

Purpose Driven FinTech
Monica Millares
Welcome to Purpose Driven FinTech!
I'm your host, Monica Millares - Product Leader and fellow FinTecher.
These days, with the rising cost of living, financial stress among customers, loss of trust in banks, speculation of crypto, and uncertainty, we're facing unprecedented challenges. But there is hope. We as FinTechers have the power to make a positive impact.
Our products, the how we do product, and our people can make a difference on customers’ financial lives - and as a result, in the quality of their lives.
However, more than ever Founders, CEOs, Leadership teams and all FinTechers have a ton of pressure to build solutions that actually solve customer problems, that people want, that are differentiated And profitable
Yes that's you and me too!
That's why I've created this podcast!
I speak with FinTech CEOs, Founders, and Csuites to uncover their stories, challenges, and lessons learnt in building products with impact.
You'll get to hear real-life conversations, and you’ll walk away with practical questions, frameworks and insights that you can apply to your own FinTech products. So, are you ready to make a bigger difference in FinTech?
Let's come together and discover how Purpose, Product, and People can help us create a future of better financial wellbeing while building sustainable and profitable FinTechs.
Follow me on LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube to stay connected and be part of the conversation.
Cheers to making better FinTech and making FinTech better!
Love, Moni
I'm your host, Monica Millares - Product Leader and fellow FinTecher.
These days, with the rising cost of living, financial stress among customers, loss of trust in banks, speculation of crypto, and uncertainty, we're facing unprecedented challenges. But there is hope. We as FinTechers have the power to make a positive impact.
Our products, the how we do product, and our people can make a difference on customers’ financial lives - and as a result, in the quality of their lives.
However, more than ever Founders, CEOs, Leadership teams and all FinTechers have a ton of pressure to build solutions that actually solve customer problems, that people want, that are differentiated And profitable
Yes that's you and me too!
That's why I've created this podcast!
I speak with FinTech CEOs, Founders, and Csuites to uncover their stories, challenges, and lessons learnt in building products with impact.
You'll get to hear real-life conversations, and you’ll walk away with practical questions, frameworks and insights that you can apply to your own FinTech products. So, are you ready to make a bigger difference in FinTech?
Let's come together and discover how Purpose, Product, and People can help us create a future of better financial wellbeing while building sustainable and profitable FinTechs.
Follow me on LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube to stay connected and be part of the conversation.
Cheers to making better FinTech and making FinTech better!
Love, Moni
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 11, 2024 • 49min
Zubin Reveals Why Empathy Is the Secret to Building Differentiated Solutions for Southeast Asians | Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO at BigPay
Come behind the scenes of one of the largest NeoBanks in Southeast Asia! Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO at BigPay, shares BigPay's mission of leveling up people's lives through accessible and simple financial services and explains how BigPay aims to promote financial well-being by shaping positive spending habits and providing innovative financial products.We discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in the Southeast Asian fintech market, the importance of empathy in product development and leadership, BigPay's exciting developments like their expansion into Thailand, their partnership with AirAsia MOVE, their innovative stashes solutions and much more!BigPay is committed to providing the financial services that Southeast Asians need to live better lives, by providing accessible, transparent, simple and secure digital financial services. From cross-border and domestic payments to international transfers, credit, micro-insurance, personal loans, and smart budgeting, BigPay continues to innovate to level-up Southeast Asian lives - one transaction at a time.👉 Connect with Zubin:LinkedIn Zubin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zubin-rada-krishnan-aa93172/LinkedIn BigPay: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigpayme/Website: https://bigpayme.com/👉 Monica’s SocialsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresRemember to like and subscribe for more episodes like this!We cover:(00:00) Intro(03:58) BigPay's Mission and Vision(14:51) Leadership and Empowerment(20:32) Fintech Growth in Southeast Asia(24:19) Addressing Financial Pain Points(25:31) Understanding BigPay Customers(27:30) Innovative Savings Solutions(30:09) BigPay goes live in Thailand!(32:44) Embedded Finance with AirAsia MOVE(39:30) Defining Great Products(46:55) Final Thoughts on the one thing to change to make FinTech better for everyone—Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Nov 4, 2024 • 39min
