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Breaking Banks

Breaking Banks - The #1 Global Fintech Podcast

The #1 global fintech radio show and podcast. Every week we explore the personalities, startups, innovators, and industry players driving disruption in financial services; from Incumbents to unicorns, and from the latest cutting edge technology to the people who are using it to help to create a more innovative, inclusive and healthy financial future.

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23 episodes
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Avg 36 min
English

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Thursday · 35 min
Unlocking Financial Access
As a Peace Corps volunteer with an engineering degree from MIT, Doug Ricket, Founder and CEO, PayJoy, a leading financial services provider for underserved consumers across emerging markets, learned first-hand what it means to build trust in underserved communities. The experience in West Africa sparked a long-held interest that eventually put Doug’s engineering and tech background to work to make a true financial impact and build a mission-driven business for underserved consumers, 20 million of them to date across 9 countries (Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Colombia, and the Philippines) Listen as Doug shares his founder journey with Brett King and explains why he left a comfortable path in tech to help first-time borrowers build credit and access broader financial services and payments. Smartphones have become essential economic infrastructure. A smartphone can be a customer’s first productive financial asset and first step into formal financial access, creating financial opportunity for consumers otherwise locked out of traditional credit and payments infrastructure. 40% of PayJoy’s customers are new to credit; 37% are first-time smartphone users. How does PayJoy build a credit profile for someone who’s never had access to credit before? What sets their approach apart from traditional lenders? Listen to find out.
August 27 · 32 min
Let’s Get Serious About AI
Can a not-for-profit, member-owned credit union genuinely out-innovate a bank with a multi-billion-dollar AI budget by being more disciplined and mission-anchored? In this episode of Breaking Banks, Bev Anderson (President and CEO of BECU) and Nadim Homsany (SVP, Head of AI at BECU) join host Jason Henrichs to unpack the strategy behind the credit union’s AI decisions. They discuss where to focus, the choice between buying and building, and whether traditional ROI even applies. Discover how BECU is getting serious about AI and whether this marks an opportunity for credit unions to reshape financial services in the U.S. Interested in hearing more? You can catch Nadim on stage at MoneyLive North America with Samer Saab (SVP of Product and Partnerships at Alloy Labs) in Chicago on September 14–15. Find out more at moneylive-insights.com/breakingbanks
August 20 · 54 min
Rip Out the Core
In this episode host Brett King and Paolo Sironi, host of Breaking Banks’ sister podcast The Bankers’ Bookshelf, speak with Pal Krogdahl, author of Rip Out the Core—an essential guide for anyone wrestling with the stubborn realities of banking core modernization. Despite massive investments, many institutions still face overruns, delays, and outcomes that leave them no stronger than before. Sparked by a flooded kitchen that perfectly mirrored the chaos of real-world banking transformation programs, Pal’s book shifts the lens from pure technology to organization, showing that lasting change is impossible without adapting how people work. Pal speaks to banking executives and transformation leaders tired of endless patching, converting hard-won industry experience into precise, actionable steps that finally deliver meaningful business value. Join as the trio unpack why core modernization so often fails, how organizational design must evolve alongside systems, and the practical path to progress that stops the cycle of frustration once and for all.
August 6 · 42 min
Killing It: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey
Entrepreneurship is an odyssey with many unexpected stops on the journey. You could find yourself on a loading dock in East LA, freestyle rapping with a man known as DJ Trucker—yes, there is video proof. In this episode of our special series, Killing It, hosts Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson talk with Max Farrell. Max started his career in business development at Dwolla and went on to found WorkHound, which is now WorkStep. WorkHound began when Max stumbled upon a problem in an industry he didn’t come from, and he jumped right in. The trio speaks candidly about the unpredictable nature of the founder journey and the need to deeply understand the customer. This includes Max spending 48 consecutive hours in the cab of a truck, winning a Truck Tank pitch competition, and recognizing when it is time to personally hit the road and move on. This honest conversation shares the ups and downs of building a business. Max describes the near-failures, the acquisition, and his eventual decision to leave his founder identity behind. It’s an odyssey.
