Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice, where Simon Taylor and I bounce through fintech companies that have recently caught our eye.

We’re kicking off with Dakota, a Brex-Wise hybrid for SMBs, offering 24/7 global payments with a stablecoin twist. Deposits, stored as stablecoins, earn up to 4% yield and are issued by Dakota, raising questions about custody, resolution, and well…what happens if Dakota goes belly up? Instant, global payments without banking hours are perfect for cross-border businesses, but proceed with curiosity and caution when it comes to deposit safety.

Next up: ampersand, a post-SVB startup transforming deposit management. They optimize large cash deposits across banks for safety, rates, and values (focusing on FDIC insurance, top rates, and ethical alignment). Unlike, say, IntraFi, ampersand targets companies directly–not just banks–especially mid-sized ones lacking treasury teams. But post-SVB, why do uninsured deposits even exist? Banks may hesitate, but company demand is there; ampersand’s timing couldn’t be better.

Then there’s Auquan, which automates deep work in financial services—think credit memos, deal screening, and investment committee prep—in minutes. They’re not just making flashy demos; they’re delivering real results as vouched for by clients like MetLife and UBS. While most Gen AI tools overpromise, it seems like Auquan actually delivers consistent and quality results. And in capital markets—where grunt work once built expertise—AI like Auquan could be a real disruptor.

And finally, TymeBank is shaking things up for emerging-market neobanking. With 15M+ customers in South Africa and the Philippines, they’ve snagged a $250M Series D led by Nubank, securing a 10% stake. Think franchise neobanking—proven model, local twist. Nubank expands strategically, while TymeBank taps into its scaling expertise. This is modern fintech, not the old HSBC playbook.

Plus, who’s stepping up to lead supervisory tech? Let’s fix government inefficiency—no need to cut agencies, just make them work smarter (not smaller) to break up our banking bottleneck.

00:02:45 - Dakota

00:18:11 - ampersand

00:30:25 - Auquan

00:41:34 - TymeBank

00:52:21 - Manifesting Fintech Ideas 

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Companies featured:

https://dakota.xyz/

https://trustampersand.com/

https://www.auquan.com/

https://www.tymebank.co.za/