RegFi Podcast

State regulators are expanding oversight of commercial financing, bringing new licensing, disclosure and consumer-style protections to the small business lending market. In this episode of RegFi, hosts Jerry Buckley and Sherry Safchuk examine the evolving regulatory landscape, including California's latest requirements and their implications for lenders, fintechs and financing providers. They explore challenges surrounding merchant cash advances, factoring, ability-to-repay standards and crypto-backed lending. The conversation also raises a forward-looking question: Could AI-powered agents help small businesses navigate complex financing options more effectively than traditional disclosures? Tune in for insights into the changing rules and future of commercial lending.

Links

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

• RegFi's Sister Podcast, Barefoot Innovation

• Upcoming AIR Events

• Upcoming AIR Speaking Engagements

Technology is transforming financial services faster than traditional regulatory processes can adapt. So how can regulation keep pace while preserving the safeguards that protect consumers and the financial system? In this episode of RegFi, Jerry Buckley and Sasha Leonhardt are joined by AIR's Nat Weber to explore adaptive regulation and new approaches to rulemaking. They examine lessons from the Administrative Procedure Act, the CFPB's Section 1033 rulemaking and past alternatives to traditional rulemaking. The conversation considers how collaboration, standards-setting and more adaptive regulatory processes could help create a financial regulatory system built for continuous technological change.

Links

• Nat Weber Bio

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sasha Leonhardt Bio

• RegFi's Sister Podcast, Barefoot Innovation

• Upcoming AIR Events

• Upcoming AIR Speaking Engagements

When people are forced to cross borders, their identity, education, employment and financial histories may not travel with them. In this episode of RegFi, Jerry Buckley and Sherry Safchuk speak with Civitas ID founder and Chairman Colin Walsh about breaking this "documentation wall." Walsh explains how Civitas ID is developing secure, portable digital credentials that can help displaced people prove who they are and access employment, banking and other essential services. The conversation explores decentralized identity, privacy, KYC requirements and the potential for technology to expand financial inclusion while giving individuals greater control over their credentials.

Links

• From Exclusion to Agency, the Civitas ID technical white paper, 52 pages, September 2026

• Civitas ID

• Colin Walsh on LinkedIn

• Colin Walsh Bio

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

Public policy moves fast, and the information shaping it is scattered across legislation, regulatory actions, hearings, speeches and countless other sources. Kate Flocken, Co-Founder and CEO of Revere, joins RegFi Co-Hosts Jerry Buckley and Sherry Safchuk to explore how AI can help professionals find the signal in that noise. Kate explains how Revere is building a purpose-built public policy intelligence platform designed to surface relevant developments earlier, provide critical context and help users understand where issues may be heading. They also discuss privacy, human judgment and the broader potential for AI to support better-informed policymaking.

Links

• RegFi Episode 37: Adapting to Change: Fintech's Public Policy Environment

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

• Kate Flocken on LinkedIn

• Revere

In her final episode as a RegFi co-host, Caroline Stapleton joins Jerry Buckley, Sasha Leonhardt and Sherry Safchuk to reflect on more than two years of conversations about the changing future of financial regulation. Caroline shares what she sees ahead as regulators respond to AI, automated decision-making and agentic commerce, including the evolving roles of state and federal policymakers. The group also explores questions of trust, authorization and liability as AI agents begin acting on consumers' behalf, along with the growing role of stablecoins, tokenized deposits and blockchain. The episode closes with a personal look back at Caroline's time with RegFi.

Links

• RegFi Episode 107: Agentic AI and the Future of Consumer Finance

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

• Sasha Leonhardt Bio

• Caroline Stapleton on LinkedIn

What if regulators could strengthen oversight without writing a new rule? In this episode of RegFi, co-hosts Jerry Buckley and Sasha Leonhardt examine a reported FDIC-backed initiative to create industry-led standards and independent certification for fintechs that partner with banks. They explore how the model could streamline third-party risk management, where its limits lie and whether market adoption could make it durable even without formal regulation. The conversation also looks ahead to agentic AI and asks whether a similar standards-and-certification model could help financial institutions establish trust with AI agents acting on consumers' behalf.

Links

• Jerry Buckley Joins AIR to Focus on Emerging Role of Agentic AI in Consumer Finance

• Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR)

• RegFi Episode 107: Agentic AI and the Future of Consumer Finance

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sasha Leonhardt Bio

AI regulation is taking shape across the U.S. — but states are taking markedly different approaches. In this episode of RegFi, co-hosts Jerry Buckley, Sherry Safchuk and Caroline Stapleton examine AI laws in Colorado, California, Texas and Utah and what they could mean for financial services. They explore requirements around automated decision-making, disclosures and human review, as well as key questions about whether emerging rules apply to AI agents working on behalf of consumers. The conversation also looks ahead to the need for a national framework that supports responsible innovation while helping consumers benefit from AI-powered financial tools. Links

• Jerry Buckley Joins AIR to Focus on Emerging Role of Agentic AI in Consumer Finance

• Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR)

• RegFi Episode 107: Agentic AI and the Future of Consumer Finance

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

• Caroline Stapleton Bio

RegFi begins a new chapter at the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) with a conversation about the future of consumer finance. Jerry Buckley and co-host Sherry Safchuk join AIR Co-founder and CEO Jo Ann Barefoot to explore how agentic AI could help consumers protect their digital identities, counter increasingly sophisticated scams and make better financial decisions. They also examine the regulatory frameworks, privacy protections and industry collaboration needed to introduce these tools responsibly. The discussion considers how AI agents could reduce information imbalances, improve financial products and modernize a consumer protection system built for a different technological era.

Links

• Jerry Buckley Joins AIR to Focus on Emerging Role of Agentic AI in Consumer Finance

• Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR)

• RegFi Episode 61: Reimagining Financial Regulation for the Digital Age

• RegFi Episode 6: Modernizing Financial Regulation with Jo Ann Barefoot

• Jo Ann Barefoot Bio

• Jerry Buckley Bio

• Sherry Safchuk Bio

RegFi is now produced and published by the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR).

Steve Boms, Executive Director of FDATA North America, joins RegFi co-hosts Jerry Buckley and Sherry Safchuk to examine the evolving public policy framework governing consumer financial data. Building on the history of open banking and consumer-permissioned data sharing, they discuss the future of the CFPB's Section 1033 rule, the ongoing debate over data access fees, and the operational, competitive and consumer protection issues that will shape the next phase of implementation.

The conversation also offers a preview of FDATA's forthcoming policy report on agentic AI and financial services, examining how existing regulatory and fiduciary frameworks may apply as AI evolves from providing financial recommendations to acting as a consumer's agent. They also discuss the implications for data privacy, cybersecurity, liability and consumer protection, and explore how policymakers can support innovation while preserving consumer trust in an increasingly AI-driven financial system.

Links:

• Financial Data Technology Association (FDATA)
• Orrick Financial & Fintech Advisory
• RegFiPodcast.com

Orrick partner Joseph Kolar joins RegFi co-hosts Jerry Buckley and Caroline Stapleton to discuss the Executive Order on Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit and the regulatory reforms it could set in motion across the mortgage industry.

The conversation examines proposals to reduce mortgage origination costs, streamline TRID disclosure requirements, modernize servicing and appraisal rules, and encourage greater participation by banks and community lenders. They also explore the CFPB's authority to tailor, exempt and revise regulatory requirements under TILA and RESPA, and how emerging technologies, including AI, could reshape the mortgage lending process while preserving consumer protections.

Links:

• Executive Order: Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit
• Orrick Financial & Fintech Advisory
• RegFiPodcast.com