BIG Podcast

John and Glen riff on the role Bitcoin is suddenly playing in the presidential election, and the thorny issue of how the US government should “manage” its crypto holdings. Also- assessing the prospects beyond the bluster for productive crypto legislation, and the bizarre backstory of HODL.   Links related to this episode:   In his own words, Mark Cuban’s take on Donald Trump’s crypto conversion: https://x.com/mcuban/status/1813591281970348264 The House’s approved crypto bill (the ball’s in your court, Senate): https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/05/22/us-house-approves-crypto-fit21-bill-with-wave-of-democratic-support/ Analysis of Bitcoin’s mid-August price decline coinciding with movement of government holdings: https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/bitcoin-price-prediction-btc-down-as-u-s-govt-transfers-btc-worth-600m-1454167 Coindesk’s take on the same: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/08/14/nearly-600m-of-silk-road-bitcoin-hits-coinbase-prime-but-not-necessarily-to-sell/ The history of HODL

The Illinois Credit Union League’s Tom Kane and Ashley Sharp go deep on the turmoil surrounding Illinois’ problematic new interchange law and the steps being taken to course correct. Also- Sam Altman’s Worldcoin moves fast and scans (personal) things, and…Backpedaling as a Service (BaaS)?    Links related to this episode:   Our continuing coverage of Illinois’ Interchange Fee Prohibition Act:  https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=a-state-of-confusion-interchange-battles-move-closer-to-home The ICUL’s press release explaining the recently filed lawsuit: https://www.icul.com/news/icul-news/bank-and-credit-union-groups-join-forces-to-challenge-new-illinois-law-restricting-interchange-fees/ The “Guard Your Card” website: https://guardyourcard.com/illinois/ The Chicago Tribune’s editorial opposing the Illinois law: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/03/editorial-retailers-credit-cards-interchange-pritzker-springfield/ The Wall Street Journal’s front page article on Sam Altman’s Worldcoin/retinal scanning eff

Glen chats with Finovate’s Greg Palmer about the state of fintech investment and startup momentum in anticipation of September’s Finovate NYC event. Also- soft landings, long bike rides, $2.5 billion bets and honest borrowers.   Links related to this episode:   Finovate Fall in NYC September 9-11: https://informaconnect.com/finovatefall/ ***Use code BIG20 for a 20% discount off registration*** TruStage’s Discovery 2024 conference replay: https://trustage.registration.goldcast.io/events/414b601e-9185-426f-9877-6405088473e5 Lamont Black’s bike ride from Maps to Redwood CU: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lamontblack_ai-outdoors-bikepacking-activity-7228525803385274369-XW5p BNPL’s analog precursor: https://www.marketplace.org/2024/08/12/schulze-family-business-kept-old-things-running-for-82-years/ PYMNTS.com’s interview with NCR Voyix digital banking leadership after its $2.5B sale to private equity: https://www.pymnts.com/news/digital-banking/2024/ncr-voyix-2-5-billion-sale-to-veritas-verifies-digital-bankin

Cybersecurity expert Roger Grimes demystifies the changing ransomware landscape- how much money do criminals usually demand? How often are they paid, and how much? What is “dwell time,” how do ransomware and wiperware differ, and what constitutes offline backup? Also- the first HODL President?   Links related to this episode:   Our full CU Town Hall session with Roger Grimes: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=cu-town-hall-episode-120 Roger’s Ransomware Protection Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Ransomware-Protection-Playbook-Roger-Grimes/dp/1119849128 KnowBe4: https://www.knowbe4.com/ CU Today’s continuing coverage of the Patelco ransomware incident: https://www.cutoday.info/Fresh-Today/Following-Ransomware-Attack-Patelco-Has-Restored-Many-Services-But-Others-Remain-Unavailable Forbes’ onsite coverage of Bitcoin 2024: https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/07/31/bitcoin-2024-when-rage-became-the-machine/  Reuters’ comments on Trump’s crypto conversion: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance

Glen speaks with the Atlanta Fed’s Claire Greene about takeaways from the latest Survey of Consumer Payment Choice- including card’s dominance, mobile’s ubiquity, BNPL’s ascent and cash’s resilience. Also, the NY Times offers an unexpected backstop for the paper check.   Links related to this episode:   The Atlanta Fed’s Diary and Survey of Consumer Payment Choice: https://www.atlantafed.org/banking-and-payments/consumer-payments/survey-and-diary-of-consumer-payment-choice/2023-survey-and-diary Federal Reserve Financial Services’ cash-centric analysis of the data: https://www.frbservices.org/binaries/content/assets/crsocms/news/research/2024-diary-of-consumer-payment-choice.pdf NY Times’ story on Why Paper Checks Refuse to Die: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/business/paper-check-payment-fraud-scam.html TruStage’s Discovery 2024 conference, held virtually Wednesday August 8: https://shorturl.at/1KKK0 Java4Kids: https://javaforkids.org/   Join us for the next CU Town Hall on Wednesday August 7 at 3pm ET/