July 16 · 47 min
A New Framework for Sponsor Banking
In This Episode For years, Banking as a Service (BaaS) was sold as a silver bullet for community banks to solve their deposit problems and grow non-interest income. Through its evolution, the industry has learned that it is not enough for BaaS to simply be programmable. For innovation in banking to flourish, without sacrificing the safety and security of the banking ecosystem, BaaS must also be governable. With the bankruptcy of Synapse and the resulting consent orders, sponsor banks have been forced to prove their control over outsourced operations. This week on Breaking Banks, Jason Mikula, who wrote the book on BaaS, literally!, and is publisher of FinTech Business Weekly; Ellen Linardi, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Synctera; and Reid Whiting, President of Lincoln Savings Bank join Jason Henrichs to talk about sponsor banking. Is it growing up or catching up? Interested in learning more? Check show notes for a link to a paper, a blueprint really, for the choices a bank that wants to play in sponsorship banking will need to make. White Paper Link: Orchestration, Control, and Observability: A New Framework for Sponsor Banking https://alloylabs.docsend.com/view/gs8925x8yeii5vxg
July 2 · 39 min
Human Consciousness in an AI-Driven World
In This Episode What if AI could replicate your consciousness? Listen as Breaking Banks host Brett King connects with Paolo Sironi, host of Provoke.fm‘s The Banker’s Bookshelf about Paolo’s latest book, Quantum Sapiens. Paolo’s foray into literary fiction explores the intersection of quantum gravity, philosophy, and the future of human consciousness in an AI-driven world, providing a unique way to explore complex topics. Available at major bookstores and on Amazon, Quantum Sapiens is a haunting novel blending scientific speculation, the frontiers of artificial intelligence, theories of consciousness and urgent ethical questions into a compelling narrative. Join Paolo and Brett as they dive into the “hard problem” of consciousness and how technology like AI acts as a mirror for the human experience.
June 18 · 22 min
The Evolving Digital Economy
In this episode of Breaking Banks host Brett King sits down with Farbod Sadeghian, Founder and Executive Chairman of TheBlock. Based in Dubai, TheBlock is a fintech collaboration space dedicated to fintech, blockchain development, and crypto, bringing together fintech, AI, and capital markets to build the next economy of virtual assets, The conversation covers the origin story of TheBlock and the UAE’s regulatory landscape—specifically the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). They also discuss how TheBlock is building a virtual asset community that enables faster speed to market through direct collaboration with onsite advisors and strategic partners. By connecting people, infrastructure and opportunities, TheBlock offers end-to-end support to help companies launch, operate and scale within the digital economy. If in Dubai, stop by!
June 4 · 42 min
Winning the Multi-Front War: AI-Powered Intelligence for Modern Banking
In This Episode Financial institutions (FIs) are currently navigating a “perfect storm” of technological, market, and consumer shifts. They face a multi-front war: constant economic and regulatory pressure, soaring consumer expectations for 24/7 personalization, and the existential threat of megabanks with massive tech budgets. To survive and thrive, FIs must move beyond “pilot purgatory”—where 95% of generic AI pilots fail—and adopt a banking-specific AI workforce,an AI-powered intelligence layer for modern banking. In this episode of Breaking Banks host Jason Henrichs is joined by Dan Michaeli, CEO & Co-Founder of Glia, a digital customer service and banking AI platform serving over 700 FIs, and Madeline Fredin, SVP of Growth & AI Transformation at Alloy Labs to explore how a self-learning institutional brain unifies data across the organization. By starting with the contact center—the richest source of unstructured interaction data—banks can build a foundation that shifts their entire operation from reactive service to proactive growth and agentic workflows.
May 22 · 54 min
Is just a little crime OK now or what?
In This Episode Kiah Haslett walked into our Hot Takes session at the Alloy Labs annual member meeting with a thesis she’d been sitting on, and it’s a good one: in a lighter-touch regulatory environment, the prisoner’s dilemma rewards whoever moves first. The strategically correct move, she argues, might also be the morally bankrupt one. And she’s not sure that changes the math. Dara Tarkowski — who sees the grand jury subpoenas before anyone else does — pushed back. Not on the logic, but on the premise. The statutes didn’t go anywhere. The switch can still be flipped. And underneath both arguments is the question we’d been wrestling with the day before: if most banks only have a debt mindset — protect the downside, don’t lose, get your principal back — what are they leaving on the table? And what does it actually cost them to keep waiting for clarity that isn’t coming? Joining Jason Henrichs are Kiah Haslett (Fintech Takes Banking), Dara Tarkowski (Much Shelist, P.C.), and Rick Geloff (Bank of North Dakota).
May 7 · 37 min
Everybody’s Robot Fighting
In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks Brett King interviews bestselling author Igor Pejic about his new book Tech Money: A Guide to the New Game of Technology Investing, available May 26th. Brett and Igor discuss turbocharged innovations, frontier technologies, and how AI and technology investment are changing our future. In this wide ranging conversation, Brett and Igor also debate the implications of wars fought largely by AI and how tech-first defense players like Palantir, Anduril and others are changing the sector from an investment perspective.
