Fintech One•On•One

In this episode, I'm joined by Tim Newell, CEO and founder of GreenFi, a climate-focused fintech that emerged from the ashes of Aspiration's consumer banking business. Tim brings a fascinating fintech and climate tech pedigree, having previously sold a solar financing company to SolarCity, run financial products at both SolarCity and Tesla, and even survived five years working for Elon Musk. When Aspiration decided to pivot away from consumer banking to focus on global carbon markets in 2022, Tim saw an opportunity to acquire and restructure their consumer business. Through a complex licensing deal, he successfully transitioned over 98% of Aspiration's customers to his new platform while radically downsizing from 400 employees to just 40.GreenFi targets the 100 million Americans who cite climate as a significant worry, about 40% of U.S. adults, offering them banking products that guarantee their deposits won't support fossil fuels, automatically offset carbon from gas purchases, and enable tree planting through everyday transactions. We dive into how Tim thinks about the intersection of fintech and climate action, the challenges of building a sustainable business model in today's capital environment, and his ambitious vision to become "Patagonia for your bank account.”In this podcast you will learn:Tim’s deep background in financial technology and climate tech.What was involved in Aspiration’s pivot away from consumer fintech to the carbon markets.How Tim was able to spin out the consumer fintech business from Aspiration.How GreenFi grew out of that business.The product set for GreenFi and near term product roadmap.The huge percentage of deposits that moved over from Aspiration to GreenFi.The specific ways they are making their financial offerings carbon-friendly.Who makes up their target market.How the swing in Washington against climate initiatives is impacting GreenFi.How they restructured the business to a radically different cost base.How they are offsetting their own carbon footprint.The process for raising their $17 million seed round.Their different revenue streams.The scale that GreenFi is at today.Tim’s vision for GreenFi.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In today's episode, we have Carol Hamilton, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Provenird. She discusses how AI-powered decisioning platforms are transforming risk management across financial services. She explores the critical balance financial institutions must strike between managing evolving risk threats and maintaining seamless customer experiences, a challenge that has become increasingly complex in today's uncertain macroeconomic environment. She explains how Provenir's platform helps organizations make intelligent decisions across the entire customer lifecycle, from onboarding and fraud prevention to collections, by orchestrating real-time data and AI to provide contextual insights that enable both risk mitigation and opportunity optimization. The conversation delves into key findings from Provenir's 2025 Global Risk Decisioning Survey, revealing that over half of respondents struggle with data integration, while 60% find it difficult to deploy and maintain risk models. Hamilton emphasizes how generative AI is being leveraged not just as a trend but to drive tangible outcomes, speeding up decision-making processes, enhancing model explainability, and analyzing unstructured data. Looking ahead, she describes 2025 as "the year of intelligent decisioning," where organizations can move beyond traditional rules-based systems to achieve the perfect contextual understanding needed for hyper-personalized customer interactions that unlock value while effectively managing risk.In this podcast you will learn:What Provenir does exactly.The types of risk decisions they help their customers make.The biggest pain points in risk management for financial institutions today.The different geographies where Provenir operates.Why they have focused on enterprise businesses.How they approach the tension between preventing fraud and seamless customer experiences.How their clients are managing risks in today’s uncertain environment.The different types of simulations they can run inside their platform.How they are using generative AI in their decisioning engine.How their approach differs from others in the market.The purpose of their 2025 Global Risk Decisioning Survey.Some the of the core findings from the survey.How they help their clients deploy their risk decisioning models.How they are working with lenders with credit risk and detecting fraud.What they mean by calling 2025 the “year of intelligent decisioning.”How they approach product development given the different needs of their customers.What is next for Provenir.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

