Fintech Business Podcast

This month, Alex and I had the chance to talk about:* Another trip to “BaaS Island” to discuss Blue Ridge & Choice Bank enforcement actions amid the ongoing regulatory sweep of banking-as-a-service* Buy now, pay later expansion strategies: subscription plans? Savings accounts? What is more or less likely to work and why.* PayPal’s attempt to “shock” the world falls flat* Alex tries to explain Bilt Rewards to me* And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Alex Johnson, creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you the latest episode of our monthly podcast, Fintech Recap, where we unpack some of the biggest stories in fintech, banking, and crypto.This month, we had the chance to talk about:* Changing dynamics in reimbursement rules for victims of authorized push payment fraud.* Revolut’s claims that is growing quickly and a UK bank license is imminent.* The next fintech trend: unlocking benefits of tax-advantage accounts. Are these companies, or features?* Alex’s favorite topic: credit building. A quick recap of TomoCredit’s dubious credit builder offering.* Alex and I take our first visit to “BaaS Island.”* And, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I spoke with Jon Lear, President and cofounder of Fintech Meetup, taking place in Las Vegas March 3-6, 2024 (learn more and get your tickets here.) We had the chance to discuss:* the crazy year in fintech and banking that was 2023* looking for silver linings in a challenging operating and fundraising environment* what’s in store for 2024* key themes and topics for next year’s Fintech Meetup event* and more! Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

This month, Alex Johnson and I had the chance to talk about:* the growing “fintech reckoning,” especially among consumer fintechs, with reports of possible shutdowns, sales, and pivots for companies like HMBradley, Petal, Apple/Goldman Sachs, Mint, Braid, Catch, and many others you probably haven’t even heard of* Alex’s favorite topic, credit builder products: including Tomo’s perplexing offering, Region’s partnership with Self, and the wider product space* as well as a quick discussion of the Fed’s proposed lowering of the Durbin interchange cap and Plaid’s decision to create a consumer reporting agency subsidiary* and, like every month, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Alex and I had a chance to catch up LIVE at Money2020. We had a chance to talk about our hot takes and trends from Money2020, including:* what’s off trend (crypto) and on trend (generative AI, compliance)* trying to parse fact vs. fiction in companies saying they’re “AI-powered”* fintech infrastructure, including Alex’s visit to the FedNow® booth* cannabis banking and the SAFE (and SAFE-R) Banking Act* realizing that most in Congress have no idea what “fintech” is* and much more! Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I spoke with Neal Desai, CEO of lease-to-own startup Kafene. We had the chance to discuss:* Kafene’s recently announced Series B extension* The impact of an uncertain economic environment on Kafene’s business* Regulatory activity in the lease-to-own space* Where Kafene is heading in 2024* and much, much more!Existing subscriber? Please consider supporting this newsletter by upgrading to a paid subscription. New here? Subscribe to get Fintech Business Weekly each Sunday: Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Hey all, Jason here.In this episode, I spoke with David Brear, CEO of challenger banking and fintech consultancy 11FS. We had the chance to discuss:* The origin story of 11FS, including its “Pulse” and “Foundry” offerings* Some of the most interesting client projects David has worked on* How David and 11FS think about creating stand-out content in an extremely crowded information space* Where David thinks banking and fintech are headed in 2024* and much, much more!Existing subscriber? Please consider supporting this newsletter by upgrading to a paid subscription. New here? Subscribe to get Fintech Business Weekly each Sunday: Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

This month, we were joined by special guest Matthew Goldman, card expert and author of CardsFTW, to talk about:* A grab bag of banking-as-a-service topics, including the situation at Solid, Stripe and Goldman’s partnership, and where things may be headed in 2024* Mastercard’s letter clapping back at reporting it plans to hike rates* Varo’s launch of “Varo to Anyone,” a P2P service that enables Varo users to send money to any US debit card* and, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

This month, Alex Johnson and I had the chance to talk about:* Current launched a credit-building secured charge card. While it features a neat bit of engineering, it may face some of the same limitations and challenges of other offerings in the space.* Plaid announces (well, sort of?) payroll API partnerships with Pinwheel and Atomic — what to make of the news?* Lineage Bank’s rapid, BaaS-powered growth may be a cautionary tale; Fed warns Goldman on BaaS compliance risks* Roger, a neobank for military recruits, launches* and, as always, what Alex and Jason just can’t let go of(I’m testing adding an automated transcript to this post — let me know if you like it, hate it, or otherwise have thoughts on this addition!)Existing subscriber? Please consider supporting this newsletter by upgrading to a paid subscription. New here? Subscribe to get Fintech Business Weekly each Sunday: Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Alex Johnson, creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, and I are happy to bring you this very special episode of Fintech Recap. We had the honor of sitting down with Mark Gould, the Chief Payments Executive for Federal Reserve Financial Services.For context, we recorded this episode in mid-July, on the eve of the launch of FedNow. We had the chance to hear from Mark on:* Mark’s background and 30+ year career at the Federal Reserve* More than interest rate policy: The Fed’s Federal Reserve Financial Services group, which is responsible for payments products like cash, ACH, wires — and FedNow* The creation and launch of FedNow, including potential uses cases and possible impacts on other payment methods* How Mark thinks about defining “success” for FedNow* and much, much more!Many thanks to Mark and his team for taking the time to sit down and speak with Alex and me on the future of US payments!Existing subscriber? Please consider supporting this newsletter by upgrading to a paid subscription. New here? Subscribe to get Fintech Business Weekly each Sunday: Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe