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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 qu ...
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At the intersection of finance and technology, Fintech Unleased showcases the world of financial technology and its impact on banking. Hosted by Engage fi, the podcast invites subject-matter experts and thought leaders to hold open discussions, participate in interviews, and provide their perspectives on all matters relating to fintech. Discover how startups, incumbents, and tech pioneers are reshaping the industry, and how financial institutions can leverage these developments to drive inno ...
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Many FIs struggle with sunsetting communications systems and outdated technology, causing a disconnect across all channels. Integrating communication platforms will enable FIs to streamline processes among employees, customers/members, and partners and create a second-to-none customer experience. Engage FI's Stacey McClure addresses the pain points…
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Connecting FinTechs and Banks to Drive Efficiency and Innovation | Jorge A. Ruiz, CEO at FinConecta
38:41
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 innovate As 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…
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Zubin Reveals Why Empathy Is the Secret to Building Differentiated Solutions for Southeast Asians | Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO at BigPay
48:55
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 produc…
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In this episode, Virginia Heyburn is joined by Engage fi’s Co-founder & CEO, Jenn Addabbo, to celebrate National Women's Small Business Month. They discuss Jenn’s journey to entrepreneurship, female leadership in a male dominated industry, the unique strengths women bring to the table, and how today’s leaders can support and mentor the next generat…
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Max Reveals How We Are Solving Real Problems in Crypto: Customer Pain Points Explained — Max Krupyshev, CEO at CryptoProcessing by CoinsPaid
54:04
500M own crypto, 30% want to pay with it — are you ready? Customer expectations are changing fast And crypto payments are rapidly becoming the new normal! In today's episode I spoke with Max Krupyshev. CEO at CryptoProcessing.com by CoinsPaid to deep dive and understand what's going on! We cover: - How crypto is solving for real customer problems -…
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How Tapi is Revolutionizing LATAM's Outdated Payments Infrastructure from the Ground Up | Kevin Litvin, CBO & Co-Founder Tapi
49:05
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 t…
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In this episode, Virginia Heyburn is joined by Jenn Addabbo, Co-founder & CEO of Engage fi to discuss the evolving landscape of the payments industry. They dive into the latest trends, from emerging payment types like real-time payments and digital wallets, to the growing importance of fraud management in a world where security is paramount. Virgin…
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Virginia Heyburn, Director of Research, Insights, and Advocacy is back with September's Ten in 10 where she addresses the most impactful news stories in the world of finance. In this episode, Virginia discusses significant developments in the regulatory landscape, profitability trends in fintech, lending challenges faced by credit unions, and the u…
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Bankifi Reveals How Engagement Banking With Human Interaction And Data Delivers Impact To Underserved SMEs | Mark Hartley, CEO & Founder at Bankifi
58:03
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 t…
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On this episode of Fintech Unleashed, Virginia Heyburn is joined by Jim Roche, President of the Maine Bankers Association to discuss the most critical and timely topics impacting bankers today. They cover the evolving regulatory landscape, trends in bank mergers and acquisitions, and the future of banking technology. Tell Us Your Thoughts…
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Unlocking Financial Data to Drive Customer and Commercial Impact | Nare Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder at Ntropy
40:31
“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 bu…
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Oper Reveals How To Reduce Mortgage Borrower Anxiety by Blending Human Touch With AI Efficiency | Geert Van Kerchkhoven, CEO & Co-Founder Oper
49:20
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 j…
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In this episode Virginia Heyburn is joined by Fabio Biasella, Director of Strategic Services, and Joe Dugan, Strategic Advisor, to dive into one of the most pressing topics in financial services – the anticipated interest rate cut. They discuss its impact across the balance sheet, covering everything from deposits and loans to operations and strate…
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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
56:12
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 …
