Today’s special episode of Breaking Banks comes to you live from Fintech House @SXSW. Listen as guest host Dara Tarkowski, Managing Partner, Actuate Law and host of Breaking Banks’ sister podcast Tech on Reg speaks with Mike Bechtel, Chief Futurist at Deloitte Consulting and David Reiling, Chairman and CEO, Sunrise Banks; Author, Fintech for Good; and host of Provoke.fm‘s NextGen Banker. These are wild times, it helps to have a futurist with a background in anthropology to put things in perspective. Where are the opportunities in evolving technology, what’s hype and nonsense? At times we are so busy wondering if we can do something, that we don’t always think if we should. Intentionality and mindfulness are good things, and mild chaos is where opportunity lies, where niches and new angles can be discovered.

In 2013 there were 2.7 billion unbanked people in the world. Today the number stands at 1.3 billion. Huge strides have been made in the last decade vs. the last hundred years. Listen as Brett King connects with Kosta Peric, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the second half of the show. It’s important for everyone to be part of the economy — an economy that includes everyone benefits everyone. Listen as they discuss global advances in banking and payments, digital public infrastructure, and the importance of mobile wallets and identity. Game changing innovation at work!

We start this week’s show with a PSA for those unable to make it to Austin and SXSW.  You need only listen to host Jason Henrich’s recap to feel the energy and understand the value of looking at fintech through a different lens, the chance to discover burgeoning tech startups, and rethink opportunities for financial services.

In our second half, host Amber Buker connects with top leadership from First Federal Bank, Matt Deines, CEO and Christopher Riffle, COO/CDO, for a compelling interview about First Fed Bank’s wild ride since converting from a thrift in 2015. The PNW bank has undergone big transitions over the last several years, from a leadership change and brand refresh to developing new lines of business and a unique joint venture with Quin, a digital wellness platform that offers benefits like “lifestyle protection.” Study the bank’s culture and DNA for take-aways and ideas that banks, and anyone, needing to pull off big transitions should consider.

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