Fintech Takes

Welcome back What Customers Want, a limited 4-part series from the Fintech Takes podcast, hosted by me and Corey Besaw, President of APAC and co-founder of Ubiquity. In Episode 3, Corey and I are joined by Ahon Sarkar, SVP & GM at Helix, to dive into the natural tension points between fintechs, banks, and those ever-evolving customer expectations.  Financial services are leaning hard on self-service automation, but fintech moves at lightning speed—constantly innovating to craft the perfect solution. So, what happens when customer expectations and fintech's rapid pace don’t quite sync up? Highlights include: * When fintechs, banks, and platforms first come together, discussions around customer service can be a mixed bag. Banks want to know if the fintech understands support systems or if they’re building from scratch. How do you scale a lean team while delivering an exceptional experience? * Choosing a sponsor bank is like setting the stage for long term success. Alignment is key. Do they have experience managing the complexities of third-party models like BaaS? Can they handle the risks that come with fintech partnerships? * As fintechs scale, banks must strike a balance between fostering innovation and keeping control. It's a bit like managing a kid on a trampoline—gradually handing over trust while ensuring the right safeguards are in place (or so we’d hope!). * As Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) matures, customer service is becoming a competitive edge—but only if fintechs and banks can align on expectations and regulatory standards. What happens when customer support or fraud spirals out of control? * In the tug-of-war between innovation and regulation, tune in to hear how these growing pains may create a brighter future for customer experience in financial services. And don’t forget to subscribe and catch more insights on what customers want in upcoming episodes. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ [https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/] And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videosYouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos]. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videoshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson] Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnsonhttps://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson [https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson] Follow Corey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/] Follow Ahon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahonsarkar/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahonsarkar/] Learn more about Ubiquity here: https://www.ubiquity.com/ [https://www.ubiquity.com/]

Alex teams up with Jason Mikula, now Head of Industry Strategy for Banking & Fintech at Taktile (ooh la la!) to unpack the latest in fintech. The FDIC has proposed a new rule on custodial deposits—the "Synapse Rule." It requires banks to meticulously track custodial account owners and transactions, aiming for crisis prevention, but does it truly plug the gaps exposed by past failures? Will regulators enforce compliance if the rule passes, especially given Evolve's shaky history? As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) nears finalizing a personal financial data rights rule, the industry braces for a shift from screen scraping to APIs. But can we trust the big banks to play fair? Plus, don’t miss the latest installment in the Visa antitrust suit, and don’t be fooled: this isn’t just a Visa problem. It turns out notions of good vs. evil in the payments space aren't all that black and white. And to top it off? A rant about the CFPB's consent order against TD Bank, a perfect example of “how not to” furnish credit. Plus, a friendly headline tip for Forbes from Alex! What could it be?  Tune in to find out. Raising the standard of quality for embedded finance infrastructure, Newline™ by Fifth Third is an API platform that enables enterprises to launch and scale payment, card and deposit products directly with Fifth Third Bank.   Learn more at newline53.com [http://www.newline53.com/?cid=oth:pod:ao:comm:newline:workweek] 00:03:14 - FDIC’s New “Synapse” Rule 00:09:04 - Compliance Conundrums  00:22:13 - Open Banking in the End Zone 00:39:32 - The Visa Antitrust Suit: A “3?-Minute Overview” 00:45:59 - Can’t Let It Go Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ [https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/]  And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos].   Follow Jason: Newsletter: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/ [https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmikula/]   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson] Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson [https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson]

Welcome to What Customers Want, a limited 4-part series from the Fintech Takes podcast, hosted by me and Corey Besaw, President of APAC and co-founder of Ubiquity. In Episode 2, Corey and I venture back into fintech's overlooked frontier–customer service–as we sit down with Chime’s first full-time fraud manager, Marcus Vinson. Join us behind the scenes to discover how, as an early-stage fintech, Chime navigated explosive growth while prioritizing a customer-first approach. Highlights include: * When Marcus joined Chime as their first FT fraud manager in 2017, customer support was a blend of outsourced and in-house. Fast forward 3-4 years, and their customer base grew by nearly 4,000% or more. What happens when your support system is suddenly under that kind of pressure? * The delicate balancing act between in-house teams and outsourced partners (and how BPO partnerships are crucial for scalability). How can fintechs leverage both as they scale without sacrificing quality, consistency, and their strategic partnerships? * The importance of investing early in data-driven fraud detection (and aligning proactively with bank sponsors from the get-go). With first-party fraud on the rise, staying ahead of fraud prevention is all about scaling, standardizing, and automating processes. * Discover the power of building structured systems amid constant change. What metrics should fintechs focus on to define success as they grow? Tune in as we unpack these big questions and more, exploring how fintechs can scale their customer support without losing the human touch. And don’t forget to subscribe and catch more insights on what customers want in upcoming episodes. Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ [https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/] And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos]. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson] Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson [https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson] Follow Corey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/] Learn more about Ubiquity here: https://www.ubiquity.com/ [https://www.ubiquity.com/]

