Modern Money SmartPod

SmartBrief
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Investing
  • Biweekly

From the team that produces Modern Money SmartBrief -- and more than 40 other newsletters for some of the most influential organizations in Finance -- it's the Modern Money SmartPod. This podcast features insights from key policymakers and C-suite executives from leading financial services firms. If you're looking for a fun and informative podcast that focuses specifically on the people, technologies and trends that are driving the future of financial services … this is it!

  1. 3h ago

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: IncubeEx Co-Founder and CEO Dan Scarbrough

    At the Futures Industry Association’s Expo gathering in Chicago, host Sean McMahon welcomes repeat guest Dan Scarbrough, Co-Founder and CEO of IncubEx, to the Modern Money Smart Pod. Despite political headwinds and counterintuitive headlines, environmental markets are setting records across open interest, traded volume, and exchange revenues. Dan breaks down the primary asset classes driving this momentum – carbon, renewable fuels, and renewable energy certificates (RECs) – and explains how IncubEx is standardizing OTC bilateral trades into clear, regulated futures and options. Plus, they explore innovative new contracts like Massachusetts Clean Peak and discuss the future intersection of AI data centers and environmental trading: "Green Compute" futures. Key Topics Covered: 00:00 – Welcome back from FIA Expo in Chicago00:33 – Record-breaking growth: Open interest and volume across North American environmental markets01:23 – The power drivers: State-level mechanisms, RPS standards, and federal incentives01:46 – Product development: Carbon, RECs, and renewable fuels moving from OTC to exchange-traded futures02:40 – Innovation spotlight: Massachusetts Clean Peak contracts trading out the curve03:39 – The next frontier: AI data centers, power/water resource strain, and the feasibility of "Green Compute" contracts05:48 – First innings: Why compute futures and energy markets are intrinsically linked

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: IncubeEx Co-Founder and CEO Dan Scarbrough

  2. 3h ago

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: JB Mackenzie from Robinhood

    At the Futures Industry Association’s Expo event in Chicago, host Sean McMahon welcomes repeat guest JB Mackenzie, VP and GM of Futures and Prediction Markets at Robinhood, to the Modern Money SmartPod. Two years after launching prediction markets around the presidential election, event contracts have surged to become Robinhood’s second-largest quarterly revenue source. On Election Day 2026, JB dives into how event contracts are being integrated into everyday portfolios. JB also outlines the launch of Robinhood’s Election Hub, which compares market probabilities against polling data. JB also discusses the rapid expansion into 15-minute crypto/commodity contracts and company KPI markets. Key Topics Covered: 00:00 – Welcome back to the Modern Money Smart Pod live from FIA Expo00:51 – Prediction markets evolve from niche experiment to Robinhood’s #2 revenue source03:02 – Prediction markets vs. traditional polling on Election Day04:09 – Market integrity, contract design, and guarding against manipulation05:17 – Economic data drivers and watching the closing flurry of election trading06:10 – Fun prediction: JB, A proud alum of the University of Notre Dame, predicts the outcome of this Saturday’s college football game between the Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: JB Mackenzie from Robinhood

  3. 3h ago

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: Tomo Tokoyama and Alan Green from Trading Technologies

    At the Futures Industry Association’s Expo gathering in Chicago, Sean McMahon welcomes Tomo Tokoyama and Alun Green from Trading Technologies (TT) to the Modern Money Smart Pod. In this episode, Tomo and Alun break down TT’s latest announcements and platform evolutions: Digital Assets Relaunch: How TT’s new partnerships with Robinhood and Bitstamp bring institutional clients direct market access using familiar front-to-back TT workflows.A True Multi-Asset Strategy: Why buy-side clients are shifting away from rigid asset-class silos and how TT is connecting traders to fragmented liquidity pools.TT FX & Dynamic Hedger: Why FX is often treated as a "nuisance asset class" and how TT's new dynamic hedger inside the Autospreader allows cross-currency basis traders to eliminate contract lag and hedge in real time.Prediction Markets Go Institutional: How customer demand shifted TT from skepticism to actively supporting trading and clearing access for prediction markets.Key Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome from FIA Expo in Chicago00:26 – TT’s digital assets rannouncement with Robinhood & Bitstamp01:13 – Breaking down TT’s multi-asset & multi-execution strategy02:15 – FX as a "nuisance" asset class & launching the Dynamic Hedger04:14 – Why prediction markets are becoming a true institutional play05:05 – Wrap-up and future outlook

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: Tomo Tokoyama and Alan Green from Trading Technologies