April 23 · 38 min
Inside the Next Chapter of Payments: Policy, Fintech and Innovation
In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks, we feature sister podcast, Social Currency, powered by Sunrise Banks. Social Currency introduces us to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, technology, and social impact—leaders who are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries. In this episode hosts Tyler Seydel, Chief Fintech Officer, and Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer at Sunrise Banks are joined by Brian Tate, President and CEO of the Innovative Payments Association, to discuss where payments policy and innovation are headed next. A graduate of Howard University with experience at the Financial Services Roundtable during the post-crisis reform era shaped by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Brian draws on decades inside Washington to unpack what’s coming for fintech, prepaid products, and the broader banking ecosystem. From regulatory modernization to emerging technologies, he shares his outlook on the opportunities and challenges that will define the next chapter of the payments revolution. To hear more episodes of Social Currency go to provoke.fm or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
April 9 · 38 min
After the Demo: When AI Stops Impressing and Starts Mattering
In This Episode Have we reached the point where AI is beginning to matter in a commercial sense or are we still in the 'figuring it out' stage and it's not driving outcomes yet? In this episode host Jason Henrichs is joined by Prashant Mehrotra, Chief AI Officer at U.S. Bank, and John Sun, Co-Founder and CEO of Spring Labs, for a deep dive into the frontier that is AI. Listen as these executives share insights on AI as a transformational force, not just one part of the organization. Everyone needs to be brought along on the journey which requires evangelization, education, building, and execution as one. Best techs just exist, it should not feel like you are doing AI, you should just be doing your work -- a state where intelligence is embedded and is everywhere. The trio also explore the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility, and using AI thoughtfully. AI is complex, and organizations need to know where best to use it. There's no need to overengineer every single solution. Generative AI costs every time you use it and human oversight remains essential, particularly in highly regulated environments. As we search for efficiency and transformation for good, is AI the next set of prosperity, similar to the invention of the automobile? This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.
April 3 · 23 min
Who Really Owns Trust in Embedded Finance?
In This Episode In this episode of Breaking Banks, industry leaders Jason Hass (First Electronic Bank), Mike Jorgensen (U.S. Bank), and Louis Mrachek, (Merrick Bank) connect with Jason Henrichs for a dynamic conversation centered on embedded finance. Embedded finance seamlessly integrates financial services into non-financial platforms. Some examples include BNPL, Lending: Business & Personal Loans, and P&C Insurance, simplifying the claim process and getting the payment. The panel explores how fintechs and banks are evolving from competitors into true partners—combining innovation, compliance, and trust to deliver better customer experiences. They also tackle tensions between speed, risk and regulation, and the critical role banks still play behind the scenes. The future of finance may be invisible -- but the trust powering it cannot be. This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah's FintechXchange Conference.
March 20 · 24 min
Financial Health Starts Before the Account
In This Episode We've recently seen growth in many areas, but a disconnect always seems to exist between economic growth, especially capital market growth, and what people on the ground are experiencing. In short, the macro story is strong; the reality is more fragile if you look at households. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, what is the first thing today's consumer pays for every month? Mortgage/rent, health care, food? All good guesses, but no! The primary financial priority: the cell phone. In this episode, Robyn Burkinshaw, CEO of BlytzPay, and Jason Henrichs discuss the reality of financial health in the United States. With 30% of the population living at or below the poverty line and 25% considered unbanked or underbanked, the current system often widens the wealth gap. Jason and Robyn discuss redefining financial health through access, designing for real lives rather than ideal users, and using the system to create stability. And Robyn shares how BlytzPay is working to "break the box" by helping lenders and servicers meet subprime consumers where they are via text-to-pay and a flexible online payment system. The mission is increasingly vital as AI and new technologies can potentially bridge or widen the current wealth disparity. This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah's FintechXchange Conference.
March 12 · 26 min
Beyond Banking: Solving Problems, Not Offering Products
In This Episode Banks are evolving beyond traditional financial products to offer value-added services that deliver outcomes that matter in customers' everyday lives. In this episode of Breaking Banks, we explore this shift through a very specific lens. Joining host Jason Henrichs are Marcy Allen, Head of Enterprise Financial Institutions at Carefull, a company focused on helping families protect aging loved ones from financial risk and fraud, and Drew Reilly, VP, Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank They discuss how banks approach value-based accounts and loans, the realities of delivering these services within large institutions, buying versus building, and what happens when financial services appear where customers actually need help, not just where banks traditionally operate. This episode is part of the Hot Take series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah's FintechXchange Conference.
March 6 · 43 min
Fintech’s Adolescence: What’s Real, What’s Loud and What’s Next
In This Episode Which trends are genuinely reshaping and transforming banking? Is fintech hitting its "awkward adolescent phase"—past the hype but not yet fully mature? Today we sort through the signal and the noise. Which trends are actually changing how banks work and which are mostly theater. There are lots of pitches coming at banks, but just like in baseball, you can't swing at them all. How do financial institutions decide what's worth pursuing versus what's just the latest headline? Joining host Jason Henrichs are two people who view the landscape from different vantage points: Alex Johnson, Founder of FinTech Takes who analyzes and challenges the narratives shaping fintech, and Meghan Kober, Head of Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank who sits on the side of who decides which innovations get deployed within one of the most innovative banks. Together, they dig into where fintech stands today and what the next phase might look like once the noise settles. This episode of Breaking Banks is part of the FintechXchange recording series at the University of Utah, powered by U.S. Bank.
