This Week in Fintech's Podcast đ§The Fintech OG Series: Jack Zhang and Leif Abraham
Aug 6, 2025
Jack Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Airwallex, has revolutionized global payments while Leif Abraham, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Public, is transforming the investing landscape for millennials. They dive into their unique journeys from humble beginnings to billion-dollar successes. The duo emphasizes the importance of first principles thinking in disrupting traditional finance, explores stablecoins and AI's transformative impact, and shares unconventional advice for aspiring fintech founders. Their candid experiences highlight creativity and resilience as keys to navigating the evolving fintech frontiers.
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Episode notes
Jack's Coffee Shop to Fintech Story
- Jack Zhang founded Airwallex after experiencing high fees and delays in international payments while running a coffee shop.
- Airwallex evolved into a global payments and banking platform serving over 150,000 businesses worldwide.
Leif's Vision for Public
- Leif Abraham started Public to build a next-gen investing platform focusing on the top 20% of millennials with larger account balances.
- Public aims to be a more sophisticated alternative to mainstream platforms like Robinhood, targeting wealth building for serious investors.
Turning Down Stripe's Offer
- Jack Zhang turned down a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from Stripe in 2018 despite modest revenue.
- He believed Airwallex's mission to build a global banking platform for internet-native businesses was much bigger than just online payments.