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Wrap Up

Sam Boboev

Conversation about finance, tech, AI, and crypto

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Friday · 22 min
Stripe Is Too Slow for Today’s Marketplaces - Daniel Lev (CEO, Coinflow)
Stablecoins are often presented as a new way for consumers to pay. Daniel Lev believes their bigger opportunity lies behind the payment experience, connecting cards, bank accounts, wallets and local payment networks. In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Daniel, Co-founder and CEO of Coinflow, to discuss how stablecoins can work as invisible payment infrastructure. Daniel explains how a US customer can pay a UK merchant by card while Coinflow uses stablecoins to settle the transaction across borders. The merchant receives the money in around five seconds and can convert it into pounds without managing stablecoins directly. Coinflow processes billions of dollars annually for marketplaces, remittance providers, gaming companies, e-commerce merchants and other businesses with complex flows of funds. We discuss the economics of faster settlement, including its impact on FX, payouts and reconciliation. Daniel also compares Coinflow with Stripe. While Stripe added stablecoins to infrastructure built on traditional financial rails, Coinflow uses stablecoins and public blockchains as its core settlement layer. Daniel argues that this enables businesses to receive money in seconds rather than waiting one to three days. We also explore why merchants and consumers may never need to know stablecoins are involved. They can simply see, withdraw and use their balance while the underlying infrastructure remains invisible. _______ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast
October 30 · 31 min
The Payments Revenue Software Companies Are Missing - Ben Weiner (Global Head of Partner Channel, Nuvei)
Software companies have spent years embedding payments, yet many still earn nothing from transactions flowing through their existing customer base. Could that be their biggest missed opportunity? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Ben Weiner, Global Head of Partner Channel at Nuvei, to explore where payments growth comes from as AI changes the software business. Ben explains why winning new customers with payments built in is only part of the job. He says sophisticated software vendors attach payments to 80–100% of new customers, while older customers often remain on separate providers. Reaching that installed base requires a clear reason to switch, better reconciliation and someone internally accountable for adoption. We also discuss: Where AI creates value today: Faster development can make previously difficult integrations viable, helping software companies reach customers they could not serve economically before. Why the system of record matters: The software holding invoices and business data remains a strong starting point for payment adoption, even as AI changes the interface. Choosing payment partners: Ben makes the case for one primary strategic provider and a secondary option, explaining how too many integrations can fragment development efforts. The B2B opportunity: Conflicting payment preferences and complex remittance information still create friction between buyers and suppliers. Ben identifies small and medium-sized manufacturers as a particularly underserved market. I also challenge Ben on whether AI companies will build their own payment infrastructure, and we discuss why trust and unresolved liability could slow the move towards fully autonomous purchases. _________________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
October 23 · 27 min
AI Agents Will Change How We Work and Get Paid - Eynat Guez (CEO, Papaya Global)
What happens when AI agents become part of the workforce? Will companies eventually pay taxes on AI agents? And could stablecoins replace traditional banking infrastructure for global payroll? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Eynat Guez, CEO and co-founder of Papaya Global, to discuss how artificial intelligence and stablecoins are reshaping global employment, payroll and cross-border payments. Papaya Global has evolved from a workforce management platform into a global payments business processing close to $50 billion annually, according to Eynat. She shares how Papaya has reduced its human marketing team by roughly half while tripling its use of AI agents. She also predicts that employees will soon manage multiple AI agents and that governments could eventually introduce taxes based on AI token consumption. We explore why Eynat still refuses to give AI agents direct access to payment systems, despite her confidence in the technology. The conversation then turns to stablecoins. Eynat explains why Papaya is already using stablecoin rails to move money internationally and predicts that demand for stablecoin payments could reach 30–40% within two years. In this episode, we discuss: How AI agents could reshape employment and hiring by 2030. Why Papaya Global reduced its marketing headcount while increasing AI adoption. Whether governments will start taxing AI agents. Why AI agents still cannot be fully trusted to execute payments. How stablecoins are changing global payroll and treasury operations. Papaya Global's Banco offering and its vision of becoming a new bank for the workforce. How Papaya's partnership with eToro brings savings and investment options to workers. Why the future workforce could involve people working for five or ten companies simultaneously. __________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
October 16 · 34 min
Will AI Agents Replace Human Traders and Take Over the Future of Investing? - Jordan Sinclair ( President, Robinhood UK)
Will AI agents eventually manage our investments? Could tokenization make stock markets accessible 24/7? And will we still need trading apps in the future? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK, to explore how artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and changing consumer expectations are reshaping the future of investing. Robinhood is expanding beyond traditional stock trading into crypto, tokenized assets, prediction markets, and AI-powered investing. But the wider financial industry is undergoing a similar transformation, with companies like Revolut and Coinbase competing to become the primary financial platform for consumers. One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was about the role of AI agents in investing. Robinhood has already introduced agentic trading capabilities in the US, allowing customers to connect AI agents to their investment accounts, allocate funds, and define trading rules. I asked Jordan a question I've been thinking about for some time: If my AI agent can research markets, access my portfolio, and execute trades, why would I still need a trading app? We also explored the potential of tokenization to change how financial assets are owned and transferred. Today, moving stocks between brokers can take weeks. Blockchain-based infrastructure could make these transfers much faster and enable trading outside traditional market hours. Another topic we discussed was the growing popularity of prediction markets. As trading volumes increase, where should regulators draw the line between financial instruments and gambling? In this episode, we discuss: AI agents and the future of investing: Will AI eventually manage our portfolios and make trading decisions? The future of trading apps: Could AI agents replace the way we interact with financial platforms? Tokenized stocks and private markets: How blockchain could enable 24/7 trading, faster settlement, and broader access to investments. Prediction markets: Are they legitimate investment products or another form of gambling? The financial super app race: How Robinhood, Revolut, and Coinbase are competing for customers. AI risks and regulation: Who takes responsibility when AI-driven investment decisions go wrong? The future of retail investing: Why millions of people still don't invest and how technology could change that. ________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
October 9 · 44 min
How Is the UK’s Largest Banking Group Approaching the AI Race? - Suresh Balaji (CMO, Lloyds Banking Group)
What happens when one of the UK’s largest banks puts AI at the centre of how it serves millions of customers? In this episode of WRAP UP, I sit down with Suresh Balaji, Chief Marketing Officer of Lloyds Banking Group, to discuss how Lloyds is approaching AI, agentic systems, customer trust and the future of banking. Lloyds serves around 28 million customers, with 23 million interacting with the group digitally and billions of app logins every year. Now, the bank is testing an AI assistant designed to help customers discover financial products, receive proactive support and better manage their financial lives. We discuss: • Why Lloyds already has its consumer AI assistant in beta • Where AI could first appear inside the Lloyds banking app • Why fraud prevention could become one of banking’s most valuable AI use cases • How Lloyds built Cortex and its Envoy “agent factory” • Why Lloyds believes AI needs governance, testing and lifecycle management • How one internal AI agent reduced an eight-week process to around 30 minutes • What Lloyds learned when it tested humans vs AI vs humans working with AI • Why Suresh believes it should be “humans in the lead,” rather than simply humans in the loop • How AI is changing financial-services discovery and marketing • Why trust could become an even bigger competitive advantage in AI-powered banking • Whether legacy banks can use their data and scale to compete with digital challengers • The role AI could play in Britain’s wider economic competitiveness Suresh also explains Lloyds’ three-part framework for transformation: tasks, tools and talent, and why giving employees access to AI may matter just as much as choosing the underlying models. A conversation about what AI looks like when it moves beyond experimentation and starts being deployed across one of Britain’s biggest banking groups. _______ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
October 2 · 30 min
The Payment Stack Was Not Built for AI - Philip Bruno (CSGO, ACI Worldwide)