February 26 · 16 min
Hot Takes: Chartering vs. Becoming a Bank: A Critical Distinction
In This Episode The current regulatory regime in the US promised a lighter touch and more de novo charters. Sure enough, there has been a flurry of activity with a wide range of applications being submitted from long time payment providers like Paypal, neobanks looking to break free from their BaaS sponsors, and even silicon valley insiders looking to build the bank of the future like Erebor. Reading the various applications and hearing the varied business plans raised a very fundamental question: What if bank charters are being issued to companies that don’t actually want to be banks? We tend to treat a charter like a finish line — as if the moment you get one, you’ve crossed into some higher state of legitimacy. But a charter is a regulatory status. Being a bank is an economic role. And those two things may be drifting apart. In this episode of Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs and Jeff Taft, Partner at Mayer Brown, dig into that tension. Jeff has advised on bank formations, regulatory strategy, and some of the most complex de novo and specialty charter conversations in the market. He has a front-row seat to how applicants think about charters — and how regulators evaluate readiness to operate as banks. This conversation was recorded live as part of FintechXchange put on by the Fintech Center at the University of Utah. This Hot Takes series is powered by U.S. Bank. Now let's dig in to the question: are most charter applicants trying to become banks — or trying to become regulated?
February 19 · 53 min
Faster Money: What Does It Really Mean and What’s Next?
In This Episode Payments are getting faster. From RTP to stablecoins, rails are modernizing. Speed alone doesn’t equal progress, however. As real-time payment systems expand, banks, businesses, and policymakers are asking a bigger question: how do new payment rails actually change how money moves, decisions get made, and value is created? In this episode of Breaking Banks, host Jason Henrichs brings together Dominic Venturo, SEVP and Chief Digital Officer at U.S. Bank and David Watson, President and CEO at The Clearing House to explore what is really changing beneath the surface. The trio discuss: how instant payments are moving beyond consumer use cases into business and treasury workflows, where banks are finding real opportunity (and where they aren’t), and how tools like request-for-payment and stablecoins are reshaping cash flow and transparency. Share with industry friends and colleagues. The episode is not to be missed!
February 12 · 43 min
Leading Voices in Fintech: Hot Takes is Back!
In This Episode What happens when three fintech nerds gather to eat spicy wings, share some sauce and talk about industry trends? If you are a regular listener to Breaking Banks, you already know the answer: the latest episode of Hot Takes! Get some chips, your own sauce if you'd like, and listen now as Jason Henrichs, Alex Johnson (Fintech Takes) and Simon Taylor (Fintech Brainfood) -- refereed by Peter Renton -- offer Hot Takes fueled by hot sauce and spicy conversation. This episode was recorded live at the University of Utah's 2026 FintechXchange. This candid discussion with leading voices in fintech is not to be missed! The wide-ranging conversation covers everything from AI and stablecoins to financial nihilism, and more. The panelists explore trends reshaping the banking and fintech landscape while sharing key insights, things to watch and some predictions. This episode is powered by U.S. Bank. Be sure to catch the entire series releasing this month from the Hot Takes stage, brought to you by U.S. Bank.
February 5 · 29 min
Decisions > Diligence: Dynamics of Decision-Making in Banking
In This Episode The length of the sales cycle in financial services is legendary. Slow decisions, endless diligence, and constant risk reviews are practically an industry meme. To be fair, the stakes are real. When money moves, it has to arrive; when deposits sit in a bank, they have to be safe. Somewhere along the way, caution turned into paralysis. Banks ask more questions, add more steps, delay commitment, often increasing the risk by avoiding learning, accountability, and real-world feedback. In this episode of Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs connects with Lindsay Borgeson, President of Core Bank's Partner Banking Division, and Kalyani Ramadurgam, CEO and Founder of Kobalt Labs. They discuss the dynamics of decision-making in banking, the importance of defining the problems to be solved, the role of proof of concepts, and the hurdles of implementation. By sharing the Core Bank and Kobalt Labs partnership journey, Lindsay and Kalyani offer practical strategies for navigating these processes more effectively. For financial institutions, speed doesn’t require cutting corners. For fintech providers, strong partnerships can be built by proving value early and enabling clients to make decisions based on real operational impact. Whether you are a financial institution seeking to modernize your technology stack or a fintech company looking to accelerate enterprise adoption, this conversation offers experience-based guidance for making faster, high-confidence decisions without sacrificing risk discipline. Listen now, share with your colleagues, and please reach out to share your feedback.

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