  4. 4h ago

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: Eventus CEO Cameron Routh

    At FIA Expo in Chicago, Modern Money SmartPod host Sean McMahon sits down with Eventus CEO Cameron Routh to discuss the firm’s new partnership with Synova Global to provide surveillance for market-as-a-service offerings – including upcoming compute futures contracts driven by rapid AI growth. Routh also shares his perspective on the regulatory landscape for prediction markets, why surveillance is about building trust rather than checking a box and the hidden costs of failed compliance programs. Key Topics Covered: 00:00 – Welcome from FIA Expo in Chicago00:45 – Eventus & Synova Global partnership: Surveillance for market-as-a-service & compute contracts01:54 – Navigating compliance & regulation in prediction markets03:04 – Beyond the checklist: Reputational risk, trust, and the real cost of surveillance failures04:07 – Stepping into the CEO role: Client-facing team investments and global expansion05:47 – Looking ahead: Tokenization, AI, and the evolution of market integrity

    Road Trip to FIA Expo: Eventus CEO Cameron Routh

  5. 5d ago

    Looking Ahead to FIA Expo

    With the FIA’s Futures & Options Expo getting ready to kick off in Chicago, we caught up with Will Acworth, global head of market intelligence at FIA, to discuss what’s on the agenda at this year’s gathering. Will outlines how there are sessions focused on prediction markets, compute futures, tokenization, perpetual futures and Treasury clearing. Expo will also host conversations about 24/7 trading, the rise of AI in markets and how the regulatory road ahead is taking shape. And since Expo is taking place around Election Day in the US, sessions scheduled for Wednesday featuring the likes of James Carville and Karl Rove will delve into what the results mean for the financial markets.

  6. Oct 27

    How Technology Is Shifting the Exchange Landscape

    Get an inside look at the technology powering today’s exchange-traded derivatives markets as we sit down with Sophie Marnhier-Foy, Vice President of Product Strategy, Head of Digital Assets Solutions - Capital Markets Technology at Nasdaq, to discuss the infrastructure that supports modern financial markets. We do a deep dive on artificial intelligence, with Sophie outlining the key attributes of AI trading environments and how market participants should weigh the promise and potential peril of AI agents. Sophie also discusses the evolution of tokenization and shares real-world examples from the work Nasdaq Calypso is doing with Wellington Management and Vanguard. And with prediction markets on the rise and the US Treasury clearing mandate on the horizon, Sophie outlines the solutions Nasdaq offers to help clients streamline their clearing operations. More resources from Nasdaq The Night Shift You Never See: How AI Agents Are Changing Capital Markets OperationsHSBC Adopt Nasdaq Calypso’s Enhanced Exchange-Traded Derivatives PlatformHow Tokenized Collateral Will Impact Derivatives Markets and Risk Management

  7. Sep 24

    Compute Futures Get Ready To Launch - with Peter Keavey from CME Group

    With trillions of dollars flowing into AI infrastructure, market participants are looking for transparent ways to price their investments and manage risk. That is where a financial product like futures comes into play. The notion that GPU compute could one day trade like soybeans or crude oil is quickly shifting from a Silicon Valley pipe dream … to reality. In this episode, Peter Keavey, managing director of energy and environmental products at CME Group, explains the role that futures, specifically compute futures, can play in expanding this nascent market.  More resources Learn more about Compute Futures from CME Group. Highlights 01:08 - What Are Compute Futures?  02:45 - Key Market Participants 03:11 - Scale of the Compute Market & Importance of Price Signals 04:59 - Market Risks: Supply Chain, Energy & Power Dynamics 06:57 - Weather Risks & Geographical Considerations 08:17 - Data Center Locations & Attribute Pricing 09:59 - Future Chip Generations & CME Innovation Strategy 11:48 - Managing Industry Developments & AI R&D Trends 13:33 - Expected Launch Timeline

  8. Sep 22

    Surveying the Derivatives Landscape - with Walt Lukken from the Futures Industry Association

    A wave of innovation from the industry, accompanied by policy uncertainty and geopolitical flare-ups, made the summer of 2026 a busy one for the derivatives industry. Futures Industry Association President and CEO Walt Lukken returns to the show to help make sense of all the headlines and discuss where the industry is heading when it comes to new markets, new products and new regulatory frameworks. 00:54 - Walt's View on Industry Innovation & Market Trends 02:11 - Insights from CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee 04:22 - The Public Policy Debate Around Prediction Markets 07:32 - Economic Purpose vs. Entertainment Contracts 09:23 - The Fate of Crypto Regulation & The Clarity Act 12:40 - Perpetual Futures & Impact on Traditional Benchmarks 15:54 - Tokenization & Modernizing Payment Infrastructure 18:48 - FIA Global Initiatives & Upcoming Events

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

From the team that produces Modern Money SmartBrief -- and more than 40 other newsletters for some of the most influential organizations in Finance -- it's the Modern Money SmartPod. This podcast features insights from key policymakers and C-suite executives from leading financial services firms. If you're looking for a fun and informative podcast that focuses specifically on the people, technologies and trends that are driving the future of financial services … this is it!

Information

  • Creator
    SmartBrief
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Modern Money SmartPod
  • Show Website
    Modern Money SmartPod