AI agents are beginning to shop, negotiate and make payments on behalf of consumers and businesses. But most payment infrastructure, compliance rules and liability frameworks were designed for humans. In this episode of the WRAP UP Podcast, I sit down with Philip Bruno, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at ACI Worldwide, to explore how the payments industry must adapt to the emerging machine economy. We discuss why merchants may need to stop blocking bots and start distinguishing trusted customer agents from malicious ones. Philip explains why businesses should remain independent of any single agentic commerce protocol and how payment orchestration could help them support new protocols, rails and payment methods without losing control of their customer relationships. We also examine one of the biggest unanswered questions in agentic commerce: who is liable when an AI agent makes a mistake? Philip shares his view on how today’s payment rules are being applied to agent-led transactions and why new commercial and regulatory frameworks will be needed. The conversation then turns to what Philip calls the “three-horse race” between stablecoins, tokenised bank deposits and instant payments. We break down where each option could succeed, why instant payments may eventually overtake debit cards globally, and how stablecoins could become especially important for cross-border payments and markets with unstable currencies. Philip also explains ACI Worldwide’s approach to intelligent payment orchestration, including technology that can identify transactions likely to fail, recommend repairs and reduce the time required to fix a wire payment from around 40 minutes to two minutes. We also discuss: Why B2B agentic commerce could become much larger than consumer agentic commerce How AI agents could transform procurement and automate bidding between businesses Whether AI companies require a new payments and usage-based billing stack How merchants can decide which payment methods and protocols to support Why payment orchestration must remain independent of individual processors and rails How banks are preparing for instant payments, stablecoins and tokenised deposits What the growth of local instant payment systems means for cards and cash Why experimentation may be the only viable strategy as payments continue to fragment ACI Worldwide’s first US customer for its Kinetic cloud-native payments platform _________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
September 25 · 33 min
The AI Bank Is Already Being Built - Eric Young (CTO, Nubank)
What does it take to turn one of the world’s largest digital banks into an AI-first company? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Eric Young, CTO of Nubank, to discuss how the company is using AI across engineering, credit, and customer experiences. Nubank has reported that its weekly AI token use grew almost 10x since the beginning of the year, while engineering productivity increased by 50% and testing cycles became 90% faster. Eric explains how the company thinks about the return on that investment, why there is no single perfect productivity metric, and how Nubank measures changes in code delivery, product velocity and automation without reducing the work to a simplistic scorecard. We discuss why Nubank is not betting on one AI provider or one model. Eric shares how the company dynamically routes workloads across different models based on performance, cost and quality, while also exploring self-hosted open-weight models. He explains why flexibility matters in a market where model capabilities are shifting quickly. Eric also takes us inside Nubank’s own foundation-model work. With 135 million customers and hundreds of terabytes of financial and app-event data flowing through the platform each year, Nubank is building models that can better understand financial behaviour, improve credit decisions, support responsible lending and personalise experiences at scale. We also discuss the harder side of AI in banking: • How AI can help banks detect fraud patterns in real time • Why clean, structured data can be a bigger advantage than simply having more data • How Nubank tests and evaluates AI systems before exposing them to customers • Where human oversight remains essential when AI interacts with financial decisions • How the company approaches accountability, guardrails and customer protection • Why incumbents with decades of data may still struggle if their data is fragmented or poorly structured • What Nubank sees as the real competitive challenge: rising customer expectations • The skills engineers, product managers and designers need to succeed in an AI-first organisation ______________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
September 18 · 45 min
How AI is making online fraud more sophisticated and how to stop it - Tamas Kadar (CEO, SEON)
AI has made fraud cheaper, faster, and harder to spot. Deepfakes can pass visual checks, agents can move through websites on behalf of users, and fraud rings are buying real accounts through Telegram marketplaces. In this episode of WRAP UP, I sit down with Tamas Kadar, co-founder and CEO of SEON, to discuss how AI is making online fraud more sophisticated and what banks, fintechs and digital businesses can do to stop it. We explore how deepfakes, synthetic identities and AI agents are helping fraudsters automate attacks at scale. Tamas explains why a face, document or video is no longer enough to verify a customer, and why fraud detection now needs to go beyond a single KYC check. We discuss the signals that matter, including email, phone, IP, device intelligence, digital footprints and behavioural data. Tamas explains why risk teams need to monitor the full customer journey, from registration and onboarding to login and transaction, rather than rely on separate tools that only assess risk at one point in time. We also cover account takeover through breached credentials and the growing threat of account handover, where real people open verified accounts that are later sold through Telegram and dark web marketplaces. These accounts can then be used for mule activity, scams and moving illicit funds. Tamas shares how SEON has expanded its risk intelligence to more than 1,100 signals, how financial institutions can combine this data with their own internal AI models, and why dynamic friction is key: letting genuine customers move smoothly while introducing extra verification only when activity looks suspicious. Finally, we discuss what banks and fintechs should do now to prepare for AI-driven fraud, including how to handle AI agents, why live proofs of concept matter when selecting a fraud platform, and why simple integration should be part of every vendor decision. Learn more about SEON: https://seon.io/editions/signal-intelligence-2026/?utm_source=seon&utm_medium=fintech-wrap-up&utm_campaign=podcast_fintech-wrap-up-podcast-launch_fy26-q3&utm_content=
