Breaking Banks

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.

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.

In This Episode

Could up to 80% of existing credit cards be canceled or see credit reductions under the proposed 10% interest rate cap?

That’s the stark prediction from industry research and leading credit providers like JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon. Instead of helping consumers, the policy could trigger an evaporation of available credit, shrink access, and push borrowers toward less regulated alternatives.

In this episode of Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs connects with leading industry voices Ron Shevlin, Managing Director & Chief Research Officer of Cornerstone Advisors and author of Forbes‘ Fintech Snark Tank, and Rhett Roberts, Co-Founder and CEO of LoanPro.

As the trio discuss benefits, tradeoffs, and risks, they recognize that one size doesn’t always fit all, and explore where innovation might fill the gap: buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) models, bespoke lending products, and how stablecoins could be a market-based alternative to blunt the access problem, a way to lower costs without breaking the system. Could “loan-on-card” structures or embedded finance preserve convenience while reshaping risk? If credit migrates outside traditional card networks, are we undermining decades of consumer protection?

For anyone shaping the future of banking, fintech, consumer lending and credit, or just trying to better understand the benefits, potential tradeoffs, and risks of interest rate caps and stablecoins as a market-based alternative, this episode is essential listening. Credit has a very long history of teaching us that quick fixes often create new problems.

In This Episode

Just as mobile was once a separate vertical within banking, has digital transformation simply become part of everything we do?

In this week’s episode of Breaking Banks, hosts Jason Henrichs, Brett King, and JP Nicols debate this and more as they discuss the current state of banking, the impact of fintech, and the evolution of digital banking. They cover the challenges posed by legacy systems, the rise of digital-only banks, and the role of AI and stablecoins in shaping the future of finance. The top 50 fastest growing FIs in the world are all digital direct players, pure players.

Is AI going to be a vector in the growth of banks? Will AI change how banks are structured?

Is it time to rewrite the rules? Think about things differently? Reimagine what the future of financial services looks like?

Brett, JP and Jason look forward to another year of exploring the future of banking and financial services together.

Reach out, send us your thoughts and any topics you’d like to see us address in a future episode of Breaking Banks.

In This Episode

This week on Breaking Banks, we spotlight our sister podcast, The Bankers’ Bookshelf, hosted by Paolo Sironi.

In this episode, Paolo sits down with frequent Breaking Banks guest Leda Glyptis to discuss her book, “Beyond Resilience: Patterns of Success in Fintech and Digital Transformation”. Drawing from candid interviews with leading entrepreneurs, Leda moves past the typical success stories to uncover the raw realities of building groundbreaking ventures. She offers an honest exploration of digital transformation, including the lessons learned, inevitable mistakes, course-corrections, and the personal and professional growth required to lead through the messiness of digital change.

Leading fintech transformation demands more than sheer resilience: it’s about wielding control amid chaos, maintaining consistency and integrity, and standing firm, whether solo or with a team.

This conversation is essential for anyone navigating the complexities of fintech transformation. Listen now!