Fintech Garden

Igor Tomych & Dumitru Condrea
  • 5.0 (1)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Fintech Garden is a weekly podcast hosted by industry experts. Each episode dives into the latest in finance, banking, technology, and payments.

  1. European payments enter execution mode: PSD3, Wero, DORA, with Andréa Toucinho | FG Podcast 154

    2D AGO

    European payments enter execution mode: PSD3, Wero, DORA, with Andréa Toucinho | FG Podcast 154

    Meet Andréa Toucinho, Director of Studies, Prospective and Training at Partelya Consulting — one of Europe's most established voices on payments and innovative financial services. She is Country Ambassador for France at the European Women Payments Network (EWPN), France Representative of AEFI Spain and AFIP Portugal, and co-author of The PAYTech Book (Wiley, 2020). She publishes an annual whitepaper on European payments and regularly contributes to industry forums on regulation, instant payments, open banking, and European sovereignty. In this episode, Andréa maps where European payments are today: a market moving from accumulated legislation to operational execution, from political ambition to concrete infrastructure. The conversation covers three concurrent evolutions — technology, regulation, and sovereignty — and what each means for banks, fintechs, and operators building in the European ecosystem. Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Digital euro is not crypto. It is digital cash, with Rainer Olt | Fintech Garden Podcast 145: https://youtu.be/nF3zZ1BCVMo Timestamps: 01:42 – Where European payments are today: three concurrent evolutions 06:00 – Why collaboration across stakeholders is now structural 11:00 – Beyond cards: instant payments as the "new normal" 14:00 – Wero, EuroPA, and the rise of European wallets 17:00 – SEPA Direct Debit and country-by-country trust differences 22:00 – Country-specific fraud patterns and the role of AI 25:00 – DORA and operational resilience 30:00 – PSD3, open banking harmonization, and the path to open finance 33:00 – Can Europe deliver? Sovereignty as execution The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, and how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts and guest: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Andréa Toucinho https://www.linkedin.com/in/andr%C3%A9a-toucinho-95102597/

    35 min
  2. Why behavioral science is the missing layer in fintech, with Anna Nyvelt & Noemi Molnar | Fintech Garden Podcast 153

    MAY 4

    Why behavioral science is the missing layer in fintech, with Anna Nyvelt & Noemi Molnar | Fintech Garden Podcast 153

    Meet Anna Nyvelt and Noemi Molnar, who are the co-founders of BeHive, a company that integrates behavioral science, data, and AI to drive meaningful behavior change. Working with leading financial institutions, BeHive tackles complex challenges at the intersection of human decision-making and technology. As Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, they are empowering the financial industry to better understand and influence how people engage with money in an increasingly digital world. In this episode, the conversation moves from the foundations of behavioral science to the specific reasons it has become decisive in fintech: digital money is more abstract, payment journeys are more frictionless, and the unconscious drivers behind 35,000 daily decisions now sit at the center of how products convert, retain, and either help or harm their users. Anna and Noemi unpack the perceived value framework, psychographic segmentation in banking, the COM-B model, the Save More Tomorrow program, the Monzo and Revolut case studies, and where embedded finance crosses from elegant design into dark pattern territory. If you build, fund, regulate, or market financial products, this is one of the most practical episodes we've recorded on what behavioral science actually changes inside a product team. Product vs Engineering: The Hidden Bottleneck in Fintech Teams | Fintech Garden Podcast 152: https://youtu.be/iUuqZkRpals Fintechs sell products. Banks absorb responsibility, with Ronel David | Fintech Garden Podcast 148: https://youtu.be/jq6QuFP7Az8 Timestamps: 01:07 – What behavioral science actually is, and why it matters now 05:12 – What traditional product thinking misses 11:27 – Why financial services is uniquely sensitive to behavioral influence 14:48 – Designing for the unconscious: Monzo, Save More Tomorrow, gamification 18:22 – Beyond demographics: the COM-B model and psychographic segmentation 20:59 – The Revolut case: control, perception, and translation 26:41 – Embedded finance and the pain of payment 29:26 – Strategic friction, dark patterns, and the regulatory lag 31:42 – Where product and engineering teams should start 33:19 – Closing thoughts on trust and long-term thinking The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, CEO of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, and how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Connect with our guests: Anna Nyvelt https://www.linkedin.com/in/annanyvelt/ Noemi Orsolya Molna https://www.linkedin.com/in/noemiorsolyamolnar/

