What does it actually take for a Fintech brand to stand out when everyone is competing for the same attention?

In this episode of Fintech Talks, Laura Gibson-Lamothe sits down with Mike Neumeier and Erica England of Arketi Group for a candid conversation about trust, visibility, storytelling, thought leadership, and what changes when AI makes content easier than ever to create.

They get into what companies often get wrong, why original thinking still matters, how earned media shapes credibility, and what Atlanta can do to keep strengthening its Fintech story nationally and globally.
One of the best lines from the conversation:

“In order to be a thought leader, you have to first have a thought.”

We also close with a look at Atlanta’s talent ecosystem and what’s ahead for Atlanta Fintech Week.

Learn more about Arketi Group: https://arketi.com
Learn more about Atlanta Fintech Week: https://atlfintechweek.com

#Fintech #ThoughtLeadership #AI #Marketing #AtlantaFintech

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https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Atlanta has long been one of the most important fintech and payments ecosystems in the world. Atlanta Fintech Week is about bringing that ecosystem together and opening the doors for others to experience it.

In this special edition of Fintech Talks, we sit down with the team behind Atlanta Fintech Week to talk about why the week was created, what makes it different from a traditional conference, and how fintech professionals, companies, founders, students and partners from Atlanta and beyond can get involved.

Atlanta Fintech Week is designed as a community-driven week of curated experiences across the city, with programming spanning talent and innovation, payments, startups and investment, global fintech, AI, policy, risk, relationship-building and more.

Featuring:

Moderator - Olivia Held, NXTMOVES

Panelists/Organizing Committee - 
Ania Lackey, Fintech Atlanta
Grant Wainscott, Tech Atlanta Advocates
Robert “RED” Daniel, Standups & Startups
Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Georgia Fintech Academy

Atlanta Fintech Week
September 28–October 2, 2026

Explore the latest events and start building your week at atlfintechweek.com.

Come curious. Make connections. And find your way to plug in.

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

NXTMOVES co-founders Steve Nigri and Walt Hoffmann spent a year talking to nearly 100 banks before building their unified program management platform. What they found: sponsor banks were drowning in fragmented visibility across card programs, and the fintechs launching those programs were quietly managing 9 or 10 vendor relationships they never signed up for.

In this episode of Fintech Talks, we get into:

-What actually goes into launching a compliant card program
-Why banks want to hear about compliance before they care about your revenue projections
-How NXTMOVES orchestrates the relationship between issuers, processors, and compliance vendors
-Why Atlanta has become a hub for real payments expertise
-What's ahead for Atlanta Fintech Week

Learn more about NXTMOVES: https://nxtmoves.io
Atlanta Fintech Week (September 28 to October 2): https://atlfintechweek.com
Fintech South (August 18, hosted by TAG): https://www.fintechsouth.com
Connect with Steve Nigri:   https://linkedin.com/in/stevenigri  
Connect with Walt Hoffmann:   https://linkedin.com/in/ walter-h-50562a17  
Fintech Talks is a Georgia Fintech Academy podcast hosted by Laura Gibson-Lamothe.
#FinTech #Payments #AtlantaFintech #CardPrograms #GeorgiaFintechAcademy

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

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Fintech Talks: Money20/20 Europe | Hugo Horton: Modernizing Cross-Border Payments & Global Expansion

Recorded live at Money20/20 Europe, Laura Gibson-Lamothe sits down with Hugo Horton, Enterprise Partnerships Manager at Sokin, to discuss how fintech companies are modernizing cross-border payments, simplifying global banking infrastructure, and expanding into new markets.

Hugo shares how Sokin helps businesses consolidate international payments, banking, FX, treasury capabilities, and emerging stablecoin solutions into a single platform. The conversation also explores how fintechs can accelerate expansion into new jurisdictions while balancing speed, cost, compliance, and flexibility.

Topics include:

• Modernizing Cross-Border Payments
• Global Banking Infrastructure
• International Expansion
• Stablecoins & Digital Assets
• Banking Licenses & Payment Rails
• Speed, Cost & Compliance
• Customer-Driven Innovation
• Trends from Money20/20 Europe

Guest

Hugo Horton
Enterprise Partnerships Manager, Sokin

Learn more

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://georgiafintechacademy.org

Sokin
https://www.sokin.com

About Fintech Talks

Hosted by Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Fintech Talks features conversations with industry leaders, innovators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and educators shaping the future of financial services. Recorded at leading fintech events around the world and beyond, each episode explores the ideas, technologies, and talent driving the next chapter of financial innovation.

Subscribe to Fintech Talks for more conversations from Money20/20 Europe and other leading fintech events around the world.

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Recorded live at Money20/20 Europe, Laura Gibson-Lamothe sits down with Reshmi Suresh, Head of Agentic Commerce, and Nabil Manji, Executive Lead, Enterprise Growth & Partnerships at Global Payments, to discuss how AI, agentic commerce, stablecoins, and real time payments are reshaping financial services.

The conversation explores the rise of agentic AI, the growing role of stablecoins in cross border payments and treasury, the future of real time payments, fraud prevention, AI governance, and the workforce skills needed for the next generation of fintech innovation.

