The Past & Future of Fintech Regulation with Michele Alt
In this episode, Wharton FinTech’s Abhi Chadha sits down with Michele Alt, Co-Founder of The Klaros Group and former OCC regulator, to unpack the evolving relationship between fintechs and the U.S. banking system. Michele shares her insights from two decades at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and her current work helping non-banks pursue bank charters. They discuss the shifting regulatory climate across administrations - from the OCC’s early fintech charter attempts, to the Biden-era freeze, and now a renewed openness under Trump 2.0. Michele explains the nuances of charter types like industrial loan companies (ILCs) and national trust banks.
The conversation explores:
- The history and future of fintech chartering
- Differences among OCC, FDIC, and Fed oversight
- How U.S. fintech regulation compares to Europe and the U.K.
- Challenges foreign fintechs face when entering the U.S. market
- How Michele’s OCC experience helps startups navigate complex regulatory processes
Michele also shares her perspective on the cyclical nature of financial regulation - from deregulatory “sugar highs” to inevitable crackdowns - and offers advice for those eager to build a career in fintech regulation and compliance.
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Finster AI and the Future of Financial Workflows
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Jackson Ellis sits down with Sid Jayakumar, founder and CEO of FinsterAI. Sid shares his journey from a background in engineering to founding FinsterAI, a company redefining how financial professionals interact with data. The conversation dives into:
- The vision behind Finster: an intelligent platform that leverages AI to streamline financial analysis, automate research, and improve decision-making
- What differentiates Finster in a crowded AI and fintech landscape
- How Finster enhances workflows for analysts and investors
- The strategic challenges of scaling an AI-driven financial product
- How Finster navigates the evolving regulatory environment for AI in finance and what the future holds for intelligent financial systems
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Bridging the Gap Between FinTech Founders and the Credit Union Industry
In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Bobby Ma sits down with Brian Kaas, President and Managing Director of TruStage Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of TruStage.
Brian shares his experience founding TruStage Ventures and the work he and his team have done in the past decade bridging the gap between FinTech founders, credit unions, and the broader financial services industry culminating in $400 million in investments since 2016.
We discuss:
- The 140+ million member-strong credit union movement and services they provide to the community
- The partnership and value add TruStage Ventures brings in working with its FinTech investments
- Investment criteria and role the group plays in the broader TruStage organization
- Outlook on how stablecoins and other emerging technologies are poised to disrupt the financial services industry
- The success they have had investing in early-stage FinTechs through their Discovery Fund
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Flex & Maza's Robbie Figueroa - From Neobank to Solopreneur OS: Building Maza and Merging with Flex
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Djavaneh sits down with Robbie Figueroa, co-founder and former COO of Maza, now Chief Business Officer at Flex following Maza and Flex’s merger in late 2024.
Robbie shares how growing up in Queens with immigrant parents from Brazil and Ecuador inspired him to tackle financial exclusion. What started as a Spanish-first neobank for underbanked consumers evolved into a platform tailored to solopreneurs operating in the informal economy. From onboarding thousands of users to building ITIN application tools and automating entity formation, Maza met customers where they were, and grew alongside them.
We discuss:
How Maza identified and served Spanish-speaking solopreneurs
Why distribution often beats product innovation in fintech
The strategic fit between Maza and Flex and what’s next
Robbie also shares hard-won advice for early-stage founders and reflects on what it takes to build products that truly resonate with underserved users.
Whether you’re passionate about inclusive fintech, curious about startup pivots, or exploring founder-to-operator transitions, this episode is full of insight.
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Credit Karma Chief of Staff & VP Growth Ops, Ashwin Murthy - Trust & Personalizing Finance with AI
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi speaks with Ashwin Murthy, Chief of Staff and VP of Growth Operations and Strategy at Credit Karma, about how one of the most recognizable names in consumer fintech continues to evolve.
Ashwin shares his journey from investment banking and consulting to leading strategy at Credit Karma. He discusses the company’s expansion from free credit scores to taxes, savings, and more, and how data, trust, and personalization have been critical to that journey. The conversation also dives deep into GenAI’s role in financial decision-making, Credit Karma’s evolving partnership with Intuit, and the future of financial access.
Connecting you with the people, companies, and ideas revolutionizing global financial services. Our guests are the leading fintech founders, investors, and thinkers in the world.
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