When Facebook went down recently, many creators lost their ability to monetize their content — their livelihood — because of the outage. Could blockchain technology give creators an avenue to break the shackles of traditional social media? Today’s guest, Solo Ceesay , is banking on it. As COO and Co-Founder at Calaxy , Solo and his team are empowering creators with a crypto-fueled content platform that is revolutionizing how creators can capitalize on their creativity — from where they congregat...
Dec 14, 2021•33 min
International transactions have continued to be a challenge. But Incard is looking to change that, offering 100% tailor-made solutions for online entrepreneurs in the French and UK markets. Today’s guest, Théo Cesarini , Co-Founder and CEO at Incard , discusses the Incard brand and how the French landscape will evolve over the next couple of years. In this episode, we discuss: Problems faced by Incard customers and fintech in general What makes Incard unique How the French fintech landscape is e...
Dec 06, 2021•13 min
When you think of European finance, the UK may be the dominant market you think of first… A close second? France . And if you want to be at the cutting edge of Fintech, you need to understand the French market. That’s why we’re so excited to welcome a new host to our podcast team — Mohan Madouri , who, as Directeur Commercial of France here at Currencycloud , has the inside scoop on the exciting innovations coming out of this important region. In this episode, we discuss: Mohan’s career path Why...
Dec 03, 2021•8 min
If you are going to build your business on top of a BaaS platform, it better be sturdy. And that means finding a partner bank and BaaS who understands your goals and needs. Today’s guest, Trent Sorbe , is Founder & President of Central Payments , where he’s helping build the sturdy platform businesses need to feel confident in their Fintech business. In this episode, we discuss: How Central Payments are laying the foundation for Fintech and embedded finance success The importance of a reliab...
Nov 29, 2021•28 min
If you ask your friends who own stocks in Amazon or Apple, odds are they’ve never voted on a shareholder proposal. But when the definition of a shareholder means to have a say in the way a business is run, it’s time to recognize the disconnect between stockholder and company. We speak with Antoine Argouges , Founder at Tulipshare , about shareholder activism, choosing campaigns, and future plans for his company. In this episode, we discuss: Becoming a shareholder activist How Tulipshare chose th...
Nov 23, 2021•19 min
It’s getting tougher for traditional banks to compete with the emerging neo-banks. While many are taking the steps to keep up, these banks must look into replacing legacy infrastructure if they want to stay relevant in the long term. Today’s guests, Dieter Halfar , Partner at Elixirr , and David Reiss , Programme Director, Strategic Partnerships at Currencycloud , talk about what financial services should be focusing on and what’s next for the space. In this episode, we discuss: Discussing key c...
Nov 16, 2021•46 min
These days, 50% of investors under 30, a demographic that essentially grew up on social media. While many trading platforms are incorporating aspects of social media, none has truly integrated social and trading from the ground up. Benjamin Chemla , CEO and Co-Founder of Shares , is planning to change that by offering the first true social trading platform. In this episode, we discuss: What social trading is and how it adds to the Wealthtech market Why the GameStop controversy and purpose-driven...
Nov 09, 2021•16 min
Who hasn’t received an email from their bank for an account that’s completely irrelevant? It makes you feel like your bank doesn’t care about you one bit, right? Banks have all the data they could ask for to understand their customers, but, clearly, most of them don’t know how to use it. But customer data platforms are changing that. Today’s guest, Izabella Gabowicz , COO at Sensibill , is someone helping lead the CDP revolution. She joins the show to share why CDPs are such an exciting tool for...
Nov 01, 2021•23 min
One of the greatest silver linings to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the obliteration of the requirement of physical proximity to the office. Where you once had to target your hiring practices and campaigns to a specific area, now a lot of companies have dropped their geographical requirements all together, allowing you to work from anywhere. And while that’s good news for the employee, it presents some unique challenges for the employer, specifically if they’re hiring international ...
Oct 25, 2021•26 min
If you look at the best software out there in any category, you find an interesting trend: Most of it was designed to solve a problem its creators faced. Whether it’s Slack or MongoDB, these products weren’t solutions in search of a problem to solve. They’d already solved one. The same is true for today’s guest, Rhett Roberts , Co-Founder & CEO, Product Officer at LoanPro , a company offering simplified solutions for loan servicing built when Rhett needed to find a way to solve issues faced ...
