PayPod: The Payments and Fintech Podcast

What do successful tech startup founders all have in common? How do you develop the next great fintech product, get funding, and grow a successful business? Shawn Livermore, entrepreneur and author of Average Joe: Be the Silicon Valley Tech Genius joins the show to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

The need for a secure, simple way to complete online legal agreements is growing. Whether it's for eCommerce businesses selling product terms, merchant services agreements, or something else entirely, old eSignatures may not cut it anymore. Eric Prugh of PactSafe joins the show to cover the new Clickwrap technology and its payments applications. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Replay of Webinar where Scott Hawksworth of Soar Payments joined Jarrod Wright of Chargebacks911 to discuss Alternative Payment Methods from a merchant services perspective. Learn the what, why, and how of payment methods like eCheck, Cryptocurrency, Digital Wallets, ACH, and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Kory Hoang and David Zhang, cofounders of the blockchain technology business Stably, creators of the StableUSD token, join the show. Discussion covers the potential cryptocurrency and stablecoins, have to help the more than 1.7 billion people unbanked around the world. Our first ever repeat guests! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Managing a merchant portfolio isn't easy, and can eat up a significant amount of overhead. Fortunately technology, and SaaS solutions specifically, can provide ISOs and banks with a leg up. Kevin Smith, a payments industry expert joins the show to discuss Pioneer, a SaaS platform he built for merchant services organizations and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Accepting cryptocurrency payments (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum) is easier than many merchants think. Our guest is Bill Zielke, CMO of BitPay, the world's first and most experienced platform for bitcoin payments. Bill breaks down the how and why of crypto payments, while sharing the BitPay story. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Whether you're starting or working for a payments/fintech business, embracing an entrepreneurial mindset can be key to success. Beyond that, having a handle on personal finance, including leveraging technology, will help you navigate the ups and downs of a career and business ventures. Henry Daas, serial entrepreneur, founder of daasKnowledge, and author of FQ: Financial Intelligence, joins the show to offer up insight from decades of experience. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Fintech innovation has made this perhaps the best time in history when it comes to accessing capital. For eCommerce businesses, rapid access to financing can help fuel growth like never before. Aidan Corbett, co-founder of Wayflyer, a company leading the innovation charge in eCommerce financing joins the show to explore. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Sales is crucial to growth for merchant service businesses and fintechs. Technology and effective sales strategy can make a huge difference. Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, a software solution helping salespeople be more effective joins to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Teaching children about finance and actively managing their money isn't an easy task. Fortunately, there's now an app that can help parents with this. Benny Nachman of Jassby joins us to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

As cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin continue to grow, as have the trading platforms that allow individuals and businesses to buy and sell them. Daniel Gunsberg, founder of Hxro, a gamified crypto trading, joins the show to explore. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Recurring revenue derived from subscription-based products and services offers wide appeal to entrepreneurs and organizations in many industries. However, there are tech, ops, and payments challenges to overcome. Nick Fredrick, President of Rebar Technology Solutions LLC joins to discuss the keys to success in subscription-based businesses. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Whether you're running a business in payments, or a fintech-related business, you may come across APIs. Dov Marmor, COO of Railsbank North America joins the show to discuss why they're so powerful, Credit Cards as a Service, and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the eCommerce world, and subsequently the payments industry that serves online merchants. James Booth, VP Head of Partnerships at PPRO joins the show to discuss a recent whitepaper PPRO put together on the subject, and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Paul Birkett, CEO of Automation Finance, a company which offers growth opportunities for investors while helping homeowners navigate distressed mortgages, joins the show. Discussion centers around technology applications to finance, and real estate investment. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

There are many financial applications for machine learning-based technologies. On this episode, Toby Russell, Co-CEO of Shift to discuss how his company is using the technology to transform the way people buy and sell cars. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Technology, and specifically AI, continue to revolutionize many areas in the financial world. Forex trading and investing is no exception. Our guest is Anthony Munns, Head of Digital at 8topuz, a fintech that has developed FX investing software to help their customers earn better returns. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

