Provoke.fm Media

This week on Breaking Banks, we feature our sister podcast, Social Currency, powered by Sunrise Banks. Social Currency introduces us to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, technology, and social impact—leaders who are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries for a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.

Hosts Tyler Seydel, Chief Fintech Officer, and Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer at Sunrise Banks, speak with those at the forefront of positive change through social entrepreneurship, unveiling the stories behind the revolution that’s propelling us toward a world where everyone has equitable access to opportunity.

In this episode, Tyler and Eric connect with John Barbella, Founder and President of Neighborli—a network of financial institutions aligned to prevent and fight fraud in fintech. With over 30 years of experience in financial services, John shares insights on compliance, the evolving fraud landscape, and how banks and fintechs can collaborate to stay ahead. Tune in to learn how Neighborli is bridging the gap between financial institutions and fintechs to build a more secure and innovative digital banking future.

Enjoy the episode, and check out other episodes of Social Currency at provokestage.wpengine.com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Bringing a rewarding investment experience into FI’s with FinovateSpring Best of Show winner Bits of Stock.

Detailed Summary:

In this episode of the Finovate Podcast, host Greg interviews Arash Asady, CEO and co-founder of Bits of Stock, a Best of Show winner at FinovateSpring 2025. Arash introduces Bits of Stock as an embedded digital wealth and financial benefits platform that empowers financial institutions to bundle banking with fractional stock and crypto investing. The company helps banks boost deposits and card engagement through stocks as rewards, roundups, and investments. Arash explains that financial institutions face competitive threats from fintechs like Robinhood and Acorns, which offer comprehensive services including fractional investing that appeal to younger customers who expect all financial services within one digital experience.

The conversation highlights how Bits of Stock’s stock rewards program differentiates from traditional rewards systems. Their research showed stock rewards were 34 times more effective than cashback in driving card spending, with users increasing card spend by 20% month over month. Arash emphasizes that stock rewards remove barriers to investing and help address wealth inequality, noting that currently 90% of stocks are owned by just 10% of the population. The platform offers a “free to premium” model that fits well into financial institutions’ checking account strategies, allowing users to access free fractional investing with basic features and upgrade to premium tiers with additional benefits.

Looking ahead, Bits of Stock plans to expand its feature set within the free-to-premium experience, focusing particularly on partnerships with digital banking providers to bring their platform to millions of households. Arash mentions they’re working to add features that will drive more fee income and revenue for financial institutions. The company is preparing for a significant Series A funding round, targeting a $20 million raise by the end of 2025.

More info:

Bits of Stock: https://www.bitsofstock.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitsofstock/

Brandon Min: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aasady/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

FinovateSpring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/

#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bankingInnovation #fintech #voice #antifraud #investing #rewards #CU #communitybanking #digitaltransformation #AI #innovation #finovatespring

In this empowering episode of Social Currency, Eric Schurr and guest host Maria Wilkison sit down with Kristi Hemmer, and dive deep into real-world solutions for closing gender equity gaps and building confident leaders. Kristi—founder of the Academy for Women’s Empowerment (AWE), author, experienced educator, and certified social entrepreneur—shares a robust toolkit built from 20+ years of classroom experience and a mission to disrupt systems that hold girls and women back.

In this episode of Breaking Banks Africa, we sit down with Melanie Keita, co-founder and CEO of Melanin Capital, a groundbreaking fintech on a mission to become Africa’s first carbon digital bank. Melanie shares her journey from pitching at the EcoBank Fintech Challenge to raising capital and scaling a platform that combines climate finance, SME lending, and carbon credit trading. With a focus on agricultural and renewable energy businesses, Melanin Capital is bridging the financing gap for Africa’s green economy while tackling real-world regulatory and funding challenges. From partnering with agritechs to empowering women-led cooperatives, Melanie unpacks how innovation and grit are key to building Africa’s climate resilience.

Tune in to hear how fintech meets sustainability—and what’s next for Melanin Capital in Africa’s trillion-dollar receivable finance market.

Peter Hinssen is a best selling author and industry strategist focused on leadership and change management during turbulent times. His newest book is “The Uncertainty Principle”, arriving at the precise moment when business leaders must confront both massive geopolitical turmoil and runaway technological change. Don’t miss this lively discussion about the trends and management strategies that will shape the enterprise of the future.

Live from the main stage at American Banker’s Digital Banking 2025, this high-energy episode of Breaking Banks brings the regulatory heat. Host Jason Henrichs is joined by Alex Johnson (Fintech Takes) and Dara Tarkowski (Actuate Law) for unfiltered, rapid-fire takes on the most urgent—and divisive—issues shaping digital finance regulation today.

In a fintech twist on the classic ‘90s game FMK, the trio tackles which regulatory bodies to “love, leave, or reform”—from the CFPB and OCC to the NCUA and beyond. No topic is off-limits as they debate the shifting landscape around Section 1033, Open Banking implementation, UDAP enforcement, and the growing tensions between innovation and compliance.

Plus: what do the STABLE Act, the GENIUS Act, and Stablecoin policy have in common? They all point to a regulatory future that’s as complex as it is critical to get right.

This episode is not for the faint of heart, but essential listening for anyone working at the intersection of fintech, policy, and consumer protection.

I swear, it wasn’t me! – connecting with FinovateSpring Best of Show winner Herd Security on their anti-deepfake fraud prevention solution.