    36 min
  3. Product vs Engineering: The Hidden Bottleneck in Fintech Teams | Fintech Garden Podcast 152

    APR 27

    Product vs Engineering: The Hidden Bottleneck in Fintech Teams | Fintech Garden Podcast 152

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter. 👉 https://fintech.garden What really slows down fintech products? In this episode of the Fintech Garden Podcast, Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea discuss one of the most common bottlenecks in fintech product development: when teams build without a shared understanding of value, risk, feasibility, and ownership. They break down why engineering without product direction rarely creates a strong business model, why product without engineering cannot turn ideas into working systems, and why compliance is not a side function in fintech — it is part of the product architecture. The conversation covers speed vs quality, who should have veto power, how teams should approve features before development, and why “move fast” can become dangerous when money, regulation, fraud, and customer trust are involved. If you are building a fintech product, managing delivery, or trying to align product, engineering, and compliance teams, this episode gives a practical look at where the real friction starts. Fintechs sell products. Banks absorb responsibility, with Ronel David | Fintech Garden Podcast 148: https://youtu.be/jq6QuFP7Az8 Agentic payments explained: the next fintech shift already started | Fintech Garden Podcast 151 https://youtu.be/ImMCSpvEI9M Timestamps 00:30 – Product vs engineering: where the tension starts 01:04 – What engineering means in digital products 02:50 – What product teams actually own 03:25 – Can engineering work without product? 07:24 – Roles vs responsibilities in fintech teams 10:11 – What defines product success 14:30 – Why compliance cannot be treated as optional 15:33 – What “know your customer” means in practice 20:30 – When speed creates risk 23:50 – A two-stage approval model 27:10 – How to diagnose misalignment inside teams The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, CEO of Novafin. All conversations explore how fintech products are built, how teams make decisions, and what it takes to scale in a regulated market. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/

    30 min
  4. Agentic payments explained: the next fintech shift already started | Fintech Garden Podcast 151

    APR 20

    Agentic payments explained: the next fintech shift already started | Fintech Garden Podcast 151

    👉 Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter: https://fintech.garden What if payments no longer required humans in the loop? In this episode, Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea break down one of the most talked-about emerging topics in fintech: agentic payments. This isn’t about AI making suggestions — it’s about systems that can initiate and execute payments autonomously based on rules, goals, and context. From machine-to-machine payments and API monetization to treasury automation and subscription management, agentic payments introduce a new layer of financial infrastructure. We explore how this differs from traditional automation, what’s already happening in the market, and why trust, regulation, and user behavior will define whether this model actually scales. The fintech shift nobody's talking about, with Ezequiel Canestrari | Fintech Garden Podcast 150: https://youtu.be/kd7xZyzdvrI Why merchant leaders ignore 90% of fintech trends, with David Parker | FG Podcast x MPE 2026: https://youtu.be/XPebDDKS8ys Timestamps 00:20 – What are agentic payments? 01:25 – Agency vs automation 04:15 – Machine-to-machine payments explained 07:00 – Agentic vs automated payments 08:00 – What made agentic payments possible 12:03 – SCA and regulatory challenges 14:29 – Can banks support agentic payments? 17:33 – Cost optimization and routing 18:29 – Trust as the main barrier 22:00 – Existing protocols and early players 24:00 – How this market will evolve 26:20 – “Concrete” analogy for payments future The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin.All conversations explore how fintech products are built, how infrastructure evolves, and where the market is heading next. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/

    37 min
  5. Why fintech is moving from speed to trust, with Ezequiel Canestrari | Fintech Garden Podcast 150