Connecting FinTechs and Banks to Drive Efficiency and Innovation | Jorge A. Ruiz, CEO at FinConecta
The future is about Fintech & Bank Partnerships! And FinConecta is here to make it easier, cheaper and more efficient for all!If you are bank you know you have legacy systems, and that you need new tech to innovateAs a B2B FinTech it is likely you are solving a problem for Banks... Well FinConecta makes it easy for both parties to find each other - And more importantly, to connect to multiple partners with one API. FinConecta supports Financial Institutions in their digital transformation journey. They've created an interconnected network of modern FIs and FinTech solutions from around the world linked through a proprietary platform. and they are building the first global integrated FinTech marketplace.In this episode I had the pleasure to speak with Jorge A. Ruiz M. CEO at FinConecta We talk about:- Purpose- Financial Inclusion- FinConecta's marketplace- The benefits of the platform - Utilizing AI for efficiency- Building high-performance teams - The global reach of FinConecta, - The future of interoperability in Financial Servicesand much more!Worth reaching out to Jorge if you are a FinTech looking to grow, If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Jorge hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgearuiz/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/finconecta/Website: https://finconecta.com/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Oct 21, 2024 • 54min
Max Reveals How We Are Solving Real Problems in Crypto: Customer Pain Points Explained — Max Krupyshev, CEO at CryptoProcessing by CoinsPaid
500M own crypto, 30% want to pay with it — are you ready?Customer expectations are changing fastAnd crypto payments are rapidly becoming the new normal!In today's episode I spoke with Max Krupyshev. CEO at CryptoProcessing.com by CoinsPaidto deep dive and understand what's going on! We cover: - How crypto is solving for real customer problems- Argentina as use case- Freelancers! A biggy one!- Pain points crypto payments are solving for- De-bust the myth about volatility... love it!- What makes a great product- The CEO mindsetAnd much more!If you are interested in learning more about accepting crypto payments, reach out to Max and the team!If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Max hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrupyshev/?originalSubdomain=eeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cryptoprocessing-com/posts/?feedView=allWebsite: https://coinspaid.com/Website: https://en.cryptoprocessing.com/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Oct 15, 2024 • 49min
How Tapi is Revolutionizing LATAM's Outdated Payments Infrastructure from the Ground Up | Kevin Litvin, CBO & Co-Founder Tapi
LATAM's payment infra is fragmented and outdated... Imagine a single API that breaks down barriers across LATAM and unlocks a seamless payment experience, and multiple geo launches; a smooth, unified digital payment experience for the entire region!Well, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Litvin, Co-Founder at tapi, and he's doing exactly that! In LATAM people still line up to pay bills and basic services... And while FinTechs and banks have a massive opportunity to fix this, The real magic happens on the infra layer... and this is why tapi is disrupting the region: One solution that works everywhere. One integration. One contract. Of course a touch of AI to make it easier, faster better for your devs, and a fantastic team who understands how you want to work... We cover: - Lessons from his failed e-wallet startup- Insights that led him to evolve into Tapi- Understanding the LATAM landscape- The reality of customer pain points when it comes to payments- What makes a great product- How he's using AI to disrupt - What's next after his very successful round- Why the culture of your tech partner matters (a ton)!And much much moreFollow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Kevin hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinlitvin/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tapi-latam/posts/?feedView=allWebsite: https://tapi.la/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Oct 2, 2024 • 58min
Bankifi Reveals How Engagement Banking With Human Interaction And Data Delivers Impact To Underserved SMEs | Mark Hartley, CEO & Founder at Bankifi