Detailed Summary:

In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Brandon Min, founder and CEO of Herd Security, a Best of Show winner at FinovateSpring 2025. Brandon explains that Herd Security focuses on helping organizations build “herd immunity” against generative AI cyber attacks, particularly deepfakes. Unlike competitors who focus solely on detection or training, Herd helps organizations understand their deepfake risk exposure by answering two key questions: what is the organization’s overall vulnerability to deepfakes, and which employees are most susceptible to these attacks. Their approach includes proprietary voice detection algorithms that analyze audio for AI manipulation as part of a comprehensive layered security strategy.

Brandon identifies two primary threat vectors for financial institutions: inbound call centers where fraudsters can use deepfakes to bypass verification systems, and recruitment processes where bad actors might impersonate candidates to gain organizational access. He notes that while deepfake attacks are still relatively uncommon, there have been significant incidents, including a Hong Kong firm losing $25 million to a video deepfake fraud. Brandon emphasizes that organizations should be proactive rather than reactive in addressing these emerging threats, as traditional voice attacks (without deepfakes) have already caused significant damage to companies all over the world.

During his demo, Brandon took a measured approach to raising awareness without fearmongering. He showed the technology’s capabilities by spoofing the host’s voice in a friendly message, then escalated to showing how the same technology could be used in a wire transfer fraud scenario. Brandon stresses the importance of education and preparation, comparing the current situation to early warning signs before a tsunami – we’re seeing the beginning signs of deepfake threats, and while it’s difficult to predict exactly how they’ll evolve, organizations need to understand their vulnerabilities now rather than waiting for a major incident to occur.

More info:

Herd Security: https://www.herdsecurity.io/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/herd-security/

Brandon Min: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-min-356ab290/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

FinovateSpring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/

#Finovate #AIPodcast #FinancialServices #BankingInnovation #FinTech #voice #antifraud #security #deepfake #security #DigitalTransformation #AI #innovation #finovatespring

What happens when we pass the point of technological change so profound that we can no longer predict or comprehend the future? Pay attention because it’s coming soon. For decades, futurists have theorized that the compound impact of converging, accelerating technologies will result in a singularity: that liminal moment when society is irreversibly transformed. This week David S Rose, New York City’s greatest angel investor and a prolific entrepreneur, joins The Futurists to share his perspectives about the experience of living through the knee of exponential change. Brace yourself.  

This week we bring you more insights from Cape Town South Africa as we continue to explore some great startups on the African continent and beyond from Crossfin’s Circle of Fintech event.

In our first segment, Brett speaks with Karl Westvig, CEO of TymeBank South Africa. Since receiving its banking license in South Africa in 2019, TymeBank has grown to 80 million customers globally, focusing on financial inclusion through accessible and frictionless banking. The expanding neobank has plans for further growth in several Asian markets.

Key motivations include the immense scale of the Asian markets: the Philippines with 120 million people and Indonesia with 280 million alongside South Africa’s 60 million. These regions boast young, digitally savvy populations that are largely underserved. Tune in as Brett and Karl discuss new opportunities, TymeBank’s innovative “phygital” distribution strategy, tech stacks, Agentic AI, new products, and more

Then, Brett sits down with Unitey Founder & CEO, Muzaffar “MK” Khokhar, for an engaging conversation about the payments ecosystem. Based in the UAE, Unitey’s mission is to democratize financial services and level the playing field.

MK is a veteran payments ecosystem player, creating and operating payment ecosystems for central banks and governments. With Unitey, he is focused on the serenity of the ecosystem. With our current system built back in the 60s / 70s, we now have better tech for more robust payment rails. Change is happening, efficiency is coming into the system, and interoperability with other rails coming up fast with RTP, mobile money, and more. Unitey specializes in demystifying the card payment rails but has clear roadmaps focused on creating interoperability with other rails, ensuring multiple rails can actually interoperate.

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Connect With Karl Westvig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-westvig/

Connect with Unitey: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unitey-digital/

Connect with Brett King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettking/

Next-gen customer service – connecting with FinovateSpring Best of Show winner Penny Finance on attracting, retaining, and serving members of the digital generation

Detailed Summary:

In this Finovate podcast episode, host Greg interviews Crissi Cole, founder and CEO of Penny Finance, a Best of Show winner at FinovateSpring in San Diego. Cole, a former Goldman Sachs financial advisor, created Penny Finance in 2020 to provide personalized financial planning for everyday Americans. After building a community of 20,000 individual users, Penny pivoted to partnering with community banks and credit unions when they discovered 80% of their members already had relationships with local financial institutions, while only 20% of these institutions offered financial planning services.

Penny Finance’s platform connects consumers’ financial plans with their financial institution’s products, helping community banks and credit unions better serve their members. Cole emphasizes that smaller financial institutions have advantages over larger banks in their ability to tailor offerings to individual customers and provide more attractive financial products. However, these institutions often struggle with building the digital presence needed to attract and retain today’s online customers, which is where Penny’s technology helps bridge the gap.

Crissi highlights that effective financial services aren’t just about technological capabilities or integration with online banking platforms, but about understanding customers and meeting them at key moments in their financial journey. She stresses that relevance and timing in the user journey are more important than fancy CRMs or mobile apps. The ultimate goal is to transform financial institutions from merely offering a menu of products to becoming true financial partners that help customers when they need it, making financial planning accessible to everyday Americans while helping community banks manage more of their members’ wallets.

More info:

Penny Finance: https://www.penny-finance.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/penny-finance-inc/

Crissi Cole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crissicole111/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

FinovateSpring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/

#Finovate #Podcast #FinancialServices #BankingInnovation #FinTech #creditunion #communitybank #CX #DigitalTransformation #innovation #finovatespring