Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

Money is having a history moment again. Stablecoins, tariffs, reshoring, central bank independence, ?Global South? monetary narratives?these aren?t disconnected headlines. They?re signals that the rules, rails, and power centers of money are being contested in real time.

Money?s Long Arc, Stablecoins? Next Level: Adam Braus on History, Hayek, and Innovation

In this episode, I sat down with Adam Braus (Chair of Applied Computer Science at Dominican University of California)?a rare mix of engineer and economic-history mind, and a thoughtful skeptic (definitely not a crypto-maxi). Adam is a wealth of knowledge on how monetary systems actually form: what holds them together, what breaks them, and what replaces them. We covered stablecoins and onchain finance, but the real value was the way Adam kept pulling the discussion up a level?what money is for, who it serves, and how institutions evolve when trust fractures or geopolitics shifts. Adam didn?t just talk stablecoins?he walked us through 250 years of U.S. monetary history, explaining how each era of money was shaped by a mix of crisis, politics, technology, and institutional redesign: from coins and fragmented bank notes, to the Fed and the New Deal state, to Bretton Woods and the fiat turn, to the post-2008 legitimacy shock, and finally to blockchain and tokenized dollars. Along the way, he brought a distinctly Hayekian currency lens?focused on what happens when money becomes more competitive, more privately issued, and less monopolized by the state. Companies building the new financial fabric in banking and capital markets will benefit from Adam?s knowledge and perspective.

A very brief 250 year Dollar history

Listening back, the conversation maps onto a 250-year arc?money as a sequence of institutional upgrades and rails upgrades:

* 1792?1913: a patchwork of coins and fragmented paper, with recurring panics.

* 1913: Wilson?s architecture?Federal Reserve (and the broader fiscal state) begins modern centralized monetary governance.

* 1930s: FDR?s New Deal expands state capacity to manage crises and shape the economic order.

* 1944: Bretton Woods locks in the dollar as the hub of global trade and reserves?fueling a century of U.S.-led international order.

* 1971: the gold link breaks; credibility and macro management become the anchor.

* 1976: Hayek publishes The Denationalisation of Money?arguing that government monopoly over money should be challenged by competitive private currencies as a discipline mechanism against inflation and political cycles.

* 2008: crisis backstops expand; the plumbing becomes visible; legitimacy debates intensify. 2008 forced the state to act as a bigger financial backstop, exposed the hidden mechanics of credit and liquidity, and sparked lasting fights over fairness, power, and trust in the system.

* 2009: Satoshi introduces blockchain as a new settlement primitive?rules enforced by networks, not intermediaries.

* 2014?2020s: stablecoins tokenize the dollar?same unit of account, new distribution and settlement rail?while tokenization begins spreading to Treasuries and beyond.

* 2025: GENIUS Act?stablecoins get federal rules (reserves + oversight), legitimizing them as a regulated dollar payment rail.

* 2025?Future: Trump-era ?post-Wilsonian? money?tokenized assets and on-chain finance become the new fabric of markets, shifting monetary power outward as the central bank?s role is narrowed, contested, or re-architected.

Editor?s Note (Post-Record Addendum):

Wilson/FDR to Trump: Central Control ? On-Chain Rails + Tokenized Assets

Challenging the Wilson?FDR Monetary State

Trump?s confrontation with the Federal Reserve is not just personality or politics?it?s a challenge to the Wilson-and-FDR architecture that defined the last century. Wilson?and FDR after him?expanded the federal government?s role as the referee of capitalism: permanent fiscal and monetary institutions built to fund a larger state, manage crises, and sustain an internationalist order. In that framework, interest rates?set by an increasingly powerful Fed?function like a kind of indirect taxation, shaping capital allocation across the economy and reinforcing a system optimized for macro-stability and global leadership.

Is the Fed really independent?

But I?d add one sharper layer: the Federal Reserve is not really ?independent? in the way civics textbooks present it. It is structurally and culturally intertwined with the globalization project?and with the financial sector whose business model is advantaged by it: deep global capital markets, reserve-currency plumbing, and cross-border flows. Trump?s ?America First? nationalism sits in direct contrast: he?s implicitly arguing for a regime where the reward function tilts upward for American producers?manufacturers, farmers, and entrepreneurs?relative to financiers. Here?s where I land after the discussion (not Adam?s opinion?just mine).

America First vs Globalization Finance

Trump?s worldview starts from a different diagnosis: globalization is not a neutral efficiency machine?it?s a strategic threat. In his framing, decades of offshoring, trade deficits, and supply-chain dependence weakened the industrial base, hollowed out communities (especially across the Midwest), and ceded leverage to rivals. So his doctrine emphasizes nationalism as statecraft: reshoring, tariffs as leverage, deregulation, lower taxes, and attracting capital into U.S. assets and factories rather than overseas capacity.

Reframing the Fed?s Mandate Through Industrial Policy

That?s why Trump doesn?t treat the Fed?s dual mandate as ?trade-policy neutral.? In his view, trade policy and industrial policy are upstream drivers of employment outcomes. If import competition and offshoring permanently reduce the number and quality of jobs in entire regions, then ?maximum employment? becomes inseparable from the structure of trade and production. From that perspective, a central bank that focuses narrowly on inflation and aggregate employment while ignoring deindustrialization is missing the variable that determines whether employment is broadly distributed and politically sustainable.

Rates as Strategy: Macro Stabilization vs Sovereign Reindustrialization

His battle with the Fed over rates follows logically. High rates are more than a technical tool?they are a barrier that diverts capital away from domestic rebuilding. They raise the hurdle rate for factories, new capacity, and risk-taking, and make it harder for reindustrialization to win against global arbitrage. So the conflict isn?t simply ?Trump wants lower rates.? It?s a clash between technocratic macro-stabilization inside the Wilson/FDR framework versus sovereignty-first industrial revival that treats money, trade, and production as one integrated strategy.

Perfect Storm: Trump-Era Nationalism + On-Chain Market Infrastructure

And now layer on the other shift: onchain finance is no longer just stablecoins. The same tokenization logic is extending across Treasuries, equities, credit, derivatives, and real-world assets?transforming settlement and clearing, but also issuance, custody, compliance, and liquidity formation. If Wilson/FDR built the last century?s financial operating system, we may be entering a post-Wilsonian, post-New Deal ? Trump era?with a new international order emerging as markets are rebuilt on programmable rails.

The fight isn?t over rates?it?s over who America is built to serve.

?Listen now for Adam?s Hayek-and-history lesson on money?how currency systems are built, why they fail, and what today?s experiments might be signaling.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:30 ? Opening thesis: Stablecoins as competitive currenciesStablecoins framed not as payments UX, but as the first mass-market step toward Hayek-style competitive money.

2:31 ? 6:00 ? Trump, the Fed, and monetary tensionWhy the Trump?Federal Reserve conflict signals a deeper architectural shift, not just political noise.

6:01 ? 9:30 ? From Woodrow Wilson to Bretton WoodsHow 20th-century monetary architecture shaped today?s centralized financial system.

9:31 ? 14:00 ? Money as a technologyWhy money evolves like software?and why stablecoins are a protocol change, not a product.

14:01 ? 18:30 ? Why stablecoins arrived nowSmartphones, APIs, crypto rails, and global demand converging at the same moment.

18:31 ? 23:00 ? Private money vs state moneyHistorical parallels: free banking eras, private issuance, and why governments eventually respond.

23:01 ? 27:30 ? Trust, legitimacy, and adoptionWhy people adopt currencies: reliability first, ideology second.

27:31 ? 32:00 ? Banks? existential dilemmaWhy banks can?t fully embrace stablecoins?but can?t ignore them either.

32:01 ? 36:30 ? Stablecoins vs CBDCsWhy CBDCs solve control problems, not innovation problems.

36:31 ? 41:00 ? Regulation as inevitabilityHow regulation will shape stablecoins without killing them?and who benefits.

41:01 ? 45:30 ? The global south use caseWhy stablecoins matter more in unstable monetary regimes than in the U.S. or Europe.

45:31 ? 50:00 ? Programmable money & economic coordinationWhat happens when money becomes composable infrastructure.

50:01 ? 54:30 ? Inflation, debasement, and exit valvesWhy stablecoins act as pressure-release mechanisms in inflationary systems.

54:31 ? 58:30 ? The long arc of monetary evolutionWhy this shift is generational, not cyclical.

58:31 ? 1:03:00 ? What breaks firstLegacy banking rails, settlement delays, and policy lag.

1:03:01 ? End ? Closing synthesisStablecoins as the bridge between nation-state money and network-native value systems.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

This episode is a forward-looking roundtable on the 2025 ? 2026 transition in financial services and fintech?where the arc from digital ? mobile ? embedded is now bending toward what comes next: agentic commerce and agentic banking, alongside the renewed momentum in stablecoins, tokenization, and programmable money.

To get past the noise, Paddy sits down with three greats across financial services and fintech?each seeing the developments from a different lens:

* Ron Shevlin ? Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors; Senior Contributor at Forbes; Fintech Snark Tank. Brings the bank and credit union reality: boardroom priorities and open banking economics.

* Steven Ramirez ? CEO of Beyond the Arc. Focused on strategy-to-execution, customer experience, and change management.

* Bradley Leimer ? Strategic Advisor at Darrery Capital. Brings a fintech + venture + large-bank operating perspective, with a pragmatic lens on what becomes real infrastructure.

Across an informal, end-of-year ?friends getting together? conversation, they unpack what shifted in 2025?the thaw in fintech sentiment and exits, banks charging for data access, why banks feel increasingly defensive, and how the industry is moving toward convergence (fintech + banks) even as TradFi vs DeFi remains contentious.

And then the big one: agentic AI?what it actually means, why governance becomes the bottleneck, and how customer experience may evolve when it?s your agent talking to the bank?s agent.

? Listen Now for a clear, grounded map of what matters heading into 2026?without the hype.

Key takeaways

* Fintech sentiment is shifting: IPO/exits and public-market appetite are back in the conversation?changing the mood heading into 2026.

* Open banking is getting real about economics: charging for data access forces a reset from ?free rails? to sustainable models.

* Banks are in defensive mode: deposits and lending profitability dominate near-term priorities, especially for mid-sized institutions.

* ?Customer-first? isn?t a slogan?it?s the strategy: competitive advantage goes to whoever satisfies customer needs best (AI + human + execution).

* Agentic AI = intelligence + tools + autonomous action: but autonomy, ROI, pricing models, and governance are the hard problems.

* The CX interface is changing: from screen/menu navigation to conversational intent?and eventually agent-to-agent interactions.

Editor?s Note (Post-Record Addendum):

We need to bring the OGs back together?this was recorded before Venezuela, the proposed 10% credit-card APR cap, and a potential SCOTUS tariff ruling. There?s a lot more to unpack now.

My quick take: agentic commerce?and the growing adjacency to DeFi?, will make a 10% credit-card APR cap more than a pricing headline; it becomes an accelerant for a structural rewrite of the card business. Issuers will deploy agents not only to streamline operating costs and improve risk management, but to open the floodgates of agentic commerce that changes where value is created.

Just as digital wallets and services like Uber removed friction and reshaped the payment experience, the ?AI Card? will do more than optimize checkout?it will transform how commerce is initiated, negotiated, and executed. And combined with DeFi, merchants can increasingly leverage their own balance sheets?not the banks??to extend credit, further diminishing the role of interest income in credit card economics. The result is a shift from an interest- and interchange-centric model to a far more commerce-centric one, where the economic center of gravity moves upstream into discovery, intent, decisioning, and fulfillment.

AI Cards + agentic commerce + stablecoins + DeFi = a wide-open greenfield for networks, fintechs, and issuers in 2026.

Timestamp table

0:00 ? 2:45 ? Setup: The 2025?2026 transitionDigital ? mobile ? embedded ? agentic + stablecoins/tokenization on the rise.

2:46 ? 8:10 ? What changed in 2025IPO thaw, fintech winter easing, and bank-side surprises (including open banking/data access pressure).

8:11 ? 13:40 ? The arc of fintech: where it?s actually headedWhy ?% of fintech done? is the wrong question; the customer problems still aren?t solved.

13:41 ? 20:15 ? Banks vs fintech: purpose, partnership, and realityFrom ?banks are evil? narratives to collaboration?and why transformation takes longer than people think.

20:16 ? 27:55 ? Convergence debate: Fintech + banks? TradFi + DeFi?Agreement on fintech-bank convergence; pushback on ?TradFi-DeFi convergence? framing.

27:56 ? 37:30 ? What banks are actually focused onDeposits, lending profitability, product vs experience debate, segmentation opportunities (incl. underserved niches).

37:31 ? 45:10 ? Large bank lens: AI, investment patterns, and what funding signalsAI pilots, efficiency gains, leadership patience, and the post-2021 funding reset.

45:11 ? 49:10 ? AI adoption reality checkFOMO deployments, slow approaches, and why governance becomes the 2026 story.

49:11 ? 56:20 ? Agentic AI demystifiedThe three pillars, autonomy questions, ROI/pricing, and who governs agents inside institutions.

56:21 ? 1:03:30 ? The durable advantage: serving customer needs bestWhy tech-first thinking fails; alignment and execution win.

1:03:31 ? 1:10:45 ? The future CX interfaceFrom screen design ? conversational intent ? agent-to-agent banking interactions.

1:10:46 ? 1:15:53 ? Bold predictions for 2026CX rises, AI embeds into products to take action, and regulation gets ?funky.?

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Brandon Card, Founder & CEO of Terzo, to explore one of the most overlooked foundations of enterprise value: contracts.

FINTECHTALK?s view: the future enterprise won?t be run by today?s ERP, CRM, or core banking stacks?it?ll be run by an AI orchestrator that coordinates value flows across agent-based suppliers, partners, customers, and internal functions like finance, with much of that value moving on-chain.

The schematic below shows the future state. Left: an interim phase where existing workflows remain intact but gain an AI ?overlay.? Right: the end state, where workflows are rebuilt into an on-chain exchange of value, dynamically executed and optimized by AI agents. Companies like Terzo are already building early versions of this future-state orchestrator engine.

Figure 1 - FINTECHTALK?s view on future state Enterprise architectuer with AI agents and Blockchain based systems of value.

While Wall Street debates tokenizing equities and increasingly exotic instruments, the real unlock for Main Street and enterprise businesses is happening elsewhere. It?s in what companies like Terzo are doing?turning buried enterprise assets like contracts into liquid, actionable value. This is where tokenization gets practical: Wall Street?grade capabilities such as pricing intelligence, risk visibility, and cash-flow foresight, brought to everyday businesses by structuring and activating their own data.

Brandon?s journey?from Oracle and IBM to Microsoft?gave him a front-row seat to the same problem repeating at scale. Enterprises sign thousands of contracts worth trillions of dollars, yet the financial intelligence inside those agreements remains trapped in static PDFs, disconnected from finance, procurement, and ERP systems that actually run the business.