Topics include:

• Agentic AI & Agentic Commerce
• Stablecoins & Digital Assets
• Cross Border Payments
• Treasury & Liquidity
• Real Time Payments
• Fraud Prevention
• AI Governance
• Future Workforce Development

Learn more

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://georgiafintechacademy.org

Global Payments
https://www.globalpayments.com

About Fintech Talks

Hosted by Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Fintech Talks features conversations with the leaders shaping the future of financial services, recorded at leading fintech events around the world.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

In this episode of Fintech Talks, Laura Gibson-Lamothe sits down with West Richards, with The Fintech Accord at Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, to discuss stablecoins, fintech regulation, digital assets, and the future of global payments.

The conversation explores Georgia's leadership in stablecoin legislation, the growing importance of the UK-US fintech corridor, the role of industry advocacy in shaping regulation, and how AI and blockchain technologies are transforming financial services.

Topics include:

• Stablecoin adoption and regulation
• The future of cross-border payments
• Georgia's fintech leadership
• Digital asset policy
• AI and fintech innovation
• Blockchain infrastructure
• The Future of Money Task Force
• The evolving role of fintech advocacy

About The Fintech Accord

The Fintech Accord is a global advocacy organization focused on advancing fintech innovation, digital assets, payments, and regulatory modernization through collaboration between industry and government stakeholders.

Learn more:
https://thefintechaccord.org

About Fintech Talks

Fintech Talks is a thought leadership interview series produced by the Georgia Fintech Academy featuring industry leaders, innovators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs shaping the future of financial services.

About the Georgia Fintech Academy

The Georgia Fintech Academy is a statewide talent development initiative of the University System of Georgia connecting students, universities, and employers to build the future fintech workforce.

Connect with Us

Georgia Fintech Academy:
https://georgiafintechacademy.org

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

In this episode of Fintech Talks, we explore how digital assets are converging with traditional finance through the lens of Annelise Osborne, Chief Business Officer at Kadena and author of From Hoodies to Suits: Innovating Digital Assets for Traditional Finance.

Co-hosted by Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy, and Christian Samuel, a recent Georgia State University graduate and former leader of GSU’s Fintech Student Organization, the episode covers:

• Annelise’s career path 
• Key insights from From Hoodies to Suits
• Trends in institutional blockchain adoption
• Advice for students and professionals entering the fintech space

📘 From Hoodies to Suits – https://a.co/d/2F8btOV
🔗 Kadena – https://www.kadena.io
📍 Annelise Osborne – https://www.linkedin.com/in/annelise-osborne-7611176/
🎓 Christian Samuel – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cguap/

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

In this engaging episode of the Georgia Fintech Academy podcast, Executive Director Laura Gibson-Lamothe is joined by Kenny Kim, a senior finance major at Georgia State University Robinson College of Business, to co-host an insightful conversation with Pari Sawant, Chief Product Officer at Elavon. The discussion dives into Elavon’s innovative new payment gateway and explores how it is revolutionizing the payments landscape by streamlining processes and enhancing user experience. Listeners will also gain valuable insights into the strategic vision behind product development and its dynamic role in fintech. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from a leading fintech executive. 

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

With Fintech Meetup just days away, this episode of Fintech Meetup Mashup focuses on one question:

How do you actually make the most of a major industry conference?

Georgia Fintech Academy alum & Truist IT Business Analyst, Astrid Cuellar Benitez joins Pam Kaur, Head of Platform at Alloy Labs, to share practical, real-world advice on navigating large fintech events. From managing your schedule and avoiding burnout to building meaningful connections, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to show up prepared and make the experience count.

In this episode:

• Why over-scheduling your meetings can work against you
• How to approach networking without being transactional
• When it’s okay to walk away from a conversation
• The importance of personal connection in a relationship-driven industry
• How early-career professionals can stand out and bring value back to their teams

This episode is part of the 2026 Future Fintech Leaders Cohort series, capturing real-time preparation as students and alumni head to Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas.

Connect with Our Guests

Pam Kaur
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamkaur001/

Astrid Cuellar Benitez
https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-cuellarbenitez/

Featured Event

Pam Kaur will be co-hosting a community walk during Fintech Meetup.
More details: https://luma.com/99vc3txh?tk=qogpTe

Learn More

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://georgiafintechacademy.org

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Support the show

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

In this episode of Fintech Meetup Mashup, Georgia Fintech Academy brings together emerging fintech talent and industry leaders for a candid conversation about careers in financial technology.

Georgia Fintech Academy student Benjamin Willhite-Mettler sits down with Michael Bugno, Vice President of Enterprise Experiential Marketing at Fiserv, to talk about how professionals find their way into fintech, what skills matter most early in a career, and how to make the most of large industry events.

As Benjamin prepares to attend Fintech Meetup for the first time, Michael shares insights from his own journey in the industry and offers practical advice for students and professionals navigating major conferences and networking opportunities.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• How careers in fintech often begin in unexpected ways
• The importance of communication and relationship building 
• Advice for first-time attendees at major fintech conferences
• Why curiosity and continuous learning are essential in fintech

This conversation is part of the 2026 Future Fintech Leaders Cohort, where Georgia Fintech Academy students and alumni attend Fintech Meetup to engage directly with leaders across the fintech ecosystem.

Learn more about the Georgia Fintech Academy
https://georgiafintechacademy.org

Connect with our guests

Michael Bugno
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bugno/

Benjamin Willhite-Mettler
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-will-mett/

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/