The following was produced by Tearsheet Studios. We worked with employment data platform Argyle to create a podcast series about the rising importance of employment data and how lenders, banks and fintechs are using this data to make financial products available to more people, solving some of the challenges with today’s financial services.

Good fintech solutions address the status quo of who gets to benefit from financial services. They do so by first recognizing that there is power in non-traditional data, and secondly that the ownership of that data belongs with its creator: the consumer.

From providing mobile-based banking services where brick and mortar banks don’t compete, to simplifying payment flows for one-person businesses, fintechs empower individuals by giving them the financial tools and pathways to improving their lives. I spoke with Hannah Arnold, vp of business development at Argyle, about using employment data to supplement poor or nonexistent credit in the lending process.