Fintech Takes
Alex Johnson
Fintech moves fast. But here at Fintech Takes, Alex Johnson and his rotating panel of guests move faster so that you can stay on top of the latest and greatest news in the industry without breaking a sweat. Welcome to Fintech Takes—the place where fintech’s biggest nerds come to sit back, relax, and completely geek out.Join Alex and a lineup of fintech’s brightest minds as they dissect what’s happening in fintech and banking. Each week, Alex and his guests recap the most interesting developments in fintech and explore the industry’s most pressing questions, diving headfirst into the intricate workings of some of the industry’s most ground-breaking business models and unpacking the emerging players that promise to shape fintech’s future.From riveting conversations with fintech’s most relevant operators to comprehensive recaps of the month's most compelling news stories and in-depth analyses of the latest regulatory developments, Fintech Takes is your one-stop-shop for navigating the fintech universe.Subscribe now to join fintech’s nerdiest podcast around!
Episodes
Mentioned books
11 snips
Aug 11, 2025 • 51min
Fintech Takes x FairPlay Presents Model Citizens: Ep 4: Customer Acquisition in the Age of AI
Alana Levine, Chief Revenue Officer at Fintel Connect and a seasoned growth marketer, joins to unpack how AI is transforming customer acquisition. She discusses the power of AI in pinpointing target customers with unprecedented precision while navigating the thin line of personalized marketing and privacy. The conversation also dives into the rise of ‘no click’ discovery and its impact on tracking, alongside the vital need for compliance in marketing strategies to foster trust in an AI-centric consumer landscape.
8 snips
Aug 6, 2025 • 1h 4min
Not Fintech Investment Advice: Alix, Narrative, Ogment AI, & SOLO
In this intriguing discussion, Simon Taylor, author of Fintech Brain Food and a fintech expert, delves into innovative solutions reshaping the industry. He introduces Alix, a service easing estate settlements, blending AI with human support. The conversation shifts to Narrative, an AI startup streamlining consumer complaint resolution. Finally, they explore Ogment AI's vision for agentic commerce, aiming to empower merchants in the era of large language models while tackling the challenge of brand representation. It's a blend of compassion, compliance, and cutting-edge tech.
Jul 31, 2025 • 50min
Fintech Takes x FairPlay Presents Model Citizens Ep 3: Compliance Officers in the Age of AI: Creating Second Line 2.0
Eli Corbett, VP and Deputy General Counsel at Affirm, and Chelsea Keegan, Chief Compliance Officer at Flex, share insights on compliance in fintech amidst the AI revolution. They emphasize that compliance can't simply be a legal afterthought; collaboration is essential among product, engineering, and legal teams. With regulators scrutinizing marketing language and AI-driven compliance evolving, they discuss the importance of nimble tech and cultural understanding over traditional audit methods. They highlight the unique compliance risks fintechs face compared to banks, advocating for proactive governance in this new landscape.
10 snips
Jul 30, 2025 • 1h 13min
Fintech Recap: Chase vs. Data, Congress vs. Crypto
Explore JPMorgan Chase's bold pricing strategy for open banking API access, raising concerns about the future of fintech and consumer data access. Delve into the passing of the Genius Act, which introduces a federal framework for stablecoins, and its implications for banks and DeFi. The hosts also discuss the ethical issues surrounding prediction markets that bet on personal events, alongside amusing anecdotes from their Washington, D.C. visit, painting a vivid picture of the political context affecting financial innovations.
Jul 29, 2025 • 49min
Fintech Takes x FairPlay Presents Model Citizens Ep 2: Credit Risk Analytics in the Age of AI
Kareem Saleh, founder of FairPlay, teams up with Kevin Moss, a former Chief Risk Officer, and Andrada Pacheco, Chief Data Scientist at VantageScore. They delve into the evolving landscape of credit risk analytics powered by AI. The trio discusses the balance between enhancing predictive accuracy and maintaining transparency in credit models. They highlight the importance of using traditional and AI methods, while stressing that existing language models aren't ready for credit decisions yet. Fairness remains pivotal as regulatory scrutiny grows.
8 snips
Jul 28, 2025 • 48min
Fintech Takes x FairPlay Presents Model Citizens: Into the CFPB Void: Regulatory Free-for-All in Financial Services
Join David Silberman, former CFPB Associate Director, Abby Hogan from FairPlay, and CEO Kareem Saleh as they dive into the challenges of the current financial regulatory landscape. They discuss the implications of a weakened CFPB and the rising influence of state regulators. Explore how a complex patchwork of compliance is developing, why 50-state rules can be a costly burden, and the potential for rebuilding the CFPB. The conversation highlights the critical need for fairness in lending amidst rapid AI integration in the industry.
Jul 23, 2025 • 58min
Fintech Takes: Chase Leads, the CFPB Retreats, and There’s Still No Throughline
Evan Weinberger, a Bloomberg Law reporter and bank regulation expert, discusses JPMorgan Chase's controversial decision to charge for access to their open banking APIs. He dives into the impact this move has on fintech, data aggregators, and regulators struggling to keep pace. The conversation touches on the CFPB's recent retreats and its dwindling authority, alongside insights on fair lending and the surprising alliances forming between crypto VCs and retailers. It's a lively exploration of the banking landscape's rapid evolution and regulatory challenges.
7 snips
Jul 16, 2025 • 56min
Fintech Takes: Cards, Rent, and Crypto
In this engaging discussion, Matthew Goldman, founder of Totavi and a seasoned fintech innovator, shares insights on the evolving landscape of premium credit cards. He highlights how services like Bilt are revolutionizing rent payments and loyalty rewards, positioning themselves strategically against traditional banks. The conversation also dives into the implications of Chase Sapphire Reserve's pricing changes and Coinbase’s innovative card, revealing deeper trends in financial ecosystems that blend crypto with consumer rewards. Perfect for finance enthusiasts!
Jul 9, 2025 • 60min
Not Fintech Investment Advice: Polar, Multiply Mortgage, OpenTrade, & Spinwheel
Join fintech expert Simon Taylor, a writer for the Fintech Brainfood newsletter and a team member at Sardine, as he explores groundbreaking innovations in the financial sector. Discover Polar's unique approach to metered billing for AI products, and how Multiply Mortgage aims to reshape employee benefits by offering discounted loans. Learn about OpenTrade's clever strategies for stablecoins, and Spinwheel's mission to enhance transparency in credit reporting. It's a playful yet insightful dive into the future of finance!
Jul 2, 2025 • 1h 3min
Fintech Recap: BNPL’s Black Box, Synapse’s Maybe-Bailout, and Crypto Dreams
FICO scores are now integrating BNPL data, but many companies hesitate to share, raising questions about their competitive edge. The CFPB's new move could create a lifeboat for depositors in the Synapse bankruptcy situation—a proposed way to make people whole without a traditional bailout. Also, the FHFA is considering crypto as mortgage collateral, despite low usage rates among households. Tune in for insights on the challenges facing the fintech scene and the quirky interactions of established banks with the digital world.
