Fintech in 2025: an end of year review, and a look forward to 2026.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate podcast, Greg is joined by Steven Ramirez of Beyond the Arc to reflect on the key trends and developments that shaped the FinTech landscape in 2025 while offering predictions for 2026. The conversation explores the evolving dynamics of fintech partnerships, the challenges posed by compliance and governance issues, and the erosion of consumer trust in the industry. From there, they talk about the impact of regulatory shifts, the growing complexity of state-level oversight, and the need for financial institutions to prioritize customer-centric solutions over self-serving strategies. Steven emphasizes the importance of addressing consumer needs, particularly in a volatile economic environment marked by inflation, unemployment, and a challenging job market.



The discussion also delves into the exciting advancements in FinTech, particularly in commercial banking and payments. Steven highlights the rise of instant payments, driven by initiatives like FedNow, and the growing adoption of embedded payments, which are transforming both consumer-facing and back-office workflows. These "boring" but impactful innovations are enabling businesses to operate more efficiently and productively, signaling a shift in focus from consumer-centric fintech to B2B applications. The two also touch on the increasing involvement of credit unions and community banks in adopting these technologies, reflecting a broader market confidence in their reliability and utility.



Looking ahead to 2026, the conversation turns to the transformative potential of AI in the financial sector. Steven predicts a shift from experimentation to real-world deployment of AI solutions, particularly by larger banks, while smaller institutions also find ways to participate. However, he foresees a growing consumer demand for authenticity and human interaction as AI becomes more pervasive. The episode concludes with a call for financial institutions to embrace true personalization, leveraging AI not just to anticipate customer needs but to proactively support them with tailored solutions. This, Steven argues, will be key to building trust and fostering meaningful relationships with the next generation of banking customers amidst a generational wealth transfer.



More info:



Beyond the Arc: https://beyondthearc.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-the-arc-inc-/



Steven Ramirez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramirezsj/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #BeyondtheArc #Banking #CreditUnions #banks #yearinreview #digitalbanking #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #innovation #regulators #security #ai #personalization #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup

Fintech, innovation, and the credit union landscape – a conversation with the Chairman of the NCUA.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode, Kyle Hauptman, Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), shares his insights on the evolving credit union landscape and the role of regulators in fostering innovation. Kyle reflects on his career journey from Wall Street bond trading to financial policy, emphasizing his commitment to ensuring credit unions remain competitive in a rapidly changing financial ecosystem. He highlights the importance of balancing innovation with safety and soundness, drawing lessons from past industry failures to stress the risks of inaction and the need for credit unions to adapt to new technologies.



Kyle delves into the unique collaborative nature of credit unions, which often share innovations and best practices with one another, fostering a network effect that drives progress. He discusses the challenges innovators face when engaging with regulators, emphasizing the need for clear communication and guidance to avoid unnecessary roadblocks. Through anecdotes, such as the unintended consequences of a regulator’s offhand comment about Bitcoin being "risky," Kyle illustrates the significant impact regulatory language and actions can have on innovation and decision-making within the financial sector.



The conversation also explores the NCUA’s approach to digital assets and blockchain technology, with Kyle expressing pride in the agency’s positive guidance during his tenure. He underscores the importance of early, broad, and positive regulatory principles, drawing inspiration from the Clinton-Gore administration’s approach to the early internet. For fintech innovators looking to support credit unions, Kyle offers advice on engaging productively with regulators and navigating the unique dynamics of the credit union space. This episode provides valuable lessons for both innovators and regulators on fostering a forward-thinking, collaborative financial ecosystem.



More info:



NCUA: https://ncua.gov/



Kyle Hauptman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-hauptman-180191/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #NCUA #CreditUnions #CU #digitalbanking #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #innovation #regulators #security #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup

Rapid growth as a community bank – Five Star’s strategies for using fintech to expand their customer.



Detailed Summary:



This episode of the Finovate Podcast features DJ Kurtze, Executive Vice President and Bay Area President of Five Star Bank, discussing the community bank's impressive growth trajectory and unique positioning in the competitive San Francisco market. Five Star Bank is a $4.6 billion community bank headquartered in Rancho Cordova with nine branches and two administrative offices, serving real estate communities, small to medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, agriculture, and governmental entities. Founded 25 years ago by real estate developers Buzz Oates and Frank Ramos, the bank has maintained a remarkable 20% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years through organic growth strategies rather than acquisitions. Kurtze joined Five Star after the collapse of Signature Bank in March 2023, bringing his team over to capitalize on opportunities created by the banking sector disruptions involving SVB, First Republic, and Signature Bank.



