This Week in Fintech

Dan Egan, a decision-science product leader from Betterment, and Angela Hung, a behavioral economist with research roots at Carnegie Mellon and RAND and product experience at Robinhood and Earnin. They trace paths from academia to fintech. They debate AI personalization, trust and risks, data quality, prediction markets, and product ideas to nudge better investing and reduce harmful trading.

Credit scores feel like destiny, but they’re built on a thin record of borrowing and repayment while ignoring income, cash on hand, and real assets. That blind spot blocks credit for immigrants, younger consumers, gig workers, and anyone whose financial life doesn’t fit the classic bureau file. In this episode, Nik sits down with Andrew Endicott, co-founder of Pedal and now co-founder and GP at Gilgamesh Ventures, to talk about how cash flow underwriting and open banking data change the game, and what it takes to build fintech that lasts.Andrew walks through his path from law and investment banking into founding a credit card company, including the post-financial crisis reality where regulation and risk constraints pushed banks to pull back. We unpack why fintech emerged to fill those gaps, what founders often underestimate about finance, and why areas like fraud, compliance, and risk management aren’t “later” problems. We also get into Andrew’s upcoming book, Finance Technology: Insights for Building an Enduring Fintech Company, and the framework he uses to map the ecosystem into four buckets: banking, payments, insurance, and infrastructure. Learn more about the book: https://www.amazon.com/Finance-Technology-Insights-Building-Enduring/dp/1954892225Subscribe for more founder-grade fintech conversations.Connect with the Hosts & GuestNik Milanović: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikmAndrew Endicott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewendicottAbout This Week in FintechThis Week in Fintech’s Podcast is where the decision makers shaping the future of finance come to talk candidly about what’s working, what’s breaking, and what’s coming next in fintech. Hosted by Nik Milanović, founder of This Week in Fintech and General Partner at The Fintech Fund, the show goes beyond headlines to unpack the real stories behind product decisions, regulation, and market shifts with leading founders, C-suite execs, and ecosystem veterans. This is your front-row seat to the people and ideas moving money into the future.

This week, Stablecon’s Justin Friedman was joined by Bhau Kotecha, co-founder and CEO of Paxos Labs, for a discussion on the transformative potential of stablecoins and tokenization. Bhau and Justin examine how these technologies are redefining the way we think about financial tools, usability, interoperability, privacy, and the economics of stored value. Finally, Bhau offers predictions on whether stablecoin liquidity will consolidate into U.S. dollar-denominated assets or grow organically across the world’s currencies.

This Week in Fintech's Nik Milanovic sat down on February 12th, 2026 to talk with Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas about 2025 year-end earnings.Some topics they covered:Market Expansion: Coinbase doubled trading volume and market share in 2025, diversifying beyond crypto with Deribit acquisition.Revenue Resilience: Despite market softness in Q4, Coinbase showed strength through diversified revenue, supported by retail investors’ “buy the dip” behavior.On-Chain Vision: Coinbase aims to lead the shift to on-chain financial services, blending traditional and crypto assets for a tokenized future.Institutional Growth: Thousands of institutional clients are driving increased trading and demand for cross-margining products, with custody for 80% of ETF balances.Stablecoin Strategy: USDC holdings grew to $18 billion, enhancing trading and payment services while driving growth in Coinbase One membership.Future Focus: Heavy investment in derivatives as key growth area, emphasizing diversification to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.

In this episode, Nik Milanovic interviews Ram Palanappian, the CEO and Founder of Earnin, a fintech company that is revolutionizing how employees access their wages. Ram shares the origin story of Earnin, which began when he realized that many employees were struggling with cash flow issues, leading to late fees and overdraft charges. He discusses how he initially provided employees with early access to their earned wages, which evolved into a full-fledged product that allows users to access their pay in real-time, thereby reducing financial stress and improving overall financial health. Ram emphasizes the importance of shifting payroll systems from being employer-centric to employee-centric, allowing workers more control over their earnings.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Setup00:39 Multitasking in Conversations00:44 Introduction to FinTech Trends00:44 The Future of Digital Banking00:47 Introduction to Earnin and Its Mission04:10 Revolutionizing Payroll: Employee-Centric Solutions10:36 Adoption Across Industries: Who Benefits Most?11:50 The Small Business Perspective: Benefits of Earned Wage Access12:59 How Earnin Works: A User's Journey14:03 Monetization Strategies: How Earnin Generates Revenue17:06 Consumer Risks and Mitigation Strategies20:18 Ensuring Data Accuracy: The Source of Truth21:54 Employer Customization: Tailoring Earnin to Specific Needs22:46 Insights from Data: Understanding Consumer Financial Health23:58 Collaborations and Studies: Researching Labor Dynamics25:52 Looking Ahead: The Future of Earnin and Payroll26:36 Cross-Border Challenges in Business Growth29:57 Future Product Development and Innovations31:48 Inspiration from Other Industries34:49 Leveraging AI for Financial Products37:13 The Role of Stablecoins in Transactions39:28 Wage Growth vs. Inflation Dynamics42:32 The Future of Payroll: Continuous Pay43:44 Team Growth and Hiring Opportunities

In this engaging conversation, Michelle Gill, EVP at PayPal, sheds light on the exciting future of agentic commerce. With a background in law and finance, she forecasts a shopping revolution led by AI agents, reshaping how consumers discover and purchase products. Michelle discusses the critical need for small businesses to adapt to chat-based shopping and emphasizes the importance of rich product descriptions for discoverability. She also dives into trust challenges and how loyalty can thrive in a world where agents handle shopping on behalf of consumers.

Christina Junqueira, co-founder of Nubank and a visionary in fintech, shares her journey from a traditional bank to revolutionizing Brazil's banking. She discusses overcoming challenges in a tough market and the importance of customer-centric products. Christina also emphasizes emotional intelligence in leadership and the need for compelling storytelling. With a focus on transforming customer experiences, she highlights the impact of fair credit and savings, and predicts the future of banking through AI and open finance.

Dan Mottice, former Visa product lead and CEO of Beam, and Matt Marcus, co-founder of Modern Treasury, discuss the evolving role of stablecoins in payments. They explore Beam's acquisition and how combining fiat and stablecoin payments enhances developer experience. The conversation highlights regulatory clarity as key to scaling innovations and the future of digital payment systems. They also envision programmable money workflows, real-time reconciliation, and the opportunities created for non-US platforms and cross-border transactions.

Bret Taylor, Co-founder & CEO of Sierra and Chair of OpenAI, shares insights from his illustrious career at Salesforce and Facebook. He discusses Sierra's innovative AI agents that are revolutionizing customer service and transforming traditional models with outcome-based pricing. Taylor predicts a shift from apps to AI agents as the primary customer interface, citing impressive metrics from partners like Rocket and Ramp. He also addresses the potential AI bubble, the need for accountability in tech, and the future role of AI in financial services.

Natalie Wexler, VP at Adyen, and Jamie Kennedy, Payments Manager at Jackrabbit Technologies, discuss the vast $185B opportunity in embedded finance, especially for small and medium businesses. They explore how SaaS platforms can enhance customer experiences with capital products and streamlined payments. The conversation shifts to the role of AI in predicting cash flow and the emerging interest in stablecoins. Additionally, they highlight the transformative impact of embedded finance on customer loyalty and business growth.