Provoke Media

30/08/2025

“It’s not just about price—it’s about trust.”

In this moment from THE BANKERS BOOKSHELF, Kevin Govender explains why the sharing economy works: not because it’s cheap, but because it’s designed for emotional and psychological safety.

When platforms like Uber or Airbnb thrive, it’s because they help users overcome fear, reduce friction, and build confidence through design.

➡️ It’s the rating systems, visibility, and experience standards—not just the price—that unlock growth.

If you’re building platforms, products, or fintech solutions, this is your reminder: affordability opens the door, but trust is what keeps people coming back.

🎧 Full episode: The Rise of the Sharing Economy with Kevin Govender
🔗 https://bit.ly/3J1DW7t

24/08/2025

Does Dodd-Frank just suck or are we missing the point?

We've been thinking about this all week on Breaking Banks.

In this take, Dara Tarkowski points out how some small or fast-growing companies didn’t meet the supervision line, which meant no one was checking on them. The only time regulators acted? After something broke.

Now you've got a system where problems aren't prevented, they're punished after the fact.

That’s why the last 15 years have felt like regulation by reaction.



Link to episode: https://bit.ly/4lTG7bA

23/08/2025

15 years after Dodd-Frank, are we any safer? Or was it all just regulatory theater?

In this episode of Breaking Banks, our fintech experts explore whether the landmark post-crisis regulation actually fixed the problems it was meant to solve.

The conversation dives into the core issues that still plague financial oversight, especially as fintech, embedded finance, and crypto accelerate far beyond the original scope of Dodd-Frank.

Featuring: Dara Tarkowski, Jason Henrichs, Alex Johnson, and Kiah Lau Haslett

👉 Watch or listen to the full episode: https://bit.ly/4lTG7bA

17/08/2025

What if credit scores had nothing to do with your credit score?

Michelle Young of Plaid and Ashley Knight of Experian explain how real time cash flow data gives lenders a living snapshot of a borrower’s ability to repay: not a static score based on outdated assumptions.

As innovation in fintech continues to accelerate, from credit builder tools to BNPL models, traditional systems are struggling to keep up. But real time data not only keeps pace, it helps institutions better understand evolving financial behavior.

16/08/2025

What if your teen could learn smart money habits before ever facing their first paycheck?

In the latest episode of Social Currency, we sit down with Madhu Yalamarthi, CEO and Co-Founder of Modak, to explore how families can teach kids financial literacy through gamification and real-world tools like debit cards and paycheck simulations.

Madhu’s story of going from a small farming village in India to Stanford and Silicon Valley VC, is just as inspiring as his mission: to create a future where financial empowerment is accessible to every teen, not just the privileged few.

Topics we cover:

-->Why financial literacy is really about empowerment

-->How Modak mimics “real life” financial experiences for teens

-->Why mission alignment is the key to business partnerships

-->The surprising link between gamification and financial wellness

🎙 Listen now to “Gamifying Financial Literacy: Preparing the Next Generation for Financial Wellness with Modak.”

👉 https://bit.ly/4fbemZL

In this episode of Social Currency, hosts Tyler Seydel and Eric Schurr speak with Madhu Yalamarthi co-founder and CEO of Modak — a fintech platform empowering families to teach financial literacy through gamification. Madhu shares how Modak is helping teens build smart money habits using real-worl...

10/08/2025

Would you give up more of your financial data for a better loan? Most consumers would.

Michelle Young of Plaid and Ashley Knight of Experian give us the truth behind consumer data sharing: people are not reluctant, they are selective. According to internal research, over 70% are willing to share financial data if they see a clear and personal benefit.

This is not just about consent, it’s about clarity. In a world where traditional credit scores are failing to reflect actual risk, consumers are demanding systems that understand them better.

Watch the full conversation with host Brett King to see how this shift is changing the future of lending.

02/08/2025

One morning, you wake up and notice thousands of dollars missing from your business. And you do nothing about it.

That’s the situation banks are in right now. In this revealing clip from the latest episode of Breaking Banks, Barb MacLean breaks down how challenger platforms like Ramp are actively siphoning both spend and relationships from banks in plain sight. It’s right there on the statements. But without the right data systems or curiosity, banks are blind to the threat.

While Ramp expands into personal banking, banks stay stuck, unable to track what's leaving their walls or why. As 📈JP Nicols puts it, the issue is not just technology, it’s mindset. If you are not watching your customers' behavior closely, someone else is.

29/06/2025

The biggest threat to banks is not startups, it's the tech giants already in your customer's wallet.

The existential threat that banks are facing isn't coming from scrappy fintech startups but from dominant platforms like Stripe, PayPal, SoFi, and Amazon.

While most legacy players still underestimate embedded payments and platform banking, innovative banks are sounding the alarm. They know the threat is real and that sitting on the sidelines could be catastrophic.

This episode of Breaking Banks, featuring our A-List lineup of Brett King, Jason Henrichs, 📈JP Nicols, Theodora Lau, and Greg Palmer, unpacks what banks must do now to stay relevant and competitive in the new financial order.

28/06/2025

AI is now growing at 10X the speed of Moore's Law. Where does this leave banks?

While fintechs are agile, cloud-based, and primed to plug in new capabilities, most banks are weighed down by mainframes and siloed systems. Technical debt isn’t just a back-end issue, it’s a strategic threat. If banks can’t solve their architectural problems, they’ll be left behind as AI reshapes every industry on the planet.

Brett King, Jason Henrichs, and JP Nicols are joined by Theo Lau and Greg Palmer on Breaking Banks to explore the massive infrastructure gap holding back traditional banks from fully embracing AI.

Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/4dPGMHR

28/06/2025

Soon, commerce won't be driven by ads, emotions, or clever copywriting: it’ll be driven by AI agents optimizing budgets using logic and data.

In this clip from Breaking Banks, David Birch explores what happens when AI agents, not people, are the ones shopping, searching, and selecting.

As fintech pioneer Morrissey once said, "how soon is now?" Last month,
Google announced how it may be about to kill the checkout page with "agentic checkout," which allows users to complete purchases directly within search results.

Watch the full episode: https://bit.ly/44Hsdnh

22/06/2025

Is a free trade deal coming with the UK?

According to Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman of the Corporation, officials from both sides are actively working behind the scenes.

What will it mean to London's fintech growth if zero tariffs are in place?

Listen & subscribe to Breaking Banks: https://provoke.fm/show/breaking-banks/

21/06/2025

Do financial services have a human problem?

Brett king, Jason Henrichs, and JP Nicols are joined by Theodora Lau and Greg Palmer to explore how AI isn’t just supporting financial services—it’s outperforming humans at many tasks. From credit decisioning to customer service, we’re seeing machines consistently deliver where people get fatigued or biased.

It's not that AI is simply better, and it's not because humans are lazy...it's because we’re wired with limits. The future of finance may just belong to the tools that never get tired, lose patience, or make emotional decisions.

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