
AI in Financial Services Podcast
The AI in Financial Services is for non-technical financial services leaders looking to find AI opportunities, build an AI strategy, and deliver ROI.
Each week, Emerj AI Research team (and CEO Daniel Faggella) interview leaders from global financial services firms and unicorn AI startups to get to the heart of AI ROI - uncovering what’s working and what’s not working for FinServ leaders.
Visit our advertising page to learn more about reaching our executive audience of AI adopters in the world’s largest banking and insurance firms: https://emerj.com/advertise
Latest episodes

Feb 10, 2025 • 23min
The Role of AI in Insurance Efficiency and Customer Engagement - with Matt Marolda of Acrisure
Today’s guest is Matt Marolda, Chief Innovation Officer at Acrisure. Acrisure is a global insurance broker and fintech financial services provider. Matt joins us on today’s program to explore how AI is revolutionizing personal insurance and home refinancing. In the process, Matt shares insights into the current trends and challenges facing insurance leaders, the role of AI in enhancing customer experience, and how data-driven strategies are helping small and mid-sized businesses streamline operations. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

5 snips
Jan 27, 2025 • 16min
Use Cases Driving Personal Banking Transformation with AI - with Edward Maslaveckas of Bud Financial
Edward Maslaveckas, CEO and Co-founder of Bud Financial, dives into how AI is reshaping personal banking. He highlights innovative use cases that enhance efficiency and customer service. Edward discusses the challenges traditional banks face in digitizing their processes, and how fintech startups leverage new models to gain user trust. He emphasizes the impact of fintech partnerships in reducing financial stress and the evolving roles of banking professionals. With insights on the future of banking, this conversation shines a light on the transformative power of AI.

Jan 14, 2025 • 23min
Transforming Personal Banking with AI - with Edward Maslaveckas of Bud Financial
Today’s guest is Edward Maslaveckas, CEO and Co-founder of Bud Financial. Bud provides transactional lending analysis and advanced AI solutions for power affordability and credit lifecycle management. Edward joins us on today’s program to talk about the biggest challenges in driving personal banking experiences, and what the landscape between legacy and fintech organizations might look like given the practicality of adopting large-scale generative AI use cases in different kinds of financial institutions. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Dec 30, 2024 • 22min
Driving AI Growth in Financial Services - with Nirmal Ranganathan of Rackspace
Nirmal Ranganathan, Vice President of Engineering and AI at Rackspace Technology, brings his expertise in AI adoption to the discussion. He shares insights from a recent survey revealing that 86% of companies see tangible AI benefits, yet many face significant skills gaps. The conversation navigates the challenges legacy institutions encounter in integrating AI, the crucial role of user experience, and the importance of hiring skilled talent as financial services evolve. Ranganathan also highlights the strategic decisions smaller firms must make about AI solutions.

Dec 16, 2024 • 23min
Hiring in AI for Financial Services - with Nirmal Ranganathan of Rackspace
Nirmal Ranganathan, Vice President of Engineering and AI at Rackspace Technology, shares his expertise on AI hiring challenges faced by financial services. He discusses how generative AI is transforming both customer-facing and back-office operations. Nirmal highlights the importance of data governance and addressing AI bias. The conversation also delves into disparities in AI adoption between large banks and smaller institutions, emphasizing how advancements can level the playing field. He advocates for diversity and inclusivity in hiring to bolster AI effectiveness.

Dec 2, 2024 • 25min
Point of Sale and Point of Need Use Cases in Financial Services - with Kit Cox of Enate
Kit Cox, Founder and CTO of Enate, shares insights into how AI is revolutionizing customer interactions in financial services. He discusses the power of sentiment analysis and data triage at the point of sale, enhancing engagement. Additionally, he highlights AI's critical role in fraud detection and handling complex insurance claims at the point of need. The conversation dives into how visual data can transform service delivery and the future possibilities of AI technologies, illustrating a dynamic shift in customer experience.

Nov 18, 2024 • 28min
Commodity and High-End Financial Services Customer Relationships - with Kit Cox of Enate
Kit Cox, Founder and CTO of Enate, dives into the transformative impact of AI in customer relationship management within financial services. He discusses the challenges financial leaders face in catering to diverse customer preferences and the importance of personalized communication. Kit highlights how AI enhances customer engagement through real-time sentiment analysis and emotional intelligence. He also emphasizes the role of foundational models and the art of prompt engineering in solving complex problems to streamline operations and improve service delivery.

Nov 4, 2024 • 12min
Driving Inclusivity in Financial Services - with Kelly Uphoff of Tala
Today’s guest is Kelly Uphoff, Vice President of Data Science at Tala. Tala is a fintech company that develops an app that lets users bridge digital and cash ecosystems seamlessly to manage their finances. Kelly returns to the program to explore how to drive inclusive leadership in fintech. Pulling from examples at Tala, a company that has built a tech leadership team where 75% of its members are women, Kelly delves into the strategies that create a people-first culture, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, diversity, and leadership modeling. To access Emerj’s frameworks for AI readiness, ROI, and strategy, visit Emerj Plus at emerj.com/p1.

Oct 21, 2024 • 18min
Driving Financial Inclusion with AI - with Kelly Uphoff of Tala
Today’s guest is Kelly Uphoff, Vice President of Data Science at Tala. Tala is a fintech company that develops an app that lets users bridge digital and cash ecosystems seamlessly to manage their finances. Kelly joins Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello on today’s show to discuss how AI and machine learning are driving financial inclusion for underserved populations. Throughout, she explains how Tala leverages alternative data to expand access to credit for individuals shut out of traditional financial systems. Kelly also shares how Tala’s use of proprietary data and advanced AI tools, such as large language models (LLMs), is helping to identify creditworthiness in customers historically overlooked by legacy financial institutions. To access Emerj’s frameworks for AI readiness, ROI, and strategy, visit Emerj Plus at emerj.com/p1.

Oct 7, 2024 • 15min
Autonomous Finance and Personalization in Credit Workflows – with Supriya Gupta of Credit Karma
Today’s guest is Supriya Gupta, General Manager and Vice President of Product at Credit Karma. Credit Karma is a multinational personal finance brand under Intuit that makes products free to consumers and helps them find lenders. Supriya returns to this podcast, straight from her appearance on the AI in Business podcast, to explore the evolving role of personalization and AI in credit workflows. She dives into how Credit Karma is laying the foundation for autonomous finance, a concept aimed at minimizing human intervention in financial decision-making. To access Emerj’s frameworks for AI readiness, ROI, and strategy, visit Emerj Plus at emerj.com/p1.