Podcasts

James Reuter, the CEO and President of $26.7 billion-asset FirstBank in Lakewood, Co., believes bankers had better wake up to the debate over a U.S. central bank digital currency before it’s too late. He argues that the Fed is almost certain to act, but how it does so could determine the fate of banking.

Buy-Now-Pay-Later has seen explosive growth during the past year, with a new deal announced seemingly every day. What’s behind BNPL’s rapid rise, why are there concerns about it, and is it the next bubble about to burst? Yizhu Wang, the senior fintech reporter at S&P Global Market Intelligence, answers all that and more.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration called for a law that requires banks to report aggregate information to the IRS on inflows and outflows to accounts. But banks have been fiercely fighting back against the plan. Ian Katz, a bank policy analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, offers his views on who is likely to win this political battle, as well as what may happen to the nominee to lead the OCC and whether the White House will renominate Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Jo Ann Barefoot, a former regulator and now CEO of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, discusses her efforts to help banking regulators contend with the rapid tech evolution in the financial services sector. She discusses why she’s optimistic that tech can help banks and their supervisors better manage risks, assist the underbanked, and combat long-term challenges like climate change.

Wade Arnold, founder and CEO of Moov Financial, talks about how his startup is tackling one of the fundamental parts of banking - making it easier for businesses to accept, store and disburse money. He also discusses the massive changes under way in the payment system, including the impact of real-time transactions and the rise of cryptocurrency, as well as how the pace of innovation is accelerating.

Greg Becker, CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, talks about his bank’s strategy, including its recent expansion of its capital markets business and M&A business, and where it’s going next. He also assesses the competitive landscape between banks and fintechs and reveals his greatest source of optimism - and concern - for the banking industry right now.

Nima Ghamsari, the founder and head of Blend, talks about his journey as an entrepreneur, from his early days selling items on eBay to founding a fintech in 2012. Since its inception, Blend has moved from helping banks and fintechs with digitizing the mortgage process into what he calls “proactive finance,” including helping financial institutions to digitize personal, auto and other types of loans.

There’s been a lot of chatter about regulatory concerns on stablecoins, as well as the potential the Fed might offer its own central bank digital currency. David Andolfatto, a senior vice president in the research division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, goes through the basics on stablecoins and CBDCs.

Begun in 2017 with the promise of a better approach to overdraft fees, fintech “Dave” has seen tremendous growth, including more than 10 million customers. CEO Jason Wilk talks about why Dave started by targeting overdraft, how he sees the policy debate over the controversial fees - and his ambitious plans for what’s next.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu talks about how his federal regulatory work during the 2008 financial crisis is informing his approach to new risks, including the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and buy-now-pay-later services.

Rohit Chopra is expected to be confirmed soon as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What kind of a leader is he likely to be, and what financial activities will he target first? Kate Berry, who covers the CFPB for American Banker, breaks down how the new director will guide the agency.

Yolande Piazza, the vice president of financial services at Google Cloud, talks about why Google has no interest in being a bank, but instead wants to partner with them. She discusses the momentum behind Google Cloud, where the industry is going next, and the difference between Big Tech and big banks.

Simran Kang, cofounder and CEO of MyFO-Tech, a fintech focused on helping consumers manage their wealth, talks about her experience in creating a fintech, the challenges she faced and the vision for her company. She also discusses what it’s like as a woman entrepreneur, offering a candid view of an industry still widely seen as male-dominated.

With housing prices at all-time highs, the auto market overheating and policymakers worrying about inflation, there are plenty of concerns about the state of the economy. Sayee Srinivasan, the new chief economist of the American Bankers Association, talks through the latest data and whether banks and consumers need to be worried.

The banking industry is sitting on a record amount of deposits, but as post-pandemic life takes shape, many are arguing banks should be focused on retaining and attracting even more traditional, core deposits. Jeff Marsico, banking consultant, blogger and president of the Kafafian Group, makes the contrarian case for why building deposits makes sense in an era of high liquidity.

Sam Sidhu, incoming CEO of Customers Bancorp., explains his bank’s hybrid strategy of partnering with fintechs while also retaining a robust retail presence. Sidhu provides insights into the bank’s recent growth, its forays into block-chain based payments and AI-lending, and plans for the future.

Garry Reeder, the CEO of the newly formed American Fintech Council, discusses the big questions confronting members including the impact of a possible repeal of the OCC’s true lender rule, whether fintechs should have their own charter and if they should be subject to the Community Reinvestment Act.

Bill Briggs, a top official at the Small Business Administration during the creation and administration of the Payment Protection Program, talks about its impact, legacy and how banks and businesses can build on its momentum.

Kris Pease, chief financial officer of Cross River Bank, talks about the community bank’s unique B2B strategy, working with fintech – and fellow bank – partnerships to establish a nationwide footprint. The bank has seen tremendous growth with its plan, increasing its asset size by nearly five times to almost $10 billion by the end of last year.

The Senate voted last week to overturn the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s “true lender” rule establishing how and when national banks are considered the lender when a loan is sold. Hannah Lang and Brendan Pedersen, two reporters for American Banker, discuss the rule’s expected repeal and what it means for banks.