Oct 18, 2021•33 min
You get a text message letting you know a bill is due. You then open your payment app, scroll through, and pay the bill. If you have any problems, you’ll need to dial and call customer support. Now what if all those steps could’ve been handled through the initial text message? Today’s guest is helping make that connectivity a reality: Will Graylin , CEO at OV Loop , discus ses his history in the payment industry and what’s driving his enthusiasm to take messaging connectivity to the next level i...
Oct 11, 2021•27 min
For those old enough to remember a time before, Fintech can seem like a dream come true — it allows us to bank, sell, invest and even gamble whenever and wherever we want. But these same tools can become a nightmare for those without the financial education to wield them responsibly. That’s why today’s guest, Vivi Friedgut , CEO/Founder at Blackbullion , is on a mission to educate young people so that they can make better financial decisions — and she’s using technology to enable the solution. I...
Oct 05, 2021•36 min
Why are more and more Fintech’s turning to crowdfunding in addition to traditional VC investment? Because being accountable to the people actually using your product incentivizes you to shape it to their needs. That was a key consideration for today’s guest Edoardo Moreni, CEO at Emma Technologies, when funding the company's money management platform, which offers a wide range of banking and investment options to its users. In this episode, we discuss: How Open Banking has opened doors for wealt...
Sep 27, 2021•19 min
Companies looking to build banking within their model have had to face 3 big challenges over the past decade: managing bank relationships, keeping up with compliance, and building technology to take their banking to market. Today’s guest is helping Fintech solve these problems: Itai Damti , CEO at Unit . He joins the show to explain banking as a service and how Unit is helping companies with their banking integrations. In this episode, we discuss: - Banking as a service - How Unit stands out, it...
Sep 21, 2021•25 min
Sometimes, you can get lucky with a few bets on the stock market but, usually, you need some advice if you really want to succeed with your investments. Yet, most advisors fail to deliver real value — so where do you turn? Fintech, of course... Like the revolutionary investing technology today’s guests, Chuk Orakwue, Managing Partner, and Louis Ortiz, Head of Growth, are delivering at Xantos Labs. In this episode, we discuss: Why average people struggle to maintain a thriving portfolio Why you n...
Sep 13, 2021•30 min
Paytech is one of the most important emerging sectors in Fintech, yet for many, it’s a mystery. Not so for James Teodorini , Senior Paytech Consultant at Currencycloud , today’s guest and our newest host on payments innovation. He joins the show to demystify Paytech. In this episode, we discuss: James’ background The definition of Paytech The guests James will feature in upcoming episodes To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or h...
Sep 06, 2021•12 min
In recent years, Fintech has helped fuel Africa’s economic success. Now, some Fintechs on the continent are ready to expand their operations internationally. And that’s not just good news for Africa — it’s good news for everyone. Today’s guest, Omosalewa Adeyemi, Head of Global Partnerships and Expansion Team at Flutterwave, is leading the charge for one such Fintech. She joins the show to share why Flutterwave is a perfect fit for North American markets. In this episode, we discuss: Flutterwave...
Aug 31, 2021•27 min
If you are dealing with hundreds — if not thousands — of payments a day, you could hire a 30-person finance team, read 600 pages on ACH, and another 300 on the wire system. Or you could save yourself some time and money by listening to today’s guest. That’s because Sam Aarons , as Co-Fo under & CTO at Modern Treasury , has helped build a way for you to automate these payments, no matter where you bank, without the hassle you’d face building that capability in-house. In this episode, we discu...
Aug 24, 2021•28 min
Remember when there’d be a pitch for startup capital, with a straightforward yes or no in response? Well, things are a little different now, and we have people like Prashant Fuloria , Fundbox CEO, to thank for that. What we talked about: - The working capital marketplace - Banks vs Fundbox: the cost of managing unpaid receivables - The Fundbox customer experience - Small business COVID-19 economic recovery Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Prashant’s LinkedIn profile -...
Aug 17, 2021•43 min
Cross-border remittances used to be slow and the fees could end up being upwards of 10%, but thanks to innovations like blockchain and better banking partnerships, that’s all changing. Today’s guest is someone helping to lead that change: Manos Yoganathan , Vice President at Remitbee . He joins the show to explain how. In this episode, we discuss: - The remittance revolution - How blockchain technology is improving the remittance space - The challenge of partnering with banks in Canada To ensure...
