Fintech Takes

Dave Wasik, Partner at Second Order Solutions and veteran collections leader, joins to unpack where credit stress really lives. He surveys stable delinquencies, flags subprime student loans and early-warning credit-card vintages. Then he breaks AI in collections into collector-facing copilots and consumer-facing bots, and teases a future of bot-to-bot negotiations.

Simon Taylor, fintech operator and commentator, co-hosts a lively tour of novel fintech ideas. They explore Kairos, a Bloomberg-like terminal for prediction market traders. They unpack Vault’s idea of using crypto as bank collateral infrastructure. They highlight Vennre’s private-market app for high earners with AI coaching. And they riff on Buy Now Pay Maybe, an on-chain BNPL-as-performance-art concept.

Jane Barratt, Chief Advocacy Officer at MX and former advertising reviewer, returns to weigh in on Super Bowl ads and their ties to data privacy, open banking, and AI. She hands out ad awards, explains why many financial brands skipped the game, considers AI-driven ads inside tools, and outlines the competitive risks for smaller banks amid shifting open banking rules.

Welcome to Collections Conversations, a new four-part podcast miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by our friends at C&R Software. The series digs into how generative AI is reshaping debt collections; what it enables, what it complicates, and why it might finally force the industry to retire the word “collections” altogether. In Episode 2, I sit down with Ed Wallen, CEO of C&R Software. We kick things off with a hard truth about fintech companies that pride themselves on being customer-centric: that promise most often breaks at the exact moment customers need the most empathy and the most options.  As Ed puts it, you get the Apple experience of onboarding, where everything is sunshine and rainbows, and then suddenly you get the Mad Max experience in debt collections.  Our conversation unpacks why that shift happens. One day early and one day late feel the same to the customer, but on the inside, they trigger an entirely different playbook. If replacing a customer can cost hundreds of dollars, why treat hardship as a liability instead of protecting lifetime value? What if the real choice was between a churn machine and a loyalty engine? This episode is a blueprint for anyone reimagining collections, servicing, and customer trust. Subscribe to catch more about how generative AI might finally make collections more human. This episode is brought to you by C&R Software.  More than just debt collection, C&R sets the global standard for AI-native, humanized credit management. They simplify the complex with end-to-end credit-risk lifecycle support, powered by automated workflows, AI-native intelligence, and real-time, data-driven decisioning. Learn more at https://hubs.ly/Q03Wl1DY0. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Ed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwallen/ Learn more about C&R Software here: https://hubs.ly/Q03Wl1DY0

Welcome to Collections Conversations, a new four-part podcast miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by our friends at C&R Software. The series digs into how generative AI is reshaping debt collections; what it enables, what it complicates, and why it might finally force the industry to retire the word “collections” altogether. In Episode 3, I sit down with John McNamara, Chief Growth Officer at Avtal. John's career spans the private sector and the CFPB, where he worked on Regulation F, dragging debt collection out of an era when the law literally referenced telegrams. That makes him perfect for unpacking the biggest misconception industry has about regulators, dubious credit repair organizations, and AI fluffery.  We start inside the CFPB itself. John explains what industry constantly got wrong: they didn't understand the voices shaping policy. His benchmark for whether a rule landed? A symmetry of outrage and vitriol. If both sides are pissed, that's probably right. From there, we dig into what John calls the credit reporting mess — why the credit reporting system creates inaccurate data, and how credit repair organizations exploit that through endless dispute loops Plus, John’s first principles when it comes to AI: data governance and permissible purpose matter more than models, and better digital engagement usually beats new forms of automation (if someone's on your payment portal, they don't want to talk to you). Subscribe now to catch what’s next. This episode is brought to you by C&R Software.  More than just debt collection, C&R sets the global standard for AI-native, humanized credit management. They simplify the complex with end-to-end credit-risk lifecycle support, powered by automated workflows, AI-native intelligence, and real-time, data-driven decisioning. Learn more at https://hubs.ly/Q03Wl1DY0. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mcnamara-75a2982/ Learn more about C&R Software here: https://hubs.ly/Q03Wl1DY0

Jason Mikula, fintech reporter and recap specialist, breaks down the week’s biggest moves. They cover the crashed Clarity Act and the political fallout around stablecoin rules. Then a surge of bank charter filings and why firms like Affirm are chasing control. Finally, Capital One’s $5B Brex buy and the industry drama of a bizarre Prism v. TomoCredit lawsuit.

Marc Rubinstein, author of Net Interest and fintech commentator, unpacks banking structure, the quirks of the US 30-year mortgage, and why thousands of community banks persist. He debates agentic commerce hype versus real use and explains why stablecoins are migrating to permissioned, institution-backed rails shaped by big players like Stripe.

Naeem Abraham, Senior Director of Product Strategy at C&R Software, dives into how generative AI is revolutionizing debt collections. He discusses the shift from adversarial tactics to a focus on customer-centric financial well-being. Naeem explores the 'triangular dance floor' of balancing risk, cost, and customer experience. He emphasizes treating AI as intelligence and shares insights on creating safe, value-adding systems. The conversation ultimately asks how AI can enhance human interactions and add measurable value to customer relationships.

Jason Mikula, an investigative reporter and expert on Latin American sanctions evasion, dives into the fascinating rise and fall of Kontigo, a crypto-fintech startup in Venezuela. He unpacks how Kontigo's innovative USDC solutions catered to users in a hyperinflated economy while grappling with regulatory challenges. The discussion reveals the dark side of rapid growth, linking it to potential money laundering and compliance risks. Listeners will be captivated by tales of the CEO's bizarre marketing antics and the murky accountability landscape within the fintech ecosystem.

Doug Swift, a lending leader at Navy Federal Credit Union, and Chris Hansen, cash flow analytics lead at Nova Credit, dive deep into the evolution of cash flow underwriting. They discuss its transition into consumer lending, highlighting real-world applications like automated collections and personalized member support. Doug shares insights on improving financial counseling through cash flow tools, while Chris emphasizes the advantages of real-time data compared to traditional credit bureaus. A fascinating look at how cash flow analytics is reshaping lending!