September 11 · 33 min
Can Tokenized Stocks Finally Open Global Markets to Everyone? - Mark Greenberg (CCO, Kraken/Payward)
For most people, buying a US stock is simple. For millions across Central Asia, Latin America, Africa and other parts of the world, it can still mean high barriers, limited access and a long process to open a brokerage account. Tokenized equities could change that. In this episode of WRAP UP, I sit down with Mark Greenberg, Chief Commercial Officer of Kraken/Payward, to discuss whether tokenized stocks can give more people access to global markets, starting with as little as $5 or $10. We talk about what Kraken has learned from building XStocks, which has processed almost $40 billion in volume, and why the real opportunity is not only bringing stocks onchain. It is making access to equities possible for people who have been excluded from global capital markets for years. Mark also explains why stablecoins are becoming more than a trading tool. We discuss dollar yield, cross-border B2B payments, the slow progress of stablecoin remittances and why moving money and trading assets are increasingly part of the same infrastructure problem. We also discuss: Why trading and payments are becoming one connected infrastructure problem How XStocks is expanding access to tokenized equities, including for people in markets with limited brokerage access Why stablecoin yield, B2B cross-border payments and remittances matter today What it will take for AI agents to safely transact with wallets, cards and payment rails Why consumer crypto is far from dead The regulatory clarity crypto companies need to build for the long term _____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
September 4 · 30 min
Why AI Won’t Replace Banking Software Yet - Chris Walters (CEO, Finastra)
Why AI Won’t Replace Banking Software Yet - Chris Walters (CEO, Finastra) Can an AI agent release a $10 million payment? In this episode of WRAP UP, I sit down with Chris Walters, CEO of Finastra, to discuss where AI is creating real value for banks and where the industry needs to slow down. Chris explains why high-stakes payment decisions still need human oversight, how Finastra’s Global PAYplus platform directs around $7 trillion in payments each day, and why deterministic banking systems will remain essential even as AI becomes more capable. We also discuss Finastra’s decision to narrow its focus to lending and payments, AI-powered payment investigations and repairs, the future of stablecoins in corporate payments, open-weight versus frontier AI models, and why banks should prepare now for tighter AI regulation. Chris makes the case that the future is not AI replacing banking software. It is AI working alongside modern systems, better processes, and human controls. We also cover: Why banks should not let AI agents autonomously release major payments How Finastra’s Operator Assist can reduce the time spent investigating and repairing failed payments Why AI needs audit trails and controls before regulation catches up Whether banks and banking-tech providers are becoming too dependent on OpenAI and Anthropic Open-weight models, rising AI costs, and using the right model for the right task Why AI-native competitors will not necessarily win by adding AI to every part of banking How modern software, better processes, and AI can each drive efficiency Stablecoins, crypto and new payment rails in corporate payments Why Finastra sees Visa, Mastercard and Stripe as potential collaborators as well as competitors How AI could help banks move away from legacy technology faster _________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
August 28 · 32 min
How AI agents will search and buy premium content - Michael Blau (Founder, Drip)
AI agents are becoming a new customer for creators. They can search, compare sources and act on information. The unresolved question is how they access trusted research and pay for it without relying on scraped content or pushing creators into another race to the bottom. In this episode of the WRAP UP, I sit down with Michael Blau, founder of Drip, to discuss the emerging infrastructure behind machine-to-machine content payments. Drip gives AI agents a way to discover and purchase premium financial newsletters, podcast research and specialist analysis. We unpack why financial research is an early use case for this model. An agent analysing a company, sector or trade does not need a full media subscription. It may need one analyst’s view, a historical newsletter archive or a specific data point. That creates a new commercial model for independent publishers: make their work available to agents and earn when it is actually used. We also discuss what this