With Terzo and its latest platform, NirvanAI, contracts become more than legal artifacts?they become financial assets. We discuss how core platforms like ERP, procurement, CRM, and banking systems will evolve into AI- and blockchain-native systems of value, not just systems of record. In doing so, enterprises gain access to tooling and insight that was once reserved for big banks and firms like Palantir?but now purpose-built for the Fortune 500 and beyond.

If you care about enterprise AI, agentic systems, or how trillion-dollar businesses are quietly being re-architected from the inside out, this conversation is essential listening.

? Listen Now to hear how Terzo is building what Brandon calls ?the Palantir for finance.?

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:00 ? Welcome + Meet Brandon CardFrom Oracle to Microsoft to founding Terzo.

2:01 ? 5:30 ? The Contract Blind SpotWhy finance teams don?t actually control their most valuable data.

5:31 ? 9:00 ? $120 Trillion Locked in PDFsHow contracts quietly underpin revenue, spend, and partnerships.

9:01 ? 12:30 ? Contracts as Financial AssetsWhy treating contracts as ?legal documents? is a massive mistake.

12:31 ? 16:30 ? Why ERP Systems Miss the MarkSAP and Oracle own transactions?but not the agreements behind them.

16:31 ? 20:30 ? Introducing NirvanAITerzo?s financial command center for contracts, spend, and revenue.

20:31 ? 24:30 ? Accuracy Over HypeWhy finance demands 99% accuracy?and most AI tools fall short.

24:31 ? 28:30 ? Purpose-Built vs PlatformsWhy Terzo positions itself as the Palantir for finance.

28:31 ? 33:30 ? Fortune 500 Go-To-MarketWhy Terzo focuses on the most complex enterprises first.

33:31 ? 38:30 ? AI in Production, Not R&DWhat it takes to deploy AI systems enterprises actually trust.

38:31 ? 44:00 ? The Future: Contracts on the LedgerSmart contracts, blockchain, and contract-to-payment automation.

44:01 ? 49:00 ? The AI ERP OpportunityWhy the next Oracle won?t look like an ERP at all.

49:01 ? End ? Raising Series B + Final ThoughtsBuilding a category-defining enterprise intelligence platform.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

If you?re building the next-generation enterprise stack?disurpting ERPs, CRMs and Core banking?where AI + blockchain rewire how finance, procurement, supply chain, and operations actually run, FINTECHTALK helps you turn that vision into a category narrative, not just another pitch deck. We work with founders and innovators to translate your product thesis into a clear ?why now,? a differentiated point of view, and a story the market can rally around.

Through our Narrative Blueprint collaborations, over 4?6 weeks we help you:

Run founder interviews and a positioning workshop

Craft a 60?90 minute flagship episode

Publish a 3?5k word Substack deep-dive

Produce a crisp executive 2-pager and a ?where you fit in the next-gen AI + blockchain enterprise stack? infographic.

Ship a social pack of posts and clips your team can use across channels

We also partner with PR/creative agencies via an affiliate model, and with VC & corporate innovation teams through a VC + Corporate Innovation Blueprint that links your fund thesis to an Insight Lab for your portfolio and strategic partners.

If you see your company in what follows?or want to be on the 2026 watchlist?Schedule a scoping call today or email us at fintechtalk at substack dot com

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

Our thesis from our piece earlier - ?We?re moving from ?features on legacy rails? to programmable, money on increasingly on-chain infrastructure. Tokenization is a means; infrastructure is the story. Eventually, programmable money can think and choose with Agents.?

If you?re building any piece of this on-chain financial fabric?stablecoins, RWA rails, prediction markets, treasury tools, or AI-native infrastructure?FINTECHTALK works with founders and innovators to turn your thesis into a category story, not just a pitch deck.

If you see your company in what follows?or want to be on the 2026 watchlist?Schedule a scoping call today or email us at fintechtalk at substack dot com

In this episode, I sat down with Patrick Gerhart, President of Banking Operations at Telcoin, to explore how a crypto-era startup just made US banking history.

Telcoin recently received approval to launch a fully regulated digital asset bank under Nebraska?s Financial Innovation Act ? the first of its kind in the United States. Patrick shares how traditional banking meets blockchain through Telcoin?s new charter, the vision behind its dollar-backed stablecoin EUSD, and what it means for consumers, fintechs, and community banks.

We also unpack the broader shift in financial infrastructure ? from legacy cores and card rails to programmable, real-time settlement, where money moves as fast as data. Patrick explains why regulation is not a burden but an adoption catalyst, how state innovation is shaping federal policy, and why stablecoins could be the ?credit card moment? of the 2020s.

According to DeFiLlama, there are roughly $308B in stablecoins outstanding today?an increase of nearly 50% over the past year. Consider this Act I, Scene I of on-chain finance: the opening move in a world where TradFi and DeFi are starting to converge.

If you?ve been watching the stablecoin and banking worlds converge, this conversation is your front-row seat to how on-chain infrastructure becomes the new financial fabric.

If you?re building any piece of this on-chain financial fabric?stablecoins, RWA rails, prediction markets, treasury tools, or AI-native infrastructure?FINTECHTALK works with founders and innovators to turn your thesis into a category story, not just a pitch deck.

Through our Narrative Blueprint collaborations, over 4?6 weeks we help you:

Run founder interviews and a positioning workshop

Craft a 60?90 minute flagship episode

Publish a 3?5k word Substack deep-dive

Produce an executive 2-pager and an ?where you fit in the new financial fabric? infographic

Ship a social pack of posts and clips your team can use across channels

We also partner with PR/creative agencies via an affiliate model, and with VC & corporate innovation teams through a VC + Corporate Innovation Blueprint that links your fund thesis to an Insight Lab for your portfolio and strategic partners.

If you see your company in what follows?or want to be on the 2026 watchlist?Schedule a scoping call today or email us at fintechtalk at substack dot com

Banking & Capital Markets: What We?ll Be Watching in 2026 on Blockchain

Our thesis from our piece earlier (link here) - ?We?re moving from ?features on legacy rails? to programmable, money on increasingly on-chain infrastructure. Tokenization is a means; infrastructure is the story. Eventually, programmable money can think and choose with Agents.?

Market Structure & PoliticsHow the Market Structure Clarity Act and Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA) actually land?and the politics between Congress and regulators (SEC, CFTC, Fed, OCC, FDIC) and large incumbents and crypto natives (JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America, Coinbase, Ripple, SIFMA, Blockchain Association) - Is AML/OFAC policy?and the control it enables in D.C.?becoming the ultimate ?WMD? that secures just enough bipartisan support to stall financial innovation and block real market-structure reform? And if so, what levers does the industry still have to educate lawmakers and the administration?

On-Chain Issuance & RWA Tokenization (Capital Markets Infrastructure)

* Issuance & primary markets (on-chain):Platforms turning equity, credit, funds, and money markets into tokenized instruments: Securitize, Figure, Digital Asset, Blockstream, Ripple, Ondo, Tokeny, Polymesh.

* Buy-side infrastructure:Asset managers and allocators building product on top of these rails?tokenized funds, on-chain share classes, and 24/7 liquidity from BlackRock (BUIDL), Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree, Hashnote, Ondo, family offices, and crypto-native funds.

* Sell-side & market infrastructure:Trading, prime, and collateral plumbing that connects institutions to tokenized markets: FalconX, Coinbase Institutional, Anchorage Digital, Copper, BitGo, exchanges and ATS venues, as well as custody and collateral management stacks.

Applications Across the Stack (Banking + Markets)

* Cross-border payments & liquidity:Faster, cheaper flows using stablecoins and tokenized deposits via Wise, Ripple, Visa, Mastercard, SWIFT gpi banks, Thunes.

* Corporate & institutional treasury (?Treasury 3.0?):Moving from siloed bank accounts to programmable liquidity on shared ledgers?Bitcoin on the balance sheet (e.g., MicroStrategy, Coinbase), then USDC/PYUSD/JPM Coin for payments and pooling, and ultimately AI-driven treasury playbooks executed via SAP, Oracle, Kyriba plus cloud/AI platforms (Microsoft, Google, OpenAI) and bank labs.

* Buy-side use cases:Portfolio construction and risk management using tokenized funds, RWAs, and on-chain money markets, with integrated data and collateral workflows for asset managers, hedge funds, and corporate treasuries. The endgame is to deliver Wall Street?grade capabilities to corporates and Main Street?without the Wall Street overhead.

* Sell-side services:Prime brokerage, financing, and structured products are being rebuilt on tokenized collateral and always-on markets (FalconX, Galaxy, Anchorage Digital, Coinbase Institutional, Copper, BitGo, bank desks). On-chain finance may blur the old lines?could corporates and Main Street one day operate as ?sell side? liquidity and product providers themselves?

Prediction & event markets as a new primitive:Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket offering markets on macro, regulatory, and geopolitical outcomes?both as speculative venues and as signal feeds into AI-driven treasury, risk, and portfolio strategies.

Regulation, Compliance & Market IntegrityTooling and rules for a converged TradFi?DeFi structure that now includes stablecoins, RWAs, DeFi protocols, and prediction markets?driven by SEC, CFTC, ESMA, FCA, FINRA and surveillance/compliance vendors (Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic, Eventus, Solidus Labs) plus in-house regtech stacks at major banks and broker-dealers.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:00 ? Welcome to the New Financial FabricSetting the stage for programmable money and regulated blockchain infrastructure.

1:01 ? 2:20 ? Meet Patrick GerhartFrom traditional banker and policymaker to president of America?s first digital asset bank.

2:21 ? 5:50 ? The Nebraska Innovation StoryHow local legislation and Congressman Mike Flood shaped the US digital asset framework.

5:51 ? 8:00 ? From Telco Token to Bank CharterThe evolution of Telcoin ? from crypto wallet to chartered financial institution.

8:01 ? 10:50 ? Why Regulation Is a Growth StrategyHow embracing compliance and regulators builds trust and accelerates crypto adoption.

10:51 ? 14:30 ? The Future Banking StackCombining legacy safety with blockchain speed and programmability.

14:31 ? 18:00 ? Washington Gets OnboardInside the Genius and Clarity Acts ? how D.C. is enabling innovation.

18:01 ? 21:20 ? Main Street Banking ReinventedHow community banks can access blockchain rails through Telcoin partnerships.

21:21 ? 26:00 ? EUSD: The Digital Cash ProductHow Telcoin?s stablecoin works ? minting, reserves, and redemption explained.

26:01 ? 31:00 ? Real-World Use CasesFrom cross-border transfers to merchant payments ? cheaper, faster, safer.

31:01 ? 35:00 ? De-Risking for Community BanksHelping smaller institutions onboard to blockchain rails without heavy lifts.

35:01 ? 40:00 ? AI + Blockchain: The ConvergenceHow AI will transform compliance, KYC, and transaction monitoring.

40:01 ? 45:00 ? Stablecoins as Payment RailsWhy stablecoins are the new ACH ? programmable, self-clearing, and instant.

45:01 ? 50:00 ? Building a Digital Asset Bank from ScratchLessons from the charter process ? regulation, risk, and reinvention.

50:01 ? 54:00 ? Future Vision: The Stablecoin EraHow stablecoins will become as common as debit cards within a decade.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Enjoy and always Be in the Know.

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Toby Brown, who leads regulated industries at Google Cloud, to explore how AI in financial services has evolved from pilot projects to real deployments driving measurable ROI.

Last year, the conversation was about proofs of concept. This year, it?s about deployment, integration, and scale. Toby explains how banks, fintechs, and exchanges are turning generative AI into productivity tools, compliance engines, and customer experience drivers?while building a framework for secure, regulated AI adoption.

We also dive into Google?s emerging role in agentic commerce?from the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol and Agentic Payments Protocol to the Google Cloud Universal Ledger, which enables programmable money movement and real-time settlement across industries.

If you?re curious about how AI, Stablecoins, and distributed ledgers are converging to define the next generation of financial infrastructure, this episode paints the roadmap from assistive chat to autonomous finance.

? Key Takeaways From the Episode

* AI goes from pilot to production: Deployments are happening across productivity, customer service, and marketing use cases.

* Agentic finance emerges: The next evolution?agents transacting, settling, and verifying autonomously.

* Google?s A2A and payments protocols: Open frameworks enabling secure, verifiable agent-to-agent interactions.

* Universal Ledger for programmable money: A distributed infrastructure built for compliance, throughput, and scale.

* Risk & compliance first: New AI models like Gemini enable anomaly detection, KYC automation, and financial crime prevention.

* Stablecoins? institutional moment: Adoption is surging in B2B, remittances, and settlement?while consumer use cases are still forming.

* Customer experience reimagined: From static dashboards to interactive, multimedia financial guidance powered by generative AI.

* The future is hybrid: Human-in-the-loop systems for high-value transactions; autonomous AI for low-friction commerce.

? Listen now to the full episode

?? Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:00 ? Welcome + Meet Toby BrownFrom 20 years in financial services to leading Google Cloud?s regulated industries team.

2:01 ? 4:00 ? AI?s New VocabularyFrom pilots and proofs to deploy, integrate, measure.4:01 ? 7:00 ? Where AI Works TodayReal ROI in developer productivity, customer service, and marketing (with Klarna results).7:01 ? 10:00 ? Agentic Commerce Takes ShapeThe shift from assistive chat to autonomous money movement.10:01 ? 13:00 ? A2A & Agentic Payments ProtocolOpen frameworks for agent-to-agent trust and verification.13:01 ? 18:00 ? Universal Ledger + PartnersHow PayPal, AmEx, Etsy, and CME are piloting programmable money infrastructure.18:01 ? 22:00 ? Stablecoins in ContextEarly wins in B2B remittance and institutional settlement; consumer use cases still emerging.22:01 ? 26:00 ? AI for Risk, Fraud, and KYCFinancial crime detection and compliance automation with Gemini.26:01 ? 29:00 ? Reimagining Customer ExperienceFrom text and charts to interactive, multimedia financial guidance.29:01 ? 31:00 ? The Always-On Financial AdvisorAI-powered advisory and inclusion at scale.31:01 ? End ? Announcements + Where to Find MoreGoogle Cloud at Money20/20; Monday, Oct. 27 keynote.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Nick Christian, Head of National Fintech and Specialty Finance at Silicon Valley Bank, to break down the bank?s freshly released Future of Fintech Report 2025?a data-packed field guide to what?s real and what?s next in fintech.

SVB has long been the industry?s early-warning radar and reality check for fintech. With decades of category focus, deep relationships across founders, CFOs, VCs, and operators, and a vantage point informed by real transaction flows?treasury, credit, payments, and venture activity?SVB consistently spots signal before the headlines do. Their thought leadership isn?t armchair analysis; it?s grounded in data, deal flow, and daily conversations with the builders. That?s why the Future of Fintech report reads less like a prediction and more like a field guide to what?s actually working?and what?s next.