Welcome to a special edition of the Fintech Takes podcast. I'm Alex Johnson, here with Colton Pond, Chief Marketing Officer at LoanPro. We’re recording live from the Salt Flats outside of Salt Lake City during LoanPro's customer advisory board meeting. I’m excited to dive into one of my favorite topics—loan servicing—and co-interview a few attendees with Colton. In this episode, we’ll consider what happens after a customer says “yes.” First up, we speak to Jeff Yim, CFO at Borrowell, one of Canada’s largest fintechs, helping 3.5M members navigate credit. In a landscape shaped by rising mortgage rates, Jeff speaks to how stellar onboarding and customer service are essential for a competitive edge. Next, we chat with Jared Jones from Moov, a payment platform that’s evolved into both an acquiring and issuing processor. As ACH payments decline, they offer competitive fixed interchange rates for debt repayment, focusing on user-first innovations. Then Nick Pesce from Happy Money, dedicated to unsecured personal loans in partnership with credit unions, shares how they’re scaling to meet demand for flexible loans, leveraging personalized approaches and credit union partnerships as credit card debt hits record highs. That’s followed by Kamal Rajan and Anthony Navarro, who are building business banking at Golden 1 Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the U.S. They reveal how they’re overcoming legacy challenges as they prep to launch ten new products. Raising the standard of quality for embedded finance infrastructure, Newline™ by Fifth Third is an API platform that enables enterprises to launch and scale payment, card and deposit products directly with Fifth Third Bank.   Learn more at newline53.com [http://www.newline53.com/?cid=oth:pod:ao:comm:newline:workweek] 00:10:34 - Jeff Yim, Borrowell 00:24:42 - Jared Jones, Moov 00:41:43 - Nick Pesce, Happy Money 01:00:00 - Kamal Rajan and Anthony Navarro, Golden 1 Credit Union 01:15:54 - Greg [undisclosed] Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ [https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/] And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos]. Follow Colton Pond: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/colton-pond-469b11ba/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/colton-pond-469b11ba/]   Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson] Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson [https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson] Companies featured: https://www.loanpro.io/ [https://www.loanpro.io/] https://borrowell.com/ [https://borrowell.com/] https://moov.io/ [https://moov.io/] https://www.golden1.com/ [https://www.golden1.com/]

Welcome to What Customers Want, a limited series from the Fintech Takes podcast, hosted by yours truly. In this 4-part series, I’ll be cracking open one of fintech’s most puzzling topics: customer service. And I’ll be joined by Corey Besaw, President of APAC and one of the founders of Ubiquity, a company that knows a thing or two about scaling up a customer service operation.  While fintechs are famously customer-obsessed —- from early paycheck access to compliance emails so spectacular they can move regulators —- that obsession hasn’t always extended to customer service. Fintechs love to "engineer around" customer service, but as they compete more directly with banks, this will shift. FAQs and chatbots can’t solve everything. Sometimes, people need to talk about their money, and that builds trust.  So, what’s the sweet spot between automation and human touch for fintechs? This series dives into what works and what doesn’t.  Over the next four episodes, we’ll explore customer service challenges, from BaaS and Reg E to generative AI, all while keeping in mind the human side of money. In this episode, episode 1, Alex and Corey explore how fintechs and traditional banks approach customer service and what customers actually want when they pick up their phone and try to solve a problem. Highlights include: * The hidden costs of customer service and why "cost per contact" metrics can be misleading. * The challenges fintechs face as they scale—managing fragmented tech stacks and organizational silos. * How fintechs can differentiate by embracing human connection, using tools like generative AI to enhance (not replace) service. Is tech convenience enough, or is the reassuring voice of a real person still king? Tune in to find out. And don’t forget to subscribe and catch more insights on what customers want in upcoming episodes! Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ [https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/] And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos]. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson] Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson [https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson] Follow Corey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/] Learn more about Ubiquity here: https://www.ubiquity.com/ [https://www.ubiquity.com/]