Today’s guest is Kyle Hathorn, Director of Customer Experience and Strategy at First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO). FNBO is a privately held, family-led financial institution with over $32 billion in assets and approximately 4,500 employees, offering personal, business, commercial, and wealth banking across eight Midwestern states, alongside a national reach through its credit‑card programs. Kyle joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to explore how banks can meet rising customer expectations while navigating economic uncertainty and digital transformation. Together, they unpack the unique challenges of delivering seamless, personalized experiences in a heavily regulated, multi-platform environment. From the impacts of inflation on customer loyalty to the cautious integration of AI, Kyle emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency, and alignment across product and data teams. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click  for more information and to be a potential future guest on Emerj’s flagship’ AI in Business’ podcast! If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Trust and Transformation in Banking CX – with Kyle Hathorn of FNBO

In this episode of the What the FinTech? podcast, host and FinTech Futures editor Paul Hindle is joined by Colin Fyfe, CEO of Unity Trust Bank, to discuss the current business banking landscape in the UK and how Unity Trust Bank has approached its ethical banking strategy to help support not-for-profit and smaller profit-with-purpose businesses in the country.

We’ll dive into how the bank’s actions contribute to and deliver a range of positive social, economic, and environmental impacts across the UK, how the bank has approached its tech and innovation strategy to keep up with shifting customer demands and the emergence of new technologies, the key things businesses want from their banks in the current climate, and the bank’s plans for future growth amid increasing competition in the business banking sector.

And finally, we find out what fintech buzzword Colin wants to throw into our Fintech Jail!

What the FinTech? | S.6 Episode 14 | Ethical business banking with Unity Trust Bank CEO Colin Fyfe

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.


Flex & Maza's Robbie Figueroa - From Neobank to Solopreneur OS: Building Maza and Merging with Flex

In episode 11 of the iGaming AFRIKA Podcast, Leon Mutua, Key Account Manager at Sofascore, highlights the role of data in shaping localized business approaches, the need for balanced, collaborative regulation, and the impact of emerging technologies like AI, micro-betting, crash games, and crypto in driving innovation and responsible gaming across the continent.

Leon dives deep into the contrasting dynamics of African markets, using Nigeria and South Africa as prime examples of volume-versus-value betting behaviors. He highlights emerging markets like Uganda, Zambia, DRC, and Ghana as fertile ground for operators, thanks to low competition tech-savvy youth, and increasing access to mobile infrastructure.

Leon stressed that regulation should be seen as necessary collaboration between governments and operators. He discusses real-world examples from Rwanda’s sudden tax hike to Ghana’s tax removal policy and explained how balanced, consultative regulation can drive player trust and industry sustainability.

Leon also explored how innovation is shaping the future of iGaming in Africa. From AI-driven personalization to micro-betting and crash games like Aviator, tech is enabling richer, safer, and more tailored player experiences. He champions the rise of mobile money and crypto as essential tools that are expanding access and inclusion across borders, especially in unbanked populations.

Crucially, he advocated for responsible gaming. Drawing inspiration from Kenya’s credit bureau model, Leon envisions a shared player risk profile system that would protect players across platforms, enabling early detection of harmful behaviors while supporting operators and regulators in building a safer ecosystem.

Join our Community on Telegram: https://t.me/igaminginafrica

Unlocking Growth and Innovation in African iGaming with Technology Podcast with Leon Mutua

Teslar Software has been a really cool company to watch.  We were first introduced to them way back during one of the first ICBA ThinkTECH's and it's been a joy to see them grow and get to know them.  

Also, I've always believed that the merging of small business and consumer business banking is a path to profitable banking in most communities.  These become sticky customers and brand evangelists.  Joe and the gang at Teslar agree and are talking about some ways that this can happen on their system.