    APR 13

    Why fintech is moving from speed to trust, with Ezequiel Canestrari | Fintech Garden Podcast 150

    👉 Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter: https://fintech.garden Meet Ezequiel Canestrari, COO at ClearBank Europe — a clearing and embedded banking platform at the intersection of fintechs, payment rails, and regulation. In this episode, we go beyond the surface of Banking-as-a-Service and embedded banking to unpack what actually drives success in modern fintech infrastructure. From the trade-off between speed and trust to why operational readiness matters more than ever, this conversation explores how fintech has evolved from “build fast” to “build right.” We also dive into how regulation (DORA, SEPA Instant, MiCA) is shaping innovation in Europe, why resilience and uptime are becoming core product features, and how embedded banking changes the relationship between fintechs and banks. If you’re building or scaling fintech products — this is a must-watch. ClearBank is a purpose-built, technology-enabled clearing and embedded banking platform. Through its banking licence and intelligent, robust technology solutions, ClearBank enables its clients to offer real-time payment and innovative banking services to their customers. ClearBank https://clear.bank/ AI systems do not hallucinate. Humans hallucinate, with Tony Fish | Fintech Garden Podcast 146: https://youtu.be/xJTZ2avYiNk Fintechs sell products. Banks absorb responsibility, with Ronel David | Fintech Garden Podcast 148: https://youtu.be/jq6QuFP7Az8 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:12 – BaaS is more than APIs 03:54 – Why speed is no longer enough 05:19 – Market shift: from growth to stability 07:24 – Operational readiness explained 12:32 – What embedded banking really is 20:54 – The future of embedded finance 24:17 – ‘Trust as the new commodity’ 27:18 – Building with regulation in mind 30:13 – Why regulation enables innovation The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Guest: Ezequiel Canestrari https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecanestrari/

    32 min
  6. Finn by Chase: The Bank That Could but Never Should | Planted Wrong №2

    APR 6

    Finn by Chase: The Bank That Could but Never Should | Planted Wrong №2

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden DashDevs founder and CEO, Igor Tomych, alongside Novafin founder Dumitru Condrea, are back with another episode of Planted Wrong. The executives use this format to discuss some of the biggest failures in fintech. Finn by Chase was a digital-only mobile banking service launched by JPMorgan Chase in 2018, targeting millennials with no-fee, smartphone-based checking and savings accounts. It focused on spending control and savings, but was shut down in August 2019 due to low demand and a shift toward integrating its features into the main Chase app. How Tally’s Mission Struggled to Take Root | Planted Wrong №1: https://youtu.be/s9Pkd_Jczzg AI in fraud is no longer offense vs defense, with Andre Isoni | Fintech Garden Podcast 149: https://youtu.be/oQcgLFY_cK8 Revolut record profit and customers? AI in PayPal & G7 currency stablecoins | Weekly Harvest: https://youtu.be/Y_T5oF_G5Jo Timestamps: ​​0:00 – Why Chase’s Finn failed (Intro) 0:45 – The bold idea behind Finn by Chase 1:40 – The neobank boom Chase tried to copy 2:30 – Why big banks struggle to innovate 3:20 – Finn’s hybrid model explained 4:10 – The fatal assumption Chase made 5:00 – Why the US wasn’t ready for Finn 5:50 – The UX mistake that killed the product 6:40 – Copying old banking into a new app 7:30 – Why Revolut worked (and Finn didn’t) 8:20 – “Digital ≠ better” in fintech 9:10 – The missing value proposition 10:00 – The wrong target audience 10:50 – Why users saw no difference 11:40 – The myth of generational behavior 12:20 – Tech is not your advantage 13:10 – Growth vs retention: the real problem 14:00 – Same product, new branding = failure 14:50 – Was Finn doomed from the start? 15:40 – What Chase actually learned 16:30 – Was this an intentional experiment? 17:20 – Finn vs Chase: scale comparison 18:10 – Finn vs Revolut: key differences 19:00 – Biggest lesson for fintech founders 20:00 – Final takeaway: what really matters The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, and how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/

