Wharton FinTech Podcast

It's no secret that FinTech has boomed during COVID as workers, companies, and everyday people were forced to digitize their lives. But by how much is FinTech changing people's lives, and are they happy with this transition? In today's episode, Ryan Zauk sits down with Plaid's John Pitts to discuss the company's inaugural report with the Harris Poll analyzing FinTech in the wake of COVID (and plenty of other topics). Plaid and the Harris Poll surveyed the nation to understand consumer behavior changes and preferences, and whether they will last through this COVID crisis. Report Link: https://plaid.com/the-fintech-effect-2020-consumer-report/ Though Plaid needs no introduction, it is a data transfer network that powers Fintech and digital finance products by enabling applications to connect with users' bank accounts. Prior to Plaid, John was one of the first hires at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before the CFPB, he was an associate at Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe. John is a graduate of UPenn's Carey School of Law and Kenyon College. In today's episode, John covers a lot of ground including: - His time at the CFPB and their initial assessment of Bitcoin - Comparing and contrasting the US, UK, Canadian, and EU fintech regulatory landscape - Why he's so excited about Canada's fintech prospects - Their landmark study with the Harris Poll on FinTech adoption during COVID - Where the government went right and wrong during its stimulus efforts And much more For more insights and analysis from FinTech leaders, follow us below: Medium: https://medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: https://twitter.com/whartonfintech Ryan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanZauk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/

In this episode, Miguel Armaza interviews Stefan Möller, Co-Founder and CEO of Klar, a Mexican challenger bank working to democratize debit and credit in Mexico. Klar is making credit accessible to all Mexicans, including those with no credit history. It helps people build credit by looking at how and where they spend their money, without having to rely on obsolete and traditional credit scores. Klar’s business has experienced rapid growth having issued over 25,000 credit lines amongst its 200,000 customers in less than 12 months and their growth has tripled during the pandemic. Klar has raised almost $73 million in debt and equity from some of the most prestigious funds in the industry, including Prosus Ventures, the World Bank’s IFC, Quona, Mouro Capital, aCrew, FJ Labs, and Gilgamesh Ventures*. Stefan Möller Stefan Möller is the Co-Founder and CEO of Klar, a Mexican challenger bank working to democratize debit and credit in Mexico. Before starting Klar, Stefan was a Venture Director at Nova Founders Capital, a global fintech investment company where he learned first hand the challenges faced by consumers seeking access to decent financial services. Before Nova Founders, Stefan worked as a consultant at Bain and Company where he developed a deep understanding of the limitations faced by financial institutions in their path to digital transformation. Prior to that, Stefan developed several entrepreneurial ventures in Mexico and Germany. Stefan has an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, and a BA in Economics from the Goethe Institut in Frankfurt and studies in Yale university. About Klar Klar has been working to democratize financial services in Mexico since 2019 by offering a 100% digital, transparent, free and secure alternative to traditional credit and debit services. Unlike traditional financial institutions, Klar provides consumers with a unique set of features and benefits. For more information visit: www.klar.mx * Miguel Armaza is a Co-Founder of Gilgamesh Ventures and a proud supporter of Klar.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Irene Arias Hofman, CEO of IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the leading source of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion by supporting early-stage entrepreneurial solutions capable of transforming the lives of vulnerable populations. Previously, Irene worked for 20 years at the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she managed the Financial Institutions Group and also the LAC region with its 16-billion- dollar portfolio. Her focus has been on innovation and technology, venture capital, and organizational development.

In our latest episode, Hinal Shah (WG’20) is joined by Michael Sidgmore, a Partner at Broadhaven Ventures. Broadhaven is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investment opportunities at the intersection of financial services and technology. Broadhaven Ventures is a VC fund affiliated with Broadhaven Capital Partners, an independent fintech investment bank that has done over $50 billion in transaction volume. Broadhaven Ventures has investments in companies like Liveoak (acquired by DocuSign), Credijusto, Kyash, MoneyLion, Starship, BioCatch, Harvest Wealth, Kovi, and Nowports. Michael Sidgmore is also a Venture Partner at Goodwater Capital, a consumer tech VC that has invested in fintech companies including Toss, Monzo, Stash, Kyash, and Tide, amongst others. Prior to Broadhaven, Michael was an operator at two different fintech startups, where he helped build their sales teams. He was employee #8 at iCapital Network and was the first sales hire at Mosaic. Michael started his career on Goldman Sachs' Principal Strategic Investments Group in London. Michael holds a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. In this interview, Michael shares: - Broadhaven’s approach to fintech investing globally - The types of business they seek out - Fintech opportunities in emerging markets and future trends to watch - The impact of COVID-19 and the opportunities it may bring for fintech and non-fintech players - Advice for those looking to enter venture capital or start/join fintech companies And much more…

