission to bring financial equity to millions of Americans. Find out how.

Between 50 and 70 million people in the US don’t have enough data built up in the credit system to access financial products. The barrier is particularly high for recent immigrants to the US. Nova Credit is solving the problem by allowing people to bring their credit history with them.

Alex and Misha get straight into the heart of the issue when it comes to accessing global credit data, how Credit Nova is helping bridge the gaps, and how he persuaded big finance that consumers should be the owners of their own data.

Follow Misha:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mishaesipov

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Since 2013, 70 billion records have been stolen or compromised and that’s hit businesses hard. But NeuroID has a solution. One that does impact customer experience. 

How do you know someone is who they say they are? Neuro ID is leveraging neuroscience technology to create a frictionless answer, saving fintech companies time and money.

Meet Jack Alton, CEO of NeuroID. He and Alex jump straight into it, discussing why if you think your identity hasn’t been stolen, you probably just don’t know about it yet, how NeuroID actually works, and how his company is reconnecting fintechs to the humans on the other side of the screen.

You’ll also hear Jack’s take on why poor customer experience drives potential customers away forever.

Follow Jack:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jackalton

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

Follow Alex: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com