There are 5. 5 million small businesses with less than 20 people in the UK - and we can argue small businesses are the most underserved of all FS customers today! That’s why Bankifi is transforming the space and making bank's digital banking platforms from something that's purely transactional into the place where a small business run and operate their business from.In this episode Mark Hartley, CEO & Founder at Bankifi, shares with us Bankifi’s backstory and purpose, the challenges of both banks and SMEs, and we go deep on data, AI, engagement - and more importantly human interaction! Because the majority of the population still fears AI, the hypothesis is that customers will value more human interaction, and that will be a differentiator.If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Mark hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hartley-038b38/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bankifi/Website: https://www.bankifi.com/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Sep 29, 2024 • 41min
Unlocking Financial Data to Drive Customer and Commercial Impact | Nare Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder at Ntropy
“There's a lot of power behind financial data. Every time we move money from point A to point B, we also move information” BUT the power is unlocked by the quality of the data, and the what we do with the data!In this episode Nare Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder at Ntropy, the immense potential of financial data and its impact on both consumers and businesses. We discuss how standardizing and unifying fragmented financial data can unlock new opportunities in lending, payment authorization, accounting automation, and more. We explore the challenges and role of AI and advanced models in transforming financial services and of course, how we can use tech to drive social change…. very good points on social mobility!If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Nare hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narevardanyan/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ntropy/Website: https://www.ntropy.com/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Sep 17, 2024 • 49min
Oper Reveals How To Reduce Mortgage Borrower Anxiety by Blending Human Touch With AI Efficiency | Geert Van Kerchkhoven, CEO & Co-Founder Oper
Buying a property is a big life moment, and one full of anxiety! And yes, we the people in the industry are guilty of creating anxiety to our customers! That’s why Geer Van Kerchkhoven, CEO & Co-Founder Oper is doing something about it, and helping both banks and customers create a much better mortgage experience!In this episode Geert shares his journey and insights on improving the mortgage process. He reveals how we can reduce borrower anxiety and streamline the home-buying journey, why Oper is a great product and his secret sauce to building products people love and are willing to pay for! He also shares valuable experiences on leveraging AI Oper, lessons learnt re AI, and building high-performance teams, and top advice for anyone in the journey!We cover,(00:00) Intro to the Mortgage Experience(04:10) Geert’s Initial Hypotheses(06:10) Challenges and Mindset in Building a Fintech(11:37) Defining a Great Product in Fintech(14:37) Addressing Borrower Anxiety and Mortgage Challenges(23:22) The Hybrid Model: Combining AI and Human Touch(26:15) Loan Advisor Interaction in Virtual Environments(28:16) AI in Document Matching and Loan Processing(29:32) Key Takeaways of Building AI Features in Fintech(31:04) Challenges in AI Deployment: Compliance and Integration(33:00) Understanding Vertical AI and Its Applications(38:55) Fireside Chat: Insights on Strategy and LeadershipFollow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Geert hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geertvankerckhoven/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opercredits/posts/?feedView=allWebsite: https://www.opercredits.com/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Sep 10, 2024 • 56min
Franchising is broken. Kenny reveals the top benefits of Franchise Investing and how FranShares makes Franchise Investing accessible for all | Kenny Rose, Founder and CEO at FranShares
Have you ever thought about owning a Franchise, but got discouraged by the large amount of investment capital? Many of us have. Franchises pose barriers to entry to most of us, but not any more!In today’s episode I speak with Kenny Rose, the founder of FranShares. He is on a double mission to allow individuals to invest in franchises and to solve for the generational wealth gap through local business ownership. Kenny has an amazing mindset and energy. So we go deep both on him as an entrepreneur and his business. We cover his definition of great product - not your traditional answer!, why wealth creation is a problem with a big surface area, why franchises is a good asset class, what makes FranShares innovative, how he pays earnings, how he chooses franchises in the platform and his mindset as an entrepreneur. It’s a fascinating conversation!We cover,(01:54) Franchises as an investment opportunity(02:52) Empowering entrepreneurs(11:42) Building a successful team(24:06) Why invest in Franchises?(28:21) Equity growth vs. income in Franchising(29:05) The appeal of franchises(31:15) Why FranShares is an Innovative Fintech(35:58) Selecting the Right Franchises(42:43) Challenges in Franchising investments(48:19) FranShares future plans(49:58) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs(52:37) The one thing to change in FinTechFollow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Kenny hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyrose/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/franshares/Website: https://franshares.com/investments/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Aug 27, 2024 • 51min