Glen’s wide-ranging conversation with Deluxe CEO Barry McCarthy and Technology Association of Georgia CEO Larry Williams spanning five decades of innovation, leadership in turbulent times, reinvention and civic responsibility. Also- another cautionary angle to the CrowdStrike mess, and Fintech Nation comes to Atlanta in August.   Links related to this episode:   Fintech South, August 27-28 in Atlanta; USE CODE FTS24FTSociety FOR A DISCOUNT ON REGISTRATION: https://www.fintechsouth.com/  Deluxe: https://www.deluxe.com/  The Technology Association of Georgia: https://www.tagonline.org/societies/fintech/    Join us for for the next CU Town Hall on Wednesday July 24 at 3pm ET/Noon PT for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing CUs today. It’s free to attend (you might even win a door prize!), but advance registration is required:  https://www.cutownhall.com/   Find us on X and BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors You can also follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www

Glen speaks with Co-Founder/CEO Austin Wentzlaff about Nook’s mission to reclaim a personalized credit union member experience, and why his team planned to be a CUSO from the start. TruStage’s Danielle Sesko explains how Payment Guard revamps a legacy loan insurance model for today’s digital personal lending. And Glen senses a shift in the media narrative on Banking as a Service and FDIC insurance.   Links related to this episode:   Nook: https://www.nook-inc.com/ TruStage Payment Guard’s Finovate Spring Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatespring-2024-trustage/ Cornerstone/TruStage research paper on embedded payment insurance: https://www.trustage.com/business/insights/financial-trends/embedded-payment-insurance-digital-lending-research Last week’s CU Town Hall featuring Roger Grimes on the ransomware climate: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=cu-town-hall-episode-119-ransomware-protection-with-roger-grimes NY Times feature story, spurred by Synapse’s bankruptcy, on consumer confusion around FDIC i

Glen speaks with Bonifii CEO John Ainsworth about his firm’s new collaboration with Metal and the next wave of identity solutions. Also- branches as community centers, the ongoing interchange/reward points battle, more “fun” in class action lawsuit land, and screen scraping stages a comeback.   Links related to this episode:   Bonifii’s website, and its Metal Blockchain announcement: https://bonifii.com/2024/06/bonifii-joins-metal-blockchains/   The Points Guy’s full-throated stance against the Credit Card Competition Act: https://thepointsguy.com/protect-your-points/ Airlines for America weighs in on rewards points: https://www.airlines.org/protect-our-points/  Glen’s blog on the flurry of state interchange legislation: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=a-state-of-confusion-interchange-battles-move-closer-to-home  CPO Magazine’s take on web scraping: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/web-scraping-is-legal-for-now-but-it-may-be-hurting-your-business/  The proposed class action lawsuit against N

Glen speaks with Glia’s Jake Tyler about his firm’s approach to delivering ethical AI solutions to financial institutions. Also- Finovate Best of Show winners, and the continuing crisis in card interchange.    Links related to this episode:   Glia: https://www.glia.com/news/glia-launches-first-responsible-ai-platform-purpose-built-for-financial-institutions Demo videos for Finovate Spring’s Best of Show winners: https://finovate.com/videos/?filtertype=&showtypes=FinovateSpring&videostartyear=2024&showletters=A-Z   Our November 2022 interview with Remynt founder Gwyneth Borden: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=americas-got-access-vegas-has-crowds  Glen’s blog on the flurry of state interchange legislation: Last week’s BIGCast on Apple Intelligence and proposed AI legislation: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=algorithmic-discrimination-and-other-sci-fi-sounding-terms-relevant-today    Check out BIG’s AI Development offerings, enabling credit unions to streamline operations, amplify member

So much news, so little time: John and Glen unravel Colorado’s new Artificial Intelligence Act, Apple’s hookup with OpenAI to fuel its own systems and the apparent unraveling of Visa/Mastercard’s merchant settlement. Plus, watching Siri age in warp speed.   Links related to this episode:   Law Firm Mayer Brown’s synopsis of Colorado’s AI Act: https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2024/06/colorado-governor-signs-comprehensive-ai-bill  Colorado Public Radio’s take on the state law: https://www.cpr.org/2024/06/17/colorado-artificial-intelligence-law-implementation-ramifications/  Javelin Research on the imperiled Visa/Mastercard settlement: https://www.paymentsjournal.com/visa-mastercard-settlement-unlikely-to-be-approved/  Marketing Dive summarizes Apple Intelligence and the OpenAI link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/apple-intelligence-ai-openai-chatgpt-partnership-wwdc/718539/  The BBC’s view from overseas (including Elon’s disses): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn5mejl89o  Tim Co

