Wharton FinTech Podcast

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Bobby Ma sits down with Alex Du, COO of Column.

Alex dropped out of Stanford GSB to build Column with Plaid co-founder William Hockey. Column is the only nationally chartered bank built for the frontier, powering some of the fastest-growing technology companies, including Ramp, Mercury, and Bilt. It processes more than $4.5 trillion in annual transaction volume, is the #1 issuer of real-time payments in the US, and has the highest uptime of any bank, all with a team of about 150 people.

We discuss: his path from finance to COO; the "championship DNA" culture behind one of the leanest, most agile teams in banking; how owning its entire tech stack sets Column apart; where AI is genuinely changing financial services and where it's just noise; and how Column supports companies pushing into stablecoins, cards, agentic payments, and cross-border payments.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Mili Tomar sits down with Michael Tannenbaum, CEO of Figure.
Michael shares his experience leading Figure and how the company is building a blockchain-native capital marketplace that seamlessly connects origination, funding, and secondary market activity..
We discuss: structural inefficiencies in today's lending markets; blockchain and AI's impact in financial services; what tokenization means in practice for real-world assets; the shape of the industry as a whole as these emerging technologies continue to influence it; Michael's career journey and Figure's path to becoming a publicly traded company

In this episode, we sit down with investor and writer Ilona Limonta-Volkova to explore the intersection of VC, storytelling, and innovation in FinTech. Ilona shares her perspective on identifying emerging trends, backing founders, and translating complex financial ideas into compelling narratives. We also dive into her journey across markets and what it takes to think like both an investor and a communicator in a rapidly evolving industry. If you enjoy this episode you can hear more from Ilona on her platforms https://bearandthebull.beehiiv.com/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/money-memories/id1522819765.

In this episode, we’re joined by Georgina Bulkeley, Director of Financial Services at Google Cloud, to unpack how AI is transforming banking and financial services. With over 25 years in financial institutions, she shares what it takes to innovate in a highly regulated industry and how concepts like agentic commerce are paving the way for autonomous money movement.

We also explore how AI is shifting from a risk to a powerful tool for fraud prevention, risk management and personalized financial advice at scale, along with the balance between innovation and responsible AI. Georgina closes with her perspective on what the industry will look like in five years and the biggest misconceptions leaders still have about AI.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Abhi Chadha speaks with Mairead Fanning, a senior leader at IDA Ireland, about Ireland’s rise as a global hub for fintech, AI, and digital financial services. Mairead discusses IDA’s mission and the role it plays in attracting and supporting foreign direct investment, what has historically driven Ireland’s success, and how the country differentiates itself today as companies compare locations across Europe. The conversation explores why fintech has become a strategic priority for Ireland, what global fintechs look for when deciding where to base operations, and how initiatives like Silicon Island are shaping the country’s AI ecosystem. Mairead also shares insights on Europe’s growing appeal, Ireland’s role in crypto and digital assets under MiCA, the fintech sub-sectors showing the most momentum, and how IDA defines a successful outcome for companies building in Ireland, before reflecting on her first year in her current role.