means for the economics of the creator business, the role of protocols such as x402 and MCP, and why payment, permissions and attribution need to work together before agentic research can scale. In this conversation: Why Drip began with independent financial publishers How AI agents can discover and pay for premium research The role of stablecoins in machine-to-machine payments What x402 and MCP enable in an agentic content economy Why back catalogues may become valuable assets for creators How pay-per-use could sit alongside traditional subscriptions Why stock research is an early test case for agentic content payments Whether AI-generated research should compete in the same marketplace How creators can control access to their work and retain attribution Why specialised analysts may become more valuable as agents look for reliable context The conversation goes beyond the creator economy. It is about a basic question for the internet: when software can consume information and make purchases, who gets paid, how is trust established, and what changes when the buyer is an agent rather than a person? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
August 21 · 33 min
Why Banks Spend $60 Billion a Year on Core Banking - Martin Della Chiesa, (CEO,Skaleet)
Banks spend more than $60 billion a year on core banking, yet much of the industry still runs on decades-old technology. In this episode of the WRAP UP, I sit down with Martin Della Chiesa, CEO of Skaleet, to discuss why replacing legacy core banking systems remains so difficult and how cloud-native, modular and real-time infrastructure is changing the market. We discuss why the biggest competitor for next-generation core banking providers is often the status quo, why major migrations can still take 18–24 months, and how modern platforms can help banks and fintechs launch new products in as little as six months. We also get into AI and agentic commerce. Martin explains why banks cannot fully take advantage of AI agents if their underlying infrastructure is not API-based and real-time, how AI could make legacy migrations easier, and why Skaleet is building infrastructure that could allow AI agents to trigger payments on behalf of customers. We cover: Why core banking remains such a fragmented market Legacy systems vs next-generation core banking Why banks keep postponing core modernization Modular architecture and faster product launches The real cost and complexity of core migrations AI agents and the future of payments Why real-time infrastructure matters for agentic commerce How AI could help banks understand and replace legacy code The three things banks should evaluate when choosing a core banking provider Why an 800-row RFP spreadsheet may be the wrong way to choose banking technology A practical conversation about the infrastructure sitting behind modern financial services and what has to change as banking moves into the AI era. _________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
August 14 · 28 min
Can Stablecoins Really Compete With Visa and Mastercard? - Jess Houlgrave (CEO, WalletConnect)
Why would someone pay with stablecoins when they already have a Visa or Mastercard? Jess Houlgrave, CEO of WalletConnect, joins me to discuss where stablecoin payments make sense and what is holding them back. WalletConnect works with around 700 wallets and 80,000 applications, reaching about 800 million end users. Around $400 billion in value moved through the network last year. The company is now pushing further into payments with WalletConnect Pay. We get into the competition between stablecoins and cards, including the fees merchants pay and the challenge of getting consumers to change how they pay. Jess explains why stablecoins can work well for cross-border payments and markets where card costs are high. We also discuss whether stablecoins are truly global and whether the market needs so many different stablecoins. The conversation then moves to AI agents. Jess explains why stablecoins could work well for small AI payments and why moving money is only one part of a payment. Compliance and security still need to be handled. We also discuss what happens to Visa and Mastercard if stablecoin payments continue to grow, and what merchants should consider before adding crypto payments. We cover: Why merchants would accept stablecoins when cards already work Same-hour and same-day settlement and the impact on merchant working capital Stablecoins vs Visa, Mastercard, PIX and Faster Payments Whether stablecoins are actually global Why emerging markets are seeing strong stablecoin demand Whether the market needs hundreds of different stablecoins What stablecoins could mean for card network pricing Why payments require more than moving money from A to B Stablecoins, AI agents and micropayments How AI agents could buy products and services on our behalf What merchants should look for when choosing a stablecoin payment provider A practical conversation about where stablecoins genuinely improve payments, where existing rails remain stronger, and how the two could coexist. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
August 7 · 32 min
The Stablecoin Stack Every Fintech Will Eventually Build - Bentzi Rabi (CEO, Utila)