The conversation explores Five Star's competitive advantages, which center on hiring exceptional senior bankers who understand their clients' businesses and providing direct access to decision-makers with speed and certainty of execution. The bank positions itself as "technology first," implementing advanced systems both for customer-facing services and internal operations. This technological focus, combined with their flat organizational structure and lack of legacy systems from acquisitions, allows them to operate at a 40% efficiency ratio and quickly implement customer feedback and new product offerings. The bank's approach to fintech partnerships emphasizes working with vendors who have proven track records with financial institutions and can provide plug-and-play solutions compatible with existing core banking systems.



A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Five Star's specialized approach to nonprofit banking, which requires understanding unique cash flows, funding structures, and the sophisticated needs of experienced C-suite executives and board members who often come from successful business backgrounds. The bank provides advanced fraud prevention tools, insured cash sweep products for higher FDIC insurance limits, and creative lending solutions including tax-exempt financing. Kurtze closes by highlighting how community banks have advantages in fraud prevention through personal relationships and direct banker-client communication, allowing them to identify unusual transactions and protect clients more effectively than larger institutions despite having smaller technology budgets.



More info:



Five Star Bank: https://www.five-starbank.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/five-star-bank-california/



DJ Kurtze: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dj-kurtze-449b3934/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #FiveStarBank #communitybank #nonprofitbanking #digitalbanking #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bank #banks #security #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking

Finovate Awards Winner InvestiFi on the changing investment landscape, consumer education, and bringing investment assets back to banks and CUs.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate Podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Kian Sarrestheh, co-founder and CEO of InvestiFi the 2025 Finovate Awards winner in the Best Alternative Investment Solution category. InvestiFi provides a digital investment platform specifically designed for banks and credit unions, allowing their customers to invest in stocks, ETFs, crypto, and roboadvisory portfolios directly from their checking or savings accounts without transferring money to third-party platforms. This innovative approach keeps deposits on the financial institution's balance sheet while providing a seamless user experience that eliminates the friction of moving money between accounts.



The conversation explores how consumer investment behavior is rapidly shifting toward third-party apps like Robinhood, Coinbase, and SoFi, with financial institutions losing between 5-10% of their deposits to these platforms. Kian explains that these fintech companies are expanding beyond investing into traditional banking services, including mortgages, checking accounts, and savings products, creating a significant competitive threat to community banks and credit unions. InvestiFi addresses this challenge by enabling financial institutions to offer comparable digital investment experiences while maintaining the customer relationship and deposit base within their own ecosystem.



Looking toward the future, Sarrestheh predicts that banks and credit unions will ultimately prevail over third-party investment apps due to their physical presence, established community trust, and ability to provide in-person customer service when issues arise. He believes that financial institutions offering similar digital investment capabilities through platforms like InvestiFi will leverage their 150-year track record of resilience and local relationships to win back customers who have migrated to fintech alternatives. The discussion emphasizes the importance of consumer education and the value of maintaining that crucial primary financial institution relationship in an increasingly digital investment landscape.



More info:



Tenerity PrivacyGuard: https://investifi.co/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/investifi-cuso/



Kian Sarreshteh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/technologykian/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #InvestiFi #FinovateAwards #investing #wealthmanagement #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #creditunions #banks #cryptocurrency #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking

The real threat of AI-enabled fraud might not be what you think – hear from an expert on what you need to be focusing on right now.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Christopher D’Aprile, Director of Business Development at PrivacyGuard, following his keynote presentation at FinovateFall. D’Aprile brings over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, having worked at major institutions including MBNA Bank, NASCAR, Allstate, and Kobe Marketing before joining PrivacyGuard. The conversation centers on the growing threat of identity theft and how financial institutions can better protect their customers in an increasingly digital landscape.



The discussion reveals alarming trends in identity theft rates, which typically hover around 9-10% but spiked to 12-13% during the pandemic due to increased digital banking adoption and government money transfers. Chris explains that while deepfakes capture public attention, the real AI-driven threat lies in fraudsters becoming more efficient at targeting victims through sophisticated data analysis and demographic profiling. Rather than focusing on complex deepfake technology, criminals are using AI to identify vulnerable populations and optimize their scam operations, treating fraud as a business with the same analytical approaches legitimate companies use for marketing.



The conversation goes on to highlight critical gaps in how financial institutions approach identity theft protection. While many banks provide educational resources on their websites, D’Aprile emphasizes that identity theft restoration is too complex for a DIY approach and requires professional assistance. He advocates for banks to partner with specialized third-party providers like PrivacyGuard to offer comprehensive, white-labeled solutions that can generate revenue while providing customers protection at reduced costs. Looking forward, Chris discusses emerging features including scam protection, data scrubbing services, reimbursement for stolen funds, and offensive capabilities that allow consumers to report fraudulent websites for takedown, giving victims the ability to "punch back" against criminals.



