Tech Behind Fintech

Hosted by Nnamdi Osuagwu

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Episodes

146

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Dec 2025

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About the show

The “Tech Behind FinTech” show is dedicated to expanding the knowledge base of development teams within the Financial Services industry while celebrating and highlighting disruptive FinTech businesses and exploring the full technology spectrum utilized within the industry. Nnamdi Osuagwu is the host of the “Tech Behind FinTech” show and the CEO and Founder of Strategic Generation, an Information Technology solutions firm specializing in Cybersecurity, Security Performance Management, Security Assessments and Application Security serving FinTech and Insurance firms.

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December 13, 2025Episode 391 hr 0 min

The SaaS Breach Epidemic: Why Financial Data Has Never Been More Exposed

Join us on Friday, December 5th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a critical episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Brian Soby, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at AppOmni — a 20-year cybersecurity veteran with deep experience across fintech, SaaS, defense, and enterprise security. Brian has held leadership roles at Salesforce, MITRE, Raytheon, and Taulia, giving him a rare 360-degree perspective on the evolution of modern cyber risk. In The SaaS Breach Epidemic: Why Financial Data Has Never Been More Exposed, Brian unpacks one of the fastest-growing and least-understood cybersecurity threats facing financial services today: the explosion of SaaS applications across the enterprise. From Zoom to Salesforce, M365 to Workday, financial institutions rely on over 150+ SaaS applications every day — each with constantly changing configurations, expanding data access, and user permissions that shift by the hour. This convenience has created a massive, tangled, and largely invisible attack surface. Misconfigurations, data sprawl, unmanaged integrations, and limited visibility across cloud apps have made SaaS one of the most actively targeted layers of the financial services threat landscape — yet it remains one of the least proactively defended. Whether you’re a CISO, security engineer, SaaS administrator, fintech founder, or risk leader, this conversation provides a rare, behind-the-scenes analysis of the SaaS security gaps affecting financial services — and practical guidance to address them before they become breaches. ⭐ What You’ll Learn• Why SaaS applications have become one of the biggest cyber risks in financial services • How misconfigurations and SaaS data sprawl lead to massive breaches • Why financial institutions struggle to secure 150+ cloud apps at scale • The most exploited gaps across Salesforce, M365, Google Workspace, Workday & more • How attackers target SaaS environments — and what they look for • Compliance pressure from SOX, PCI DSS, GDPR, DORA, ISO 27001, NIST, APRA CPS 234 • Practical steps financial institutions can take to secure their SaaS estate today ** Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter: https://techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

November 22, 2025Episode 381 hr 5 min

The Hidden Economy of Points: How 1.4 Billion Points Were Redeemed

Join us on Friday, November 21st, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a high-impact episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Len Covello, CTO at Engage People — a lifelong entrepreneur and payments innovator reshaping how loyalty, rewards, and points function as real currency. In The Hidden Economy of Points: How 1.4 Billion Points Were Redeemed, Len reveals one of the most overlooked engines in modern payments — the loyalty economy driving consumer behavior, merchant strategy, and financial institution growth. From AI-powered personalization to real-time Pay with Points, Len explains how loyalty evolved from punch cards to a digital currency powering 13% of North American e-commerce. With multiple successful startups behind him — including AI company Atomic Reach — and now leading Engage People’s global tech vision, Len has helped build platforms serving 10M+ members and working with 4 of Canada’s top 6 banks. Engage People’s patented tech converts points to currency at checkout, letting customers redeem points anywhere — transforming the economics of payments for merchants and financial institutions. Whether you’re in payments, retail, loyalty, or fintech, this episode breaks down the mechanics, market forces, and trends shaping the next generation of loyalty ecosystems. ** What You’ll Learn • How 1.4B points were redeemed — and what that says about consumers • Why emotional connection drives loyalty innovation • Loyalty’s shift from punch cards to AI-powered personalization • Why embedding loyalty at checkout is critical • The true economics of Pay with Points • How AI is reshaping loyalty through personalization and fraud detection • Why QSRs rely heavily on loyalty • Key loyalty trends heading into 2026 ** Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter: https://techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

November 19, 2025Episode 3759 min

The Bitcoin Treasury Playbook: Corporate Finance Meets Crypto

Join us on Friday, November 14th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a groundbreaking episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Wilfred Daye, Chief Strategy Officer of Mercurity Fintech — a 25-year Wall Street veteran turned digital asset strategist who’s helping redefine how global companies manage capital in the age of Bitcoin. In The Bitcoin Treasury Playbook: Corporate Finance Meets Crypto, Wilfred breaks down one of the most fascinating shifts in modern finance — the rise of the Bitcoin Treasury Company, where corporations hold BTC as a strategic reserve asset. We’ll explore how balance sheets are being rebuilt on blockchain rails, how volatility can become income, and what “tokenized cash” means for the next generation of capital markets. With experience spanning UBS, Barclays, Securitize Capital, OKCoin, and now MFH, Wilfred has lived through every wave of financial transformation — from structured credit to tokenized equity. In this conversation, he reveals what happens when traditional finance meets decentralized liquidity — and how those who understand both worlds are quietly creating asymmetric advantages. Whether you’re a fintech innovator, institutional investor, or crypto skeptic, this episode unpacks the mechanics, metrics, and mindset behind the companies leading the next phase of financial evolution. ** What You’ll Learn ** • Why public companies are adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets — and what defines a “Bitcoin Treasury Company” • How BTC’s volatility can be monetized through structured instruments • The meaning behind new metrics like Bitcoin Per Share (BPS) and Bitcoin Return Rate (BRR) • The difference between tokenized cash and traditional stablecoins — and why it matters • How tokenized real-world assets will reshape corporate finance, investor access, and capital formation ** Stay ahead of industry trends— subscribe to our newsletter: techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

