American Banker Podcast

The Florida bank has emerged from de novo status and can now offer its solar loans in a larger geographic footprint.

Foundational models like GPT-4, the large language model behind ChatGPT, have hoovered up content from publications like The New York Times and social media sites like Reddit and OpenAI, and it faces several lawsuits because of this. John Thompson, global head of artificial intelligence at EY and author of the book Data for All, has set up what is believed to be the largest private, secure generative AI environment in the world, with focus on keeping internal data protected.

Proof of identity is critical for many things, including being able to open a bank account, get a job, or obtain health care. Yet proving one’s identity is getting harder in a world of frequent data breaches. We asked Mariana Dahan, founder of the World Identity Network and chair of the Universal ID Council, what she thinks will solve this problem.

Caitlin Long, Custodia's CEO, discusses the legal battle with the Federal Reserve over master account access. The debate includes concerns about political influence, regulatory control, and implications for various entities. The podcast delves into recent court rulings, financial impacts on banks, and the criteria for master account eligibility.

Banking as a service is expensive, it takes time and onboarding has to be done carefully, says the founder of Bancorp Bank, who now runs a venture capital firm that invests in fintechs. 

Cloud-based tech giants like Amazon, Google and Uber are changing the economy, and not for the better, asserts Yanis Varoufakis, a former finance minister of Greece and a professor at the University of Athens, who has written a book about the dangers of what he calls the "cloudalists."

Jennifer Tescher, founder of the Financial Health Network and a veteran in fintech, discusses the dual nature of financial technology. She highlights how some innovations, like automated savings, can benefit consumers, while others may not serve them well. The conversation dives into the complexities of earned wage access and the confusion consumers face regarding fees. Tescher also addresses the rising trend of financial instability in America and emphasizes the need for transparency in lending, especially for vulnerable borrowers facing economic challenges.

Geraldine Fleming, financial task force manager at United for Wildlife and Jonny Bell, director, EMEA, LexisNexis Risk Solutions explain how banks around the world are helping to catch criminals who illegally mutilate, kill and sell rhinoceroses, elephants, donkeys and other animals.

Eric Siegel, author of the book The AI Playbook, explains what it takes to take traditional and advanced artificial intelligence projects from idea to execution.  

The neobank doubled its membership to five million consumers and hired 200 people last year. Founder and CEO Renaud Laplanche explains how it fared during a time when many fintechs struggled.