Fintech Garden

Igor Tomych & Dumitru Condrea

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

  1. Stablecoins are popular because they solve a real problem, with Chris Mason | Fintech Garden Episode 141

    6D AGO

    Stablecoins are popular because they solve a real problem, with Chris Mason | Fintech Garden Episode 141

    Meet Chris Mason, who has worked in the payments industry for 25 years. As co-founder and CEO of Orbital, he leads the company’s strategic direction and ensures operational execution to deliver on that vision. He sets the overall vision for Orbital to address fundamental problems in global enterprise payments, particularly between traditional banking systems and digital assets like stablecoins. Timestamps: 0:05 – Intro 0:24 – Chris Mason background & career 2:20 – Evolution of payments 3:28 – Why cross-border payments are still broken 4:08 – Founding Orbital & the original problem 5:05 – Early adoption of stablecoins at Orbital 6:12 – Stablecoins 7 years ago vs today 7:27 – Emerging markets vs Western markets 9:54 – Why stablecoins solved a real customer problem 11:50 – Stablecoins as a market-driven solution 14:19 – Regulation, MiCA, and compliance trade-offs 16:05 – Blockchain transparency vs traditional banking opacity 19:20 – Swift, correspondent banking, and compliance inefficiency 21:29 – Liquidity in stablecoin payments explained 23:02 – Premiums, regulation gaps & currency controls 25:04 – Governments vs technology (“shield and spear”) 25:41 – Future of digital money & stablecoins 27:04 – Market hype vs material progress Disclaimer: The views and information shared here are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, or other professional advice. Authors do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the content. Products and services mentioned may not be available in all jurisdictions and are subject to applicable regulations. Listeners and readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult with a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions. ___ The Fintech Garden podcast 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. Subscribe on Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fintech-garden/id1777608140 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UqXDeSyPartbS10Dz8bl7 Follow Igor Tomych on LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/igortomych Follow Chris Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mason-24957614/ Follow Fintech Garden on LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/fintechgarden Visit DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com/

    31 min
  2. Stablecoins without the volatility, with Kebbie Sebastian | Fintech Garden Episode 140

    JAN 28

    Stablecoins without the volatility, with Kebbie Sebastian | Fintech Garden Episode 140

    Meet Kebbie Sebastian, Founder and CEO of Merge, a regulated payments and treasury infrastructure platform enabling enterprises to move money globally in real time using stablecoins and local payment rails. He previously held senior roles at PayPal, Bank of America, Barclays and founded the fintech advisory firm Penser. Watch the previous episode with Svitlanka Sergiichuk: https://youtu.be/IXBNVHBoSDA Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 01:30 – What changed the industry 02:43 – What changed customer needs 04:05 – History of stablecoins 07:24 – What problem Merge solves 10:55 – Difference between stablecoins and fiat 12:22 – What makes Merge stand out 14:05 – Challenges of scaling 19:07 – How to collaborate with banks and regulators 23:23 – Business use cases for stablecoins 26:31 – The magic of stablecoins Follow Igor Tomych on LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/igortomych Follow Fintech Garden on LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/fintechgarden Follow Kebbie Sebastian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kebbiesebastian/ Visit DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com/

    33 min
  3. Classic lending isn’t dying. It’s evolving. With Svitlanka Sergiichuk | Fintech Garden Episode 139

    JAN 21

    Classic lending isn’t dying. It’s evolving. With Svitlanka Sergiichuk | Fintech Garden Episode 139

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden/ Meet Svitlanka Sergiichuk, CEO and co-founder of Novafin Solutions, a lending infrastructure platform that enables fintechs, non-bank lenders, and merchants to launch and operate embedded credit products such as term loans, revolving credit lines, and Buy Now, Pay Later. Along with our host, Igor Tomych, the conversation highlights the way lending is evolving and why structure is more important than cash flow. Watch the previous episode: https://youtu.be/Qj8mop_z1_o Busting Credit Union Myths with Amber Harsin: https://youtu.be/s7ljOEGmUHU Follow Igor Tomych on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Follow Fintech Garden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintechgarden/ Follow Svitlanka Sergiichuk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svitlanaromaniuk/ Visit DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com/