Check out Teslar at https://teslarsoftware.com/

Many thanks to ICBA Securities for their continued support!
https://www.icba.org/icba-securities

Small Business Lending:  Untapped Potential.  Joe Ehrhardt with Teslar

In this episode of the What the FinTech? podcast, host and FinTech Futures editor Paul Hindle is joined by Binu Jacob, CEO and MD of Experion Technologies, and Experion Technologies advisor Markus Ruetimann, to discuss the imperative need for financial services companies working in asset management to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives to keep up with the rapid pace of change driven by emerging technologies and shifting customer demands.

The conversation explores how Experion Technologies goes about helping its financial services clients with their transformation projects and the implementation of new tech, with a specific focus on asset management and some examples of successful use cases.

Our two guests also cover the best strategies for businesses looking to upgrade their asset management tech and processes, the key benefits provided by emerging technologies such as generative AI within the space, and of course what makes Experion Technologies stand out from the crowd and it’s next steps for growth.


And finally, we find out what fintech buzzword Binu and Markus want to throw into our Fintech Jail!










What the FinTech? | S.6 Episode 15 | Driving digital transformation in asset management with Experion Technologies

As an Odoo Gold Partner, PeppolSync delivers expert Open Source ERP Malaysia solutions tailored to your industry. From inventory control and staff scheduling to marketing automation and quality checks, our unified platform eliminates the hassle of juggling multiple tools. Accredited by MDEC, PEPPOL, and LHDN, we ensure compliance, security, and efficiency for businesses across diverse sectors. Our certified consultants bring years of hands-on experience, streamlining processes, reducing paperwork, and accelerating payment cycles. Whether you’re managing a growing SME or a complex enterprise, we create cost-effective ERP systems that scale with your goals. Contact us and start your digital transformation.

Empowering Businesses with Open Source ERP Malaysia | PeppolSync by PreComp

Interledger Community Call - 13 August 2025

In this episode, Harry Kendlbacher speaks with Ruxandra Aldea, Senior Regional Sales Director at Oracle, about what it really takes to stand out in competitive markets. Ruxandra shares why traditional, product-led sales approaches aren’t enough, how adopting a marketing mindset can transform account engagement, and where account-based marketing often misses the mark. She explains what drives effective sales–marketing alignment, the practical steps sellers can take to cut through the noise, and the top three qualities she sees in elite salespeople.

66. Relevance Over Noise

In this episode of the What the FinTech? podcast, host and FinTech Futures editor Paul Hindle is joined by Paul Noble, CEO of Chetwood Bank, to explore how the Wrexham-based bank has set about its product and tech innovation strategy as it looks to continue its growth trajectory, having reached the milestone of £4 billion in total customer savings deposits this year.

What the FinTech? | S.6 Episode 16 | “No nonsense” digital banking with Chetwood Bank CEO Paul Noble

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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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The Paul W. Barret, Jr. School of Banking is a non-profit independent school created by and governed by a Board of Regents, whose members are executives from banks and other firms involved with the financial services industry.The mission of the School is to provide an adult learning experience for the career-oriented individual in commercial banking or a related financial services industry business.

Stay ahead of the curve as artificial intelligence disrupts the financial services sector.

Discover the lessons learned from organizations like HSBC, Citigroup, and Visa; learn business strategies from venture capitalists investing in AI for the financial services industry; and see the future with AI banking innovators from Silicon Valley and around the world.

Each week Emerj Founder Daniel Faggella interviews top experts to bring their best insights to our audience.

This show is for financial services leaders, consulting and IT services leaders, and any businessperson with an interest in the evolving world of AI in financial services.

www.emerj.com

FinTech Futures was founded as Banking Technology Magazine in the 1980s.

Today you can find worldwide fintech news, intelligence & analysis at https://fintechfutures.com.

This podcast is dedicated to sales leaders in the B2B space, where we share conversations about innovative and successful sales transformations to keep you up to date on the latest trends that will help you to effectively tackle the challenge of constructing and executing a profitable and sustainable sales process.

New tracks tagged #FinTech