After a turbulent few years, fintech is back on solid ground. Investments are up, cash burn is down, and profitability is improving. As Nick puts it, the sector is ?skipping the AI hype cycle in favor of real revenue.? We discuss why fintech is outperforming other venture sectors, how embedded finance continues to expand across verticals, and where crypto, regulation, and infrastructure innovation intersect.

We dive into:

* The macro shifts: rate cuts, tariffs, and changing regulatory regimes under the new administration.

* The resurgence of crypto & stablecoins: fueled by the Genius Act and global use cases in cross-border payments.

* AI in fintech: where adoption is deliberate, not frenzied?focused on fraud, KYC, and operations rather than front-end automation.

* M&A and IPOs: why exits are reopening, capital is flowing back to LPs, and a new generation of startups is forming.

* TradFi + DeFi convergence: how stablecoins and blockchain rails are bringing both worlds together.

From crypto-backed mortgages to tokenized assets and agentic banking, this conversation captures the pulse of fintech?s comeback moment?anchored by data and real market traction.

Founders: if you?re building in payments, lending, infrastructure, or anything at fintech, stablecoins or AI, reach out to Nick Christian and the SVB fintech team to compare notes and explore partnerships. They?ll be on the ground at Money20/20 Las Vegas hosting and popping into multiple meetups, roundtables, and happy hours?perfect touch points for warm intros and real feedback. DM Nick on LinkedIn or connect via SVB.com to line up time; tell them you?re a FINTECHTALK listener so they know to roll out the red carpet.

? Listen Now to the full episode

Key Takeaways From the Episode

* Fintech is stabilizing: Investment is rebounding, burn is down, and profitability is improving across key segments.

* Payments & lending lead growth: Embedded finance and verticalization are expanding faster than other categories.

* Infrastructure?s quiet rise: Legacy modernization is the next major wave of disruption.

* Crypto & Stablecoins surge: Cross-border payments are the top use case, driving new banking partnerships.

* Regulatory clarity returns: The Genius Act and Clarity Act unlock new confidence and innovation.

* AI finds its lane: Adoption remains pragmatic?fraud, KYC, AML?rather than autonomous decision-making.

* M&A & IPO revival: Figure, Circle, Chime, and Klarna signal liquidity is back, fueling new fund formation.

* TradFi meets DeFi: Stablecoins, tokenized assets, and blockchain rails are merging both ecosystems.

* Nimbleness wins: The best fintechs of 2026 will pivot fast, diversify, and master unit economics.

Download the Future of Fintech Report on SVB.com

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:30 ? Welcome + Meet Nick ChristianHead of National Fintech & Specialty Finance at Silicon Valley Bank?introducing the 2025 Future of Fintech Report.

2:31 ? 6:00 ? The State of Fintech in 2025After a volatile few years, the data says it all?investment is up, cash burn is down, and fintech is outperforming other venture categories.

6:01 ? 10:00 ? Fintech?s Maturity CurveWhy the industry is moving past hype cycles into sustainable, revenue-driven growth.

10:01 ? 15:00 ? Macro Factors Shaping 2025Rate cuts, tariffs, new administration priorities, and the regulatory tone reset.

15:01 ? 20:00 ? Crypto?s Resurgence & The Genius ActStablecoins, tokenization, and the global use cases reviving digital assets.

20:01 ? 24:30 ? TradFi + DeFi ConvergenceWhy banks are now adopting blockchain rails instead of resisting them.

24:31 ? 30:00 ? AI in Fintech: Real Use CasesFraud, KYC, AML?AI is transforming risk management, not replacing humans.

30:01 ? 34:00 ? Infrastructure Is Sexy AgainThe modernization boom: from core banking stacks to middleware layers driving embedded finance.

34:01 ? 38:30 ? M&A and IPOs: The Return of ExitsCircle, Chime, Klarna, and Figure mark the beginning of a new liquidity cycle.

38:31 ? 42:00 ? The Next Fintech BuildersWhy the best founders will be multi-disciplinary, data-native, and regulatory fluent.

42:01 ? 45:00 ? Closing Thoughts & Where to Learn MoreHow to access the full SVB 2025 Future of Fintech Report and key takeaways for founders and investors.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

The greatest show in financial services?Money20/20?raises the curtain in Las Vegas in less than a week. For over a decade?and still today?it?s the byword for the industry?s future.

In this episode, I sat down with Zach Anderson Pettet, VP of Fintech Strategy at Money20/20. Zach curates the storylines, steers the content, and keeps a finger on the pulse of what?s real vs. hype

Zach shares how Money20/20 evolved from a small payments conference into the global fintech platform, with events from Las Vegas to Amsterdam to Riyadh, where industry-defining conversations happen every year. He previews the trends this year ? from the comeback of Stablecoins and tokenized assets to AI agents reshaping commerce, Zach explains why this year?s show is more than just a reunion?it?s where the future of finance takes shape.

We discuss:

* How Money20/20 acts as both a mirror and a molder of fintech?s evolution.

* The resurgence of Stablecoins amid regulatory clarity and the Genius Act.

* Why AI + blockchain could lead to self-driving money.

* How the lines between TradFi and DeFi are disappearing.

* The launch of the new Intersection Stage, where both worlds meet.

* Sneak previews of keynote appearances from Max Levchin (Affirm), Jennifer Bailey (Apple Pay), Congressman Mike Flood (Genius and Clarity Act and coming on the FINTECHTALK show next week), and Michael Saylor (MicroStrategy).

As Zach puts it, fintech has grown up?it?s not just disruption anymore. ?We?re not fintech; we are financial services now.?

It?s still not late to be part of the show.

https://www.money2020.com/

? Listen now to the full episode

?? Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:00 ? Welcome Zach!Zach Anderson Pettet on how Money20/20 became fintech?s global platform.

2:01 ? 6:00 ? The Fintech Family ReunionHow networking and serendipity at Money20/20 drive real deals and ideas.

6:01 ? 10:00 ? From Payments to PlatformsHow Money20/20 evolved into a mirror?and driver?of fintech transformation.

10:01 ? 14:00 ? Global Fintech PulseRiyadh, Bangkok, Amsterdam, and Vegas?why global collaboration matters now more than ever.

14:01 ? 20:00 ? Startup Momentum & EvolutionWhat it means to be a startup in the age of $100M Series A rounds and AI-built companies.

20:01 ? 27:00 ? Embedded Finance & The Creator EconomyHow fintech is becoming hyper-segmented?solving problems for creators, freelancers, and gig workers.

27:01 ? 33:00 ? The Stablecoin ResurgenceHow banks, regulators, and startups are aligning around tokenization and blockchain rails.

33:01 ? 39:00 ? Policy, Regulation & The Genius ActCongressman Flood, deregulation, and a new tone in Washington toward digital assets.

39:01 ? 46:00 ? TradFi Meets DeFiHow ?coopetition? is replacing competition, and why the Intersection Stage represents the future of finance.

46:01 ? 53:00 ? AI Takes the Main StageFrom Anthropic?s Mike Krieger to OpenAI?s leadership, exploring how UX and design are reshaping AI in finance.

53:01 ? 1:02:00 ? Autonomous Finance & Agentic BankingThe vision of ?self-driving money? and the trust frameworks forming around AI agents.

1:02:01 ? 1:07:00 ? Big Names, Big MomentsJennifer Bailey (Apple Pay), Max Levchin (Affirm), and Michael Saylor (MicroStrategy) headline this year?s show.

1:07:01 ? End ? Final Thoughts & InvitationWhy every fintech founder, operator, and investor should be in Vegas this October.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Han Park, Founder & CEO of Payment Labs, to explore how payments innovation is reshaping the worlds of sports, Esports, and the creator economy. From paying athletes across 180+ countries and 150+ currencies to handling compliance, KYC, and taxes seamlessly, Payment Labs is solving one of the hardest challenges in global finance: frictionless payouts.

Han shares his journey from Wall Street to Samsung to Esports, and how the pain of slow, fragmented tournament payouts led him to build Payment Labs.

We dive into:

* Why esports was the perfect storm that exposed broken payment rails.

* How Payment Labs became the Stripe for sports ? powering payouts for Microsoft, X Games, and Sega.

* The explosive growth of emerging sports like pickleball and flag football, and why they need modern payment infrastructure to scale.

* The rise of sportsfluencers in the NIL era, and how student-athletes are becoming mini-entrepreneurs.

* What verticalized embedded finance means for the future of fintech.

Han?s story is one of timing, grit, and foresight ? spotting the payments crisis in Esports years before the gig economy and NIL brought it mainstream.

The infographic titled ?Major Payment Innovations Across Web Eras? illustrates the evolution of payment technologies and platforms from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0, highlighting how each digital era transformed how money moves online. At the forefront of this new wave is PaymentLabs, a platform purpose-built for emerging sports, eSports payouts, and evolving NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) models, reflecting how digital payment infrastructure is expanding into new creator and athlete-driven economies

SportsTech?and the broader sports industry?has seen a notable uptick in investor interest. Recent moves in the private equity space highlight this momentum, with CVC Capital Partners announcing a $14 billion dedicated sports fund and Apollo unveiling a $5 billion sports investment vehicle. These developments underscore the growing institutional appetite for sports as a scalable and high-yield asset class. As professional leagues such as the NFL begin opening up to private equity participation, the next wave of growth may emerge in the very segments that Han and Payment Labs are focused on ? emerging sports like Pickleball, Flag Football, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), and eSports.

Listen now to the full episode!

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:00 ? Welcome + Meet Han ParkFrom Wall Street to Samsung to esports ? Han?s unconventional path to fintech.

2:01 ? 6:00 ? Why Esports Exposed the Payments ProblemTournament prize money delayed for months ? and how that sparked Payment Labs.

6:01 ? 10:30 ? Building the Stripe for SportsHow Payment Labs handles payouts across 180+ countries and 150+ currencies.

10:31 ? 15:00 ? Compliance as a ServiceEmbedding KYC, AML, and tax reporting into every payout flow.

15:01 ? 20:00 ? Big Names, Big PartnershipsWorking with Microsoft, X Games, Sega, and top esports leagues.

20:01 ? 24:00 ? The Rise of Emerging SportsWhy pickleball, flag football, and drone racing need scalable payment infrastructure.

24:01 ? 29:00 ? NIL and the Sportsfluencer EraHow Payment Labs empowers student-athletes to become global earners.

29:01 ? 33:00 ? Verticalized Embedded Finance in ActionWhy niche verticals like sports and esports are the next wave for fintech.

33:01 ? 36:00 ? Future RoadmapExpanding beyond sports into adjacent creator and gig economy payouts.

36:01 ? 38:00 ? Closing Thoughts + How to ConnectHan?s vision for Payment Labs and where to learn more.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand?s reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Beatrice Lion, CEO and General Partner at True Global Ventures (TGV), to explore how they are part of bigger trend in venture capital of is evolving into a full services financial services platform - multi-stage, multi-instrument, global, services platform with thesis based funds. TGV now operates with RIA-like flexibility, much like leading Silicon Valley firms (Sequoia, a16z, Lightspeed, General Catalyst, Bessemer, Founders Fund). This evolution in Venture capital gives the firms flexibility to hold non-traditional assets and manage capital in more evergreen/long-horizon ways?balanced by heavier compliance.

Beyond adopting RIA-style structures, venture firms are increasingly differentiating themselves through full-service platforms for portfolio companies?covering talent, go-to-market (GTM), and policy/lobbying support?alongside global footprints and specialized, thesis-driven funds as depicted in the infograph below.

From Singapore to San Francisco, Beatrice has helped shape TGV into one of the most globally connected VC firms, with investments in Animoca Brands, Sandbox, Forge Global, Ledger, and more. With TGV?s new Capital Market Services license in Singapore?the equivalent of a U.S. RIA license?the firm can now invest across asset classes including secondaries, continuation funds, crossover funds, and even crypto.

We dive into Beatrice?s journey?from her early start in venture investing to leading TGV since 2017?and unpack what makes their model different: 25?35% GP commitments, high-touch engagement in the first 12?18 months post-investment, and a platform that connects founders to deep networks across eight global cities.

? Key Takeaways from the Episode

* A different VC model: Partners commit up to 35% of fund capital?far above the industry norm.

* License to scale: New MAS license enables TGV to invest in secondaries, public markets, and crypto?beyond traditional VC.

* Eight-city footprint: San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Stockholm, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai.

* Portfolio powerhouses: Investments in Animoca Brands, Sandbox, Forge Global, Ledger.

* High-touch playbook: Most value delivered in the 12?18 months after investing?then handing off to growth-stage funds.

* Platform advantage: 71+ curated events, 16,000+ contacts, BD intros, and debt financing support for portfolio companies.

* Trends to watch: Stablecoins, digital asset treasuries, and real-world asset tokenization in blockchain; consolidation and productivity ROI in AI.

? Listen Now to hear how Beatrice Lion and TGV are reshaping the VC landscape with a full-stack, global, high-touch model.

www.tgv4plus.com

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 2:00 ? Welcome + Meet Beatrice LionFrom early career in venture to leading TGV since 2017.

2:01 ? 6:30 ? What Makes TGV DifferentWhy partners commit up to 35% of fund capital and how that changes incentives.

6:31 ? 11:00 ? The License to ScaleTGV?s new Capital Market Services license in Singapore and what it unlocks?secondaries, public equities, and digital assets.

11:01 ? 15:30 ? A Global FootprintEight cities, one platform?how TGV connects founders to networks in San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Stockholm, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai.

15:31 ? 20:00 ? Portfolio HighlightsAnimoca Brands, Sandbox, Ledger, Forge Global, and how TGV backs global category leaders.

20:01 ? 25:00 ? The High-Touch PlaybookWhy the first 12?18 months matter most, and how TGV supports founders with business development, fundraising, and debt financing.

25:01 ? 30:00 ? Events, Networks, and Community71+ curated events, 16,000+ contacts, and how portfolio companies tap into the ecosystem.

30:01 ? 35:00 ? AI and Blockchain TrendsConsolidation in AI, productivity ROI, stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, and digital asset treasuries.

35:01 ? 38:00 ? Secondaries and Continuation FundsHow TGV is leaning into crossover opportunities and the next frontier in venture.

38:01 ? 40:00 ? What?s Next for TGVBeatrice?s vision for the next stage of global, multi-instrument venture investing.

40:01 ? 42:00 ? Closing Thoughts + How to ConnectWhere to find Beatrice Lion and learn more about TGV.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Hello FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Sharon Rodriguez, CEO of HighPeak AI and venture partner at 1843 Capital, to explore how data, AI, and deep insurance insight are transforming long-term care planning. Backed by Prudential and built on three decades of claims and underwriting data, HighPeak is rethinking how Americans plan for healthcare, retirement, and the silver economy. Sharon shares her journey from MetLife?s global IT strategy to startup success, and how HighPeak is creating tools that deliver hyper-personalized financial forecasting and remove the anxiety from aging.

We talk a lot about wealth creation, but what about wealth preservation?