Glen speaks with TeamOnUP CEO Mike Kelly about “getting dreams done on purpose” and the beauty of small credit unions. Also, more on the Illinois interchange fiasco, the CFPB’s latest populist outburst, and Glen welcomes Google to the world of incumbents.    Links related to this episode:   TeamOnUP: https://teamonup.com/  Mike Kelly’s book “Meaning is the Mission” (print, Kindle, audio): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1LG79GY   Payments Dive’s coverage of the Illinois Interchange bill: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/illinois-debit-credit-card-interchange-swipe-fee-legislation/718371/  The CFPB’s newly announced process for recognizing open banking standards (rigging be damned): https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-launches-process-to-recognize-open-banking-standards/  Our April interview with FDX Managing Director Don Cardinal: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=a-bluetooth-for-open-banking  Glen’s blog on GPT-4o’s continuing drama (no pizza tips included): https://www.big-fintech.com/

John and Glen tackle several of the hottest topics impacting fintech today including audio (and video) at the heart of ChatGPT’s new features, the sustained strength in Bitcoin and Ethereum values, and a landmark Illinois law’s potential disruption of interchange.   Links related to this episode:   Our recent CU Town Hall in which John walks through ChatGPT-4o’s prospects for credit unions: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=cu-town-hall-episode-117-gpt-4o-for-credit-unions Our February 2023 BIGCast episode that flagged ChatGPT/“Her” similarities:  https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=chatgpt-dont-you-just-love-it    Glen’s blog dissecting ScarJo, Tom Waits, intellectual property and human behavior: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=artificial-intelligence-intellectual-property-and-missing-the-point-on-her OpenAI’s video of two GPT4o bots interacting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MirzFk_DSiI&t=239s The high school principal ensnared by a deepfake: https://apnews.com/article/ai-maryland-principal-v

Glen speaks with Peter Tapling of PTap Advisory about the mixed signals swirling around US open banking, and Anne Legg assesses credit unions’ readiness for AI. Also- ScarJo haunts OpenAI, and playing SCOTUS Bingo at the CFPB!   Links related to this episode:   PTap Advisory: https://ptapadvisory.com/  Thrive Strategic Services: https://www.anneleggthrive.com/  The full CU Town Hall with Anne Legg on AI readiness: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=cu-town-hall-episode-116-ai-readiness-for-cus-with-anne-legg  Glen’s Nacha Payments recap for America’s Credit Unions: https://news.cuna.org/articles/123530-payments-looking-forward  The Underground Generative AI white paper: https://mitchellstankovicassoc.podia.com/generative-ai-credit-union-values  Politico’s coverage of the Supreme Court’s CFPB decision: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/16/supreme-court-upholds-cfpb-funding-saving-agency-00158348  Kevin Roose’s NY Times coverage of OpenAI’s GPT-4o public unveiling: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/te

Glen chats with Nacha CEO Jane Larimer onsite at the recent Smarter, Faster Payments Conference- which managed to remain forward-looking while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ACH network. ValidiFI’s Shawn Princell makes a case for the groundswell in Pay By Bank interest, and a resigned disdain for checks seems to permeate the humid Miami Beach air.      Links related to this episode:   Nacha: https://www.nacha.org/  ValidiFI: https://validifi.com/?utm_source=bigfintech&utm_medium=podcast#offer  Shawn Princell’s recent article on Pay By Bank adoption: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pay-bank-roadmap-adoption-shawn-princell-ohbhf/  Nacha’s new rules addressing credit push fraud: https://www.nacha.org/news/new-nacha-rules-take-aim-credit-push-fraud  The Atlanta Fed’s blog on these new Nacha rules: https://www.atlantafed.org/blogs/take-on-payments/2024/04/29/nacha-rule-changes-to-fight-authorized-payment-scams    Register for our next CU Town Hall on Wednesday May 22 at 3pm ET/Noon for a live and l

Glen speaks with Money Habitudes CEO Cara Macksoud about shifting money mindsets, the downside of the Great Wealth Transfer’s “lottery wins,” and how to start a constructive conversation on financial wellness. Also- nuggets from Block and PayPal earnings calls, and robust new Fed consumer data on economic decisionmaking.     Links related to this episode:   Money Habitudes: https://www.moneyhabitudes.com/  Goalsetter: https://goalsetter.co/  The Fed’s Survey on Household Economics and Decision Making: https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2023-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2022-banking-credit.htm  Callahan’s blog summarizing these findings: https://creditunions.com/highlights/where-are-the-gaps-in-financial-inclusion/  Best Innovation Group’s AI Development offerings: https://www.big-fintech.com/Products-Services/AI-Development    Register for our next CU Town Hall on Wednesday May 8 at 3pm ET/Noon PT when Anne Legg will join us to continue early April’s discussion of the foundation credit