To say it has been a busy year for fintech policy folks would be a gross understatement. With the change in administration to Trump 2.0, we have a 180-degree different perspective on most fintech issues than the previous administration. And there have already been many actions taken by the Trump White House that will have far-reaching implications for fintech.To help us unpack all these issues, I invited back to the show, Penny Lee, the CEO of the Financial Technology Association (FTA) and one of the leading voices in Washington for our industry. In addition to navigating all the complex regulatory changes, the FTA is also putting on their annual CEO Summit this month and, as of this writing, tickets are still available.In this podcast you will learn:The state of play in Washington today and its implications for fintech.Why rescinding the 1033 rule would be such a big deal.How they will be fighting this in court.Why this will be in the court system for a while, whoever wins the initial decision.Where the FTA stands on payments modernization.Penny’s thoughts on the remittance tax provision of the Big Beautiful Bill.The BNPL bill that was passed in New York and its impact on the industry.What the FTA is doing with Earned Wage Access initiatives in the states.The state of play for AI regulation in the states as well as the federal level.The prospect for a federal AI bill this year.Details of the annual FTA CEO Summit in Washington happening on June 25.Who is going to be on stage from industry and government.What else FTA members are doing while they are in DC.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Africa is quietly becoming one of the hottest areas for fintech investment. I am overdue to focus on Africa here on the podcast, so when the chance to interview the CEO of the largest African fintech presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity. In a similar way to Latin America, Africa has leapfrogged from offline financial infrastructure to mobile-centric and the one company that has made much of this leapfrog possible, at least when it comes to payments, is Flutterwave.My next guest on the Fintech One on One podcast is Olugbenga Agboola, who goes by GB, the CEO and Founder of Flutterwave, the most valuable fintech in Africa. I think of Flutterwave as a cross between Stripe, Shopify and Wise, and the technology they have built has revolutionized cross-border payments in Africa. It is hard to overstate how important this one company has been to the growth of fintech in Africa.In this podcast you will learn:What drove GB to found Flutterwave.A short history of fintech innovation in Africa.How he describes Flutterwave today.The geographic footprint of Flutterwave.How they enable African small businesses to accept cross border payments.The evolving payment behaviors for both consumers and small businesses.What they are ultimately solving for in Africa.What GB means when he says “payment is partnership”.How the money moves internationally.Why they decided to rebuild the entire stack of their API suite.How they are ensuring compliance across their wide network.How they incorporate financial inclusion into their company goals.Why they are an inaugural partner of the Circle Payments Network.How they are investing in cybersecurity and anti-fraud tools.How they are supporting the next generation of African fintech leaders.GB’s vision for the future of payments in Africa and for Flutterwave.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Streamlining international B2B payments is a complex undertaking. TreviPay has been taking the complexity out of this process for several decades now. In my conversation with CEO Brandon Spear, we explore TreviPay's transformation from MSTS, its rebranding inspiration, and its global reach across 30 countries.Our discussion highlights TreviPay's various services, including trade credit management and cross-border payment infrastructure, and its partnerships, such as with HSBC, to expand into complex markets like China and India. Our conversation also delves into the role of AI in enhancing productivity and customer experience, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the B2B payments landscape.In this podcast you will learn:How Brandon describes TreviPay today.What companies need to think about when they look to expand across borders.How TreviPay takes the complexity out of cross border invoices.What TreviPay has done well that banks have not been able to do.Some of the big brands they are serving today.The different geographies they serve.Why B2B payments is 5-10 years behind the consumer space.How they are staying ahead of the new payments innovators.How TreviPay is using AI both internally and in a customer facing way.What they are doing in their partnership with HSBC.The impact that the new tariff uncertainty is having on their business.Why they did the rebrand from MSTS to TreviPay.Brandon’s vision for TreviPay.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In this episode, Anthony Soohoo, CEO of MoneyGram, shares his vision for transforming one of the world's largest global payments networks through what he calls a "refounder mindset." Drawing from his experience leading digital transformations at major companies like Walmart and CBS, Soohoo discusses how MoneyGram is modernizing its platform while leveraging its incredible assets: a network of 450,000 retail locations spanning over 200 countries and 20,000 payment corridors.He explores the company's strategic partnerships with Plaid for seamless bank connectivity, collaborations with Visa and Mastercard, and their thoughtful approach to cryptocurrency through stablecoin partnerships with Stellar Foundation and Circle. Perhaps most ambitiously, Soohoo outlines his five-year goal of positioning MoneyGram not just