Sharon Rodriguez joins us on FINTECHTALK to unpack the massive opportunity?and the growing anxiety?around healthcare and long-term care costs in the U.S., especially for aging Americans. HighPeak AI is addressing this challenge with a solution that blends predictive analytics, Monte Carlo simulations, and 30 years of claims data to deliver personalized insights to financial advisors, insurance agents, and broker-dealers.

Key takeaways from the episode:

* The $80 trillion silver economy is grossly underserved

* 90% of people feel lost when it comes to long-term care planning

* HighPeak's platform enables advisors to give clients a customized, data-driven picture of health and care costs over time

* The AI models factor in demographics, health, lifestyle, and even geographic choices (like retiring in Georgia vs. New York)

* Advisors are equipped not just to plan, but to explain, bridging the trust gap in an emotionally complex space

* Future insurance and wealth products will be shaped by consumer expectations for personalization and transparency

We also discuss how AI will evolve the advisor?s role, not eliminate it, and how the future of wealth management will be hybrid, empathetic, and insight-led.

Listen now and discover how Sharon and her team at HighPeak are reframing longevity, not as a liability, but as a solvable planning challenge.

www.highpeak.ai

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:15 ? Welcome + Meet Sharon RodriguezFrom MetLife to HighPeak: Sharon?s journey across IT, insurance, and investing.

1:16 ? 6:00 ? Why Long-Term Care Is the Elephant in the Room$80 trillion in retirement wealth at risk?yet most Americans avoid planning for care.

6:01 ? 11:30 ? How HighPeak Works: Monte Carlo + AI + Real Claims DataThree decades of data and stochastic modeling fuel the platform?s deeply personalized planning tools.

11:31 ? 15:00 ? What Advisors Actually NeedTools that explain?not just compute?complex financial futures, in plain language clients understand.

15:01 ? 19:45 ? The Future of Wealth and Insurance ProductsExpect hybrid models, emotional intelligence, and full transparency as table stakes.

19:46 ? 24:00 ? Use Cases and PartnershipsWorking with broker-dealers, insurers, and advisors to embed AI without replacing the human connection.

24:01 ? 28:00 ? Shaping the Next Generation of Fintech LeadersAdvice for fintech builders entering regulated, emotionally complex markets.

28:01 ? 30:00 ? What?s Next for HighPeakProduct expansion, broader partnerships, and continuing to empower advisors to lead conversations about aging.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HELLO FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Sebastien Borget, the visionary co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, a platform that has redefined gaming by turning players into creators, users into owners, and digital assets into economies.

Sebastien shares his journey from a teenage gamer to a serial entrepreneur who pioneered one of the most active decentralized gaming platforms in Web 3 ? now with over 6 million wallets, major brand partnerships like Jurassic World, Snoop Dogg, Warner Music, and Deepak Chopra, and a creator economy powered by NFTs, AI tools, and player-owned virtual real estate.

We also explore the evolution of the gaming industry, from console and mobile to play-to-earn and to how AI in changing game development. Plus: a behind-the-scenes look at Alpha Season 5, The Sandbox?s most immersive launch yet, featuring flying avatars, virtual dino parks, and over $1M in prizes.

By some estimates, gaming is a $500 billion global market and continues to grow. Blockchain and NFTs have already reshaped the industry's business model, shifting control from developers to players. AI is now poised to drive the next wave of change through hyper-personalization. Sebastian talks about this trend, and we also explored it in our own article on how AI will personalize entertainment here at 6.1.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:15 ? Welcome + Meet Sebastien BorgetPaddy introduces Sebastien, co-founder of The Sandbox and a key figure in Web3 gaming.

1:16 ? 5:00 ? How Sandbox Was BornFrom building pixel games on mobile to creating one of the first user-powered metaverse economies.

5:01 ? 9:00 ? Why Blockchain and NFTs Were a GamechangerThe turning point: solving monetization for creators using Web 3, starting with CryptoKitties.

9:01 ? 12:00 ? Sandbox by the NumbersOver 6M wallets, 50% new to Web3, and collaborations with Jurassic World, Warner Music, Ubisoft, and more.

12:01 ? 17:00 ? The Evolution of Gaming (and What Comes Next)Console ? Mobile ? Free-to-Play ? Web3. Why play-to-earn was just the beginning, and why 2024 was a turning point.

17:01 ? 22:00 ? What AI Is Unlocking in GamingSmart NPCs, player-generated games, 3D worlds from prompts ? and how AI is opening a new frontier of gameplay.

22:01 ? 28:30 ? Alpha Season 5 and the Future of the MetaverseJurassic World, Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, and K-pop icons collide in 44 sandbox experiences. Includes flying avatars and dino breeding.

28:31 ? 33:00 ? DAOs, Digital Nations, and the Future of GovernanceEvery game is a digital country. Here?s how The Sandbox is letting players shape its future through real voting rights.

33:01 ? 36:30 ? How to Get Involved in The Sandbox (Even If You?re Not a Gamer)From fintech firms like DBS to first-time creators ? anyone can start building in the metaverse with free tools and community support.

36:31 ? 37:39 ? Final ThoughtsGaming, governance, and financial literacy ? why the next frontier is interactive, immersive, and community-owned.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HELLO FINTECHTALKERS,

In this episode, I sat down with Ram Palaniappan, CEO of EarnIn, to discuss something that touches all of us ? getting paid. But not in the old way. Ram and his team are flipping the script on payday with Early Pay, a new feature that gets users access to their paycheck two days ahead of time, with zero hassle and maximum flexibility.

And what made this episode extra special ? we were joined by Madeline and Mike, two longtime EarnIn users who shared, first-hand, the life-changing impact of getting paid early. From avoiding overdrafts to finally saving up for a vacation, their stories reflect a deeper shift in how we think about time, money, and agency.

EarnIn?s story is more than just a fintech innovation. It?s about restoring financial dignity ? giving people control over what they?ve already earned, and empowering them with tools to plan better, live lighter, and save smarter.

A clear trend is emerging in fintech: established players are broadening their value propositions to resemble full-fledged financial institutions. Revolut, once a challenger bank, now offers wealth management services. Robinhood, originally a trading app, has entered the realm of private banking. In this evolving landscape, EarnIn has a unique opportunity to capture the mindshare of its target segment by positioning itself as the go-to lifestyle app.

In a world where fintech and legacy finance love to virtue-signal about financial inclusion, Ram and his team stand apart?they don?t just talk, they deliver. Their impact is tangible, felt directly in the lives of real users. EarnIn isn?t just an app; for its growing base of loyal users, it?s become a way of life?a core part of their financial ecosystem. That?s the difference between making noise and making a difference.

0:00 ? 1:15 ? Welcome + Meet Ram (Again)Second-time guest Ram Palaniappan is back to share what?s new at EarnIn ? and he?s brought customers with him.

1:16 ? 5:00 ? Why He Started EarnInA deeply personal origin story: from helping an employee with an overdraft to founding a company that now helps millions.

5:01 ? 8:30 ? Meet Madeline: Payday Anxiety, GoneGetting paid two days early transformed her stress, her planning, and her weekends. ?I?m finally saying yes to life again.?

8:31 ? 12:00 ? Meet Mike: No More Overdraft FeesHow one paycheck hitting early saved him from hundreds in fees. Plus: the community-first philosophy that won his trust.

12:01 ? 16:30 ? New Habits, New PossibilitiesFrom budgeting better to using the ?Tip Jar? feature to save for a vacation, EarnIn becomes a hub for healthier money habits.

16:31 ? 21:00 ? Customer-Driven InnovationMadeline and Mike share their wishlist: unified dashboards, smarter insights, and automated goal tracking.

21:01 ? 26:00 ? Early Pay, ExplainedHow it works, why it matters, and why you shouldn?t have to wait days for your own paycheck in the digital age.

26:01 ? 30:00 ? Why Innovation Starts with EmpathyRam breaks down how real-time customer feedback drives product evolution, including direct interactions and data loops.

30:01 ? 36:00 ? From Cash Flow to Financial EcosystemEarnIn isn?t trying to be a bank ? it?s something better: a cash flow ally that works with your existing bank, not against it.

36:01 ? 40:00 ? The Bigger Picture: Financial Access, ReimaginedWhy EarnIn is built for everyone managing tight cash flows ? from middle-class families to side hustlers and gig workers.

40:01 ? 45:00 ? The AI Moment: A New Printing Press?Ram shares his reflections on AI, crypto, and the future of knowledge ? from LLMs to wealth democratization.

45:01 ? 48:49 ? What?s Next + How to ConnectNew features, new partnerships, and open roles. Ram shares how to get involved, collaborate, or explore opportunities with EarnIn.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HELLO FINTECHTALKERS,

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Veer Gidwaney, founder and CEO of Ansel. With a strong entrepreneurial background and a successful exit from Maxwell Health to Sun Life, Veer?s passion for solving healthcare challenges is evident.

Ansel is redefining the world of supplemental insurance by covering 13,000 conditions?far more than traditional offerings?and providing proactive claims payments. That means insured individuals often receive financial support without even filing a claim. Veer shares how Ansel?s model leverages diagnostic codes, eliminates unnecessary friction, and brings innovation to a sector long overdue for disruption.

We also dive into the shocking reality of 100 million Americans living with medical debt and how Ansel's solution offers both financial relief and peace of mind.

If you're a fintech founder, CXO, or someone passionate about how tech and insurance can change lives, this episode is a must-listen!

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:20 ? Welcome + Meet Veer GidwaneyFrom a college dropout to a repeat founder?Veer?s entrepreneurial journey and his mission with Ansel.

1:21 ? 5:07 ? Why Supplemental Insurance is BrokenThe staggering reality of medical debt in the U.S. and why traditional supplemental insurance products fail consumers.

5:08 ? 10:25 ? Ansel?s Mission: Health Hardships Shouldn?t Mean Financial HardshipsHow Ansel provides financial relief by covering a wider range of conditions and automating claims for faster payouts.

10:26 ? 17:00 ? Automation and Claims InnovationHow Ansel uses diagnostic codes to process claims without consumer intervention, providing immediate financial relief.

17:01 ? 24:00 ? Product DifferentiationVeer breaks down how Ansel?s model results in higher utilization rates compared to traditional insurers.

24:01 ? 29:30 ? Tech and Insurance: Perfectly AlignedWhy integrating AI and data-driven automation is key to solving long-standing issues in insurance.

29:31 ? 34:00 ? From Concept to ScalingAnsel?s partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and how employers are funding supplemental plans as a valuable benefit.

34:01 ? 37:00 ? Future VisionVeer shares his belief that the future of supplemental insurance will look a lot like Ansel?and how the company is inviting partners to join this transformation.

37:01 ? 43:30 ? Get InvolvedWhether you?re a broker, insurer, employer, or potential investor, learn how you can collaborate with Ansel.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Ask for our Media Kit - Email us

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HELLO FINTECHTALKERS,

In this episode, I sat down with Chandini Jain, CEO of Auquan, to explore the real-world application of agentic AI in financial services. Auquan is an enterprise AI platform that builds domain-specific agents for capital markets, automating time-consuming workflows like deal screening, credit analysis, due diligence, and compliance reporting.

Chandini walks us through her journey from IIT Kanpur to Deutsche Bank, and how her love for math and problem-solving ultimately led her to entrepreneurship and building AI tools that free up professionals from the grind of routine work.

We unpack how Auquan?s AI agents operate like supercharged analysts?reading documents, cross-referencing databases, and generating investor-ready memos?while keeping humans in the loop where it matters. If you?re an innovator in private equity, investment banking, or asset management, this episode is loaded with insight.

As AI continues to evolve, we will witness a Cambrian explosion of agents, as shown in the figure below, shaping the future of applications and architectures both within and beyond the enterprise. Just as the shift to Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) decades ago catalyzed digital transformation, the emergence of Agentic architecture will drive a profound shift in knowledge and workforce dynamics. Agentic back offices, such as those powered by Auquan, will not only enhance efficiency but also fundamentally reshape value chains, rendering certain software and functions obsolete. For instance, an AI-powered mortgage sales and origination agent could seamlessly integrate sales, origination, and securitization functions that are typically handled by three different systems ?eliminating the need for real estate agents and streamlining the entire process. Startups that develop platform-based solutions will evolve into the next generation of enterprise platforms, much like today?s ERP, CRM, and digital platforms.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:20 ? Welcome + Meet Chandini JainFrom IIT to Wall Street to AI startup founder?Chandini?s backstory and her early realization that most of finance is "smart people doing repetitive work."

1:21 ? 6:45 ? The Spark Behind AuquanHow building scrappy data tools at her trading desk in Amsterdam turned into a product idea. Why financial workflows are still held back by PDFs, Excel sheets, and human bottlenecks.

6:46 ? 10:25 ? The Shift: From Systems of Record to Systems of ActionChandini introduces a new architectural layer: ?systems of action??autonomous agents that not only read and interpret data, but also take action toward a defined outcome.

10:26 ? 17:00 ? What Is an AI Agent (Really)?Breaking down the difference between RPA, LLMs, and true AI agents. Why verticalization matters. Why fuzzy inputs + fuzzy paths = real agentic intelligence.

17:01 ? 24:00 ? Agent Design + Training = Replicating a Human MindsetHow Auquan designs agents to think like analysts. Why mapping the "theory of mind" is essential. The hidden power of internal workflows, checklists, and feedback loops.

24:01 ? 29:30 ? Will Agents Replace Knowledge Workers?Chandini explains why agents won?t replace analysts?they?ll free them to do more strategic and rewarding work. ?Minds are made to perform, not grind.?

29:31 ? 34:00 ? Top Use Cases: Private Credit, Compliance, RFPsHow Auquan?s agents are already delivering ROI by automating:

* Credit profile generation

* Regulatory and compliance checks

* Investor DDQs and RFP responses

* Portfolio monitoring and valuation

34:01 ? 37:00 ? Who Should Reach Out to AuquanIf you?re in private equity, asset management, banking, or insurance?and you're manually reviewing documents or juggling messy data?Chandini wants to hear from you.

37:01 ? 43:30 ? The Future of AI: Intent-Based EverythingWhere the world is headed: agents that listen to your intent and make things happen autonomously?across work and life. From fixing your WiFi to pricing complex derivatives.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HELLO FINTECHTALKERS,

In this episode, I sat down with an all-star panel featuring Amy Oldenburg, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Lex Sokolin, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Generative Ventures, Rana Gujaral, CEO of Behavioral Signals, and Dr. Riad Hartani, AI and infrastructure expert, to unpack the rapidly evolving AI landscape. From the rise of DeepSeek and the almost trillion-dollar Stargate Project to the battle for AI supremacy between the U.S., China, and Europe, we dive deep into the future of artificial intelligence.

Our guests share insights on the impact of AI on emerging markets, the transition from Co-Pilot AI to fully autonomous agentic AI, and the ethical challenges posed by a world where AI-driven decision-making becomes the norm. We also explore the race to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and beyond to Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)?and what that means for global power dynamics.

If you're a investor, founder, CXO, or someone passionate about the future of AI and finance, this episode is a must-listen.