The landscape for eCommerce SMEs needing capital is constantly changing, as is the online lending industry that serves many of them. Keith Smith, co-founder of Payability, an American FinTech company that provides finance solutions to suppliers of digital marketplaces. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Financial education is crucial for anyone... especially women who have traditionally been less exposed to it. Anastasia Soloveva, founder of Athena, a company leveraging technology to teach women how to take control of their finances, joins the show to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Biometric technology offers many solutions to challenges banks, payments businesses, and fintechs face. On this episode, Hua Yang, co-founder of Redrock Biometrics, joins the show to discuss a new identification/authentication technology that utilizes palm prints. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Keeping data secure is crucial (and often costly) for any organization in payments and fintech. New data security solutions provide intriguing options in many verticals. Mahmoud Abdelkader, co-founder of Very Good Security joins the show to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

William Rhind, founder of GraniteShares, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) joins the show to cover fintech from an investor and market perspective. Discover what companies are getting involved in the fintech space, how Covid-19 has impacted and will continue to impact markets for fintechs, and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Learn how technology is helping many fintechs, banks, and payments companies tackle compliance and regulatory challenges. Shubhradeep (Shub) Nandi, Co-Founder of PiChain, a RegTech with the mission to make compliance sustainable. They research and develop DeepTech systems that can proactively learn, solve and automate complex compliance problems for financial institutions. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

How can bitcoin adoption flourish in the payments world, and in commerce? Alex Adelman, Co-founder Lolli, a bitcoin rewards company, joins us to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

These days, merchants expect more from their payments providers. With digital options booming, the merchant experience in that realm is crucial. Nicky Koopman, SVP of AEVI joins to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Whether you're an entrepreneur, working professional in payments (or fintech), or just successful with investing in crypto... protecting assets and having access to liquid cash is crucial. Sarry Ibrahim, a Bank On Yourself sales rep, shares how to do it. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Learn about the detection and prevention of cybercrime, as well as how it relates to cryptocurrencies. Expert guests are Patrick Westerhaus, CEO of Cyber Team Six and Luke Wilson, VP of Intelligence for 4iQ. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Whether a fintech or payments business is new brand, or a massive established player, the approach to communications matters. Binna Kim and Ishviene Arora of the financial communications agency Vested, join the show to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Startups have many options when it comes to payments... but which are the best options and why? Cynthia Del'Aria, CEO of Raika Technologies, joins to share her perspective after working in and consulting with many startups. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

We discuss the challenges SMBs face, and global B2B payments in these times of economic uncertainty due to Covid 19 with the help of Marwan Forzley of Veem, a next generation platform for business-to-business payments. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Sending cryptocurrency between countries and transferring it into fiat currency is crucial for many businesses. Digital Asset Management Ltd is a fintech startup helping facilitate this for their clients. CEO Sam Buxton joins the show to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

What can education - particularly fintech education - do for your career? Dr. Theodore H. K. Clark, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management Department (ISOM) of the Hong Kong University of Science Technology (HKUST) joins to discuss. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

During times of economic uncertainty, more individuals struggle with debt and potential bankruptcy. Fortunately, there are alternative solutions powered by fintech. Travis Siflinger of FluxCredit helps us explore them. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Whether you're in the world of payments as an ISO or merchant services provider, or you're running a technology business (such as a SaaS (software as a service) business)….. Integrated payments can be the key to tremendous growth. But what does integrated payments really mean, and HOW can it be leveraged in such a way? Helping explore this is our guest Christopher Connor, Chief Client Officer for Payrix, a leader in FinTech payments technology for software platforms and digital marketplaces. Chris has experienced all sides of the relationship that exists between payment providers and partners, creating a unique perspective on payment implementation and monetization. Listen in for his insight! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Any payments or fintech business that can help merchants grow in times of economic uncertainty will be in a great position to experience growth themselves. On this episode, Brad Paterson, CEO of SplitIt, joins the show to share his perspective on how innovative payments solutions can be key growth drivers. SplitIt is a global payment technology solution that enables no-fee installments on credit card purchases. The company is revolutionizing the way people pay and merchants accept payments leveraging technology which allows consumers to pay in installments using the credit they already have, giving them complete control of their cash flow. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

What problems can biometrically verified digital identification solve for businesses and consumers? Alastair Johnson, founder of Nuggets, joins the show to discuss this and more. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Digital commerce was growing long before Covid-19... now it's accelerating even more. Bart Mroz, CEO of SUMO Heavy Industries joins us to explore where it's all headed. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

The full impact of Covid-19 and related shutdowns on business and the finance industry has yet to be realized. However, two finance industry areas that are being impacted in a significant way are P2P Lending, and banking. On this episode we turn our attention again to Europe as we explore the impact across a number of countries and industries. Our expert guest helping break it all down is Alison Harwood, head of the London Branch at Varengold Bank. Alison is an alternative finance professional, who specializes in alternative lending and structured credit solutions in the FinTech sector. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Have you ever sent money to someone abroad? Or have you ever worked in a company that had contractors located abroad needing to be paid? Was the transfer fast and inexpensive, or was it clunky and pricey? In an increasingly interconnected world, International money transfer has a crucial role to play. On this episode, we explore the ins and outs of it all with help from our guest, Nick Lembo. Nick is Head of Americas Growth at TransferWise, which provides online money transfer services for people located all over the globe. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Many people are simply overwhelmed with the prospect of investing... Some don't have the time or knowledge to choose what to buy/sell, while others are stuck spending exorbitant fees to barely keep pace with the market. Could technology offer an educational solution and make traditional financial advisors obsolete? On this episode, we cover the keys to investing using online tools with the help of our guest Bhanu Laul. Bhanu is the Co-Founder of iMarche, a Canadian Startup aiming to be Canada's first ever online investment advisory and aggregator platform. They also boast a Financial Education arm called iMarche Learn where they teach basic finance to our audience in the simplest way. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Preventing account takeover and new account fraud is one of the biggest challenges the banking world faces today. Fortunately, there are great organizations out there helping banks and others win the battle. On this episode, we explore this with the help of Adam Elliott, President and Founder of ID Insight. Adam has more than 20 years of experience creating solutions for the financial services and direct marketing industries. Prior to launching ID Insight, he was the President of ChexSystems, Inc., a subsidiary of FIS, the recognized leader in providing risk and fraud solutions for the retail banking industry. He managed the analytics function, product management and channel strategy functions, and is credited with leading the next generation of product solutions, resulting in double digit growth for this mature $100-million business. Listen in for his unique window into the world of banking fraud prevention! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

One area of the world that does not get nearly enough business and finance attention is Africa. With many nations and millions of people, it's an area with tremendous untapped potential, particularly in the worlds of payments and fintech. Joining us on the show to explore this is someone who is very familiar with the business side of Africa, Marek Zmyslowski. Marek is a Polish-born entrepreneur and executive, focused on online businesses in Frontier and Emerging Markets. He co-founded Jumia Travel – Africa's Biggest Hotel Booking Portal listed on NYSE as part of Jumia Group, and HotelOnline.co – a Travel Technology Company. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Ten Most Important People in Tech by IT News Africa Magazine. He's recently published a book entitled Chasing Black Unicorns: How building the Amazon of Africa put me on Interpol's Most Wanted list, a fascinating tell-all about his triumphs and challenges in business abroad. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

What if there was a vehicle to help investors save money on their tax bills, help entrepreneurs attract more investors, AND incentivize economic development in areas that need it most? What if the next great fintech could be a better investment opportunity than anyone could imagine? This is where Opportunity Zones come in. Helping break all of this down is our guest, Jimmy Atkinson. Jimmy is the founder and host of the Opportunity Zones Podcast, a show which features discussions with thought leaders across business, financial, and even government sectors relating to the topic. Jimmy is also founder of the Opportunity Zones Database, and most recently co-founder of OZ Pros, a business that helps folks navigate the Opportunity Zone Fund and Business creation process. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

At this episode's release, Coronavirus-related shutdowns and stay-at-home orders are still in full effect all over the world. Even with some places opening up slowly, the impact of Covid-19 on business and finance will be wide reaching. This impact will differ slightly based on location, and this episode is all about Europe. Our guest is Vladimir Atanassov, the Sales and Alliances Manager for Scalefocus. Scalefocus is a European IT solutions delivery center with expertise in telco, banking, finance, insurance, healthcare, logistics government, and education. Vladi has 18 years of experience in the IT industry including Financial Services, Banks, Microfinance, OEM, Distribution and Consumer channels so he's truly plugged into these industries in Europe. Listen in as he breaks the post-Covid-19 state of finance, banking, and tech in Europe down. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Covid-19, or the novel coronavirus, has resulted in a pandemic that has reached across the globe. Both the virus and the response to it has impacted individuals, businesses and countries in unprecedented ways... the worlds of payments and fintech are no exception. In times of general societal and economic upheaval, payments fraud can spike. This can affect organizations, particularly financial institutions, in significant ways. Fortunately tools like AI technology can offer solutions which can protect both consumers and businesses. Helping us explore AI technology and how it can combat payments fraud is our guest this week, Daniel Faggella. Daniel is the head of Research and CEO of Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research. Emerj helps those in banking, finance, and government navigate AI by cutting through the artificial intelligence hype, leveraging proven best-practices, and making data-backed decisions about mission-critical priorities. Listen in as Dan breaks it all down! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

It's no secret that the finance and tech industries have traditionally been male dominated. Fortunately, more women are joining fintech or payments companies every day… with some of them steeping into crucial leadership roles. On this podcast, we celebrate women in our industry and cover some of the crucial topics relevant to them and the industries at large. Joining us to offer much needed perspective and insight is Gabrielle Burke. Gabrielle has built a successful career in finance, and is currently a Senior Account Executive at Finastra. Listen in! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

There's little doubt that the legal cannabis industry is here to stay, and will continue to grow as more states (and someday even the federal government) will push for legalization (both medicinal and recreational). Yet the financial side, from banking to commerce, will continue to be a challenge for dispensaries and other legal cannabis businesses must navigate. Fortunately there are great fintechs working to solve these issues and carve a path forward through technology and transparency. Our guest today is Thomas Gavin IV, CEO of CannaTrac® Technology Inc., a company working to do just that. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

When it comes to the payments industry, security and compliance (specifically PCI compliance) are crucial topics to understand. Why is security and compliance so important? What are the consequences for not getting it right? What does PCI compliance even mean? To answer these critical questions and more, we were joined by Mark Kelly, who is the COO at Key IVR. Key IVR offers automated payment services in the UK and internationally through Europe and into the United States. Furthermore, they offer affordable, secure payment solutions to help you achieve PCI Compliance - including Automated IVR, Call Center Payments and Outbound SMS & Voice. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

When you walk up to a counter in a retail store, restaurant, or other brick-and-mortar business, you are likely to notice their POS system. Hardware still matters to many merchants and can have a huge impact on a business' bottom line. Our show this week is all about POS system hardware, and the finer points of sales (no pun intended). Our guest is Michael Flores who is the Channel Partner Manager at Star Micronics. Star Micronics is a leading manufacturer in the global POS industry, provides solutions for printers, cash drawers, and proof of transaction for any POS application. Listen in to get the scoop on all things Point of Sale. Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

There's no question that fintech has revolutionized the world, and continues to do so each and every day… But what's the real history of this revolution? Who are some of the most influential individuals behind the scenes? The show this week is all about this revolution. Helping us explore it is our guest, Daniel P. Simon, CEO of Vested, a global financial communications firm. In his forthcoming book, The Money Hackers: How A Group Of Misfits Took On Wallstreet and Changed Finance Forever, Dan reveals the dramatic story of fintech's major players and explores how fintech is transforming money itself. Listen in to discover where fintech has come from, and where it might be headed! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/