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Anu Shultes, CEO of LendUp, a mission-driven fintech company focused on expanding access to credit and creating pathways to better financial health. A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, Anu has a personal mission to lift people out of poverty and infuses her work with her passion for financial inclusion. Anu’s career spans a broad spectrum of roles across subprime credit cards, subprime loans, and prepaid cards. Her significant experience building efficient operational processes and teams to support them has led her to become one of the few female CEOs in fintech. LendUp is backed by a long list of top VCs, including QED, PayPal Ventures, Google Ventures, Y-Combinator, Thomvest, Radicle, Data Collective, Susa Ventures, and many more!

In today’s episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Ryan Zauk sits down with Rob Underwood, Chief Development Officer of FINOS. FINOS, short for the FinTech Open Source Foundation, is a global community creating open-source solutions for financial services. As a community of people, companies, and events, FINOS’s purpose is to accelerate collaboration and innovation in financial services through the adoption of open-source software, standards, and best practices. Their 30+ member organizations include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Github, Citi, Symphony, and many more. They have over 300 contributors developing over 40 open-source projects. Before FINOS, Rob served as CTO at Relay Graduate School of Education; was Executive Director of TeachCS; founded CodeBrooklyn; and later, after starting his own consulting firm, TTM Advisors, advised and consulted for edtech startups such as Codesters. Before these roles, Rob was a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting, LLP and KPMG Consulting/BearingPoint. Earlier in life, Rob spent time both teaching and working in Japan after graduating from Colby College. In this episode, Rob covers: - The genesis of FINOS and its purpose - How the world’s leading financial services and tech companies get involved with FINOS - How these brutally competitive firms work together - Some of the most exciting projects they’re taking on - His love for the Grateful Dead and Phish …And much more To learn more about FINOS, you can click the links below as well as find Rob on Twitter at @BrooklynRob. perspective.finos.org fdc3.finos.org landscape.finos.org www.twitter.com/brooklynrob For more insights and analysis from FinTech leaders, follow us below: Medium: https://medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: https://twitter.com/whartonfintech Ryan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanZauk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Greg Krasnov , Founder & CEO of tonik, a digital bank in the Philippines with a mission to revolutionize the way money works in Southeast Asia. Tonik is backed by major industry investors, including Sequoia Capital, Point72 Ventures, Insignia Ventures, and Credence Partners. Greg is a serial entrepreneur at heart and launched his first business at the age of 18. Prior to starting tonik, he invested in, co-founded and chaired four other successful fintech startups through his Singapore-based fintech venture builder called FORUM. Greg is also a talented musician and, as a bonus for our listeners, we have included some of his work at the end of the interview. Greg Krasnov Greg is the Founder & CEO of tonik (www.tonikbank.com), the first digital neobank in the Philippines, and one of the few neobanks globally that is operating on the basis of its own bank license. tonik is backed by major international Venture Capital investors, including Sequoia Capital, Point72 Ventures, Insignia Ventures, and Credence Partners. Prior to starting tonik, Greg co-founded and chaired four other successful fintech startups in Asia: Credolab (www.credolab.com), FLOW (www.flow-tech.ai), Solarhome (www.solar-home.asia), and AsiaKredit (www.asiakredit.com). Greg invested into and supported these ventures through his Singapore-based fintech venture builder FORUM (www.forum-cap.com), in partnership with some of the leading Venture Capital funds in Southeast Asia. Prior to moving to Asia, Greg was the Founder/CEO of one of the top private equity-backed success stories in Consumer Lending in Eastern Europe, Platinum Bank (Ukraine), which was exited in 2013 generating over $150 million for the investors. Before that, Greg spent 10 years in Private Equity in Europe at Bank of America (London) and Innova Capital (Warsaw). A serial entrepreneur at heart, Greg’s launched his first business at the age of 18, earning his way through college in the USA through coding and PC repair. Global citizen, having lived in 8 countries across 3 continents, and done business in 40+ countries, currently residing in Singapore. Married, with one son. Lifelong hobbies include sailing and music. Considering balance to be key to a successful life, Greg had lived and cruised Southeast Asia aboard a sailboat for 2 years with his family, as well as recorded two albums, one of which is published on Spotify. Greg is a long-standing member of the global Young President’s Organization (www.ypo.org), and the Founder of its Kyiv Chapter. Fluent in English, Polish, and Russian. Graduate of Cambridge University (UK) and Arizona State University (USA).