Stablecoins are getting all the attention. But there's another layer most people ignore: the infrastructure that actually holds, secures, and moves digital assets. In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Bentzi Rabi, Co-Founder and CEO of Utila, to discuss why institutional wallet infrastructure is becoming one of the most important parts of the digital asset ecosystem. We explore why key management is only the beginning, how operational controls and risk management become critical at scale, and why many fintechs will eventually move away from all-in-one providers to build and control their own stablecoin infrastructure. We also discuss: Why holding digital assets is harder than moving them MPC vs multisig for institutional security The biggest operational risks in stablecoin infrastructure Why fintechs eventually build their own stablecoin stack Fireblocks vs the new generation of wallet providers Gas management, policy engines, and transaction automation Why regulation is changing wallet infrastructure Mastercard's acquisition of BVNK and what it means for the market Why every fintech may soon become a blockchain company If you work in fintech, payments, banking, crypto infrastructure, or digital assets, this episode explains the technology powering the next generation of money. Subscribe for more conversations with the leaders building the future of finance. ___________ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
July 31 · 29 min
Why Amazon, Shopify & Stripe Are Becoming the New Banks - Jakob Pethick (CCO, YouLend)
Most business owners still think of banks when they need financing. That is quickly changing. In this episode of the WRAP UP Podcast, I sit down with Jakob Pethick, Chief Commercial Officer at YouLend, to explore why lending is moving directly into the software businesses already use every day. We discuss how platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Stripe, Worldpay and many others are embedding financial products into their ecosystems, allowing merchants to access funding without ever speaking to a bank. We also dive into: Why embedded lending is growing so quickly How YouLend powers lending behind major platforms Why banks are losing distribution to software companies The role of AI and machine learning in credit underwriting How open banking is transforming risk assessment Why platforms—not banks—may become the primary distribution channel for financial services The future of embedded finance over the next five years If you’re building in fintech, banking, payments, SaaS or embedded finance, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at where business lending is heading next.
July 24 · 32 min
How AI agents will change payments, commerce, and fraud - Amir Sarhangi (CEO, Skyfire)
What happens when AI agents stop recommending products and start buying them for you? In this episode of WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Amir Sarhangi, CEO of Skyfire, to explore what the rise of the machine economy means for payments, banking, and e-commerce. As AI agents become capable of searching, comparing, negotiating, and completing purchases autonomously, entirely new questions emerge around identity, trust, fraud, and payments. One of the biggest challenges is simple: How do you know an AI agent is acting on behalf of a real person? Amir explains the concept of Know Your Agent (KYA), why AI agents need their own digital identity, and how merchants can distinguish legitimate AI agents from malicious bots. We also discuss why stablecoins and micropayments could become the preferred payment rails for AI-to-AI transactions, why traditional payment infrastructure struggles with autonomous commerce, and what merchants, banks, and card issuers should be doing today to prepare for a future where software increasingly becomes the customer. In this episode: What the machine economy actually is Why AI agents need a digital identity (Know Your Agent) How AI agents will make purchases on your behalf Why stablecoins are well suited for AI commerce The role of micropayments in the agent economy How Skyfire enables AI agents to access websites and make payments What merchants should do to prepare for AI customers How banks and card issuers should adapt The biggest fraud and security risks in agentic commerce Why AI-powered shopping is closer than most people think If you work in fintech, payments, banking, AI, or e-commerce, this conversation explains the infrastructure needed to make autonomous commerce secure, trusted, and scalable. ____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
July 17 · 42 min
The Real Reason Banks Aren't Seeing Results From AI - Charbel Safadi (CEO, Zafin)
JPMorgan invests over $2 billion annually. Morgan Stanley predicts 200,000 banking jobs could disappear by 2030. Yet MIT research suggests most organizations still struggle to generate measurable value from AI. So what is really happening? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Charbel Safadi, CEO of Zafin, to discuss the future of AI in banking, why most AI initiatives fail, and how banks can move beyond experimentation into production. We cover: • Whether AI is hype or a genuine transformation • Why banks are struggling to achieve ROI from AI • The prediction that 200,000 banking jobs could disappear • How AI changes jobs rather than simply replacing them • Zafin’s new AI Operating System (AIOS) • Why banks need an “airport” for AI agents, not just more AI tools • AI governance, compliance, and accountability in regulated industries • How banks should think about OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and open-source models • The future of autonomous AI agents inside financial institutions • Why proof of work may become critical for enterprise AI adoption One of the most interesting takeaways was Charbel’s argument that AI is not primarily a technology challenge. It is an operating model challenge. Organizations that redesign how work gets done will benefit. Those that simply add AI tools to existing processes may struggle to see meaningful results. What do you think? Will AI create more opportunities in banking, or are the predictions about job losses correct? ____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