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Randy Hultgren, President & CEO of the Illinois Bankers Association joins Virginia Heyburn to discuss the implications of the recently passed Interchange Fee Prohibition Act in Illinois, its broader national impact, and the importance of maintaining a level playing field and fair regulation for financial institutions. Tell Us Your Thoughts…
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Wio Bank Reveals How They Reached Profitability Within Year One | Prakash Sunkara, Chief Financial Officer at Wio Bank
50:49
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! …
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Virginia Heyburn is back with this month’s Ten in 10, where she explores the top news stories impacting the financial services industry. On this episode, Virginia discusses the impact the presidential ballot has on financial institutions, the growth of real time payment networks, trends in bank earnings, and the state of the economy. The CrowdStrik…
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51% Feel out of Control With Their Finances: How Can We Enhance Financial Engagement? | Theo Paraskevopoulos, CEO & Founder Invessed
44:52
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 i…
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How Businesses Save Money on SAAS Subscriptions with Lemon | Matt Bird, Co-Founder and CEO, Lemon
54:29
Over a TRILLION dollars per year is spent on SAAS and so much of that is wasted! Customers know they are overpaying for subscriptions, don’t have good visibility on them, and are aware they could save so much Money if they could bring them all into a single place easily and unlock savings from the software providers This is exactly what Matt Bird, …
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Engage fi Co-Founder and CEO, Jenn Addabbo is joined by Carrie Birkhofer, President & CEO at Bay Federal Credit Union, Kathy Courtney, COO at Greenstate Credit Union, and Julie Kleffel, EVP & COO at Seacoast Bank. In this episode we shine a light on some of the incredible women who are making waves in the world of finance. We dive into their inspir…
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Gavin Nachbar Reveals How FinTech is Changing Tax for Good | Gavin Nachbar, Cofounder at Column Tax
46:16
“I love filing my return!” Said no one ever… did you know in the US people spend over 5 billion hours per year to get their taxes done. And Column Tax is in a mission to do something about it! Gavin Nachbar, Co-Founder of Column Tax, shares how Column Tax is disrupting the process of filing taxes - and it all starts by leveraging customer’s existin…
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In this episode, Virginia is offering her insights into the evolution of Apple's Buy Now Pay Later feature, the results of the FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile for Q1, and the rise in corporate bankruptcy filings. This month brought positive news for credit card issuers and borrowers, hear Virginia's take on this development. Dominating the news cycl…
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What’s Best Practice for FinTech Metrics? Discover Practical Frameworks to Define Metrics, AB Test, and Move the Needle | Jas Shah, Independent Fintech Product Consultant
48:02
Jas shares with us the importance of data metrics in building purpose-driven fintech. We go deep and practical! We start by defining what makes great product and the role of metrics in product development. We give examples across fintech verticals to bring it to life. It’s a super practical conversation, so defining metrics is not enough, we also d…
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Renee Christoffer, President & CEO at Veridian Credit Union, Michele Dean, President & CEO at Suffolk Federal Credit Union and Whitney Woyke, EVP, Innovation & Strategy and Banking Services at Emprise Bank join Virginia Heyburn, Director of Research, Insights and Advocacy at Engage fi on part 1 of this exciting two part series. All these extraordin…
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How Data, Simplicity, and Innovation Drive Payment Solutions | Robert Kraal, Co-Founder of Silverflow
44:57
Today DATA is a differentiated proposition! And that's why it matters who you select as your payments processor and partner in crime! I had the honour and pleasure to speak with Robert Kraal, Co-Founder at Silverflow, and hear all about how Silverflow has designed with data in mind! Silverflow is a cloud-based payment processing platform that provi…
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Forming a strategic plan is more than checking a box. It gives your bank or credit union both direction and purpose. Successful strategic planning requires a well-informed approach and actionable initiatives to support your strategic vision. On this episode, Fabio Biasella, Director of Strategic Services, joins Virginia Heyburn to discuss the intri…
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Ensuring that Green Inclusive Finance is Truly Green and Truly Inclusive | Tiffany Tong, CEO and Co-Founder, Aloi
37:41
In Today’s episode we speak with Tiffany, CEO and Co-Founder of Aloi, a multi-award winning FinTech in Nepal. Aloi is enabling climate financing for grassroots entrepreneurs through real-time loan journey insights. They have a cashless-financing platform offering 3 features to track a full loan cycle for informal sector business loans: monitor loan…