More info:



Tenerity PrivacyGuard: https://www.tenerity.com/privacyguard/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/tenerity/



Christopher D’Aprile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-d-aprile-0928aa3/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #PrivacyGuard #FinovateFall #security #AI #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #antifraud #banks #financialsecurity #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking

This episode of the Finovate Podcast features an interview with John Findlay, CEO of Lemonade LXP, one of the Best of Show winners from FinovateFall. The conversation explores how Lemonade has transformed from its original 2018 concept into a comprehensive all-in-one learning and knowledge platform specifically designed for financial institutions. Findlay discusses the critical gap in traditional learning management systems, which typically focus on compliance training rather than equipping frontline staff with the skills needed to drive business growth, promote digital products, and provide effective customer service.



The discussion delves into Lemonade's unique approach to training, which emphasizes interactive micro-learning experiences that fit within the flow of work rather than lengthy, traditional training sessions. Findlay explains how their AI-powered platform allows institutions to drag and drop documents to automatically create training content, while also providing a chatbot for real-time support. A key aspect of their success has been their customer-driven development approach, where they democratize their roadmap by allowing customers to vote on features and development priorities, ensuring the platform evolves based on actual industry needs.



Throughout the interview, Findlay shares impressive results and metrics from their implementations, including significant reductions in staff onboarding time, decreased attrition rates, and improved digital product adoption. The conversation also covers the various use cases that have emerged organically as customers have adapted the platform for different needs, from new staff onboarding and compliance training to universal banker programs and contact center operations. The episode concludes with insights into what types of financial institutions are best suited for Lemonade's platform, ranging from smaller institutions looking to replace basic compliance systems to larger organizations implementing specific business-focused training initiatives.



More info:



Lemonade LXP: https://www.lemonadelxp.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/lemonadelxp/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-lemonadelxp/



John Findlay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-findlay-a03545/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #LemonadeLXP #FinovateFall #BestofShow #training #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #AI #banks #financialtraining #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #creditunions #communitybanks

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Krida’s AI layer is transforming the lending process and deepening relationships to make the process easier for everyone.



Detailed Summary:



Krida, cofounders by Shivangi Khanna and Sophie Jewsbury join Greg on this episode to talk about their assistive AI tools for commercial loan officers in relationship banking and localized community banking. Krida focuses on streamlining the commercial lending process through workflow automation. The platform they demoed in New York addresses the universal pain point of document collection and processing by automating the feedback loops between borrowers and loan officers, pre-filling forms, and reducing overall cycle time from lead generation to loan application completion. The system can work as a standalone solution that integrates with existing core banking systems or it can function alongside loan origination systems to maintain established workflows.



Shivangi and Sophie share their experience post-demo, where they discovered broader market appeal than they anticipated. While they originally designed their product alongside community and regional banks, they were pleasantly surprised by significant interest from credit unions looking to build out their commercial banking platforms. Additionally, super regional and national banks approached them, expanding their potential customer base beyond their initial target market. Both co-founders emphasized that the pain points they address - manual document processing, understanding diverse business requirements across different locations, and data entry work - are universal across all types of financial institutions, regardless of size or organizational structure.



The conversation concludes with some personal background for both Sophie and Shivangi. Shivangi talks about spending nearly a decade in finance and technology, including time at JPMorgan Chase working with interest rates and regional bank balance sheets, which provided deep insights into banking operations and regulatory compliance. For her part, Sophie previously built an SME lender in Southeast Asia and worked as a bank consultant at McKinsey, giving her firsthand experience with manual processes in lending workflows. These experiences have helped them to make Krida into the Best of Show winning solution that it is today.



More info:



Krida: https://www.krida.ai/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/krida-ai/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-krida/



Shivangi Khanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivangik/



Sophie Jewsbury: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiejewsbury/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #Krida #FinovateFall #BestofShow #lending #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #AI #relationshipbanking #loanorigination #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #creditunions #communitybanks

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Eko Investments is bringing investment opportunities to early-stage investors, growing individual wealth and helping FIs of all sizes retain their customers.



