Join Alex and co-host Jason Mikula at the Fintech Meetup conference, live from Vegas.

They get into conversation with a very special guest, Jon Lear, the President and Co-founder of Fintech Meetup about issues surrounding trust in large financial institutions, the latest news on SVB, and the evolution of BaaS in Europe.

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 Jon:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonlear/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonlear

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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

This is a special one as Alex gets into conversation with Nicole Casperson, host of podcast Humans of Fintech and founder of the Fintech is Femme newsletter.

Alex and Nicole talk community building at this online event, getting into questions around fintech inclusivity, discussing whether B2C fintech is dead (or should be), and how Gen Z and missional values need to align.

Plus you’ll also hear questions from the audience, including the unsexy parts of banking that fintech needs to look at next.

Follow Alex:

LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Nicole:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicole-casperson-0820a5133/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolecasperson

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/

00:00 Intro

03:36 Getting Into Real Talk

09:25 Is B2C Fintech Dead?

12:58 Habit Creation

19:09 Integrating Behavioral Finance

25:09 Paycheck-to-Paycheck Living

27:07 The DEI Transparency Report

33:26 The Generation That Cares

35:25 Aligning Mission To Work

41:53 Make Money, Solve Societal Problems

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

Follow Reggie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reginaldcyoung/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReggieCYoung

Follow 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula

Twitter: 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Simon:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:43 Still NOT Fintech Investment Advice

02:22 Unpacking The Offer

05:20 Simon’s Rant

09:11 Keeping Users On Platform

10:05 Account To Account Payment Powered By Open Banking

19:43 Buy Now, Pay Later Model

21:04 The Fintech Disruptor

23:59 Banging The Drum For Long Term Benefits

32:01 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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:33 The Revolut Rollout

03:33 But What’s The Point?

06:50 The Non-Reality Playbook

09:35 Throwing Spaghetti At The Wall

15:48 Meet The Chief Sleuthing Officer

17:59 Chime’s Thoughtful Growth Strategy

24:08 The Pro Innovation Approach

26:40 An Outrageously Popular Newsletter

34:19 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.

In this look back over October’s Fintech news, find out why Money Lion fell foul of regulators, and major takeaways from the CFPB’s Buy Now, Pay Later report.

Alex is joined by Jason Mikula, writer of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter. They get into Money Lion’s lawsuit woes, why the simplicity of Buy Now models is a strength, and take a deeper dive into Walmart’s checking account offer.

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Jason: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikulaja

An open finance economy has the potential to benefit millions of people. Find out how Jim Magats is building systems that change lives.

Alex and Jim get into how he helped PayPal rebuild trust with the bank, why being on the customer’s side always wins, and why you should never sacrifice customer experience for innovation.

Follow Jim:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-magats-3601931

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Join Alex in the first of his live podcasts, with some seriously spicy takes from his guests. Find out why Jason believes banking as a service is BS and why he’s bought the hot sauce with him.

The show comes from live from Colorado where Alex, Jason and Adam were recording during the Fintech Devcon 2022 event.

They get into why BAAS is broken, why disruption doesn’t work without a plan, and how fintech solutions are being presented in a whole new way, as part of an ongoing narrative.

With plenty of hot takes (and hot wings), join Alex and the panel for a great discussion on the latest fintech trends.

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

When you don’t have enough credit data it’s impossible to get a mortgage, loan or even a credit card. Misha is on a mission to bring financial equity to millions of Americans. Find out how.

Between 50 and 70 million people in the US don’t have enough data built up in the credit system to access financial products. The barrier is particularly high for recent immigrants to the US. Nova Credit is solving the problem by allowing people to bring their credit history with them.

Alex and Misha get straight into the heart of the issue when it comes to accessing global credit data, how Credit Nova is helping bridge the gaps, and how he persuaded big finance that consumers should be the owners of their own data.

Follow Misha:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mishaesipov

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Since 2013, 70 billion records have been stolen or compromised and that’s hit businesses hard. But NeuroID has a solution. One that does impact customer experience. 

How do you know someone is who they say they are? Neuro ID is leveraging neuroscience technology to create a frictionless answer, saving fintech companies time and money.

Meet Jack Alton, CEO of NeuroID. He and Alex jump straight into it, discussing why if you think your identity hasn’t been stolen, you probably just don’t know about it yet, how NeuroID actually works, and how his company is reconnecting fintechs to the humans on the other side of the screen.

You’ll also hear Jack’s take on why poor customer experience drives potential customers away forever.

Follow Jack:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jackalton

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

How is TripActions Liquid giving employees the best travel experience possible?  Meet Michael Sindicich, the GM taking his time to create frictionless solutions.

Welcome to the first episode of The Fintech Factor, the podcast exploring cutting-edge Fintech companies, and what their point of differentiation looks like.

Host Alex Johnson and Michael, GM of TripActions Liquid, get into how his company is automating the whole expense management process, what makes TripActions Liquid different from other products in the space, and the years it took to get the business model just right.

You’ll also hear how a travel company can survive a pandemic and Michael’s hot take on why you should charge for a better product, even when your competitors are offering it for free.

Follow Michael:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-sindicich-97513879

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/alexhjohnson

Twitter: twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Alex is a Workweek friend, working together to produce amazing podcasts. Find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

We live in the golden age of Fintech infrastructure and with a wealth of tools and APIs, it’s quick and easy to start a fintech company.

But this low bar comes at a cost. When everyone’s using the same tools, how can you build a company with long-term competitive differentiation built into it?

Alex Johnson wants to know too and as the host of The Fintech Factor, he’ll be asking this question to founders of cutting-edge Fintech companies, discovering what their point of differentiation looks like.

With inspiring guest interviews over 30 minutes and Alex’s unique takes, this is the podcast for aspiring Fintech founders to work out how to stand out in a crowded space.

Here’s how each episode breaks down. Alex sets the scene, placing the company in the context of the Fintech landscape, before digging into the guest’s background and how they got into the space. Next comes the meat, where we understand what sets the company apart from the rest and the challenges they face getting to that point.

Finally, Alex wraps up with the guest’s unique perspective on what’s on the Fintech horizon.