My perspective on how AI will develop through its three key components beyond infrastructure: foundational models, applications or agents, and human interfaces.

AI evolution is complex and multifaceted, as illustrated in the figure above. Foundational models are advancing in reasoning, while the rise of physical models with vision, sound, and spatial awareness is driving innovations in autonomous vehicles and humanoid robotics.

Over time, AI will extend beyond human sensory perception?incorporating energy and quantum awareness?paving the path toward Artificial Super-intelligence.

While AI infrastructure and its immense demand for energy and compute have been widely debated:

Two impending Cambrian Explosions will redefine our world: the widespread adoption of software agents and humanoids in everyday life.

AI agents are poised to replace traditional software, potentially transforming all SaaS into intelligent, autonomous entities. Just as cell phones have become universal, personal humanoids may soon be an essential part of every household. Software designed for human use will soon shift to being consumed by AI agents, with many human-driven decisions increasingly handled by these intelligent systems. The matrix of AI agents will spread across the internet and enterprise, fundamentally reshaping both realms and ushering in a new digital landscape.

Finally, human-computer interaction, once confined to keyboards, mice, voice, and text, is poised for a breakthrough?evolving into direct brain-to-AI connections through technologies like Neuralink.

Imagine the potential of a human seamlessly integrated with AI or a foundational model, harnessing its intelligence at the speed of thought.

Early integrations will likely begin at the cortical level, but a true evolutionary leap will occur when AI connects with the limbic system, unlocking insights into human consciousness and our perception of reality?areas that even the modern science struggles to fully understand.

Catch me in Vegas if you're attending Human[X] or the Fintech meetup. Discount pass below HX25_Fintechtalks for Human[X].

* 0:00 ? 4:20 ? Meet the All-Star Panel & Recent Major Developments in AIIntroduction to the panel and a discussion on key advancements in AI, including Stargate, Deepseek, and AI infrastructure.

* 4:20 ? 26:00 ? The Rise of DeepSeek: Game-Changer or Hype?The panel explores DeepSeek?s impact as a Chinese AI player with open-source models. Rana Gujral discusses how DeepSeek?s modular and open-source approach is challenging U.S. dominance despite GPU export restrictions.Lex Sokolin and Amy Oldenburg provide an outsider?s perspective on DeepSeek from China?s viewpoint, touching on the rise of bottoms-up nationalism.Riad Hartani examines the infrastructure side, comparing open-source vs. closed-source approaches.The panel discusses the potential strategic narrative behind DeepSeek?s rise.

* 26:00 ? 38:00 ? Demystifying Multi-Modality, Reasoning, and AgentsRana and Riad break down AI jargon, explaining hardware, software, models, and agents in simple terms.

* 38:01 ? 55:00 ? Exciting AI Capabilities in the Industry & How to PrepareA discussion on domain-specific models, reasoning, and agents.How to build AI expertise within teams, the debate on platform shifts vs. incremental improvements.Exploring the intersection of Web 3.0 and AI, and AI as a driver for GDP growth.As AI grows more autonomous, the panel debates the ethical implications of AI-driven decisions in finance, healthcare, and defense. Lex Sokolin calls for transparency and better regulation to prevent AI from being used for mass surveillance or financial manipulation.

* 55:00 ? 1:06:00 ? Applications of AI ? Humanoids, Agents, in Defense, Social EngineeringDiscussing the rise of agents as a service, AI-based digital twins, and their use in social engineering and hyper-personalized entertainment.

* 1:07:00 ? 1:15:00 ? Techplomacy & the Difference Between the U.S. and Europe on AIAn exploration of techplomacy in geopolitics and a breakdown of Vice President JD Vance?s speech on AI regulation in Europe.The panel examines the geopolitical battle for AI dominance, with the U.S. pushing a less-regulated, innovation-first approach and Europe focusing on tighter regulations. Dr. Riad Hartani warns that Europe may fall behind if it doesn?t adapt swiftly.

* 1:15:00 ? 1:20:00 ? AGI and ASI (Superintelligence)A look at the race to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and beyond, into Artificial Superintelligence (ASI).Rana Gujral stresses that the first to develop ASI will reshape global power structures. The panel speculates on how close we are to AGI and the potential implications for humanity.

* 1:20:00 ? 1:25:00 ? Closing Thoughts: Advice for President Trump and Other AI Decision-MakersFinal advice on AI?s role in solving global problems, the need for more collaborative and diplomatic approaches, and the importance of grassroots AI literacy.AI literacy is essential to educate the public, reducing fear and combating misinformation..

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome FINTECHTALKERS!

In this episode, I sat down with Rob Straathof, CEO of Liberis, to explore how embedded finance is reshaping the lending landscape for small businesses. From instant capital access to AI-driven analytics, Liberis is building a small business co-pilot for SMEs worldwide. Rob shares his journey from being raised in a small business family to investment banking to fintech disruption, why traditional banks have missed the mark on SME financing, and how AI and embedded finance will drive the next era of business growth.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 1:21 ? How to to get on the showHow to Get on This Show, Now in the Top 10%. Join the conversation shaping the future.

1:22 ? 5:07 ? IntroductionRob Straathof, CEO of Liberis, shares his background?from growing up in a family of small business owners to his early career in investment banking and fintech.

5:08 ? 10:09 ? Why Embedded Finance is a Game-ChangerHow embedded finance is revolutionizing financial access for small businesses, removing friction from lending, and integrating financial tools into existing platforms.

10:10 ? 15:25 ? The Small Business Co-PilotBeyond lending: how Liberis is evolving into a financial operating system that provides real-time analytics, marketing insights, and growth opportunities for small businesses.

15:26 ? 19:50 ? Why Traditional Banks Missed the MarkRob explains why banks have failed to serve small businesses effectively and how fintechs like Liberis are filling the gap with AI-driven insights and seamless capital access.

19:51 ? 25:37 ? Frictionless Lending & Instant Capital AccessPre-approved, data-driven financing that eliminates paperwork, rejection fears, and long application times?how Liberis ensures small businesses get the funds they need in minutes.

25:38 ? 28:50 ? Global Expansion & Go-to-Market StrategyLiberis operates in 14 countries and is scaling rapidly?leveraging partnerships with platforms like eBay, WorldPay, and Vegaro to provide embedded finance solutions worldwide.

28:51 ? 35:12 ? AI-Powered Small Business FinanceExploring AI?s role in building a fully automated financial co-pilot, integrating marketing, inventory, and payroll insights for small business owners.

35:13 ? 41:42 ? Financial Inclusion & The Future of Small Business LendingWhy access to capital is the #1 factor driving upward mobility?how Liberis is democratizing funding and empowering entrepreneurs globally.

41:43 ? 45:28 ? Agentic AI & The Next Phase of Embedded FinanceHow AI-driven agents will transform lending, offering personalized financial strategies, and automating business operations for SMEs.

45:29 ? 48:28 ? Where to Find Rob & What?s Next for LiberisRob shares Liberis? upcoming milestones, future AI integrations, and where to connect with him and the team at fintech events or online.

If you're a fintech founder, CXO, or someone passionate about the future of embedded finance and AI-driven small business lending, this episode is a must-listen.

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

Don't miss our upcoming show on the State of AI with top industry leaders: Amy Oldenburg (MD, Morgan Stanley), Lex Sokolin (Partner, Generative Ventures), Rana Gujral (CEO, BehaviorSignals), and Dr. Riad Hartani (AI Infrastructure builder) and possibly Professor Solomon Darwin (UC Berkeley Haas School of Business). We'll dive into the latest in AI?from foundational model evolution and the DeepSeek moment to AI agents, energy and chip innovation, and what?s next. Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve!

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to [email protected].

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome back and a BIG thank you FINTECHTALKERS!

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Ranked by ListenNotes

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

In this episode, I sat down with Steven Woods, founder and CEO of Stirlingshire, to explore how his company is disrupting the wealth management industry. From his journey from the military education to Wall Street to building a fintech startup, this conversation unpacks the future of financial advisory and how AI may reshape the landscape.

Timestamp Table

0:00 ? 0:50 ? How to Get on This Show, Now in the Top 10%. Join the conversation shaping the future.

0:56 ? 5:58 ? IntroductionDiscussion on Steven?s education at Wentworth Military Academy and how military training benefits startup founders.

5:59 ? 7:29 ? Revolutionizing Wealth ManagementHow Stirlingshire is transforming the traditional wealth management structure.

7:30 ? 13:42 ? The Economics of CommissionsBreakdown of commission structures?what percentage the firm keeps versus what advisors earn?and how Stirlingshire is disrupting this model in favor of advisors.

13:43 ? 17:42 ? Advice on Demand: High-Touch + High-TechHow Stirlingshire differentiates itself by offering on-demand advisory services, targeting the Robinhood generation.

17:43 ? 19:45 ? Integrated Financial PlanningBeyond just disrupting the economics, Stirlingshire is redefining wealth management workflows across different segments.

19:46 ? 20:30 ? Building a World-Class TeamInsights into the talent driving Stirlingshire?s innovation.

20:31 ? 28:27 ? Roadmap & Future GoalsPlans to scale by hiring 5,000 advisors, fundraising efforts, and Steven?s cross-country road trip during COVID to raise his first seed round.

28:28 ? 34:00 ? AI & The Future of Wealth ManagementExploring AI?s role in shaping the next era of financial advising.

34:01 ? 36:25 ? Where to Find StevenSocial media presence, potential partnerships, and how to check out the Stirlingshire app on the App Store.

If you're a fintech founder, CXO, or someone passionate about the future of wealth maangement, this episode is a must-listen.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future - please reach out to [email protected] of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Welcome back and a big Thank you FINTECHTALKERS!

FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto

Since its inception, FINTECHTALK has organically risen to rank among the top 10% of podcasts worldwide. It's become the go-to platform for startup CEOs, visionary venture capitalists, and forward-thinking bank innovators to share their stories and insights. With a focus on fintech, AI, and crypto, FINTECHTALK is where the brightest minds come together to shape the industry's future.

Ranked by ListenNotes

For over a decade, FINTECHTALK has been at the forefront of predicting transformative trends in fintech and beyond. From the platformization of banking in 2014 to the rise of the crypto economy and the "FInternet" in 2017, FINTECHTALK has consistently stayed ahead of the curve. Most recently, the podcast has explored how generative AI and intelligent agents are reshaping the knowledge economy and disrupting traditional SaaS models in 2023.

As a trusted voice in the industry, FINTECHTALK has become the platform where brands?big and small?share their stories to help shape the future of finance and technology.

Looking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! [email protected]

In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Adam Hughes, the CEO of Amount?a leader in transforming how banks and credit unions deliver digital experiences. Adam isn?t just a fintech veteran; he?s someone who?s been at the forefront of digital lending since the early days, building innovative solutions that have scaled to billions in loans.

We talked about everything from his journey at Avant to how Amount is helping financial institutions compete in a world where digital-first is no longer optional. Adam shared his insights on how AI is shaping the future of bank-tech, the evolution of lending, and what it takes to truly modernize financial services.

If you're a fintech founder, CXO, or someone passionate about the future of finance, this episode is a must-listen. Adam brings a wealth of knowledge about scaling innovation, building partnerships, and staying ahead in an industry that?s always evolving.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future - please reach out to [email protected] of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to chatgpt for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Hi FINTECHTALKERS,

This year?s Money 20/20 was all about AI and generative AI. Last year, I wrote about the shift from "FINTECH" to "FINTEL"?a fusion of financial technology with AI?and, in just a year, we?re seeing that vision come to life. From startup funding trends to major incumbents rolling out AI-driven solutions, the transformation is well underway.

On the sidelines of the event, I had the opportunity to sit down with two AI leaders reshaping financial services: Shri Santhanam, EVP and GM at Experian, and Mike Conover, Founder and CEO of Brightwave. Take a listen as they share their vision and the innovations they are building.

Spotlight on Experian and Brightwave

Shri shared insights on Experian Assistant, a tool designed for enterprise data and AI teams. This assistant enables users to conduct data exploration, build and deploy models, monitor their performance, and accelerate the launch of new financial products. It?s a game-changer for organizations looking to enhance their data-driven offerings with speed and precision.

Mike discussed Brightwave?s AI platform, which equips financial professionals with accurate, insightful financial research. By synthesizing insights from thousands of pages of primary sources, Brightwave?s platform automates some of the most tedious aspects of the investment workflow, empowering finance professionals to make faster, better-informed decisions. Brightwave recently raised a $15 million Series A to drive this vision forward.

Epilogue: The Rise of Agentic Banking

The race to develop AI co-pilots and intelligent agents in financial services is in full swing. Fintech has traditionally focused on optimizing distribution?reducing friction, streamlining journeys, and leveraging digital platforms?the next wave, "FINTEL," will center on intelligent agents.

These agents will act as hyper-personalized ?bankers? for consumers, small businesses, and corporations alike. Imagine a personal CFO that manages your finances according to specific goals or a robo-advisor that actively manages wealth. With innovations like BNPL and Visa Flex already blurring the lines between products like payments, credit, and deposits, AI agents will make financial services even more goal-oriented and seamless.

As embedded finance merges with Agentic AI, we?re likely to see increasingly autonomous, hyper-personalized, and needs-based solutions. The innovators who master this fusion will lead the next generation of FINTEL unicorns. For established financial institutions, the challenge will be to build competitive solutions to maintain customer relationships?otherwise, they risk being relegated to the role of "dumb pipes" or another model.

The future is here, and it?s one of embedded intelligence and agent-driven finance, offering a more responsive, context aware, and personalized financial experience for everyone.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me X @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to chatgpt for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Hi FINTECHTALKERS,

I sat down with Garnet Heraman Co-founder and Managing Partner at Aperture Venture Capital, and Dave Anderson Founding General Partner at Beat Ventures to talk about the rise of emerging managers and how they differentiate in an increasing crowded venture capitalist space.

Garnet and Dave represent a dynamic new breed of emerging managers, bringing a personalized, niche, and highly flexible approach to founders in the venture ecosystem. Unlike many established Silicon Valley VC firms, they?re not bogged down by the groupthink that has contributed to the persistent disparities in capital access and leaving money on the table due to inherent biases?something I?ve discussed in previous posts (see here).

By breaking away from traditional models, Garnet and Dave are redefining what it means to support early-stage companies, offering founders a more tailored and hands-on partnership that prioritizes innovation and inclusivity.

The benefits to founders working with emerging managers are numerous. Much like a small business gains from the personalized service of a community bank, founders experience a stronger, more meaningful connection with their investors?far beyond just being a line item in a portfolio. Emerging managers often bring valuable operational support, leveraging their deep expertise in both technology and business to help early-stage companies grow. They tend to be more agile, willing to take on greater risks at the earliest stages, and are more likely to innovate in structuring deals, engaging with founders, and building their firm's brand.