Detailed Summary:



Mart Vos, CEO of Eko Investments, joins Greg to talk about his company's role as a leading digital investment provider for credit unions and banks. Eko's mission stems from Mart's personal experience when he moved from the Netherlands to the US and discovered that traditional banks only offered investment services to wealthy clients through financial advisors, requiring minimums like $100,000 rather than accommodating smaller amounts like $100. This contrasted sharply with the Netherlands, where every bank offers accessible investment products, eliminating the need for third-party apps like Betterment, Robinhood, or Acorns. Eko enables financial institutions to offer investments to all their clients, not just the top 1%, through a low-threshold investment solution natively integrated within digital banking platforms.



Eko has achieved remarkable success, winning Best of Show at Finovate Fall for the second consecutive year. The company's evolution is driven by their commitment to listening to financial institutions and members, with a significant portion of engineering hours reserved for client requests that can be implemented within one to two weeks. Recent feature developments include IRAs and Roth IRAs, faster money movement capabilities, and a unique structure providing core integration benefits without actual core dependency. Eko serves a diverse range of clients, from their smallest credit union with 7,000 members to their largest with 20 billion in assets, demonstrating their scalable solution across different institutional sizes.



Mart continues by describing how the Eko platform serves as an essential tool for financial institutions looking to retain clients who might otherwise migrate to third-party investment apps. With 68% of users making their first investment ever, and an average investment amount of $1,200, Eko focuses heavily on financial literacy and education, particularly serving millennials and Gen Z users. Rather than competing with traditional wealth advisory firms, Eko operates as a complementary funnel, providing warm leads for wealth services when clients reach higher investment thresholds like $50,000 or $100,000. This collaborative approach prevents financial institutions from having to "sell no" to smaller investors while creating pathways for future wealth management relationships.



More info:



Eko: https://eko.investments/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/ekoinvestments/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-eko/



Mart Vos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mart-vos/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #Eko #FinovateFall #BestofShow #investment #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #wealthmanagement #deposits # #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #creditunions #communitybanks

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Vertice AI: Using AI to help smaller FI’s punch above their weight.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode, Greg catches up with Mitch Rutledge, CEO and co-founder of Vertice AI, who won Best of Show at FinovateFall. Mitch starts out by discussing his company's mission to empower community financial institutions through AI-powered solutions. Vertice serves as an AI-driven growth engine that transforms institutional data into actionable insights, enabling smaller community banks and credit unions to compete effectively with larger financial institutions. The platform specifically targets community FIs with lean marketing teams, helping them deliver personalized customer engagement and measurable growth outcomes. Rutledge emphasizes that while big banks like Bank of America employ over 3,000 data scientists and JP Morgan invests over $4 billion in AI, community banks possess a crucial advantage: the trust factor that can be leveraged alongside modern technology.



The conversation then explores Vertice’s approach to personalization, which Rutledge defines as delivering relevance by understanding customer needs and serving appropriate products at the right time. The platform utilizes multiple AI applications including propensity scoring to predict product adoption and churn risk, automated campaign creation that generates targeted messaging for different demographics while maintaining regulatory compliance, and real-time campaign performance analysis. This comprehensive approach addresses the significant gap between consumer expectations for personalized financial experiences (74% want it) and actual delivery (only 22% feel they receive it). The technology enables marketing teams of one or two people to achieve the same level of personalization as larger institutions with extensive data science teams.



A notable aspect of Vertice’s journey is their decision to remain bootstrapped without taking venture capital funding. Rutledge explains this choice allowed the company to maintain control over their mission and vision while building according to client needs rather than investor timelines. The company achieved cash flow positivity from day one and focused on thoughtful, sustainable growth. For startup founders considering funding options, Rutledge advises being clear about the "why" behind raising funds, noting that while VC funding may be necessary for businesses requiring hyperscaling, companies that can grow profitably through customer revenue shouldn't underestimate the bootstrap path. This approach creates discipline and efficiency, ensuring every dollar earned is tied to value creation and customer satisfaction.



More info:



Vertice AI: https://verticeanalytics.ai/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticeai/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-vertice-ai/



Mitch Rutledge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchrutledge/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #VerticeAI #FinovateFall #BestofShow #marketing #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #credit #payments #orchestration #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking...

FinovateFall Best of Show winner LendAPI on the future of lending (spoiler: it’s gonna be a lot faster)



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host Greg interviews Tim Li, CEO and Co-Founder of LendAPI, a recent Best of Show winner at FinovateFall. LendAPI is described as a "super orchestration platform" that allows users to build various financial products through an intuitive browser interface. The platform features a product studio where FI’s can create everything from personal loans to mortgages by customizing templates, with integrated rule studios, model studios, pricing engines, and third-party plugins. Tim emphasizes that the platform dramatically reduces the traditional timeline for launching financial products from years to potentially just days or weeks.