Wio Bank Reveals How They Reached Profitability Within Year One | Prakash Sunkara, Chief Financial Officer at Wio Bank
Wio Bank has become one of the fastest Neo-Banks globally to achieve profitability. In its first full year of operations, Wio reported a revenue of AED 266.4 million and a net profit of AED 2 million. Wio has over 50,000 Wio Business and 40,000 Wio Personal customers… and in today’s episode we go through the How they achieved such amazing success!I speak with Prakash Sunkara, Chief Financial Officer at Wio Bank - and I have to say he’s a CFO that sounds like a CPO! He is absolutely super customer centric!We discuss Wio’s story, their mindset and how that sets them apart, what’s the definition of innovation - in the eyes of Jayesh Patel, Wio’s CEO; and ways of working to bring it to life, the how they reached profitability, what happens once they hit month one of profitability, and finally we put Prakash in the hot seat with some fire side questions!It’s a fascinating conversation!Prakash has a long career in Financial Services and as a CFO - across both traditional financial services and FinTechs. Wio Bank is disrupting banking for consumers and small businesses in the UAE and has created an all-in-one digital financial platform to reboot banking for everyone!We cover,(00:00) The framework behind hitting profitability in year one(03:55) Wio's Mission and Customer Focus(05:52) Achieving Rapid Profitability(06:37) Mindset and Ecosystem in Dubai(08:23) Innovative Approaches in SME Banking(13:05) Continuous Innovation and Customer Needs(20:50) Strategic Thinking Behind Profitability(25:53) Introduction to Platform Banking(26:15) Innovative Features for SME Banking(27:27) Customer-Centric Approach(30:14) Scaling and Growth Strategy(33:32) Teamwork and Company Culture(39:36) Profitability and Sustainable Growth(47:22) Challenges and Future FocusFollow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with Customer and Commercial Impact and stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Prakash hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakashsunkara/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wiobank/Website: https://www.wio.io/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Aug 6, 2024 • 45min
51% Feel out of Control With Their Finances: How Can We Enhance Financial Engagement? | Theo Paraskevopoulos, CEO & Founder Invessed
The Statistics are brutal!56% of young investors avoid professional advice due to high fees and outdated approaches.51% of respondents feel they lack control over their finances, indicating a significant financial literacy and engagement gap.63% of women are uncomfortable with basic investment principles, with 72% not actively monitoring their investments.47% of participants save little to no income, reflecting poor financial habits and future preparation.Theo Paraskevopoulos, CEO & Founder of Invessed, is taking the challenge straight on and transforming wealth management to better serve younger generations.I sit with Theo to discuss the evolving landscape of financial advice in the UK and the enormous challenge we have ahead. Theo shares with us how Invessed aims to empower financial professionals by leveraging technology to reduce admin tasks and enhance client interactions, and therefore provide a solution to this problem.We cover,(00:00) Understanding the Hesitation in Seeking Financial Advice(01:13) The Importance of Purpose in Business(02:24) Building Purpose-Driven FinTechs(06:30) Simplifying Financial Services for Greater Impact(09:42) Engaging More People in Financial Management(13:48) Challenges Faced by Young Investors(19:03) The Role of Technology in Modern Financial Services(22:42) The Responsibility of Wealth(23:29) Innovative Fintech Solutions(24:07) Empowering Investment Professionals(25:40) Behavioral Data and Predictive Technology(28:43) Customer Pain Points and Scalability(37:42) Building Successful Products(41:10) Fireside Questions and Closing RemarksFollow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with Customer and Commerical Impact and stay updated on the latest episodes.👉 You can find Theo hereLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoparaskevopoulos/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/invessed-tech/Website: https://invessed.com/Invessed report: https://invessed.com/invessed-client-engagement-survey-2024/👉 And you can find Monica here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millaresTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millaresWebsite: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/—Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.comDisclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.