The challenge for emerging managers, however, lies in overcoming perceptions around their lack of scale, brand recognition, network access, and ability to offer value-added services. Larger firms often have the advantage when it comes to influencing exits, thanks to their deep relationships and established LP networks. To address this, iValley is exploring the creation of an ecosystem to unite emerging managers?called iValley Venture Catalyst. This initiative is an extension of our existing ecosystem, bringing together multi-stage VCs, startups, and corporates. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to reach out!

Institutional LPs and founders alike should take notice and connect with Garnet and Dave, as well as other emerging managers like them.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to chatgpt for suggestions.

Dave attributes the ?VCs do no harm? quote to his former boss Jim Adler Founder and GP at Toyota Ventures. 

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Links to other FINTECHTALKs on the changing landscape of Venture capital

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (opinion below are my own not necessarily of my guests)

I sat down with Tom Brown, partner and general counsel at NYCA Partners, and Luke Voiles, a trailblazer in small business fintech and now CEO of Pipe. We explored the evolving landscape of fintech, diving into the shift from traditional financial services to embedded finance, to support vertical SaaS solutions, and the integration of AI agents into business ecosystems.

Fintech began its journey of digitizing financial services in the late '90s, marked by the emergence of pioneers like PayPal. This digital transformation laid the groundwork for the explosion of the fintech industry, where nearly every business aspired to be part of the fintech wave?a trend famously captured by Angela Strange?s aphorism, "Every company will be a fintech company."

This evolution continued into what can be called the era of collaboration and ecosystems. Banking as a Service (BaaS) and aggregators like Plaid enabled seamless integration, paving the way for a thriving ecosystem of fintech solutions. During this time, mobile wallets, challenger banks, and specialized fintech applications rose to prominence, meeting the growing consumer demand for more personalized, accessible, and technology-driven financial services.

We are at the dawn of a new era in fintech?one that is hyper-specialized in vertical workflows and will be powered by AI agents. Financial services are becoming increasingly embedded into everyday experiences for consumers and small businesses. Financial services infrastructure is becoming modernized with digital assets enabling near real time clearance/settlement and payments.

Much like the seamless payment experience of an Uber ride, embedded finance aims to make financial processes invisible to users. At the same time, financial product innovation is evolving. Visa Flex, for instance, functions as both a credit product and an interest-bearing deposit. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) merges payments with lending, while digital assets remove the need for traditional settlement and clearance, building new payment infrastructures, as Tom explains.

AI agents, like the Small Business CFO from Pipe, are poised to transform business financial decision-making. As Luke describes, these AI-driven tools will give small businesses greater autonomy, enabling smarter decisions with minimal human input. This shift will reduce complexity, streamline cash flow, and deliver personalized financial insights?all without needing a dedicated finance team.

This era also marks a significant shift in the types of founders driving fintech's growth. The next generation of fintech leaders won?t fit the traditional mold; they will be diverse individuals building solutions for their own communities. This is evident in programs like Bank of America?s Breakthrough Lab, an accelerator supporting underrepresented founders. Here, minority founders are developing specialized applications that tap into opportunities in underserved communities, particularly among Latino and African American populations. The focus on segment-specific innovation reflects a broader trend toward financial inclusivity, and these founders are leading the way in addressing the unique needs of their communities.

Timestamps to make it easy to navigate the podcast.

0-1.40 - Introduction Tom and then Luke

1.41-5.42 - Additional background of Luke in distressed credit and Tom in antitrust litigation and how that has shaped their operating and investing minds

5.43- 28.31 Round 1 - Fintech History and future. So far it has primarily been innovation in distribution of financial services, are we at a cusp of product innovation with embedded finance, digital assets, AI and AI agents.

7.08-13.36 - Luke on verticalization, fintech for main street, AI agents, and how AI could change SaaS model in software delivery. His high schoolers project in Claude.

13.37-20.34 - Tom on his perspective on innovation in fintech - big tech and fintech, real time clearing and settlements, electronic money tokens and how some innovation come from law side than technology.

20.35-28.30 Limitations of ACH and innovations in real time payments, digital assets as new pipe for payments and innovators dilemma of changing banks and regulators outlook towards faster payments.

28.31-34.25 Round 2 - What are Luke and team building at Pipe? Working capital for small business + spend and expense management and verticalized fintech. Capital as a service

34.26- 45.08 Verticalization and embedded finance and variabilty of performance by vertical

45.09-57.0 Round 3 - Will AI disrupt knowledge worker economy? The AI CFO for small business as an example that Pipe is building. Regulated industry and AI automation - the challenges.

57.01 -61.55 - NYCA?s investment thesis - connecting technology to financial services and moving onto digital assets and deep tech like quantum tech.

61.56- 70.58 - Round 4 - US Presidential elections - policy differences between the two candidates as it applies to fintech and small business.

70.59- 76.54 - Closing - Where can people find you, next big things, who are you looking to connect?

If you?re keen to understand the intersection of AI, fintech, and the future, you don?t want to miss this one!

Enjoy and always be in the Know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to chatgpt for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with Frank Desvignes, founding partner of True Global Ventures (or TGV) 4 Plus. We talked about the unique approach of TGV in the venture capital landscape, their global footprint with local presence in all major theatres, and the recently concluded AI startup competition they recently held in San Mateo.

TGV's remarkable success underscores the essential need for startups to cultivate a global presence early in their journey. This approach is vital for securing capital, accessing diverse markets, and building networks of talented knowledge workers. In light of the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last year and the decline in venture debt mechanisms, alongside Elon Musk?s decision to move away from Delaware incorporation, the traditional rules and orthodoxies for startup success are undergoing significant shifts.

TGV's innovative model represents a positive disruption to the current, sub-optimal Silicon Valley venture capital culture, a topic I have explored extensively in earlier writings. By embracing a global perspective, TGV not only navigates these changing dynamics but also sets a new standard for what startup success can look like in today's rapidly evolving business environment.

Frank and his team at TGV actively deploying capital for Series A/B. Connect with them at https://www.tgv4plus.com/contact.html

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new X @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Hi FINTECHTALKERS, (These opinions are mine and not of the guests of my show)

It is commonly accepted wisdom in Silicon Valley that venture capital (VC) portfolio, especially early stage, follow the power law and not the normal distribution - a small number of investments make huge returns whereas a large number don?t even return the invested capital. Given this reality, venture capitalists focus on startups with odds of achieving higher-than-average success, a fact they openly acknowledge. It is frequency vs. magnitude of success or the assessment of that at an early stage. This assessment is very subjective as they prioritize specific trends or ideas simply because they're popular within their social circles or if the founding team has connections within their extended network. Simply put, it is group think with a lot of bias which are not signals of business success or any value analysis. To make matters worse they think this is a strength. Vinod Khosla, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists (VCs) and the founder of Khosla Ventures, candidly admitted to Harvard Business Review that the power dynamic swiftly shifts when VCs become enthusiastic about a startup, particularly if it receives offers from other firms. "The best startups with inspiring entrepreneurs face intense competition for funding," he remarked. However, what is seldom said is that minority founders, such as Black or Latino founders, often do not fit the profile of ?best startups? or ?inspiring entrepreneurs? due to biases inherent within these elitist capital allocators. 1 2 3.

A living example of this bias is Tope Awotona, the now billionaire founder of Calendly. Awotona, a black entrepreneur from Atlanta (originally from Nigeria), bootstrapped Calendly by draining his bank and 401(k) accounts, according to publicly available news articles and Calendly website (see screen shot below). It wasn't until eight years into his journey that he raised venture capital, Calendly now is valued at over $3 billion (he may have got some seed capital from a local Atlanta Ventures). Awotona likely did not meet the ?inspiring entrepreneurs? label for Khosla and his Silicon Valley peers. Mr. Awotona persisted but several others don?t and cannot.

Source - Calendly Website

?I raided my bank account and 401(k) to launch Calendly in 2013. Eventually, I ran out of money and started to seek VC funding. I had a working product, and customers using it, and everyone said no. Meanwhile, I watched other people who fit a different ?profile? get money thrown at them for shitty ideas. Those VCs were ignorant and shortsighted. The only thing I could attribute it to was that I was black,? he told media. Tope Awotona as quoted in https://peopleofcolorintech.com/ Emphasis added

Moreover, when a startup garners the backing of VCs, these investors often pull out all the stops to ensure its success. They employ various mechanisms, such as venture debt and mutual co-investments at inflated valuations, practices that go unscrutinized in private markets but arguably should be, especially considering that much of the capital originates from pension funds and 401(k)s. In the wake of the SVB collapse, VCs have lost access to tools like venture debt that were once used to amplify leverage and prop up valuations. This shift demands a more value-based approach to portfolio construction. Previously, VC-friendly banks like SVB facilitated venture debt through concentrated deposits, a strategy encouraged by Silicon Valley VCs who insisted their portfolio companies bank there. I explored this issue last year, highlighting concentration risk and the perils of venture debt as key factors in SVB's downfall. Private investments, especially in early-stage ventures, don't get scrutinized much, allowing for big gambles (unreal valuations) and the ability to influence co-investors. However, if factors such as race are influencing investment decisions, aren't we on a slippery slope? Shouldn't there be more reporting to at least increase transparency? 4

To further illustrate my point, let's delve into the data on VC selections, which underscore how early-stage investment practices of venture capitalists are little more than a glorified lottery ticket selection process, heavily biased against minority founders, particularly Black and Latino entrepreneurs.

The statistics reveal a stark concentration of returns in venture capital investments: a mere 6% of investments, representing only 4.5% of the total invested capital, account for approximately 60% of the total returns. Conversely, about 50% of the companies (around 37% in dollar terms, see graph below) in which VCs invest fail to provide returns greater than 1x. This highlights a significant inefficiency in the allocation of capital and underscores the need for a more equitable and performance-based approach in VC practices.

Source - Correlation Ventures blog post

Many funds underperform, and even the successful ones are burdened with numerous money-losing investments. For example, underperforming funds have nearly 80% of their investments underperforming, both in terms of dollar value and the number of investments. Conversely, even a fund that achieves a 5x return still has over 40% of its investments losing money, which is higher than that of 2-3x performing funds. See graph below. This suggests that the primary difference between highly successful funds and less successful ones isn't superior overall performance across their portfolios but rather the success of one or two high-risk, high-reward investments that paid off significantly - they don?t always but since it is huge factor VCs almost look for that and leave money on the table in the process. This further emphasizes the need for a more judicious and equitable approach in venture capital investment strategies.

Source - Correlation Ventures blog post

Now, let's examine the stark disparity in venture capital allocations to minority founders and the vast opportunities they are uniquely positioned to capitalize on. In 2023, Crunchbase reported that Black-founded startups received a mere 0.5% of the $140.4 billion in VC funding?only $0.7 billion in total. Considering that Black individuals comprise about 13% of the U.S. population, this allocation is woefully inadequate. McKinsey estimates the Black consumer market at approximately $300 billion, presenting a significant opportunity for Black startup founders.

Latinos, who start more businesses per capita than any other racial group in the U.S., fare slightly better but still receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. The total economic output of Latinos in the U.S. is around $3.2 trillion, nearly 15% of the nation's GDP. Latino founders are well-positioned to tap into this substantial market, particularly in sectors like healthtech, edtech, fintech, and eCommerce.

Investing in minority founders represents a tremendous opportunity for investors, especially those building in areas where they hold natural advantages. One of the fundamental principles of successful startup investing is that founders with a personal connection to what they are building have a higher chance of success. By recognizing and addressing these disparities, venture capitalists can unlock significant untapped potential and drive more economic growth.

To summarize, the overall track record of venture capital selection is not impressive. Venture capitalists often fall prey to groupthink, prioritizing specific trends or ideas because they are popular within their social circles or because the founding team has connections within their extended network. This approach has led to significant underperformance in many funds. Meanwhile, minority founders, who have been neglected by the VC community for decades, are uniquely positioned to deliver substantial returns. They have a deep understanding of and connection to the markets they serve, making them well-suited to solve specific problems and capitalize on significant opportunities.

I sat down to discuss all this and what can be done with Linda Haddad, Director and Program Coordinator at Bank of America?s Breakthrough Lab (BTL) - an accelerator for underrepresented founders, Laura Moreno Lucas, General Partner L?Attitude Ventures - a VC firm focused on Latino founders, Stephanie Joseph, CEO of Kura - BTL Cohort 3 member, and Maria Medrano, CEO of Inspirame - also BTL Cohort 3 member. We cover a lot of ground with this all women panel on the reasons and what can be done to raise awareness to this missed opportunity for investors and the community at large. While certain corporations and specialized venture capital firms have started to acknowledge and seize upon these opportunities, there's still ample scope for enhancement, particularly from limited partners and institutional investors, and potentially regulatory oversight, and policy maker scrutiny.

The data unequivocally indicates that venture capitalists are leaving potential returns on the table, failing to meet performance expectations, and disproportionately underfunding minority founders. The temporary surge in funding for minority founders in 2021 has faded, with 2023 investments falling below 2020 levels. This shows that VCs will not change unless held accountable. Limited partners, institutional investors, corporate partners, and the startup community must demand transparency and accountability within the VC industry.

With changing economic conditions, global innovation hubs, and the loss of tools like venture debt, Silicon Valley VCs will find it increasingly challenging to achieve extraordinary 10x returns on individual investments. This situation underscores the necessity for a more resilient approach, focusing on diverse and robust portfolio companies that consistently perform well. Limited partners and institutional investors must recognize this need and act promptly to avoid the risk of diminishing returns from an already struggling asset class. Holding VCs accountable for value driven funding practices is not only a moral imperative but also a necessity for sustained financial performance.

Click here to learn more about BTL and to apply to Cohort 4

Click here to learn more about L?Attitude Ventures

Click here to learn more Kura Technologies

Click here to learn more about Inspirame

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)

Thanks to chatgpt, Evita Grant and Eza D?Souza for suggestions.

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

* Venture Capital ? We?re Still Not Normal - David Coats

* How Venture Capitalists Make Decisions - HBR

* Performance Data and the ?Babe Ruth? Effect in Venture Capital - Chris Dixon,

* The real reason for the Collapse of SVB - Paddy Ramanathan

Hi FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X)) for real-time discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with Deep Varma, CTO of Alkami (0-41.20) to talk about Digital Banking Solutions and separately with my good friend Booshan Rengachari, CEO of Finzly (41.30-1.13) to talk about Finzly?s BankOS and how he plans to incorporate AI/GenAI.

You don?t want to miss the insights of these technology visionaries building the next generation of technology for financial services.

ICYMI, the two-part series on AI that Elon Musk and Sam Altman appear to be reading and posting about:

FINTECHTALK? Sculpting the future of fintech, AI, & Crypto is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Check out some of the new episodes of FINTECHTALK podcasts on AI at Apple, Spotify, or YouTube links below

Hi FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X)) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with Ram Palaniappan, CEO of Earnin, a company that allows workers to access their pay instantly. Lot of folks in the industry like to talk about financial inclusion as it is good for the brand, Palaniappan and Earnin are the real deal.