Tim explains that LendAPI was born from his own 20 years of frustration working in various financial roles, where he experienced firsthand the pain points of slow implementation and inefficient processes. The company has received enthusiastic responses from financial executives, particularly chief lending and risk officers from credit unions and banks who see the potential to finally launch products they've wanted to implement for years. Following their Finovate success, LendAPI has decided to focus specifically on embedded finance opportunities, even changing their tagline from "onboard anyone" to "embedded anywhere."



Looking toward the future of lending, Tim envisions reducing friction at what he calls "the moment of truth,” that critical moment when consumers or small businesses want to make purchases or access credit. He believes financing, lending, and payments should blend seamlessly, creating a "magical" experience where credit decisions happen instantly without requiring extensive applications. This approach would prevent situations where people delay important purchases or decisions because of the onerous loan application process, ultimately making financial services more accessible and user-friendly.



More info:



LendAPI: https://www.lendapi.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/lendapi/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-lendapi/



Tim Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothytli/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #LendAPI #FinovateFall #BestofShow #lending #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #credit #payments #orchestration #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #cx #creditunions #communitybanks

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Casap on the biggest opportunity you’re missing to prove to your customers that you’re on their side.



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate podcast episode, Greg interviews Shanthi Shanmugam, co-founder and CEO of Casap, a Best of Show winner at FinovateFall 2025. Shanthi explains that Casap was founded after she and her co-founder discovered that negative dispute experiences were the primary non-life-event reason customers left financial institutions. Casap addresses this by instantly resolving disputes for honest customers while protecting banks from fraudsters. The current dispute process typically takes 90 days with little communication, creating frustration for customers who need resolution.



Shanthi highlights that first-party fraud has become the leading fraud attack vector globally, surpassing account takeovers and scams. This type of fraud—where customers falsely claim they didn't make purchases they actually did—costs financial institutions $100 billion annually. Casap’s solution uses AI agents that ask objective questions like expert investigators while analyzing transaction data to generate a "win score" that determines if a dispute is legitimate. For honest customers with high win scores, Casap provides instant resolution, while creating friction for potential fraudsters.



Following her Finovate demo, Shanthi received significant interest from various financial institutions, including fintechs, banks, and credit unions. Casap serves issuers of all sizes, from public fintechs to top 25 banks and credit unions with assets ranging from $200 million to $20 billion. Shanthi closes by envisioning a future where Casap helps create a financial system where trust is a given, fraud is minimized, and financial services are truly democratized. The solution is designed for any issuer handling at least 200 dispute cases monthly, providing immediate savings and improved customer experiences.



More info:



Casap: https://www.casaphq.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/casaphq/



FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-casap/



Shanthi Shanmugam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanthi-shanmugam-4057284a/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #Casap #FinovateFall #BestofShow #ai #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #disputes #fraud #antifraud #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #cx

AI is revolutionizing lending – are you ready?



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Greg Sullins, head of the U.S. Banking Center of Excellence for Newgen Software. Sullins, with 35 years of banking experience, discusses how Newgen supports financial institutions in their digital banking transformation. The conversation primarily focuses on how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing lending processes, with Sullins explaining that lending is particularly suitable for AI implementation because it sits at the intersection of data intensity, risk management, and customer experience.



Newgen's technology addresses lending challenges through end-to-end automation using their low-code platform, AI-powered decisioning, configurable workflows, and enhanced customer experience capabilities. Sullins emphasizes that the low-code component is crucial as it allows business analysts rather than programmers to configure workflows and deploy changes quickly. This approach helps banks modernize legacy systems while maintaining compliance through built-in governance, audit trails, and explainable AI.



Looking toward the future of lending, Sullins predicts four major shifts: instant lending with approvals in seconds, more inclusive credit using AI and alternative data to serve traditionally underserved borrowers, embedded lending that appears where customers need it, and risk and compliance by design. He concludes that banks need to shift their mindset from viewing lending as a process to manage to seeing it as an experience to deliver, adopting an outside-in perspective that prioritizes customer expectations while still managing risk responsibly.



More info:



Newgen: https://newgensoft.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/newgen/



Greg Sullins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-sullins-9788b23/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #newgen #ai #lowcode #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #payments #lending #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #africanfintech #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #cx

Stablecoins, relationships, and licenses – inside the Flutterwave success story



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Bridgit Antwi, Head of Strategy and Planning at Flutterwave, Africa's leading payments company. Founded in 2016 by Olubenga "GB" Agbola, Flutterwave was created to solve the significant friction in facilitating financial transactions across Africa's complex landscape of 54 countries, 40+ currencies, and numerous payment systems. The company has built an infrastructure that abstracts this complexity through a single API platform, allowing merchants to seamlessly collect payments across multiple countries, currencies, and payment methods. Today, Flutterwave operates in over 30 countries, holds licenses in 14 African nations (making it the most licensed non-bank entity on the continent), and maintains 35 money transfer licenses.