November 12, 2025Episode 3658 min

Passwords Are Dead: Inside the Biometric Boom Powering Next-Gen Payments

Join us on Friday, November 7th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a high-impact episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Deepak Jain, CEO and Founder — a serial entrepreneur and payments visionary who’s been building the future of secure digital transactions long before “biometrics” became a buzzword. For years, the payments industry has chased speed and convenience — yet passwords, PINs, and friction-filled checkouts continue to slow consumers down. In Passwords Are Dead: Inside the Biometric Boom Powering Next-Gen Payments, Deepak reveals how facial, voice, and palm recognition are quietly reshaping commerce — turning identity itself into the payment method. With over 27 years of experience and 50+ patents across payments, mobile commerce, and digital security, Deepak shares what it takes to bring biometric identity to scale — from e-commerce to stadiums and drive-thrus — while keeping security, compliance, and user trust intact. We’ll break down how the convergence of embedded payments, loyalty, and identity is creating a new era of frictionless commerce. Whether you’re a fintech innovator, retailer, or security leader — this episode reveals how the death of the password is giving rise to the next wave of payment innovation. What You’ll Learn • How biometric identity is transforming payments, loyalty, and customer experience • Why checkout abandonment and fraud thrive in password-based systems — and how to fix it • The real-world use cases of face, voice, and palm recognition across retail and venues • The security science behind liveness detection, tokenization, and zero-trust biometrics • What’s next for embedded finance when identity becomes the transaction ** Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter: techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

November 12, 2025Episode 351 hr 11 min

Blockchain That Actually Works: The Financial Use Cases No One Talks About

Join us on Friday, October 31st, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a high-impact episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Jeff Mahony, Chief Architect and Co-Founder of RYT — and a technologist who’s been solving financial infrastructure challenges long before “blockchain” existed. Blockchain has been hyped for years — yet too often stuck in pilots, proof-of-concepts, and whitepapers. In Blockchain That Actually Works: The Financial Use Cases No One Talks About, Jeff breaks down where decentralized technology is already delivering real value in global finance: national digital currencies, secure identity rails, and faster, more transparent cross-border payments. With three decades of experience building scalable, mission-critical systems — from defense-sector algorithms to some of the earliest digital banking solutions — Jeff brings a rare lens of practicality and scale. We’ll explore what it actually takes to move blockchain from the innovation lab to the systems that power the world’s financial economy. Whether you’re a banking leader, fintech innovator, or blockchain skeptic — this conversation will separate signal from noise. What You’ll Learn • The real blockchain success stories already driving value in financial services • Why most enterprise blockchain projects fail to scale — and how to fix that • How technology choices impact security, stability, and compliance at national scale • Why “Proof of Majority” and alternative consensus designs matter for finance • What must change for blockchain to power everyday transactions for billions 📧 Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newslettertechbehindfintech.com/subscribe

October 26, 2025Episode 341 hr 4 min

Embedded Lending Revolution: How Agentic Platforms Are Transforming Credit

Join us on Friday, October 24th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for an in-depth conversation on Tech Behind FinTech featuring Jon Fry, CEO and Founder of Lendflow, a leading embedded finance infrastructure company empowering fintechs, lenders, and vertical SaaS platforms to build and launch credit products faster and smarter. In Embedded Lending Revolution: How Agentic Platforms Are Transforming Credit, Jon unpacks how AI, automation, and agentic systems are reshaping credit delivery for small and medium-sized businesses. From modular lending tools to AI-driven underwriting, Lendflow’s work reveals how the next wave of credit infrastructure is enabling instant decision-making, smarter risk assessment, and democratized access to capital. Jon’s journey from building loan origination firms to creating one of fintech’s most powerful embedded credit platforms reflects the evolution of finance itself — from static systems to adaptive, intelligent ecosystems. Whether you’re a founder, lender, or fintech builder, this episode will help you understand how AI and agentic platforms are not just improving lending — they’re redefining it. What You’ll Learn:How embedded lending is changing the credit landscape for SMBsThe role of agentic AI in transforming underwriting and credit decisioningWhy fintechs and vertical SaaS companies are turning to embedded infrastructure over traditional marketplacesThe limitations of legacy credit systems — and how modular tools solve themThe future of credit infrastructure and AI’s impact on access to capital📧 Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter: https://techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