Palaniappan has built a very sucessfull main street fintech and raised around $200 million from prominent VCs like Andreessen Horowitz, Matrix Partners, Ribbit Capital. He talks passionately about how how his company?s product have impacted real customers. Seems like a simple concept but a huge deal for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck.

We cover a wide variety of topics including solving for medical debt, overdraft fees or its avoidnance, increasing savings and overall improving the financial health. Can Earnin be the financial AI co-pilot - the killer GenAI app in consumer finance? Tune in to find out.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan

Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

Happy New Year! I sat down with Zor Gorelov, CEO of Kasisto, a pioneer in AI. We cover a lot of topics from Artificial Financial Intelligence (AFI before AGI) that Zor passionately talks about, how domain-specific models can win over general-purpose LLMs, and how those capabilities will provide a competitive advantage for future enterprises.

Here is the table of timestamps for easy navigation of the conversation

0.-4.40 - Intro of the episode, Zor?s background, and what got him to build Kasisto

4.41- 8.04 - Kasisto?s history, how it came to be from SRI, democratize and everyone to have a digital advisor

8.05-13.36 - Banking-specific model KAI-GPT and how will AI can be a differentiation in FS

13.37 -18.57 - AGI, AFI et al - AI-based financial advisor that is like human advisors

18.58- 23.33 - How should FI?s adopt LLMs - Augment LLMs, domain-specific model or build from the ground up

23.34 -26.0 - The design principle or pillars for Kasisto and KAI-GPT

26.01-27.46 - AI becoming the Enterprise Information and Intelligence (Human + Machine)

27.46- 33.30 AI Middleware or Middle GPT Ware and AI for structured Data

33.30-36.50 - Closing - how to connect with Gor

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with David Nohe, CEO of Fingoal, a Fintel Startup creating hyperpersonalization, and Leslie Gillin, Chief Growth Officer at Pagaya another innovative company applying AI in financial services in credit decisions and financial inclusion.

Subscribe to tune into my conversation with Zor Gorelov, CEO of Kasisto, and Deep Varma CTO of Alkami coming up next.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new X @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with Ian Horne, author of Why DeFI Matters to discuss his book. This was recorded on the sidelines of Money2020.

We talk about how DeFI changes to the financial system factor whereas fintech is essentially a distribution innovation, and how Web3 fundamentally changes the business model of the internet. Ian talks about successful projects in DefI/Crypto that don?t get much attention and what he is most excited about.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new Twitter (X) @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),

I sat down with William Capuzzi, CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions (also a board member at DTCC and a prolific investor) on the sidelines of the Money20/20 show this week in Las Vegas. We covered a lot of topics including why Bill challenges himself to run triathlons, what is his mission at Apex, and how he and his team are enabling average retail investors to invest like hedge fund managers; Apex?s new fractional fixed income product; the transformative role that AI and generative AI will play in the wealth management business and in closing how he follows key advice from Greg McKeown?s Essentialism - the disciplined pursuit of less.

I have included a table of timestamps for easy navigation:

0.-3.21 - Intro of the episode, Bill?s background, and what got him to build Apex

3.22- 5.19 Apex?s mission and purpose

5.20-7.39 Running, Triathlon, Iron Man and what does running help

7.40-11.35 What does Apex do and who do they serve?

11.36-15.05 Embedded Finance - the future of digital distribution of financial services including wealth

15.06-17.50 How is Apex different from the traditional players

17.51-22.35 The democratization, making every retail investor invest like a hedge fund manager

22.36-26.40 The New fractional fixed income and doing it right

26.51-35.54 The future of Wealth mgmt with AI, Gen AI - Autonomous Wealth Mgmt, Advisor Co-Pilot

35.55-40.30 Philosophical alignment with Steve Jobs, and George Mckeown?s Essentialism (The disciplined pursuit of less) and type of companies Apex is looking to partner.

Enjoy and always be in the know,

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new Twitter @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

FINTECHTALK? Sculpting the future of fintech, AI, & Crypto is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

HI FINTECHTALKERS, ( follow me on Twitter for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN)

Three years ago, in January 2020, we published our top 10 predictions for the decade below. So we wanted to follow up to see where the puck has been and where it will be.

Multi-modal AI, which includes text-to-image and text-to-audio capabilities, has arrived, as has quantum computing for cyber-security. TwitterFiles demonstrate that Twitter is more than a social media platform, but a critical transmission network that shaped public opinion, much like a power grid is for electricity.

When we consider the reach and attention of a platform like Twitter2.0 and the AI-generated content (narratives, texts, images, and videos), we are headed for a new level of hyper-personalized and augmented reality.

This is why - I decided to bring in some experts and talk about what is in store for 2023 and beyond and what we make of all the Generative AI and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) talk.

I saw down with Jags Kandaswamy (CEO and Founder of Latent.AI), Lewis Liu (CEO of EigenTech), Sean Austin (CEO of Helios Life Enterprises), Ahon Sarkar (GM of Helix from Q2), Riad Hartani (Managing partner at Xonapartners) and Steven Ramirez (CEO at BeyondtheArc) to talk about all things technology, consumer behavior, and societal trend. The podcast and editorial infograph is included in this edition along with the link to the Generative Elder?s recap.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a theoretical concept of human-like AI has been a topic of discussion lately. I asked ChatGPT about AGI and whether it was AGI, and here is what I got:

?No, I am not an AGI. I am a language model?Yes, as an AI language model, I am a small step towards AGI. AGI is a hypothetical concept that aims to create machines that possess general intelligence, and while we are not yet close to achieving AGI, language models like me represent a significant advance in artificial intelligence.? ChatGPT Feb 2023

We are at a pivotal moment in history, where the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) are expanding rapidly. The infograph above is an attempt to roadmap AI into horizons of increasing sophistication and use.

With generative capabilities in text, audio, video, code, and 3-D, AI is no longer just a decision support engine but is now able to augment and will soon replace several knowledge worker functions.

The implications of further advancements in generative models are significant and could change functions such as sales and marketing, design, and programming, and have a transformative effect in the fields of life sciences, medicine, financial services and even manufacturing. Imagine the possibilities if we were to connect AI to the cerebral cortex, which could unlock human potential in new and creative ways. For now, with embedded AI and AI on the edge, we are expanding human potential and creating new applications and value in areas such as warfare, terrestrial and space exploration, and other verticals.

Businesses beware! The biggest potential disruptor to your competitive advantage is the emergence of a competitor or upstart capable of doing what your best human resources can do, but on a much larger scale, with greater efficiency and effectiveness, thanks to AI. Therefore, investing in AI readiness for your core team is paramount for long-term success. Despite the deep technology behind AI, its value ultimately lies in its creative usage by humans. AI can augment and amplify human capabilities, but the critical decision-making, innovation, and creativity that drive the business forward are distinctly human traits. By embracing AI and preparing your team to integrate it into your operations, you can unleash your full potential and stay ahead of the competition. Don't miss out on this opportunity - invest in AI readiness today and prepare for a brighter, more innovative future.

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina, thanks also to chatgpt for suggestions)

The Generative Elder recap of the FINTECHTALK show - The Cambrian Explosion in AI: A blast like never before

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

This is one of the recordings from the sidelines of Money 2020 earlier this fall in Vegas. It was great to be back at this high energy show sometime back when FTX was just a TLA known to a few.

There were several broad themes at the show. Here are my top takeaways.

* Modernization of Infrastructure - Digital platforms like Smart Card, BaaS/Embedded Finance, neoCore platforms, and Enterprise DeFI

* Fintech explosion in the South - LATAM and beyond (I talk to Jean Mies of PPRO in this edition)

* We are just not ready for Web 3 or at least no clear owner of Web 3?s marketing push (probably will happen over time like Bitcoin) and why i disagree with prognosticators that FTX debacle is bad for Crypto (it would be akin to saying the end of derivatives after Lehman collapse - but more on this in a separate edition)

Latin American market presents an interesting dynamic as one of the fasted growing market for eCommerce and presents a great opportunity for fintechs and as my guest Jean Mies, General Manager at PPRO, explains the market is unique and to be successful offerings have to be hyper-localized to consumer preferences.

Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new Twitter @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast and Spotify)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

I was at Money 2020 in Vegas. It was great to be back at this high energy show, antithetical in some sense to the Vegas cliché - what happens in Money 2020 is talked about all over the fintech world.

There were several broad themes at the show. Here are my top takeaways.

* Modernization of Infrastructure - Digital platforms like Smart Card, BaaS/Embedded Finance, neoCore platforms, and Enterprise DeFI - succinctly captured in our editorial info graph at the end.

* Fintech explosion in the South - LATAM and beyond (don?t miss our upcoming podcast on this)

* We are just not ready for Web3 or at least no clear owner of Web3?s marketing push (probably will happen over time like Bitcoin).

I recorded a couple of podcast and one of them is featured in this episode on Embedded Finance and neoCore. I sat down with Luvleen Sidhu (CEO at BMTX formerly BankMobile), Jamie Donahue (CTO of BMTX), and Ahon Sarkar (General Manager at Helix by Q2) to talk about all things BaaS, Embedded Finance and the recently announced partnership between BMTX and Helix.

These pages have written and prognosticated about this space as early as 2014 - more recently last year I wrote about the virtualization of Banking and how it is easier to embed a Bank in any workflow with a fintech than to open a Bank account with a traditional bank [Do you want to Embed a Bank in your Business - the future of Baas and platformization of Banking]. My guests are pioneers and leaders in this space and they are changing the distribution of financial services. Let me explain with some historical context.

In the 1980s the growth catalyst and differentiator for financial institutions was having more branches and banking locations at retailers and educational institutions and the likes followed by mergers and acquisition in the 90s to expand that footprint. The Fintech generation and Digital Banking (the last 20 years) was all about removing friction and enhancing the customer journey and efficiency.

Now, the key differentiation in financial services is the combination of digital and distribution: digital distribution through embedded finance into the workflows at retail stores, doctors offices, colleges and SMEs at large. Banking products will be available through ERP, CRM, Digital and fulfillment systems.

A digital Banking product is or will get embedded in every vertical workflow. It?s truly outside in banking not only in experience but in economics. The vertical business could also becomes a mini-bank for its customers potentially deploying its balance sheet. These business microcosms are connected, and symbiotic. Put the ecosystem in blockchain and there is more efficiency and possibilities to manage risk and programmatic controls.The combination of enterprise Defi and embedded banking will be the next wave. Watch this space for more on that!

Enjoy and always Be in the Know!

On a separate and not so upbeat note: Very disheartening to hear about layoffs in tech esp. in the bay area including in bellwether fintechs like Stripe. I found this compilation useful if you are looking to hire. Under the List of Employees tab, there are lists of the impacted individuals.

If any FINTECHTALKERS that are reading are impacted, please let me know and I am happy to make some connections

https://layoffs.fyi/

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (www.fintechtalk.co)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

Substack has a new chat feature. Do let me know what you think about this edition on chat

EPILOGUE

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

It has been a while. I had some personal situations over summer and beyond for an extended time. Just getting back into rhythm.

I sat down a few weeks back with Devon Kinkead (CEO of Micronotes), Patrick Reilly (CEO of Verde International), Naushad Contractor (CEO of Fable Fintech) to talk all things about data, AI/ML in financial services and the still evolving space of cross-border payments.

AI is not going to just drive our cars, but manage our finances and will augment the enterprise?s decision making and processes. We are in early stages of the Autonomous enterprise which will eventually lead to hyper-personalized consumer interactions and AI based decision support across the enterprise. Startups like Micronotes and Verde are not only solving problems in areas like sales and marketing and credit underwriting but also developing the foundation for the autonomous enterprise. On the other hand, Fable Fintech is enabling financial institutions to adopt payment innovations like using new blockchain rails seamlessly and transparently for more efficient cross-border payments.

Stay tuned for more podcasts on the autonomous Bank and emerging payments.

Enjoy and always Be in the Know!

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (www.fintechtalk.co)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

EPILOGUE

The Roadmap to the Autonomous Financial Institution

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

I sat down with Shamir Karkal (CEO of SilaMoney), Brion Bonkowski (CEO & Founder at Tern) to talk about Fintech, the Equity/Crypto market correction, and the future.

We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast, I have included a table of timestamps and our infographic view of the Payment value chain along with Fintech Elder recap of the podcast.

0.10-7.05 - Introduction

7.05-16.00 Challenger Bank evolution - segment-specific lifestyle applications

16.00-16.50 Inclusion - Kilimanjaro initiative

16.50- 27.00 Equity Markets and Crypto markets - is there a correlation?

27.00- 37.00 what my guests are building - Programming with money, Democratizing fintech, and more

37.00-39.06 Advice from Shamir on perspective to take on downturn (before he runs to catch his flight)

39.06-52.28 - Future of BaaS, Banking as a utility, Cross-border payments future

Enjoy and always Be in the Know!

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (www.fintechtalk.co)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

EPILOGUE

There is a continued focus on digital payments innovation. iValley sees disruptors across the value chain as shown in the infographics below.

A Silent Banking Tsunami That Just Happened

By the Fintech Elder

I chanced upon this charming haiku about tsunamis by Carole Dwinell:

A towering wave

Eats small islands and is gone

A butterfly bows

Many things just creep up while you?re looking elsewhere. Something is so incomprehensible, such an outlier in the grand scheme of things, that it doesn?t seem to merit any attention.

And then, you?re swept away.

That?s what is happening in banking today. It?s all very well to talk about removing friction and moving money faster and so on, but it takes a real visionary to make things truly happen.

So when I heard that the highly-connected Paddy Ramanathan from iValley was planning to host a Fintechtalk panel discussion with two individuals who are blazing their own trails in banking, I decided to drop in and see what was going on.

I wasn?t disappointed.

On the hot seats were Shamir Karkal from SilaMoney and Brion Bonkowski from Tern. Both have done some ground-breaking work on enabling Banking as a Service and creating a new paradigm for payments and micro-segmentation.

First, the harsh truth. Despite the hysteria about challenger banks and how everything has changed, the fact remains that less than 10% of accounts are with these new kids on the block. The majority of people prefer to bank with names they recognize. 

On the other hand, this is going to rapidly change as technology and fresh ideas reimagine banking.

Anyone wishing to start a bank in the traditional way has several hurdles to clear: regulatory, technical, manpower and more. It can take months or even years to put together the building blocks. It's not for the weak or impatient.

But it's significantly easier now than before. Silamoney, for instance, has been hard at work making things easier with Banking, Digital Wallet & ACH Payments APIs.  All you need to do is plug in the right API and some aspect of banking happens!

What has been discovered (late perhaps?) is that community banking has very interesting little niches. Golfers, immigrant groups, and other demographic groups ? all have very specific characteristics and if you think about what they specifically need, then the cost of acquisition becomes lower. That means community banks could easily become effective by deploying these APIs instead of spinning wheels and wasting time and money trying to do it from scratch. Think about it! You get a lock-in and have a better understanding of the Lifetime Value of such customers.

