Bank Charter Confusion Exposed: Trust Charters, Fed Access, and Hidden Risks
In this episode, Ted Huff and Steve Bishop dissect the complexities of bank charters, especially the surge of trust charters among fintechs and crypto firms. They explain that a charter is merely a legal authorization, with the real operational challenges lying in regulatory oversight, capital requirements, and securing a Federal Reserve master account—something many assume comes automatically with a trust charter. Guests Syed Raza, Michelle Ault, and Ian Maloney highlight the strategic timing of applications, the trade‑offs of avoiding Bank Holding Company Act supervision, and the costly misconceptions that can delay product roadmaps. The discussion underscores that a charter is not a finish line but a starting point that demands careful planning and realistic expectations.
The Stablecoin Rulebook Is Here: What Banks and Fintechs Need to Do
In Q1 2026 the U.S. regulatory landscape for stablecoins accelerated, highlighted by the OCC’s 376‑page Genius Act rulebook that defines Permitted Payment Stablecoin Issuers (PPSIs) and strict reserve requirements focused on short‑term Treasury bills. Attorney Rob Musiala explained how this clarifies...
Cross-Border Payments Explained: Why 50 US Jurisdictions Still Can't Agree
In this episode of FinTech Confidential, host Ted Huff talks with Simona Aleman, co‑founder and co‑CEO of Prometeo, about the fractured cross‑border payments landscape between the United States and Latin America. Simona explains how Prometeo’s single‑API open‑finance platform connects over...
Credit Scores vs Bank Data: Why Lenders Are Switching
In this episode of FinTech Confidential, host Ted Huff talks with Jamie Twist and Casey Kaplan of Carrington Labs about why lenders are moving away from traditional credit scores toward bank transaction data and AI-driven cash‑flow underwriting. They explain how...
Payment Processing Secrets: 13 Companies Merged Into One Platform
In this episode of FinTech Confidential, host Ted Huff talks with Niv Liren, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Unser, about the company’s ambitious effort to merge 13 acquired payment and commerce solutions into a single unified platform serving over...
Crypto Tax Secrets From an IRS Agent Who Audited 14 Platforms
In this episode, Jana Scott, former IRS enrolled agent and founder of DeFi Tax, reveals that the crypto tax industry is built on fundamentally flawed methodologies, with her forensic audits of 14 major tax platforms and 53 crypto‑tax firms showing...
Stablecoins Are Taking Over and Most Banks Are Already Behind
In this episode of FinTech Confidential, host Ted Huff chats with Nick Milanovic, founder of This Week in FinTech and creator of StableCon, about the rapid adoption of stablecoins by banks and the broader fintech ecosystem. They trace the evolution...
Sponsor Bank 101: Everything Fintechs Need to Know Before Signing a Contract
In this episode, Lindsay Borgeson, President of Partner Banking at Core Bank, explains how her community bank built the CoreX Banking‑as‑a‑Service platform from the ground up, emphasizing a compliance‑first mindset, early regulator engagement, and careful tech‑partner selection. She highlights the...
Why Small Businesses Fail: The Cash Flow Problem Nobody Talks About
In this episode, host Tedd Huff talks with Ariel Blum of Receive and Bo Jiang of Lithic about how fintech infrastructure can give small businesses instant, interest‑free access to the revenue they’ve already earned, bypassing the delays of legacy banking. They explain...
2025 a Tipping Point: GENIUS, $308B Stablecoins, XRP & NFT Wins, Circle IPO
In this episode, Tedd Huff and legal expert Robert Musiala dissect how 2025 became a watershed year for crypto regulation, highlighting the SEC’s reversal on securities classification, the rapid passage of the Genius Act, and the surge of stablecoins to...