This Week in Fintech's Podcast

This episode dives deep into the evolution of blockchain-powered lending and marketplaces in the FinTech sector, with guest Michael Tannenbaum, whose career has spanned senior roles at SoFi, Brex, and now Figure. Host Julie Verhage-Greenberg and Michael discuss how Figure’s vision—originally designed as one company with a strong blockchain backbone—has matured amidst regulatory and market shifts.Check out Figure Markets here: figuremarkets.onelink.me/Plnq/TWIFThis episode is brought to you by Figure Markets, the platform to Earn and Borrow.Democratized Prime lets you earn 9% by lending your money against real-world assets like home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) which only banks were able to do prior. Lend like a bank!Need liquidity without selling your crypto? Figure offers Crypto-Backed Loans, allowing you to borrow against your Bitcoin or Ethereum with 12-month terms and no prepayment penalties. They have the lowest rates in the industry at 8.91%, allowing you to access instant cash or buy more Bitcoin without triggering a tax event.Unlock your crypto’s potential today. Download their app and start earning your 9% today or taking out your Bitcoin-backed loan at industry low rates!DISCLOSURES: The 9% rate referenced is not guaranteed and subject to change as new offers are placed. Democratized Prime uses a Dutch auction method for its borrowers/lenders. There is an inherent risk due to interest rate volatility in a Dutch auction interest rates in the auction may rise rapidly. At the time of acceptance, your loan may be filled with a different or higher interest rate than offered at the time of selection. The interest rate is only fixed at the time of loan approval and not at the time of loan acceptance.Figure Lending LLC dba Figure. Equal Opportunity Lender.NMLS 1717824. Terms and conditions apply. Visit figure.com for more information.Figure Markets Credit LLC. 650 S. Tryon Street, 8th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28202. (888) 926-6259. NMLS ID 2559612. Terms and conditions apply. Visit figuremarkets.com/borrow for more information.

This week, Nik Milanovic sits down with Sandeep Pyapali, Founder and CEO of Mesta, a global cross-border payment network combining traditional rails with stablecoin systems.Mesta allows sending USD and stablecoins in over 50 currencies, cutting international payment costs by over 50%. Pyapali, with 17 years in payments – including Uber's $100 billion payment network – founded Mesta in 2024.Pyapali emphasized the importance of stablecoins for efficient international payments and predicts the growth of non-USD stablecoins. Mesta aims to disrupt traditional Fiat-to-Fiat payments with blockchain technology. Pyapali's vision for Mesta was informed not only by his time building payments systems at Uber but also by his international travel on a sabbatical afterwards, and the difficulty of converting currencies for international payments.You can learn more about what they're building at mesta.xyz----While stablecoins are one of our favorite topics to discuss, it's important to note that this episode was sponsored by Mesta.

Join Jillian Williams, co-founder of Field Ventures, and Dimitri Dadiomov, President of Modern Treasury, as they delve into the dynamic world of fintech. They discuss the evolution from Lending Club to today’s AI-driven innovations and the rebundling of financial services. Hear insights on the future of money movement, risk management, and the importance of customer trust in adopting new technologies. They also explore challenges in integrating crypto and AI into traditional finance, revealing promising opportunities for investors and startups.

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.