October 26, 2025Episode 3357 min

The Vitality Blueprint: Redefining Success for Today's Leaders

Join us on Friday, October 17th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for an inspiring episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring J. Michael Fischer Jr., Managing Director at DBD Investment Bank. In a world that celebrates nonstop hustle, J. Michael Fischer challenges the traditional definition of success. In The Vitality Blueprint: Redefining Success for Today’s Leaders, he explores what it really means to lead with purpose, longevity, and vitality—without losing your edge. With years of experience in investment banking, corporate finance, and advisory roles across the U.S., J. Michael brings a unique perspective that blends business acumen with human insight. His forthcoming book, The 5 Dimensions of Vitality, draws from his work guiding founders, executives, and entrepreneurs to transform the way they think, work, and live. This conversation goes beyond deal-making and capital formation—it’s about building a mindset and lifestyle that sustains excellence for decades to come.What You’ll Learn:Why redefining success starts with self-awareness, not external achievementHow vitality impacts decision-making, leadership, and longevity in businessThe connection between personal discipline and professional performanceThe five dimensions of vitality—and how they shape sustainable successHow leaders can inspire growth by modeling balance, resilience, and vision📧 Stay ahead of industry trends —subscribe to our newsletter! 🔗 techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

October 26, 2025Episode 321 hr 0 min

Beyond Funding and Tech: The Leadership Mindset That Scales FinTech

Join us on Friday, October 10th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a transformative episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Chinwe Grace Jones, CEO and Founder of Trusted Teams. In a world where startups chase funding rounds and product launches, one critical factor often gets overlooked — leadership. In Beyond Funding and Tech: The Leadership Mindset That Scales FinTech, Chinwe reveals why people, not just products, determine which FinTechs survive, scale, and lead. With over 20 years of experience coaching more than 3,000 first-line managers and executives through her Burden to Brilliance™ framework, Chinwe helps founders and teams move from burnout to brilliance. She unpacks the leadership blind spots that stall innovation, the impact of AI on team dynamics, and how to build cultures that thrive under pressure. This episode is a must-watch for FinTech founders, executives, and emerging leaders looking to create lasting momentum — not just growth. What You’ll LearnWhy the biggest scaling challenge in FinTech isn’t technology — it’s leadershipHow to shift from reactive management to purposeful leadershipWhat the Burden to Brilliance™ framework teaches about team alignment and resilienceHow AI and lean teams are reshaping leadership at every levelPractical steps founders can take to build trust, autonomy, and sustainable success** Subscribe for more insights: techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

October 5, 2025Episode 3155 min

Banking's Blind Spot: The Data Challenge Nobody Wants to Admit

Join us on Friday, October 3rd, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a candid episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Donat Husjainov, CPO at XData Group. Banks know they need to innovate—but legacy systems, siloed data, and outdated infrastructures are holding them back. In Banking’s Blind Spot: The Data Challenge Nobody Wants to Admit, Donat Husjainov pulls back the curtain on why modernization often fails, and what it takes to build scalable, secure, and user-friendly digital products in today’s competitive financial landscape. With a decade of experience spanning major European banks like Citadele and Swedbank to his current role leading product development at XData Group, Donat brings first-hand insight into the hidden obstacles financial institutions face—and the new approaches reshaping how they serve customers. This episode goes beyond vendor talk to explore the real-world lessons banking executives and technologists need to know to stay ahead. What You’ll Learn • Why data challenges—not just tech—are at the heart of stalled banking innovation • The hidden costs of legacy infrastructure and how it impacts growth • How fintech-focused data players are rethinking speed, scale, and flexibility • What banking leaders should look for in partnerships to drive real transformation • The future of collaboration between legacy banks and data startups in an AI-driven world 📧 Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter!🔗 techbehindfintech.com/subscribe

September 21, 2025Episode 301 hr 1 min

How Much AI Is Enough: Finding the Magic Spot in FinTech

Join us on Friday, September 19th, 2025, at 12 PM EST for a forward-looking episode of Tech Behind FinTech featuring Mike Lavia, Director of Payments at DataVisor. In the race to modernize financial services, everyone’s talking about AI—but how much is too much? Mike breaks down one of the industry’s toughest challenges: finding the sweet spot between innovation and over-automation. With more than a decade leading payment innovations and AI-driven fraud prevention strategies at Cohere, Twilio, and Cisco, Mike brings a rare perspective on balancing cutting-edge technology with operational resilience. From reducing false positives to unlocking new revenue streams, he shares insider strategies for keeping customer experiences seamless while staying one step ahead of fraudsters. We’ll explore how the smartest players in FinTech are deploying AI in just the right doses to drive growth, manage risk, and deliver next-gen digital payment experiences—without breaking the bank or the trust of their customers. What You’ll Learn: • How to determine the optimal level of AI for fraud prevention and payments innovation • Why “over-AI” can harm user experience and increase risk • Best practices for real-time transaction monitoring and AI-driven decisioning • How global banks and fintechs are using AI to transform partnerships and product offerings • Strategies for balancing risk, growth, and compliance in an AI-first world📧 Stay ahead of industry trends — subscribe to our newsletter! 🔗 techbehindfintech.com/subscribe