July 10 · 33 min
AI Agents Are About to Change Payments Operations - David Rosa (General Manager, Rapyd)
Stablecoins. AI agents. Cross-border payments. The future of money is changing faster than most companies realize. In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with David Rosa, General Manager at Rapyd, to discuss one of the biggest transformations happening across financial services today. We explore the launch of OpenUSD and what it means for the stablecoin market, why Rapyd believes stablecoins are solving real-world payment problems, and how AI is already reshaping the economics of payments businesses. David also explains how Rapyd uses AI to onboard merchants, automate internal operations, improve decision-making, and why he believes many traditional jobs will inevitably change as AI adoption accelerates. We also discuss: • OpenUSD and the future of stablecoins • Whether stablecoins can challenge traditional payment rails • AI agents and autonomous payments • Why Visa and Mastercard are paying attention • MiCA regulation and its impact on crypto businesses • Real-time payments and cross-border infrastructure • Why emerging markets may be affected most by AI disruption • How Rapyd is rebuilding operations around AI • The biggest mistakes businesses make in payments today David oversees AI Transformation, FX, Payouts, and Platform Solutions at Rapyd, one of the world’s leading fintech companies powering global commerce and payments. Subscribe for more conversations with CEOs, founders, regulators, and executives shaping the future of fintech, payments, banking, crypto, AI, and financial infrastructure.
July 3 · 21 min
The stablecoin neobank challenging Revolut - Raagulan Pathy (CEO, KAST)
In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Raagulan Pathy, Founder & CEO of KAST and former Vice President at Circle . While most companies in crypto and stablecoins are focused on infrastructure, Raagulan believes the biggest opportunity lies elsewhere: building products for end users. We discuss why he left Circle to launch Kast, a stablecoin-powered neobank serving customers in more than 150 countries, how stablecoins are changing global banking, and why traditional banks struggle to serve digital nomads, remote workers, and globally mobile individuals. Topics covered: • Why Raagulan left Circle to start Kast • The vision behind a stablecoin neobank • Can stablecoins compete with Revolut and traditional banks? • Banking for digital nomads and global citizens • Stablecoin adoption around the world • The future of stablecoin cards and payments • Why consolidation is coming to the stablecoin industry • The impact of MiCA and the GENIUS Act • Credit, wealth management, and tokenized assets • Where the next wave of fintech innovation will come from Raagulan also shares his perspective on the future of financial services, the biggest opportunities in stablecoins, and why owning the customer relationship matters more than building infrastructure. Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, regulators, and operators shaping the future of fintech, payments, banking, AI, and digital assets. _____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev
June 26 · 31 min
Why payments infrastructure is a moat, not a commodity - Myles Stephenson (CEO, Modulr)
I sat down with Myles Stephenson, CEO of Modulr, to talk through how the company evolved from powering early Revolut t to building a full-stack payments automation platform serving lenders, payroll providers, and travel companies. Modulr made a deliberate call two years ago to stop being a horizontal BaaS provider and go deep on specific verticals. They hold an EMI licence, settle at the Bank of England, and have direct scheme access and Myles argues that gives them everything they need without the overhead of a banking licence. The business model is flow, not storage, which means transaction revenue drives profitability, not interest margin. We get into: Why Modulr walked away from the embedded finance land grab to double down on payments automation How their EMI licence gives them everything they need (and why they don’t want a banking licence) The US expansion with FIS and what real-time payment adoption actually looks like across markets Why the US is behind on real-time payments and what it will actually take to change behaviour Commercial VRP and whether open banking can ever dent direct debit Stablecoins vs. tokenized deposits — and how a non-bank positions for both How Modulr built a compliance hub with Sardine and where AI fits into fraud and operations How Modulr reached profitability, and why the answer is flow, not interest margin What’s on the roadmap: ACH in the US, foreign currency, and commercial VRP as a collections layer Modulr’s bet is simple: own the infrastructure, stay focused on payments, and let the applications follow. Whether that thesis holds in the US is the real test.

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