Fintech One-On-One

With all the layoffs in the news it would be easy to get the impression that fintech is on the downswing. But nothing could be further from the truth. There has never been a better time to start a fintech company and, as you will find out in this episode, the volume and quality of new fintech companies continues to increase.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Rex Salisbury. He is the founder of Cambrian Ventures and the creator of the Cambrian fintech community. He is one of the most well-connected people in all of fintech and has been supporting early-stage fintech companies for many years. In this podcast you will learn:The genesis of the Cambrian fintech community.What Rex did during his time at Andreessen Horowitz.How his co-founder matching service works.The size and focus of his first fund.Why he doesn't like to be a lead investor.How he sources new deals.Details of one of his first investments: Keep Financial The most interesting verticals in fintech today.What the pre-seed and seed fundraising market is like today.Why hiring at early-stage companies is easier than it has ever been.The volume of new fintech companies being created.What it is like being a solo GP in your own fund.Where he is taking Cambrian Ventures and the community.Connect with Rex on LinkedInConnect with Rex on TwitterConnect with Cambrian Ventures on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

There are few trends in fintech hotter today than embedded finance. There are companies offering to embed different type of financial products within the product flow of banks, fintechs and even brands. This is part of the rebundling of financial services and it is creating opportunities for many new companies.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Roy Ng, the CEO and co-founder of Bond. Today, Bond provides embedded consumer and business credit solutions for a range of different companies, but as you will find out in this episode, they are not stopping with credit.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Bond.How Roy defines embedded finance.Why they moved from a broad offering to doing one thing: credit.The target market they are focused on.How their process works when they onboard a new client.What the partnerships with their partner banks look like.How they are working with Adam Neumann's new company, Flow.The different areas where they are looking to expand.Roy's perspective on the future of embedded finance.Connect with Roy on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The right lending infrastructure is what allows lenders to launch new products easily, to adapt products to changing economic conditions or to start an entirely new lending operation.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Eddie Oistacher, the CEO and Co-Founder of Peach Finance. Incubated inside Affirm, Peach has created a new kind of lending infrastructure that is adaptive and flexible and can scale for virtually any lending product (outside of mortgage).In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Peach.How Max Levchin, the CEO of Affirm, supported new companies like Peach.The biggest challenges for lenders today.How Eddie describes Peach and where they sit in the technology stack.What an Adaptive Core is and why it is important.The different lending verticals they support.Type types of companies that use their software.What fintechs should be looking for when launching a new lending program.How lenders should think about loan servicing given a possible recession this year.What launching right before the pandemic was like.How their self-service migration tool works and why it is a big deal for lenders.What is next for Peach.Connect with Eddie on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In the fintech space fighting fraud is a never ending battle. And there have been recent developments that is skewing the playing field in favor of the fraudsters. Fintech companies cannot do this themselves, they need the help of experts who are completely dedicated to making fraud as difficult as possible.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Kevin Gosschalk, the CEO and founder of Arkose Labs. Kevin has built Arkose Labs to tackle online fraud head on, having built a suite of tools used by fintechs and others operating online.In this podcast you will learn:The simple concept behind Arkose's approach.The state of play in the fraud space today as it applies to fintech.How Arkose Labs works with fintechs today.How much it costs to buy a valid identity on the dark web.What Cybercrime-as-a-Service is and why it is a huge issue.How fintechs can try to stop Cybercrime-as-a-Service.How to balance increasing friction and reducing fraud.An explanation of credential stuffing.Why they provide a $1 million warranty for credential stuffing.Why Arkose Labs created MatchKey to replace CAPTCHA.How they will adapt MatchKey to ensure it has longevity against criminals.How they are preparing for future fraud attacks.Connect with Kevin on LinkedInConnect with Arkose Labs on TwitterConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The fintech industry has become much more sophisticated in how it engages with lawmakers and regulators in Washington. There are now many people in leadership positions, both within fintech companies and within the trade associations, with deep experience in government who can make sure our voice is heard. And that the issues that are most important to fintech companies are being discussed at the highest levels with Washington.Our next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Penny Lee, the CEO of the Financial Technology Association (FTA). She has been around politics and government her entire career and now is bringing her expertise and connections to help the fintech industry engage with leaders in Washington.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Penny to the role at the FTA.Their mission and the types of fintech companies they represent.Some of the big names on their board.How they are engaging specifically with lawmakers and regulators.Their plans for engaging with some specific state fintech issues.What initiatives have a shot at passing a divided Congress.How they are specifically engaging with the CFPB.The FTA's perspective on FedNow and what it could mean for fintech.How they are supporting the bank-fintech partnership model.How the FTA interacts with other fintech trade associations.What Penny is most excited about for 2023.Connect with Penny on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Pix is probably the most successful fintech product in the history of the world. It is Brazil's instant payment system that launched in November 2020 and has taken the country by storm. More than 130 million Brazilians now use Pix and for around half of those people, it is the first digital payment tool they have ever used. If you are interested in fintech, you need to understand the Pix phenomenon.Our next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Carlos Brandt, the Head of the Management & Operations of Pix at the Central Bank of Brazil. I spoke with Carlos at Fintech Nexus LatAm held in Miami on December 13-14 and it was the highlight of the event for many of the attendees.In this podcast you will learn:The role Carlos played in the development of Pix.How his nine-year-old son helped in user experience and design.Why they rolled out Pix to both banks as well as non-banks on day one.Why they mandated all large financial institutions to join.The huge number of people who have done a digital transaction for the first time.What this means for Brazil's economy.How Pix has impacted the growth of e-commerce.How they are encouraging B2B payments.Why the Central Bank of Brazil is opening up Pix's protocols to other central banks.How Pix sits in relation to credit cards.If there is a place for crypto payments rails alongside Pix.How they are working to reduce fraud.What is on the roadmap for 2023 and the next five years.Connect with Carlos on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