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Sean Collins and Bill McNichols, Co-Founders of Goldfinch Partners, a Private Equity firm focused on enterprise technology companies that power digital transformation, with a focus on marketing, Commerce, Payments, FinTech, Supply Chain, and Human Capital. Prior to Goldfinch, Sean was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BCG Digital Ventures, where he oversaw investments globally into 75+ ventures and Bill was the Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at Starbucks where he led over 40 transactions including more than $11 billion of acquisitions, divestitures and investments. Sean Collins Sean has over 20 years of experience investing, advising, operating, and building companies focused on digital transformation. Prior to Goldfinch, Sean was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BCG Digital Ventures, where he oversaw investments globally into 75+ ventures. Prior to BCG DV, he was SVP of E-commerce, Marketing, and Strategy at the Sports Authority where he helped engineer a turnaround that leveraged digital marketing and e-commerce to drive revenue growth. Previously, he was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company where he advised Retail, TMT, and Private Equity clients. Sean holds a BA from Whitman College in Economics & Music. Bill McNichols Bill has more than 20 years experience as an investor and operator. Prior to co-founding Goldfinch, Bill was SVP of Corporate and Business Development at Starbucks where he led over 40 transactions including more than $11 billion of acquisitions, divestitures and investments along with numerous commercial partnerships. Prior to Starbucks, Bill was a senior investment professional at Vulcan Capital, where his portfolio included DreamWorks, Oxygen Media, and TowerCo. Bill began his career at Gleacher & Co where he focused on advisory and investment work in the CPG, quick service restaurant and TMT sectors. Bill holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA with high honors from Colgate University. Goldfinch Partners Founded in 2018, Goldfinch Partners invests in the enterprise technology companies that power digital transformation. Goldfinch thematically invests in the sectors and spaces they know deeply, including Marketing, Commerce, Payments, FinTech, Supply Chain, and Human Capital.

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Raj Ganguly, Co-founder and Managing Partner at B Capital Group, a global growth equity firm with $1.5 billion in assets under management, focused on investing in B2B startups across four technology-enabled verticals, including Fintech and Insuretech. In this interview, we talked about the story behind B Capital, their investing approach, his outlook on fintech around the world, the road ahead, and the challenges and opportunities of fundraising and investing over zoom. Raj Ganguly Raj Ganguly is a co-founder and Managing Partner at B Capital Group. He currently serves on the boards of Winmore, Journera, Atomwise, and Evidation Health. In addition, Raj is a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. Previously, Raj was a Managing Partner of Velos Partners, a global venture growth firm with offices in Los Angeles, Singapore, and London. Before his career in venture capital, Raj spent six years at Bain Capital, conducting operational due diligence and driving growth and operational improvements in portfolio companies across the United States and Asia. Raj earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and summa cum laude honors as a BSE and BAS from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he graduated from the Management & Technology Program as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and Joseph Wharton Scholar. B Capital Group B Capital Group is a growth equity firm focused on investing in B2B startups across four technology-enabled verticals: Enterprise technology and Consumer enablement, Fintech and Insurtech, Transportation and Industrial and HealthcareTech and Bio IT.

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Anchit Gupta (WG’21) is joined by Elliott Limb, Chief Customer Officer of Mambu. Founded in 2011, Mambu is a cloud-native software-as-a-service provider powering banking through open API-enabled architectures. Mambu helps financial institutions of all sizes to rapidly design, launch, service, and scale their banking and lending portfolios. Mambu has been featured in the CBInsights list of 250 world’s most promising fintech companies. Prior to Mambu, Elliott held several senior positions in the banking and Fintech industry. He has been named one of the most influential people in fintech as an entrepreneur, board member, and investor across multiple sectors. At Mambu, Elliott is focused on a customer-centric approach to doing business, growing revenue, and helping banks build flexible and scalable solutions. In this interview, Elliott shares: - His background and journey to Mambu - The history of Mambu and its service offerings - How Mambu helps financial institutions develop an edge over their competitors and launch rapidly in new markets - The shift in mindset and rapid adoption of cloud-based architecture in the banking industry - The challenges of building a common and flexible service for different types of FIs - Elliott’s opinion on the future of large incumbent banks with the rise of digital-first neobanks