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Turning sustainability into a competitive advantage with planet-leading solutions | Oli Cook, CEO and Co-Founder, ekko
41:10
In Today’s episode we speak with Oli Cook, CEO and Co-Founder of ekko, the multi-award winning sustainability platform for banks and payments. Ekko’s solution allows you to make any transaction or customer interaction an opportunity to do good for the planet and your business. We discuss how we should understand sustainability first and then think …
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This is the start of season number two!We had a small break a few weeks and we are ready to go with more exciting guests and FinTechs One of the reasons why we had a short break in between season one and season two is because I've been attending conferences. I've been to Money 20/20 Bangkok, and then I went to Dubai FinTech summit, of course in Dub…
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Andres Pasantes, President & Chief Operations Officer at Engage fi sits down with our new Director of Strategic Services, Fabio Biasella to discuss the growing need for strategic guidance within the financial services industry. Fabio’s extensive experience in retail banking with a focus on strategic and financial analysis will offer invaluable bene…
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Banking and fintech are coming together to redefine traditional banking models through Banking as a Service (BaaS). Virginia Heyburn is joined by Joe Dugan, Strategic Advisor at Engage fi, on the latest episode of the Fintech Unleashed Podcast to explore the exciting topic of BaaS. They discuss the opportunities, challenges, regulation concerns and…
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In this episode Virginia Heyburn offers her insights into the recently released first quarter earnings reports for banks and credit unions, the regulatory talk surrounding the Bank Merger Act, and the momentum gained by the FedNow Instant Payment Network. AI is once again dominating headlines and Virginia weighs in. Tell Us Your Thoughts…
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Financial institutions are harnessing the power of AI to revolutionize the member experience, streamline operations, and manage risks. Chris Harlan, President/CEO at University of Illinois Community Credit Union and Todd Peeples, SVP of Sales & Lending Administration at All In Credit Union join Virginia Heyburn to discuss the exciting topic of Arti…
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We hear the term digital transformation all the time, but what does it mean? Raj Bandaru, SVP, Chief Information Officer at Kinecta Federal Credit Union joins Virginia Heyburn to explore how financial institutions can harness the power of technology to streamline operations, enhance the customer experience and stay ahead of the evolving market. Ban…
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The CFPB's ban on excessive credit card late fees could cost issuers billions per year. The Federal Reserve is expected to lower rates three times this year- are we running out of time? Consumers are calling on their financial institutions to protect them more from scams which could mean your bank or credit union needs to invest in enhanced fraud m…
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In Today’s episode we speak with Regina Lau, CFO at Weavr.io. Regina is a proponent of merging purpose and profit by not thinking of business as a zero sum game, but as an endeavor to growing the pie together. We discuss how measuring customer sentiment help us understand the actual impact we are having in customer’s lives. I love this approach bec…
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Solving for Debt Management for Peace of Mind | Yaseen Rostom, Founder and CEO at Incredible
42:43
For the first time ever in history, consumer borrowing in the UK has racked up to 2 trillion pounds. We've never seen that before. Pandemic ripple effects, high interest rates, and the raising cost of living have led people to rely on credit more. Even the richest 20 percent of the population are using credit to get by. This problem statement must …
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Is It the End of Card Payments or Are They the Key to Financial Inclusion? | Jeff Parker, CEO at Paymentology
44:44
Today we have the honour to speak with Jeff Parker, CEO at Paymentology. He takes us back to the core. We explore what is Purpose, how Paymentology is having direct impact in customers’ lives - even though they are a B2B FinTech. He emphasizes how we need to collaborate more and share ideas as a FinTech community for us to be able to have 10x the i…
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The Capital One and Discover merger could disrupt the financial services industry. Is the increased demand for loans signaling an improved economic outlook? AI continues to dominate the conversation and this time it could impact who you hire. In the Ten in 10 series, Virginia Heyburn highlights ten topics community banks and credit unions should be…