User-permissioned financial data is becoming a bedrock of fintech innovation. Ever since Plaid came on the scene and enabled us to connect our bank account to other financial institutions, consumers have appreciated the advantages of this concept. But what the industry has really needed is an independent standard for this data sharing.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Don Cardinal, the Managing Director of the Financial Data Exchange (FDX). This non-profit organization has created a common standard for the secure and convenient access of permissioned consumer and business financial data.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Don to the opportunity at Financial Data Exchange.Don's work at FS-ISAC and what that organization does.The original vision for FDX and how it has evolved today.The state of open banking in the US today.The five core principles of financial data that FDX adheres to.Details of the FDX API standard they have developed.How that interfaces to the work that Plaid is doing.How the authentication of credentials works.Why biometric authentication is so much better than passwords.Some of the big names who are members are FDX.How they balance the different perspectives of banks, fintechs and consumer groups.The connection between FDX and the Open Financial Exchange (OFX).How they keep their own technology updated.Don's vision for the future of open finance.Connect with Don on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

While there are plenty of instant payment options for consumer like Cash App, PayPal, Venmo and Zelle. But when it comes to business payments it is a different story. And those aforementioned payments are not really instant, they still settle like all other bank transactions, typically in two business days. This is all about to change.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Kevin Greene, the Chairman and CEO of Tassat Group. His company has created a blockchain-based instant payment network for banks. It works within existing banking regulations and it is live today processing around $50 billion in payments a month.In this podcast you will learn:What led to the founding of the Tassat Group.The two components that differentiates what Tassat is doing.Why he decided to join as CEO after being on the Board from the beginning.The state of the B2B bank payments market today.What TassatPay does and how it works.The percentage of TassatPay transactions that occurs outside of banking hours.How they might use smart contracts within their payments system.How the flow of funds work for banks on the Digital Interbank Network.The size of bank they are targeting.What is involved in getting this setup at a bank.Why they decided to build their system on a private permissioned blockchain.Why Kevin is super excited about FedNow.The state of blockchain knowledge among bank CEOs today.Their biggest obstacle to getting people comfortable with TassatPay.How they are working with regulators to help them understand.What the payments system will look like in ten years.Connect with Kevin on LinkedInConnect with Tassat on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The credit union space, like all of financial services, was dramatically impacted by the pandemic. With consumers demanding digital access to financial products the industry had no choice but to embrace fintech offerings. This has presented an opportunity for an organization like CMFG Ventures, the venture capital arm of CUNA Mutual Group.Our next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Brian Kaas, the President and Managing Director of CMFG Ventures. His company is focused on making fintech investments that will benefit the credit union space, while at the same time helping to bring together the fintech and credit union communities.In this podcast you will learn:Their founding story and how they fit in with CUNA Mutual Group.The investment thesis of CMFG Ventures.The three main fintech verticals they are focused on.Details of their two investment funds.What the last three years have been like for CMFG.Why they have remained actively investing in 2022.How due diligence has change this year compared to 2021.Why they created their Fintech Forum.The state of play in credit unions today and how they have fared the last couple of years.Why credit unions are more open to fintech partnerships now.How credit unions are positioning themselves to focus on a younger demographic.Why and when they acquire fintech companies and the niche they are focus on there.Brian's vision for the future of the credit industry.The fintech trends he will be following most closely in 2023.Connect with Brian on LinkedInConnect with CMFG Ventures on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Fraud prevention tools are an essential tool for every company in financial services. Fraud attempts continue to get more sophisticated but thankfully the fraud prevention tools continue to evolve as well to the point where companies should think about creating a complete anti-fraud tech stack.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Bence Jendruszak. the COO and Co-Founder of SEON. They are one of the most interesting companies in the fraud prevention space as they give away their fraud tools for free on their website. We talk about why they do that and much more in this interview.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of SEON.The types of fraud that fintech companies need to be focused on today.How they are able to detect fraud.Why they give away their fraud detection products for free on their website.Why they use and collect only publicly available information.How they think about fraudsters reverse engineering their tools.How they can differentiate between a synthetic and a real identity.An explanation of account takeover fraud.Some of the companies that are using SEON.How SEON makes money.Where we are at today in the fight with fraudsters.What data or score they are providing back to their customers.Why fraud attempts increase during the economic downturns.What's on tap for SEON in 2023.Connect with Bence on LinkedInConnect with SEON on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes