This Week in Fintech's Podcast

Eli Wachs, Co-Founder and CEO of Footprint, discusses revolutionizing internet identity infrastructure. He shares insights from his exploration of identity at the Stanford library and collaboration with economist Raj Chetty. The conversation dives into Footprint's innovative onboarding solutions that simplify fraud prevention with just five lines of code. Eli also highlights challenges in digital payments and the role of user consent in data privacy. The potential of a centralized database of good actors takes center stage as a vital tool for enhancing security in the digital age.

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.

Alesia Haas, the CFO of Coinbase, dives into the company’s robust Q2 performance and its bold future. She discusses the substantial growth in stablecoin revenue, highlighting the partnership with Circle that fueled a $332 million influx. Coinbase is making waves in the derivatives market, especially after acquiring Deribit for $2.9 billion, enhancing options trading capabilities. With user-focused innovations like payment APIs for Shopify and the upcoming Base app, Haas outlines how Coinbase is gearing up to revolutionize crypto trading and cross-border payments.

David Haber, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and AI Apps Fund co-lead, teams up with Owen Jennings, Head of Product and Operations at Block. They dive into the evolution of fintech from the early days of Cash App to AI's role in transforming finance. Key discussions include innovative solutions for small businesses, the necessity of modernizing credit access through AI, and the ongoing challenges in financial stability. Their insights offer a masterclass on the intersection of technology and finance, bursting with opportunities for the future.

Join Alex Chriss, President and CEO of PayPal, as he shares insights from his journey in tech leadership after two decades at Intuit. He discusses the 'customer back' approach that drives PayPal's evolution and strategic priorities. Alex dives into the concept of agentic commerce, highlighting trends in merchant data and AI innovations that revolutionize customer experiences. He also introduces PayPal's new stablecoin, PYUSD, and how creative marketing campaigns are revitalizing the brand. Expect a riveting blend of tech disruption and visionary leadership.

Welcome back to this week in FinTech and another episode of the FinTech OGs. This week I'm joined by two guests whose careers have helped shape. The evolution of modern wealth management. We have Charles Birnbaum partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, and Cynthia Loh, who is a senior vice president at Capital One.Charles and Cynthia first crossed paths in the early days of Betterment. This is back when robo-advisors were just starting to redefine how everyday consumers invest and have spent, over a decade building in, investing in and advising some of the most influential FinTech companies out there. It's a great conversation and I'm excited for you to dive in!I also want to take a moment to send out a special thanks to our sponsors this week. 100% of what we got in ads for this episode is going towards Texas Flood Relief. Those of you that know me know that I am based in Austin, Texas, and while thankfully my daughter is too young to go to a sleep away camp, it hits close to home with friends having kids that go to camps that were hit along the river. The two guests this week, Charles and Cynthia, also both have kids, and it's just unimaginable what these parents are going through. I ask all of you to keep these families in your prayers. With that, I'll also tell you a little bit more about our sponsors. I have a feeling you guys are very familiar with all of them but just in case you're not. First up is Lithic, who is a modern payments infrastructure provider that enables technically ambitious teams to build better payments products. Lithic's cutting edge technologies cover issuing and processing, end-to-end fraud prevention, dispute management, and cardholder support implemented as either fully managed offerings or self-service tools.Learn more at lithic.com.Next up we have Rho, which is the all-in-one banking platform for startups and the accountants who support them. Thousands of startups switching to Rho because they don't have time to wait days to open an account or the patience for email support queues when they just need real help.Rho is building a new standard for business banking. With Rho, you get fast banking setup, up to 2% cash back on cards and yield on idle cash. Everything you need all in one platform from day one. Every client gets real dedicated support from a team that goes to the end of the earth to help you win. Head to rho.co/startups to learn more. That's rho.co/startups. Rho is a FinTech company, not a bank or an FDIC. Insured depository institution checking account and card services are provided by Webster Bank NA member FDIC. See rewards terms for complete cash back details.Last but not least, we have Spade. It’s 2025 and fintechs can spin up cards in minutes and move money in real time. But we still can’t decipher the transactions on a bank statement. Most still show up as a jumble of letters and numbers — no clear name, no location. Just noise and guesswork. That’s why so many fintechs and banks are turning to Spade. Spade’s API maps messy transaction strings to verified businesses — returning real merchant names, categories, and store locations in real time. So if you want reliable transaction data across cards, ACH, and more, head to spade.com. 

Firdaus Bhathena, CTO of FIS, shares his journey from healthcare to fintech innovation. He discusses managing innovation at a colossal scale, emphasizing the balance between hiring industry veterans and fresh talent. The concept of 'The Harmony Gap' takes center stage, exploring AI's role in addressing financial operational challenges. Firdaus also tackles the legacy COBOL problem, demonstrating how generative AI can aid in modernization. His insights into prioritizing impactful ideas and staying adaptable provide a fascinating glimpse into the future of fintech.

You know you’ve found true fintech OGs when your guests were almost roommates before “fintech” was even a buzzword. That’s exactly the case with today’s guests, Sheel Mohnot and Amit Kumar—two longtime friends and collaborators who’ve not only seen the fintech industry evolve over the last decade-plus, but have helped shape it.In this episode, we dig into their early startup days—FeeFighters, CardSpring, and Twitter M&A tales—plus what it was like building before infrastructure existed, the bets they wish they’d made sooner, and why they believe fintech is still one of the most promising sectors to build in today.We also get into:What Apple Pay did accomplish—and what it still hasn’t replacedWhy a modern global Venmo still doesn’t existWhat Sheel looks for in the next 10 years of fintech innovationAnd why Amit advises CS students to do their “master’s degree at Stripe”Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just love hearing two friends go deep on the evolution of a category they’ve helped pioneer, this episode is packed with insights and reflections. 

Join David Marcus, CEO of Lightspark and former head of Libra at Facebook, alongside Dan Kimerling, founding partner at Deciens Capital, as they dive into the ever-evolving world of fintech. They discuss the rise and regulatory challenges of stablecoins, envisioning Bitcoin as the future's foundational currency. The conversation also touches on the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, the significance of support systems, and the ever-growing role of AI in shaping the industry. Perfect for anyone intrigued by the future of finance!

Junta Nakai, Global VP at Databricks, dives into how technology is reshaping global finance. He shares insights on the transformative power of AI and cloud services for major financial institutions, emphasizing Databricks' vital role in managing complex data. Junta discusses his journey from Wall Street to tech, highlighting the importance of adaptability and soft skills in an evolving workforce. He predicts a thriving decade for banks and an even more rewarding experience for bank customers, illustrating the shift toward data-driven personalization in finance.