Flutterwave's growth has required not only technological innovation but also extensive relationship-building across the financial ecosystem. The company has established over 150 direct connections to banks, mobile network operators, payment schemes, and digital wallets, creating redundant payment rails necessary for reliable operation in Africa. This infrastructure has become a competitive advantage and now powers the next generation of African startups. Key customers include global companies like Uber, which Flutterwave helped expand from Nigeria to ten additional markets by localizing transactions and improving authorization rates. They also serve local merchants like Nigerian airline Airpeace and payment service providers from Europe, the US, and increasingly Asia.



Looking toward the future, Flutterwave is focusing heavily on stablecoins, particularly USDC. As a member of the Circle Partnership Network, they are one of few African partners that can mint USDC and provide on/off-ramp services between USDC and fiat currencies. This focus addresses critical needs in Africa, where currency volatility and inflation make stablecoins an attractive alternative for cross-border transactions due to lower costs and faster settlement times. Beyond facilitating local payments, Flutterwave is helping merchants expand their reach across borders, with particular interest in the "big four" e-commerce markets (Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt) as well as secondary markets like Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of Francophone Africa.



More info:



Flutterwave: https://flutterwave.com/us/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/flutterwave/



Bridgit Antwi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgit-antwi/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #Flutterwave #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #payments #stablecoins #paymentsystems #fintech #finserv #africanfintech #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #USDC

The pitfalls of payments platforms that are “good enough”



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate Podcast episode, host Greg Palmer interviews Rouzbeh Rotabi, Chief Revenue Officer at Qolo, about payment infrastructure modernization. Rotabi, with over 20 years of experience in fintech and payments, explains that banks face three main challenges: financial pressures to increase commercial deposits (especially following recent bank runs), infrastructure limitations of legacy systems, and the need to improve customer experience. He emphasizes that many financial institutions are reaching "terminal velocity" with their current technology, forcing them to hire additional staff and implement workarounds rather than adopting more scalable solutions.



The discussion highlights the false comfort of "good enough" payment systems in today's competitive landscape. Rouzbeh advises financial executives to evaluate their infrastructure by examining how much "load weight" their current systems create—specifically, whether they're continuously hiring more staff or consultants just to maintain existing systems. He recommends analyzing growth patterns over the past five years to determine if operational expenses are scaling disproportionately to business growth, and to gather direct customer feedback about their experiences with current platforms.



When implementing new payment technologies, Rotabi explains the trade-off between speed to market and maintaining control. He notes that additive solutions like Qolo's virtual account management can integrate with existing cores without complete replacement, making implementation faster and less disruptive. The conversation distinguishes between consumer and commercial payment systems, suggesting that commercial implementations offer more flexibility and tolerance for minor disruptions compared to consumer-facing solutions where even small errors can significantly impact customer trust. Ultimately, the podcast emphasizes that financial institutions must modernize their payment infrastructure to meet evolving customer expectations and remain competitive.



More info:



Qolo: https://qolo.io/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/qolo/



Rouzbeh Rotabi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rouzbehrotabi/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #Qolo #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #payments #infrastructure #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking

Your new go-to-market(ing) strategy – balancing compliance and speed with agentic AI



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate Podcast episode, Greg interviews Asaf Baciu, President and Co-Founder of Persado, an agentic AI platform that optimizes both marketing performance and regulatory compliance for financial institutions. Assaf explains how banks and fintechs currently face a significant challenge with disjointed marketing and compliance teams, resulting in inefficient content approval processes that can take up to 12 weeks for a single subject line. This slow process prevents financial institutions from competing effectively in today's fast-paced market against neobanks and other digital competitors.



Persado's solution leverages AI to analyze content against both performance metrics (based on over a million A/B tests) and regulatory requirements (using specialized AI agents for different regulations). The platform can evaluate marketing content, identify compliance issues, suggest improvements, and generate compliant alternatives that still perform well. This approach has helped customers reduce approval times by 85-90%, cutting processes from weeks to hours. The technology is particularly valuable for sponsor banks managing fintech programs, where reviewing content like social media videos traditionally requires manual transcription and lengthy back-and-forth communications.



Assaf emphasizes that AI is ideally suited for this application because it can efficiently analyze thousands of pages of regulations and predict marketing performance based on vast amounts of data - tasks humans cannot perform at the necessary speed and scale. Currently working with eight of the top ten U.S. banks, Persado brings ten years of experience applying AI at scale within financial institutions. Assaf will be speaking FinovateFall (September 8-10) on a panel about harnessing AI in financial services, where he hopes to connect with executives concerned about growing their businesses responsibly.