Glen shares interviews with Saisi Peter, Co-Founder of Casap, the 2024 winner of NACUSO’s Next Big Idea competition, and Anne Legg of Thrive Strategic Services outlines the steps credit unions must take to prepare for Generative AI. Also- Stripe unbundles and the NRF gets cranky (is that news?)    Links related to this episode:   Next Big Idea winner Casap: https://casaphq.com/  Thrive Strategic Services: https://www.anneleggthrive.com/  Replay of the full CU Town Hall featuring Anne Legg discussing credit unions’ preparedness for Generative AI: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=cu-town-hall-episode-114  Next Big Idea runner-up Debbie’s partnership with MSUFCU: https://www.joindebbie.com/articles/debbie-launches-debt-payoff-rewards-with-msufcu  Story on Stripe’s decoupling of its payment services: https://fintechmagazine.com/articles/strategy-shift-stripe-de-couples-payments-from-tech-stack  The National Retail Federation’s formal objection to the Visa/Mastercard settlement: https://cdn.nrf.com/sites/def

Just back from an action-packed NACUSO Network Conference, Glen shares interviews with NACUSO CEO Ronaldo Hardy, Peacefully Founder/CEO Jennifer Good and Sarah Martin, Founder/CEO of “New CUSO of the Year” Pulsate. Also, Bitcoin’s halving leads Coinbase to double down.       Links related to this episode:   NACUSO: https://www.nacuso.org/  Pulsate: https://www.pulsatehq.com/ Peacefully: https://peacefully.com/  Coinbase’s new Bitcoin commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdd64ifS_Ks  Our January interview with Ronaldo Hardy, even earlier in his NACOSO role: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=nacusos-big-ideas-for-credit-unions-of-all-sizes    Register for our next CU Town Hall on Wednesday May 8 at 3pm ET/Noon PT when Anne Legg will join us to continue early April’s discussion of the foundation credit unions must establish to leverage Generative AI. As always, expect a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the key issues facing CUs. It’s free to attend, but advance registration is require

Glen speaks with Financial Data Exchange Managing Director Don Cardinal about efforts to establish an industry standard to enable open banking and bid farewell to screen scraping. Also- an artistic approach to deepfakes, and cash meets its demise at Death Valley.   Links related to this episode:   Financial Data Exchange: https://financialdataexchange.org/  Glen’s recent blog on Open Banking for America’s Credit Unions: https://news.cuna.org/articles/123490-open-banking-not-if-but-how  The CFPB’s page on Section 1033 (Personal Data Rights/Open Banking) rulemaking: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/personal-financial-data-rights/   The Synthetic Memories Project: https://www.syntheticmemories.net/  The Atlanta Fed’s Take on Payments blog re: cash acceptance at Death Valley National Park: https://www.atlantafed.org/blogs/take-on-payments/2024/04/01/national-parks-and-cost-of-cash-acceptance  America’s Credit Unions CEO Council: https://www.cunacouncils.org/ (John and Glen will be hosting a CEO Council virtual r

John and Glen discuss the proposed National Association of Realtors settlement that many believe will dramatically alter the process of buying/selling US homes. The mortgage process could be disrupted too… for better or worse?    Links related to this episode:   The New York Times’ Daily podcast on the realtor fee lawsuit: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/podcasts/the-daily/housing-market.html  NPR’s article on the proposed settlement: https://www.npr.org/2024/03/22/1239486107/realtor-fee-commission-homes-for-sale  CNN’s subsequent article on the settlement’s ramifications: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/economy/nar-settlement-home-buyers-and-sellers/index.html  Glen’s blog on the Capital One/Discover merger: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=the-capital-onediscover-deal-a-test-of-typical-battle-lines-and-a-credit-union-angle    Find us on X and BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors (same handles for both) You can also follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovat

Glen speaks with Competiscan Founder/CEO Richard Goldman about the insights promotional mail can generate about events like the proposed Capital One/Discover merger. Also- more headaches at Discover, and looking into the less reported corners of the Visa/ Mastercard settlement.     Links related to this episode:   Competiscan: https://www.competiscan.com/  Glen’s blog dissecting the Visa/Mastercard settlement: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=exploring-the-issuer-aspect-of-the-visamastercard-settlement Glen’s blog on the Capital One/Discover merger: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=the-capital-onediscover-deal-a-test-of-typical-battle-lines-and-a-credit-union-angle  Story about squatters grabbing Capital One/Discover domains: https://domainnamewire.com/2024/03/29/capital-one-sues-to-get-discover-merger-domain-names/  Submission form to join Competiscan’s Consumer/Small Business Panels: https://www.sbkcenter.com/consumer.html     Join us for our next CU Town Hall on Wednesday April 3 at 3pm ET/Noon PT