Fintech Takes

Why is fintech heading into a period of consolidation and contraction? Answering this question and more is Alex’s guest, Sarah Kocianski.Sarah is an experienced fintech strategist and research analyst, based in London with over a decade of experience in fintech.Alex and Sarah bounce around some ideas in the format of the game show, Jeopardy (which, being British, Sarah had to look up). They discuss potential increases in banking regulation, why macroeconomics are going to hurt the buy-now-pay-later space, and the types of companies interested in making acquisitions.Follow Sarah:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkocianski/Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

How can you fix a broken financial model? This question and more answered in the latest Bank Nerd Corner episode.Alex is joined by Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director. They get into some of the headlines and news that have caught their attention over the last few weeks, including a worldwide chip shortage for bank cards, ModernFi’s fintech marketplace and why FIS can’t get Worldpay to work.They also get to nerd out trying to answer an impossible fintech question on who, exactly, public utilities are for?Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Kiah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/

This is part two of a special crossover episode with fintech friends Reggie Young and Matt Janiga, hosts of the wonderful Fintech Layer Cake podcast. In this episode, Alex, Jason, Matt, and Reggie dig into the weeds of the Durbin Amendment and its effect on competition, the harsh realities of account-to-account payments, and the changing relationship between fintechs and banks.Plus, the four play their very own version of Who’s Coming to Dinner.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Jason: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikulaTwitter: https://twitter.com/mikulajaFollow Reggie:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reginaldcyoung/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReggieCYoungFollow Matt:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwjaniga/Twitter: https://twitter.com/regulatorynerd

What fintech companies do you need to know about?Alex is joined by Simon Taylor, writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter, for another Not Fintech Investment Advice! podcast.Discover why now is an interesting time to build a credit workflow tool, why sometimes a corporate credit card isn’t necessary for an expense management product, and why franchising may be the key to scaling up proptech innovations.   Plus, you’ll hear Alex and Simon’s Fintech wishlist.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Simon: LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

Take a look back at all the big developments in fintech over February, from BNPL to crypto to outright ponzi schemes!Alex is joined by Jason Mikula, writer of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter. They take a deep dive into Affirm’s horrific quarter, the state of Apple’s BNPL offering, and the latest round of enforcement activity in crypto.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Jason: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikulaTwitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

Sorting out hype from reality is one of the hardest jobs in fintech.Frank Rotman, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer at QED Investors, joins Alex on today’s episode to do exactly that.Alex and Frank dig into what went wrong with a recent fintech acquisition by JP Morgan Chase and how investors can do a better job spotting founder fraud.They apply first principles thinking to a bunch of cliched fintech predictions, including ones on ChatGPT, BNPL, and cashflow underwriting.And finally, Frank faces a lightening round of quick questions, including what he’d change in financial services if he could wave a magic wand.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Frank:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rotman/Twitter: https://twitter.com/fintechjunkie

How did banks do in Q4 2022 and how is 2023 shaping up? Alex is joined by Kiah Haslett, Managing Editor at Bank Director. They get into some of the headlines and news that have caught their attention over the last few weeks, including bank earnings and Jiko offering easy access to T-Bills. They also get to nerd out on some bank history, and pose an impossible-to-answer question.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Kiah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/

Which fintech companies do you need to know about? Alex and guest, Simon Taylor, turn the spotlight on four companies that caught their attention this month and talk about the larger trends behind these companies.Simon is the writer of the Fintech Brainfood newsletter.He and Alex dive into four interesting companies disrupting investing, payments, mortgage lending, and creator fintech. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Friday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Simon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylorTimestamps:00:00 Intro01:43 Still NOT Fintech Investment Advice02:22 Unpacking The Offer05:20 Simon’s Rant09:11 Keeping Users On Platform10:05 Account To Account Payment Powered By Open Banking19:43 Buy Now, Pay Later Model21:04 The Fintech Disruptor23:59 Banging The Drum For Long Term Benefits32:01 The Future Of Mortgage Lending

Kicking off season 2 Alex and co-host Jason Mikula get straight into the Fintech news making waves.From Revolut’s latest super-premium offer, what’s really behind Capital One’s layoffs, and why Robinhood is basically a drunk college kid.All the fintech news and searing analysis from two of the sharpest minds in the business.Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/Follow Alex: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonTwitter: twitter.com/AlexH_JohnsonFollow Jason:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulajaTimestamps:00:00 Intro01:33 The Revolut Rollout03:33 But What’s The Point?06:50 The Non-Reality Playbook09:35 Throwing Spaghetti At The Wall15:48 Meet The Chief Sleuthing Officer17:59 Chime’s Thoughtful Growth Strategy24:08 The Pro Innovation Approach26:40 An Outrageously Popular Newsletter34:19 Robinhood As A College Kid

We live in the golden age of Fintech, with companies springing up all over the place. The pressure to stay ahead of the curve is immense and it’s easy to lose track of your mission when you’re struggling to keep up with the latest trends.That’s when you need a Fintech nerd.Alex Johnson is the creator of the Fintech Takes newsletter, host of this podcast, and self-confessed Fintech nerd.He talks to some of the most knowledgeable nerds in the business about the latest Fintech trends, emerging companies you need to keep tabs on, and all the Fintech news that matters.Be part of a community exploring the fun side of Fintech, answering your questions and always staying curious.Each week you’ll hear expert analysis and fascinating conversations between Alex and one of his expert co-hosts, a Fintech operator working right at the coal face.The second season drops soon with new episodes every week. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.