More info:



Persado: https://www.persado.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/persado/



Assaf Baciu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assaf-baciu-17a4b3/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #marketing #compliance #fintech #finserv #financialmarketing #AI #innovation @#startup #banking #agenticai

Fighting crime through collaboration – lessons from a retired DEA Special Agent.



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate podcast episode, host Greg Palmer interviews David Tyree, a retired DEA special agent now serving as a senior advisor with Valid8 Financial. Tyree shares his extensive career journey from joining the DEA in 1998 to working in various locations including New Mexico, Oregon, Europe, West Africa, and Wyoming. Early in his career, he discovered the effectiveness of targeting criminal organizations' financial assets, which led to developing strong relationships with financial institutions. Tyree emphasizes that successful investigations require humility and collaboration between law enforcement and banks, noting that both sides benefit when they share information openly rather than remaining guarded.



Throughout the conversation, Tyree highlights the importance of understanding criminal typologies in financial crime detection. He discusses technological advancements that have improved financial crime investigations, including CSV files, online typology resources, and third-party monitoring software. Despite these technological improvements, Tyree consistently returns to the human element as critical, stressing that banks should focus on making their customers "the heroes of their stories" by educating them about fraud risks and empowering them with information to protect themselves, particularly vulnerable populations like the elderly.



In his current role at Valid8, Tyree helps law enforcement make sense of money movement patterns, with the platform having helped him discover an additional million dollars in a case where he had initially seized $200,000. He advises financial institutions to prioritize understanding criminal typologies across various crimes including human trafficking, drug trafficking, fraud, and elder abuse. Tyree concludes by emphasizing two key elements for effective financial crime prevention: understanding what criminal activity looks like in financial data and fostering greater collaboration between banks and law enforcement agencies to share emerging trends and patterns.



More info:



Report: https://www.valid8financial.com/money-laundering



Valid8: https://www.valid8financial.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/valid8-financial/



David Tyree: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidatyree/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #financialcrime #moneylaundering #fintech #fraud #antifraud #money #innovation #startup #banking

Supporting the gig economy and ethical AI – two massive components you can’t afford to ignore.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host interviews Tamara Laine, founder of MPWR, who shares her unique journey from professional ballerina and choreographer to documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, and finally tech entrepreneur. Laine discusses how her extensive experience as a gig worker—spanning over half her career—revealed significant financial barriers despite earning good income. Even while making six figures at times, she couldn't obtain credit cards or loans because traditional financial systems aren't designed for workers without W-2 income, highlighting a critical gap affecting over half the U.S. workforce.



The conversation goes on to explore how the financial industry needs to innovate for gig workers by understanding their unique cash flow patterns and developing alternative credit assessment methods beyond traditional FICO scores. Laine emphasizes that while gig workers may have inconsistent monthly income, their annual patterns are often stable and predictable, suggesting that financial products could be redesigned to accommodate these differences. The discussion highlights how younger generations are increasingly credit-thin as they move away from traditional employment and credit products, creating an urgent need for financial inclusion.



The podcast then shifts to ethical AI, drawing from Laine's Emmy-winning investigative reporting on activist investors—notably a group of nuns—who pushed major corporations to implement ethical AI frameworks. She describes how this experience informed her approach to developing AI tools at MPWR, emphasizing the importance of preventing bias in financial technology. The conversation concludes with a discussion about responsibility for ethical AI development, with Laine advocating for diverse teams and multiple perspectives rather than relying solely on regulation, noting that we're in the "wild west" of AI development where today's decisions may impact financial systems for decades.



More info:



MPWR: http://www.MPWR.money ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/mpwrai/



Tamara Laine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralaine/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bankingInnovation #fintech #alternativecredit #gigeconomy #credit #ethicalai #AI #innovation #startup #banking

The importance of human-centered innovation – one banker’s thoughts on building the right kind of innovative community.



Detailed Summary:



In this Finovate podcast, Greg Palmer interviews Catherine Lynch, who leads digital experience and human-centered design at Citizens, a super-regional bank with approximately 1,000 branches primarily in the Northeast and $220 billion in assets. With over 20 years in banking and previous experience at Accenture and tech startups, Lynch has built her career around leveraging technology to solve customer problems. At Citizens, she focuses on digital channel strategy and experience design for a diverse customer base that includes consumers, commercial clients, and wealth management customers.



Lynch explains that regardless of customer type, banking clients have three fundamental needs: seeing their money, moving their money, and protecting their money. She notes that customer needs have evolved as people face cognitive overload, economic stress, and reduced community connections, creating demand for simpler, easier banking experiences. To meet these changing expectations, Citizens employs a human-centered design approach, putting customer needs at the center of their problem-solving process through empathy, collaboration, iteration, and testing. Their innovation lab, part of Green Pixel Studios, allows them to observe customers interacting with their services and quickly develop solutions to address pain points.



Looking toward the future, Lynch emphasizes the importance of partnerships with fintech companies, which focus on specific customer problems that Citizens might not have the resources to explore independently. She highlights their involvement with Mass Fintech Hub, which connects financial institutions with academia, startups, and government to address industry challenges collaboratively. By maintaining these connections and leveraging evolving capabilities, Citizens aims to deliver exceptional customer experiences while addressing the information overload many customers face today.



More info:



Citizens Bank: https://www.citizensbank.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/citizens-bank/



Catherine Lynch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-lynch-42678510/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bankingInnovation #fintech #fintechpartnerships #digitaltransformation #AI #innovation #startup #banking

Driving innovation forward – lessons from a fintech founder turned community banker.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode, Christian Ruppe, Chief Innovation Officer of Colony Bank, joins Greg to discuss his journey from fintech entrepreneur to banker. Colony Bank is a $3.3 billion community bank headquartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia, with a footprint primarily in South Georgia and offices in surrounding areas. As the largest community bank in Georgia, Colony serves both consumers and businesses, particularly catering to larger businesses that find national banks too impersonal but need more capabilities than smaller community banks can offer.



Rupp shares Colony Bank's three-year innovation journey, which began with building the necessary infrastructure to be "ready" rather than "right" when facing industry threats and opportunities. This foundation-building phase required developing new organizational muscles around technology adoption, due diligence processes, and implementation strategies. Now that this groundwork is established, Colony is exploring forward-looking technologies, with agentic AI being a particular focus. They've partnered with DeepSea to develop AI agents that handle tedious manual processes like indirect lending verification, which has improved accuracy while freeing staff to focus on growth-oriented tasks.



When advising fintechs on partnering with banks, Rupp emphasizes the importance of addressing immediate problems banks are actively trying to solve. Community banks have limited capacity to implement new technologies, so solutions that address current "fires" have a much higher chance of being adopted. He notes that while banks may not immediately implement every interesting solution they encounter, they often remember these technologies when relevant problems arise later, highlighting the value of patience and relationship-building in the fintech-banking partnership process.



More info:



Colony Bank: https://colony.bank/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/colony-bank/



Christian Ruppe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruppe/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bankingInnovation #fintech #communitybanking #digitaltransformation #AI #innovation #startup #banking

Bringing a rewarding investment experience into FI’s with FinovateSpring Best of Show winner Bits of Stock.



Detailed Summary:



In this episode of the Finovate Podcast, host Greg interviews Arash Asady, CEO and co-founder of Bits of Stock, a Best of Show winner at FinovateSpring 2025. Arash introduces Bits of Stock as an embedded digital wealth and financial benefits platform that empowers financial institutions to bundle banking with fractional stock and crypto investing. The company helps banks boost deposits and card engagement through stocks as rewards, roundups, and investments. Arash explains that financial institutions face competitive threats from fintechs like Robinhood and Acorns, which offer comprehensive services including fractional investing that appeal to younger customers who expect all financial services within one digital experience.



The conversation highlights how Bits of Stock's stock rewards program differentiates from traditional rewards systems. Their research showed stock rewards were 34 times more effective than cashback in driving card spending, with users increasing card spend by 20% month over month. Arash emphasizes that stock rewards remove barriers to investing and help address wealth inequality, noting that currently 90% of stocks are owned by just 10% of the population. The platform offers a "free to premium" model that fits well into financial institutions' checking account strategies, allowing users to access free fractional investing with basic features and upgrade to premium tiers with additional benefits.



Looking ahead, Bits of Stock plans to expand its feature set within the free-to-premium experience, focusing particularly on partnerships with digital banking providers to bring their platform to millions of households. Arash mentions they're working to add features that will drive more fee income and revenue for financial institutions. The company is preparing for a significant Series A funding round, targeting a $20 million raise by the end of 2025.



More info:



Bits of Stock: https://www.bitsofstock.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitsofstock/



Brandon Min: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aasady/



Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/



Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/



FinovateSpring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/



#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #bankingInnovation #fintech #voice #antifraud #investing #rewards #CU #communitybanking #digitaltransformation #AI #innovation #finovatespring