    22 min
  7. AI in fraud is no longer offense vs defense, with Andre Isoni | Fintech Garden Podcast 149

    APR 1

    AI in fraud is no longer offense vs defense, with Andre Isoni | Fintech Garden Podcast 149

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Andre Isoni, Chief AI Officer at AI Technologies, a company specializing in machine learning and data-related problems. Andre is also the author of 'Machine Learning for the Web'. With a background spanning cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and enterprise consulting, he focuses on turning AI from a technical capability into a scalable, ROI-driven business solution. His work cuts across industries, including financial services, defense, and the public sector, where he leads AI project design, deployment, and governance. Alongside his executive role, he contributes to global AI standards through his involvement with ISO and advises on AI investments, bringing a practical, security-first perspective to how organizations adopt and manage emerging technologies. AI will change how businesses operate, with Juan José López Murphy | FG Podcast х MoneyLive 2026: https://youtu.be/AKD98V6U660 AI systems do not hallucinate. Humans hallucinate, with Tony Fish | Fintech Garden Podcast 146: https://youtu.be/xJTZ2avYiNk The magic of AI will really open up, with Norman Tambach | FG x Finovate Europe 2026: https://youtu.be/tWcevDDxaQA Timestamps: 00:04 – Intro 01:28 – AI vs CTO: responsibilities and project success 03:39 – AI in fintech fraud: offense vs defense 05:13 – Cybercrime evolution and AI adoption 07:45 – Shift to smaller, more powerful AI models 09:59 – Why smaller models increase security risks 10:49 – Deepfakes, identity fraud, and malware evolution 12:35 – Code morphing and detection challenges 13:37 – Prompt injection and AI vulnerabilities 14:28 – AI risks in KYC and identity verification 15:27 – Why human oversight is still critical 18:59 – Static vs dynamic fraud prevention 20:08 – Why AI detection tools are not enough 22:11 – No “silver bullet” in fraud prevention 23:04 – Data, behavior, and fraud detection systems 27:25 – AI economics: cost, efficiency, and security 28:30 – Regulation, open-source AI, and risk 29:31 – Outro The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Guests: Andre Isoni https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaisoni20/

    30 min
  8. Fintechs sell products. Banks absorb responsibility, with Ronel David | Fintech Garden Podcast 148

    MAR 25

    Fintechs sell products. Banks absorb responsibility, with Ronel David | Fintech Garden Podcast 148

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Ronel David, independent non-executive board member at PayInc. Ronel is a strategic commercial leader with 20+ years of experience in banking, fintech, and technology, helping businesses scale at pivotal inflection points. Her career has been defined by driving growth, market expansion, and transformation across international markets, with a consistent focus on client outcomes and people-first leadership. Timestamps: 00:04 – Intro 01:04 – Fintech vs bank cultural gap 02:50 – Ecosystem shift and Brex example 06:02 – Strategy: customers, competition, and market shifts 08:01 – How banks evaluate fintech partnerships 10:07 – API example: different perspectives 11:14 – Internal decision-making complexity 13:35 – AI impact on financial services 14:30 – AI and human “placement” 16:23 – Accountability in AI systems 18:41 – Talent shifts and ex-bankers 20:18 – Institutional knowledge gap 23:03 – Experience vs disruption 24:01 – Brex and resilience lessons 26:24 – Inclusion in fintech today 28:39 – Structural bias and retention 33:21 – Advice for fintechs working with banks 35:10 – Co-creation and partnerships 36:05 – Outro The Fintech Garden is hosted by Igor Tomych, founder and CEO of DashDevs, and Dumitru Condrea, founder of Novafin. All conversations revolve around the world of fintech, movers and shakers, how decisions are made. Make sure to tune in to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how the world of finance is evolving before our eyes. Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Guest: Ronel David https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronel-david/

    37 min
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About

Fintech Garden is a weekly podcast hosted by industry experts. Each episode dives into the latest in finance, banking, technology, and payments.

Information

  • Creator
    Igor Tomych & Dumitru Condrea
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Show Website
    Fintech Garden