    30 min
  4. Criminals don’t steal money. They steal identities. With Dan Feaheny | Fintech Garden Episode 138

    JAN 14

    Criminals don’t steal money. They steal identities. With Dan Feaheny | Fintech Garden Episode 138

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden/ Meet Dan Feaheny, an expert in bridging strategic infrastructure across payments, digital identity and financial risk, with professional experience spanning decades. Going back-and-forth with our host Igor, Dan takes the opportunity to highlight two things: First, digital banks still have a long way to go. Second, identity theft is a far bigger threat than financial theft. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UqXDeSyPartbS10Dz8bl7 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/fintech-garden/id1777608140 Follow Igor Tomych on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Follow Fintech Garden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintechgarden/ Visit DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com/ Dan Feaheny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfeaheny/

    30 min
  5. Scaling Without Illusions with Nikolay Popandopulo | Fintech Garden Episode 137

    JAN 8

    Scaling Without Illusions with Nikolay Popandopulo | Fintech Garden Episode 137

    Igor chats with Nikolay Popandopulo, a math and software engineering graduate, a former Oracle engineer, and most of all the CPO, Kaspi.kz — eGrocery division, Kazakhstan's biggest fintech company. His company boasts profit margins topping those of banks and other fintechs. The two executives take a no-holds-barred approach to explaining what it's like bringing a fintech company to the big leagues. You'd think the conversation would focus on technologies and trends, but the reality may surprise you.

    32 min
  6. Crypto's "Valley of Death” | Fintech Garden Episode 136

    12/30/2025

    Crypto's "Valley of Death” | Fintech Garden Episode 136

    Igor Tomych speaks with Lex Fisun, CEO & Co-Founder of Global Ledger, about how trust is built at the intersection of blockchain, stablecoins, and traditional finance. The conversation includes a deep dive into how blockchain analytics, wallet de-anonymization, and real-time compliance tools help financial institutions detect fraud, meet regulatory obligations, and operate safely in crypto markets. The two executives go back and forth on regulation clarity, money laundering dynamics, stablecoins vs blockchains, North Korean hacking groups, and why speed, usability, and compliance must coexist for crypto adoption to scale. Lex's insight on how sanctions slowed Grinex trading, but users increasingly turned to centralized exchanges to keep things moving: http://bit.ly/49f05Zo

    35 min
  7. AI vs Fraud: Inside Device Fingerprinting | Fintech Garden Episode 135

    12/23/2025

    AI vs Fraud: Inside Device Fingerprinting | Fintech Garden Episode 135

    Igor Tomych speaks with Catherine Woneis, VP of Product at Fingerprint, about how device intelligence and AI are used to detect fraud without compromising user privacy. The conversation explores device fingerprinting, browser tampering, VPNs, and intent-based fraud detection, highlighting how signals from browsers and apps help financial institutions identify suspicious activity before and after authentication. They also discuss agentic AI, fraud-as-a-service, social engineering, and why humans remain the weakest link in digital security.

    35 min
  8. Busting Credit Union Myths with Amber Harsin | Fintech Garden Episode 134

    12/18/2025

    Busting Credit Union Myths with Amber Harsin | Fintech Garden Episode 134

    Igor Tomych and Dumitru Condrea rifle through a series of myths surrounding credit unions in the US. While you may expect a list of comparisons regarding interest rates and availability, our hosts seize the chance to take a deep look at how legacy systems used by such organizations compare to modern systems used by fintechs The guest, Amber Harsin, Vice President of Credit Unions at Mambu, is not shy to point out the chinks in credit union armors and why they lag behind alternative lending institutions.

    35 min
See All (41)

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
    41
  • Show Website
    Fintech Garden