Likewise, there are segments that need help with cross-border payments, which is both expensive and vexing. Other communities have traditions of pooling resources and being comfortable with inter-community lending. Opening such banks that provide these niche services only helps!

Faster end-user verification, ACH integration, providing ways to work with cryptocurrencies, and practically instantaneous money transfers ? these are some of the new demands people have, and banks that respond will benefit. And new banks can now go live in about 8 weeks!

Tern has, in turn, been working on helping banks create highly tuned credit cards. The limits could be as low as $50 or it could be valid at only certain businesses. There are options to auto-invest in crypto too! The specificity of such offerings is quite mindboggling!

What you?re reading about is fundamentally a democratizing of the entire banking process!

After all, what do early-stage challenger banks need? They don?t want to program, or do KYC, and such important but distracting activities. They need to concentrate on establishing their product fit. Silamoney and Tern help them do that!

Did I say tsunami?

I slowly shut my laptop, trying to absorb all this. I could quite see that the silent tsunami has crept through banking, changing everything. For everyone.

The Fintech Elder plans to start a bank.

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iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

I sat down with Ram Subramaniam (CEO of Guardianlink.io), Prakash Somosundram (CEO of Enjinstarter.com), and Matthew Gunnin (CEO of eSports.one) to talk about all things Metaverse, the rise of the immersive web, NFTs, Digital Assets and more. We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast, I have included a table of timestamps.

Metaverse represents the evolution of the Web, where you are in the Web not just connected to it through a device like a mobile phone - the convergence of digital and physical realities. It will become part and parcel of our lifestyle becoming the experience portal for entertainment, education, and more. With technologies like AR/VR and upcoming tech like Elon Musk?s Neurallink which is aiming to connect the human neocortex (the decision-making center of our brain) directly to computing devices (thereby to the metaverse and AI), our lives and even what is an experience are in for a profound change.

The current web is built on websites, mobile apps, and APIs and gave us e-commerce, search, social media, digital advertisement, and the sharing economy as applications. The foundation of the Metaverse is being built on Crypto, NFTs (the framework for new digital asset class), DAOs (how firms, people, and even governments may organize in the future) giving us hyper-personalized convergent and immersive experiences, convergent commerce (commerce initiated in physical and fulfilled in digital and vice-versa), and experiences APIs that drive interoperability across the Metaverse. Fasten your seat straps as belts are not going to cut it this time.

0.10-9.10 Introduction - what led them to their current focus

9.10-22.10 What is Metaverse, Web3.0 and why are NFT and Blockchain important?

22.10-29.15 How big is this? The TAM for Metaverse, NFT, eSports, and Gaming

29.15-31.30 Which geographies around the world are most active?

31.30-48.00 What are you building and how do you fit into the ecosystem?

48.00 -54.40 Why should Enterprise care about Metaverse and when /how should you build your metaverse strategy?

54.40-1.01 The projects you are excited about - DAO, Inter-operability, and more

1.01-1.04 - What are your priorities and who are you looking to connect with?

To connect with my guests and their companies go to https://enjinstarter.com/, https://www.guardianlink.io/, and https://esportsone.com/ and use any of the social media like their Discord channel.

Included in this edition is the fintech elder recap below.

Enjoy and always Be in the Know!

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (www.fintechtalk.co)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

The Beginning of the Beginning?Metaverse?s Promise of Infinite Possibilities

By the Fintech Elder

?Why, sometimes I?ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.?

You know where that came from. The pen of the great science-fiction novelist Lewis Carroll.

Oh, he wasn?t a science fiction writer, did you just say? Indulge me for a minute. Maybe he was a kind of prophet. Maybe he thought that one day we would have these virtual experiences and drift in and out of digital worlds.

I sat quietly in a corner of the digital world and listened to a fascinating podcast steered beautifully by Paddy Ramanathan, CEO of iValley, who?s made quite a name for himself as a great networker and influencer in the Fintech world. He weaved together a fascinating tapestry involving guests Ramkumar Subramaniam, Prakash Somosundram, and Matthew Gunnin who are extremely knowledgeable about NFT, e-sports and Metaverse respectively. As it turns out Metaverse was the ultimate glue that made NFT and e-sports so much more intense. So, I?ll just talk about that.

This article isn?t intended to be a primer on Metaverse. In any case, the definition is evolving constantly. We could perhaps get away by calling it a growing convergence between the real world and a virtual one. One day, perhaps the two will be indistinguishable.

To begin with, you can live a digital life on various Metaverse platforms. This is not quite the same as a game. In Metaverse, we exist (digitally) and actually buy assets and conduct ourselves as we might in the real world. We may buy digital NFT assets with the currency in that particular metaverse, we may play games, and we can do practically everything. Some may require us to use special devices for an enhanced experience, which I believe will become commodities very soon.

With the metaverse nudging forcefully into our lives, we may soon have to rethink ? well, everything.

Is there a philosophical objection to the Metaverse? Could one say that it confuses reality and fantasy and could cause an identity crisis at the very least?

Well, it doesn?t matter at this point. For a generation that has grown up consuming information and living lives on social media, the Metaverse represents a natural progression. While many of us struggled to understand NFTs, the digital generation had no problem comprehending it and leveraging it. Buying, selling, renting ? and even scamming ? NFTs seem perfectly reasonable.

At this time, there are quite a number of Metaverse platforms and a struggle for dominance is underway. In anticipation, the panelists foresaw interoperability and the pervasive influence of DAO to reduce the dependence on platform-specific digital currency.

While we jump back and forth between Metaverse, the more obvious attraction of the virtual-physical diffusion continues to throw up exciting possibilities.

Imagine going to a Pizza store in the Metaverse and ordering a pizza and having it delivered to you in the real world. And in the other direction, imagine going to a Starbucks and getting a loyalty NFT pass to get premium access to Metaverse locations.

The Metaverse will be in a constant state of churn and turmoil. Perhaps experiences could be bundled and dropped into the Metaverse or even removed.

There are perfectly plausible and practical reasons why organizations are investing in the Metaverse. For one, it needs to do so to keep its brand relevant for the ?metaverse generation?. For another, this is the place for converged commerce in the manner I just wrote about. This is where commerce, customer engagement, entertainment, sports, and education will ?exist?; yes, the irony of that word has not escaped me.

NFTs in the Metaverse, buying land in the Metaverse, renting, watching a game in a stadium ? all of this has quickly become ?normal?.  We are talking about billions of dollars of economic activity, not just a passing fad. The Metaverse will be included in the Annual Reports of all enterprises. There is no doubt about that in my mind.

The portable experience the Metaverse offers, slipping into any available virtual world at will, is a mind-bending notion that will soon become commonplace.

Are you ready for it?

Where do I exist? In the real world or in a Metaverse? You tell me.

The Fintech Elder

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iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

HI FINTECHTALKERS,

I sat down with Morgan McKenney, the CEO of Provenance Blockchain Foundation to talk about all things Blockchain, the future of DeFI, and how Provenance and Figure are driving innovation in all domains of financial services - Lending, Payments, Capital Markets. We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast here is a table of timestamps.

0.10-0.55 - Introduction

1.00-4.45 - Morgan?s background across the years

4.45-5.45 - What made Morgan join Provenance as CEO and promise of DeFI

6.00-9.00 - Blockchain is disintermediating financial services and changing the Factory

9.00-15.30 - The innovation process and platform in financial services

15.40-24.15 - What is Proof of Stake, Stable coins, Hash, Digital Money, programmatic money?

24.30-30.40 - Mission and Vision of the Provenance Blockchain Foundation- Transforming financial services with digital assets

30.40-32.00 - Provenance Blockchain, Figure the fintech and Mike Cagney?s Modernization of the Financial Services Infrastructure with Blockchain Vision

32.00-35.00 - The ecosystem: MERS, Figure Loans, Hash

35.00-38.50 - USDF and how can banks benefit from being part of the USDF Consortium

38.50-40.20 - Collaboration between banks in USDF; new avenues of NFT/Gaming

40.20-45.00 - Access of Provenance to startups and developer community

45.00-45.30 - Inclusive innovation and opportunities for underrepresented founders

45.40-47.10 - Website and Discord to stay tuned to announcements

46.10-52.00 - Inter-operability, regulatory and policy considerations

52.00-54.00 - Web 3.0 and the Digital Economy and the rail the enables transfer of value

54.00-59.30 - Crystal balling: Digital Assets, NFTs, Metaverse

59.45- 1.01.10 -Closing thoughts: How to get in touch with Morgan (LinkedIn) and Provenance. Employment opportunities and co-creation opportunities for startups

Included in this edition is our editorial infographic.

Enjoy and always Be in the Know!

Paddy RamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) andHost of the FINTECHTALK? Show (www.fintechtalk.co)

(Violin piece in podcast courtesy of my daughter Ilina)

EPILOGUE

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

Recording of The FINTECHTALK? Show on Clubhouse on Nov 18th, 2021.

EPILOGUE

To join iValley as it sculpts (build, write, and talk) the future of fintech and crypto economy click here.

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iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

Recording of The FINTECHTALK? Show on Clubhouse on Oct 13th, 2021.

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

Phone: +1 925-575-7832

Recording of the FINTECHTALK(TM) Show on Clubhouse on Aug 25th, 2021.

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

Phone: +1 925-575-7832

Small is Beautiful: Where Challenger Banks and Fintechs Really Score

I was in a philosophical mood when I checked in to a Fintechtalk session on Clubhouse on July 28. 

Why, I asked no one in particular, did the word ?success? seem to invariably suggest terms like ?large deal?, ?double digit growth?, ?enterprise solutions? and so on. ?Does that imply that to be small is somehow not as cool?? I wondered, as I sat in the digital shadows and looked on silently, and a bit crabby, sipping on a below-average Pina Colada, waiting for the session to begin.

As I learned quickly during the session, that?s not true at all. 

There is something very beautiful and inspiring about being small and successful. And you can make a huge difference in your Fintech efforts if you focus on small enterprises.

These FINTECHTALK sessions are so addictive. Paddy Ramanathan, the CEO of iValley, a Fintech incubator, conducts a couple of arresting sessions every month and attracts a lot of movers and shakers to his speaker?s panel. Thereafter he engages them in very interesting ways. You owe it to yourself to attend.

But I digress. Back to the session.

The panellists were an impressive and erudite bunch. Take a look:

* Paul Loberman, Chief Product Officer at untied

* Adi Engel, CMO at vcita

* Nir Netzer, FinTech Innovation Strategist and Founding Partner of Equitech Group

* Araminta Robertson, Marketing Consultant at Mintcstudios

* Nathan Baumeister, CEO at ZSuite Technologies

* Derik Sutton, Marketing at Autobooks

They first spent a little time talking about what they do.

Adi spoke about their focus on digitizing business operations. Simplifying and automating the day-to-day activities is a huge relief for SMBs for whom time is the most precious commodity.

Paul, with an impressive background in banking, focuses on personal tax at untied.  ?No one likes to pay tax,? he remarked. He helps SMBs by collecting tax data automatically and submitting forms to the authorities. Again, saving SMB owners lots of time and aggravation.

Nathan works with Banks to get them more small business clients. ZSuite deploys niche technologies to help with different kinds of deposits that have different rules that apply to them, for which compliance can be vexing. Time is saved.

Are you seeing a repeated theme?

At Autobooks, Derek offers reporting tools in digital environments. He helps financial institutions recapture their relationships with clients. Araminta too assists fintech companies acquire and retain clients and develops case studies. And Nir helps create strategies for Fintech, who, he said, are trying to solve unprecedented problems. 

These are motivated individuals!

Paddy asked the panel for their view on the current challenges that small businesses face. Was there really a case for digital transformation and innovation for SMBs, he inquired.

The collective opinion of the group was that the technologies and digital initiatives do exist but the really crushing problem is that SMB owners have no time and resources and often no capital to leverage these initiatives! 

Lack of good valuable advice on appropriate systems is something SMBs face.  In fact, most cannot even articulate what they need. Thus, Fintechs need to find these SMBs and clear the fog, instead of expecting them to ask for help.

When 81% of SMBs have no employees, they are consumed by basic challenges such as how to accept payments through various vehicles. These owners want to spend time in their businesses, but they end up being forced to address non-core activities, getting paid, controlling costs, and staying compliant ? all of which eat into their time and make them sub-optimal. Almost all face cash flow problems. Putting companies back in control may be a fundamental solution they need!

Nir highlighted a unique issue: many young companies are trying to solve problems that did not exist before. Even helping them articulate the problem helps in a big way. Sales and Marketing challenges are also significant.

What a thought! And so, if Fintechs can do a deep dive into these new challenges, they can be successful.

For instance, SMBs are being forced to deal with bewildering new regulations.  Araminta spoke about how SMBs in Europe are having to learn about PSD2 (customer authentication), SCA, and 3DS2 and ensure they are compliant. Do SMBs have the bandwidth for all this? Well, they don?t have much of a choice, because studies show a possible authentication loss of 21%.  In essence this is a new hurdle and requires education. This problem presents a great opportunity for a Fintech.

Further, 90% of SMBs are service providers who work with excel, WhatsApp, pen and paper. Digitizing their operations is a huge and rewarding proposition. 

The complexities of an SMB?s business can be intense. As Adi observed, even a Yoga studio has a staggeringly large set of possibilities in terms of processes and payment options. Ultimately it is the triangle of Time, Money and Clients is what needs to be addressed by Fintechs that want to be make an impact in the SMB segment.

A lot of interesting points came up:

* From a Sales and Marketing perspective, new approaches will need to be considered by CBs and Fintechs. The customer must be caught in the right channel.

* Fintechs who serve SMBs have the challenge of raising enough capital to compete with Square or PayPal, to then reach out to massively underserved markets.

* Paul hypothesized that we will soon witness the next level of ?downtech?, such as Square extending into Shopify. There is a growing market for tech giants, and they can find opportunities to partner with SMB oriented Fintechs. 

* The new wave of Challenger Banks is attractive because of significantly lower fees, an easier onboarding process and so on. And many Fintechs that have no banking license can do payment facilitation. That?s actually pretty smart!

* But something to keep in mind: there is only so much profitability for Fintechs while dealing with SMBs, even though there are plenty to go around.  Partnering with banks has obvious advantages for Fintechs including interchange fees, deposits, and such. 

At the end, SMB merchants will use Fintechs for better customer experience, with the easiest on-ramps being more successful. SuperApps (which combine multiple services within an app) and the thirst for simplicity will prevail.

It all just goes to show that in the banking world, small can be beautiful in stimulating innovation. Fintechs can become unbeatable if they make efforts to solve the issues that resource starved SMBs face in terms of time and capital. 

Will banks, big tech, super fintechs (Square, Stripe etc), and these other fintechs all converge into an SMB SuperApp, which does Operational, Financial, Sales/Marketing and Regulations stuff? Imagine!

The Pina Colada suddenly seemed excellent! I felt good!

Connect with us!

iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.

Phone: +1 925-575-7832