Tearsheet Podcast: Exploring Financial Services Together

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. At nearly eight years old, Avant is one of the pioneers in online lending. It has expanded its product set over the years to include banking functions for middle income consumers. James Paris is the CEO of Avant and joins us on the podcast to talk about the growth of the company and the opportunities it has to fill a market gap serving its demographic. James previously led the firm’s creation of the Amount technology platform, which as a B2B lending technology platform, was spun off earlier this year. James Paris is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Zack Miller, Tearsheet’s editor in chief. On today’s podcast, I’m joined by Will Peterffy and Eddy Soffer of Interactive Brokers. Will, son of Interactive Brokers’ founder, is a new board member of the online brokerage and its ESG Ambassador. Interactive Brokers recently rolled out a portfolio scorecard that grades equity portfolios along several dimensions, like reducing emissions and human rights. The pair join us on the podcast to discuss the new initiative and what customers are asking for when it comes to investing responsibly. We also talk about where this environmental, social, and governance initiative is headed from a product perspective and across the industry.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. Small businesses have a lot to contend with. In addition to the everyday battle around cash flow, many SMBs had to quickly change their business models and payment capabilities during the pandemic. Patrick Smith, the head of small business banking at Santander, joins me on the podcast to talk about Santander’s approach to advice. We discuss the banks evolving products and services aimed at SMBs. Lastly, we delve into the role digital plays in SMB banking in terms of experience and delivery. Patrick Smith is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. Banks are hearing from their customers that they want better experiences — better experiences in banking, borrowing and in payments. Joining me today on the podcast is Finastra’s global head of payments, Paul Thomalla. The banking software provider recently launched a new product that makes it easier and quick for mid and small-tier banks in Europe participate in real time payments. Paul describes how smaller banks can maintain a competitive edge in payments. Paul Thomalla is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. My guest today is Stuart Rubinstein, CEO of Akoya. A spin out of Fidelity, Akoya is a financial data aggregator that lets the customers of financial institutions grant and revoke third party access to their financial data safely. Akoya facilitates this access and eliminates the need for consumers to share their user IDs and passwords. Stuart talks about Akoya’s roots and how he’s been thinking about data aggregation for years. He discusses the need for APIs, to move beyond the era of screen scraping. Rubinstein also shares his view of open finance and Akoya’s future. Stuart Rubinstein is my guest on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. As chat platforms have eclipsed the size of the largest social networks, businesses are increasingly using them to service their customers. Some financial institutions are even enabled for customers to transact over chat. Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and CEO of Clickatell, joins me on the podcast to talk about his vision 20 years ago for mobile experiences. Now the firm covers more than 220 territories, 1000 networks, and 85% of the world’s population, with an SMS reach of more than 5 billion users. Pieter and I talk about banks embracing chat apps, like WhatsApp, to reach their customers. With chat banking, customers can get digital banking customer support, account management, and bill payment services from within chat. Pieter de Villiers is my guest today on the Tearsheet podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller. The first era of next generation financial companies focused on the bank account as the store of information and value for consumers’ and business’ financial lives. That’s changing, as fintechs and data aggregators go deeper into payroll data and payments. The topic is becoming more urgent since the PPP rollout earlier this year. Ben White from Plaid's policy team has recently authored a report on the value of payroll data and he joins me on the podcast to discuss what payroll data access is, why it matters, and the opportunity it presents for future fintech innovation. A link to the whitepaper is included in our article on our website. Ben White is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. Embedded finance is powering the launch of all kinds of new companies and products around the world. Brazil-based Conductor is a digital banking and payment platform. It processes 1 billion payment transactions annually, totalling over $20 billion in payment volume and serves over 250 clients with more than 85 million cards. The company is expanding throughout Latin America and just raised a $150 million investment round. Chief Strategy Officer Marcelo Jacques joins me on the podcast to discuss the company’s expansion plans throughout the region, including how it will compete against foreign embedded finance platforms entering Latin America.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. Embedded Finance is becoming more competitive. New platforms are launching and existing platforms are expanding into new products and geographies. My guest today has seen it all. Dov Marmor has helped build some of the leaders in banking as a service, including Currencycloud, Green Dot, and now Railsbank. Railsbank’s chief operating officer for North America, Dov Marmor joins me on the podcast to talk about the embedded finance field — where the market is headed and who’s best positioned to take more marketshare. Railsbank is launching in the U.S. with its credit cards as a service solution to both fintech and brand customers. Dov Marmor is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. We’ve been talking for a long time about big tech’s move into finance. We’ve seen Apple’s launch of a credit card, Amazon and Shopify’s lending to merchants, and Facebook move deeper into payments on its messaging apps. News hit this week that gave us more insight into Google’s moves in banking. The company is launching Plex accounts, smarter and simpler bank accounts within a redesgined Google Pay app. Google isn’t becoming a bank — these accounts are launched in collaboration with chartered banks, like Citi and BBVA. Seattle Bank also landed a partnership with Google. The sub-$1 billion community bank in the pacific northwest will also work with Google to launch a Plex account. I spoke with John Blizzard, Seattle Bank’s president and CEO about the move and what it means for the community bank. We discuss if other small firms can and will replicate these types of partnerships with big tech. John shares his vision for the future of small banks and technology. John Blizzard is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.