as a remittance company, but as a global payments powerhouse with the scale and recognition of Visa or Mastercard, all while maintaining the company's core mission of democratizing finance for consumers worldwide.In this podcast you will learn:The three things that attracted Anthony to the opportunity at MoneyGram.How he describes MoneyGram today.The most popular remittance corridors for US consumers.The attributes of a typical MoneyGram customer.Anthony’s concept of re-founding and how he is bringing that mindset to MoneyGram.The lessons he has learned in his first six months as CEO.How the money actually moves internationally.How they are partnering with Plaid, as well as Visa and Mastercard.Why MoneyGram believes the future of finance is crypto.How Anthony views the alternative payments rails being developed.The biggest challenge for MoneyGram today.His vision for the next five years.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Michele Alt, Co-Founder of Klaros Group, draws on her 22 years of experience at the OCC to discuss the evolving landscape of bank charters for fintechs. She highlights a 'golden age' for fintechs seeking charters under the new administration. Michele explains two pathways for obtaining charters—acquisition vs. de novo formation—and shares insights on the unique appeal of ILCs in Utah. She also examines the rise of specialized charters like those for crypto companies, and the impact of major tech firms venturing into banking.

Moving money internationally is mission-critical for many businesses in the world, particularly those outside the U.S. But, today, for businesses using traditional banks, moving money across borders is often expensive, slow and a terrible user experience. Wherever you have that combination you can be sure a fintech company is attacking the problem aggressively, which is certainly the case here.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Ravi Adusumilli, the President and GM of the Americas for Airwallex. They have built their own payments rails, as an alternative to SWIFT, to serve businesses who want to move money and accept payments internationally. How they have done that makes for a fascinating conversation.In this podcast you will learn:The target market for Airwallex in the Americas.How they help businesses expand internationally.Why they decided to build their own payments rails as an alternative to SWIFT.How the money moves exactly.The percentage of their payments that move in real time.What was behind their acquisition of MexPage in Mexico.Why they decided to build a business themselves in Brazil.How they are working with Brex.How Airwallex is able to serve smaller businesses.How they help tech companies offer embedded global payments as a profit center.How their multi-currency wallets work.Ravi’s perspective on stablecoins and other alternative payments rails.His view on the future of embedded finance and global payments.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Vince Passione, CEO and Co-Founder of LendKey, discusses innovative solutions for community banks and credit unions. He delves into network lending technology that alleviates customer concentration issues. The conversation highlights the evolution of digital lending and the expansion into home improvement loans. Vince also shares insights on changing education financing trends influenced by the CARES Act and emphasizes the importance of engaging younger generations through modern financial strategies. His expertise sheds light on the future of lending in a competitive landscape.

Most fintech companies, and increasingly banks, rely on API integrations to run their business. Yet, building and maintaining these integrations can be time consuming and complex, particularly when it is only a part of what an engineering team does. Today, you can outsource these integrations to companies that specialize in this type of connectivity with a unified API platform.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Shensi Ding, the CEO and Co-Founder of Merge. She saw the challenges of API integrations in a previous role and decided this was a problem worth solving. She has built Merge to specialize in helping companies with their API integrations, leveraging one API to add hundreds of integrations.In this podcast you will learn:The problem she saw that led to the founding of Merge.What a unified API is and how Merge offers this.The core categories where they are focused.Why AI is such an important category for Merge.Why large banks and fintechs trust Merge to manage their API integrations.The number of integrations they are working with today.What is involved in adding a new integration.How they make sure these integrations don't break.How they work with custom integration requests.What is needed to get these integrations up and running.How Merge is helping Ramp for their HR integrations.Their experience working with banks.Why they like working with companies that are having challenges with integrations.How they work with the non-technical customer success teams.Why the human element is so critical for Merge's success.The process in adding a new integration into the system.How they are using AI internally.How they work with companies that don't have a robust API yet.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes