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!

In Episode 444, we feature a segment on what makes Australia a great environment for fintech innovators. Our series continues with this episode’s focus on payments.

First, Brett connects with Paul Byrne, CEO of Zai, a paytech company boldly transforming the future of financial services, powering mid-market and enterprise level business customers, and automating payment workflow so executives can focus on running their businesses. Then Brett speaks with Damian Kassabgi, Head of International Public Policy at Block, parent company of Afterpay, a phenomenal Australian success story. Damian’s business acumen and strong grasp of public policy offer a valuable combination that makes for an insightful conversation.

Finally, Brett connects with Henri Arslanian at Consensus 2022 to discuss Henri’s latest book, The Book of Crypto: The Complete Guide to Understanding Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Spotify | Blubrry |