Aug 11, 2021•24 min
Cashless participation is the catalyst in the mission to drive equitable stock ownership through ESPPs (Employee Stock Purchasing Plans). Aaron Shapiro , CEO & Founder of Carver Edison , is here to tell us all about it in the latest episode of Payments Innovation. What we talked about: - Aaron’s journey into the corporate equity niche - Carver Edison’s place on the ESPP spectrum - Do ESPPs offer diversification opportunities? - The win-win-win situation created by cashless participation. Che...
Aug 03, 2021•27 min
In finance, partnerships can often be hard to pin down, but understanding the ins-and-outs of partnerships can mean a world of difference for Fintechs everywhere. Which is why this episode, as part of our Fintech Karaoke series, Cara Hayward interviews Kara Parkey , Director of Business Development at MX , to learn the secrets to successful partnerships. They discuss: - What defines a partner and the best way to choose them - How to get buy-in and sales alignment - The future of partnerships To ...
Jul 27, 2021•32 min
The rich stay rich, and get richer, not by increasing their income, but by controlling their expenses. Spend management might not be an obvious option but it’s always worthwhile. Thejo Kote calls it like it is: companies have a problem managing their spend. Fortunately for us, his firsthand experience inspired him to found Airbase . What we talked about: - Spend management deserves your focus - How and why Airbase gives you spend management superpowers - The current and future state of the spend...
Jul 20, 2021•34 min
Currencycloud’s Payments Innovation podcast is about 3 years old, and we couldn’t be prouder of all the conversations we’ve had about new business perspectives on the global digital economy. Today, we’re introducing a new podcast host who will pioneer a Payments Innovation series focused on our current clients and how they’re scaling. We’re excited to highlight our newest podcast host Scott Ernenwein , North America Account Manager: Fintech and Banking at Currencycloud. In this introductory epis...
Jul 13, 2021•9 min
The pandemic may be in its final stretch, but it’s changed the world forever — especially how we work. Now, an internationally distributed workforce has become more attractive. But that can be a major challenge without the right tools. Our latest guest, Matt Drozdzynski , CEO and Founder of Pilot, is one of the people helping to provide those tools, offering businesses ways to deal with everything from payroll to compliance across borders. He joins the show to discuss: - How COVID transformed ho...
Jul 06, 2021•46 min
Not every business tanked during the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t experience challenges. Shaun Puckrin , Chief Product Innovation Officer at Global Processing Services , shares details of the journey from the growth side of the pandemic, in the latest episode of Payments Innovation. What we talked about: - Not all companies fell off the face of a cliff when COVID-19 became a pandemic, but why? Surely there were other challenges for them during this time? - The value of intern...
Jun 29, 2021•25 min
Compliance often used to be seen as something you reluctantly dedicated resources to in order to please the lawyers. But that’s changing… Because behind every great Fintech is the ability to manage risk. Who said compliance can’t be sexy? Certainly not today’s guest, Charlie Delingpole , Founder and CEO at ComplyAdvantage , where his work helping companies leverage compliance as a strategic business asset is finally making compliance sexy. In this episode, we discuss: - The kinds of risks compli...
Jun 22, 2021•36 min
Embedded finance is the game changer we never knew we needed. Robert Cortright , Founder & CEO at DriveWealth , walks us through the what, how, and why on the latest episode of Payments Innovation. What we talked about: - Fractional trading, financial literacy & AI - Brokerage vs. embedded finance - What to expect from the digital financial ecosystem in the next year or so Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - DriveWealth’s website - Greenlight financial literacy i...
Jun 15, 2021•18 min
Bringing on new full-time employees from different countries comes with its share of complications. From resolving legal grey areas to providing a first-class experience for the employee, Panther aims to solve these issues. Matt Redler , Founder and CEO of Panther , joins us to discuss how the company is changing the way remote work operates with employees in multiple countries. We talked about: - How Panther got started - The issues with hiring employees globally - What sets Panther apart from ...
Jun 08, 2021•33 min
These days, banks are finally realizing what almost every other industry has already caught on to: If you want to succeed, you need to build around customer experiences. Just ask Alex Wheldon , Co-Founder, President and Chief Product Officer at Rho Business Bank , where he’s helping to usher in the new, customer-focused, paradigm for modern banking. In this episode, we discuss: - Why customer-focus is the new zeitgeist for modern banking - How Rho approaches partnerships - The example Rho is set...
Jun 01, 2021•31 min