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In this month's "Ten in 10" video, Virginia Heyburn, Director of Research, Insights, and Advocacy, addresses M&A activity in the industry, the CFPB ruling to cap overdraft fees for institutions with greater than $10B in assets, and the growing urgency all industries face today to not only "reinvent" themselves but also alter the way they conduct bu…
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Accelerating Financial Wellbeing impact with Trust, Investing in Women and Consolidating Transaction Data | Tina Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer at Intix
47:39
In today’s episode Tina Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer at Intix, shares with us the how we can 10x the impact we have as FinTechers and go deep on the role of trust. Tina has an impressive trajectory, she was named “Top Female Tech Founder” by the British Government, and her company SnapSave was listed as “Top 12 Series A investment opportunity” b…
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Only 200 Million adults in India have credit history, Credit Fair is on a mission to 5x the impact with Purpose Driven Underwriting | Aditya Damani, Founder at Credit Fair
47:00
In today’s episode Aditya Damani, Founder at Credit Fair, shares with us his vision on having impact in over one million adults in India who currently don’t have access to credit, and the one thing we can do as FinTechers to have 10x results in solving for financial stress. We discuss what makes Credit Fair different and why they are able to give c…
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Shameer Unveils FinTech Growth Strategies For Budget Constrained Times | Shameer Sachdev, Founder & MD at Growth Gorilla
53:41
In today’s episode Shameer Sachdev, Founder & MD at Growth Gorilla, shares with us his hypothesis on why he thought he could win by adding value no else did at the time in FinTech, the power of diversity when building Purposeful FinTechs, how Growth Gorilla is having impact in millions of customers - despite not having a Financial Services offering…
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Masterclass. What is purpose in FinTech? Financial Wellbeing? And how do we have more impact? | Monica Millares
2:35
In today’s episode I step back to have deep thinking time. I went through key Purpose Driven FinTech episodes and found common threads and insights that allow us to answer the research question — How can FinTechs have better impact? This is not an interview pod, but a Masterclass split in four sections: Let’s define Purpose How can we build more Pu…
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Regenerating Banking with AI | Paolo Sironi, IBM Institute for Business Value & Co-host Breaking Banks Europe Podcast
52:05
In today’s episode Paolo Sironi shares with us in plain English the findings of his most recent research paper “Global Outlook for Banking and Financial Markets Regenerate Banking with AI” where he surveyed 600 banking executives about how they are working with generative AI. 78% of Financial Institutions are tactically implementing generative AI f…
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How to stop fraud with AI and Machine Learning| Amanda Lieu, Director Brand, Product Marketing & Growth at SEON
50:00
In today’s episode, Amanda Lieu, Director Brand, Product Marketing & Growth at SEON, shares with us the fundamentals of fraud. Why fraud is on the rise? Different types of fraud - we can’t prevent nor manage if we don’t understand it well Fraud rings The black box and white box - how to understand why fraud is happening How AI and Machine learning …
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AI, The Coreless Banking Revolution, and The Bank of the Future | Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO at Monese
55:28
In today’s episode, Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO at Monese, shares his vision of hyper personalization and customer-centric financial services enabled by AI, and becoming 'the bank of the future.' We discuss the impact of AI on the financial industry, understanding the current state of AI in FinTech, concerns regarding its implications, and pract…
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We can not talk about Money without talking about Trust. Since the begining of time customers have trusted financial institutions to look after their hard earned money - or have they not? This is a critical topic for FinTechs — why would customers decide to put their money with new players vs going with established brands? Smooth interface and a ni…
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Today, we have a compilation episode with my favorite question. I always ask this question at the end of the episode, which is, Hey, if you were to change one thing in fintech that could have the most impact to customers, colleagues, and investors, what would that be? The immediate response from almost everyone is. That's a tough question, Monica. …
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Where will financial institutions spend their time and energy in the new year? With continued economic uncertainty in a high-interest-rate environment, coupled with lower savings rates, declining loan originations, and higher delinquencies, the possibilities are many. In Ten in 10: A Look Into 2024, Virginia Heyburn highlights ten topics community …
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