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

    2D AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. Great technology dies if it can’t speak to humans, with Greg Palmer | Fintech Garden Podcast 147

    MAR 18

    Great technology dies if it can’t speak to humans, with Greg Palmer | Fintech Garden Podcast 147

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Greg Palmer, the VP of Strategy and host of Finovate, a fast-paced, demo-first showcase of the latest innovations in financial and banking technology from across the globe. 15 years with Finovate have given Greg a unique, bird’s-eye view of the Fintech industry as it has exploded into prominence, allowing him to watch not only individual innovations as they gain traction, but also the high-level trends that continue to shape the industry. Greg is also a seasoned demo and speaking coach in addition to his own work as an emcee and speaker. Previous episode with Tony Fish: https://youtu.be/xJTZ2avYiNk Finovate Spring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/ Finovate Fall: https://informaconnect.com/finovatefall/ Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 03:17 – Are fintech founders actually successful? 06:16 – What matters to a fintech founder 08:53 – Creating products that the market actually needs 11:13 – Success beyond funding 15:07 – Timing and gatekeepers 21:43 – Fintech Success in 2026 22:08 – How to keep up with market changes 28:05 – Is it getting harder to succeed in B2C? 34:17 – 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: Greg Palmer https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

    38 min
  4. AI systems do not hallucinate. Humans hallucinate, with Tony Fish | Fintech Garden Podcast 146

    MAR 11

    AI systems do not hallucinate. Humans hallucinate, with Tony Fish | Fintech Garden Podcast 146

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Tony Fish, author of Decision Making In Uncertain Times. A self-described strategic sense-maker who helps directors and C-suite leadership ask questions they didn't know they had to ask. Tony boasts 30 years of navigating uncertainty as a serial entrepreneur, bringing cross-sectoral foresight that has positioned him ahead of multiple technical revolutions. Tony challenges conventional wisdom through systems thinking and complexity. AI vs Fraud: Inside Device Fingerprinting with Catherine Woneis: https://youtu.be/TiPQQItHgQk Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 01:11 – AI & Data Governance 02:36 – How AI is changing how we think of things 05:44 – AI in fintech 10:07 – AI hallucinations 18:17 – Compliance is a grey zone 21:43 – Explainability in AI 26:01 – 20% of your company needs to break the rules 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. Where to find us Follow us: https://fintech.garden Check out DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com Watch TIkTok: tiktok.com/@fintechgarden Connect with our hosts: Igor Tomych https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortomych/ Dumitru Condrea https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcondrea/ Where to find Tony: Tony Fish https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfish/ Newsletter https://opengovernance.net/

    30 min
  5. Digital euro is not crypto. It is digital cash, with Rainer Olt | Fintech Garden Podcast 145

    MAR 4

    Digital euro is not crypto. It is digital cash, with Rainer Olt | Fintech Garden Podcast 145

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Rainer Olt, Head of Payment & Settlement Systems Department | operator, oversight, catalyst functions at Estonia's central bank, Eesti Pank. Olt also worked for the European central bank as Senior Market Infrastructure Expert in DG Market Infrastructure & Payments. Finally, Olt boasts 15 years experience in commercial and central banking. All of that brings us the conversation about the future of money in Europe Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 01:11 – Why focus on the digital Euro now 05:04 – Digital Euro vs Stablecoins 10:45 – How the digital Euro works 19:22 – Merchant access to the digital Euro 21:15 – How is the digital Euro tokenized? 32:06 – Latest updates on the digital Euro 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: Rainer Olt https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainer-olt/

    37 min
  6. Credit inclusion is not a niche problem, with Noah Buchman | Fintech Garden Podcast 144

    FEB 25

    Credit inclusion is not a niche problem, with Noah Buchman | Fintech Garden Podcast 144

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Noah Buchman, Co-Founder, President and Chief Revenue Officer of Propel Holdings. Noah works cross-functionally across the entire company, championing major initiatives and ensuring the company executes on its strategic plan. Noah leads teams in Strategy, Corporate & Business Development, Communications, Marketing and Customer Acquisition. He also oversees and leads all areas of the numerous and varied bank programs on the Propel platform. Previous episode: Africa's Fintech: Local belief changes everything, with Germain Bahri https://youtu.be/R6mDAqJ4hpI Scaling Without Illusions with Nikolay Popandopulo https://youtu.be/cEoy2aloFwI Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 00:59 – Why pursue a full banking license 08:15 – How to enter the US market 13:23 – How licensing unlocks the ecosystem 18:54 – Fintech-banking collaboration 21:15 – Tradeoffs of a licensed bank 27:10 – What can this bank do? 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 Noah Buchman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-buchman-bbb3079/

    31 min
  7. Africa's Fintech: Local belief changes everything, with Germain Bahri | Fintech Garden Podcast 143

    FEB 18

    Africa's Fintech: Local belief changes everything, with Germain Bahri | Fintech Garden Podcast 143

    Subscribe to the Fintech Garden Newsletter 👉 https://fintech.garden Meet Germain Bahri, Co-Founder & CGO of Zazu, a company aimed at redefining business banking for Africa’s SMEs. As they share a common professional background, Germain and Novafin's Dumitru Condrea look at how different regions such as Africa defy the fintech playbook usually used in established markets such as Europe and North America. Previous episodeCyber security is not an IT problem, with Dennis Winter: https://youtu.be/wbdyR8BY7ns Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 00:40 – The Silicon Valley playbook 02:14 – European markets vs African markets 04:38 – Fundraising myths 07:34 – Regulatory landscapes 09:44 – Zazu's mission 14:57 – The African market challenge 19:07 – The trust game 22:15 – The African fintech playbook 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 Germain Bahri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germainbahri/

    27 min
  8. Security is only as strong as the weakest link, with Dennis Winter | Fintech Garden Podcast 142

    FEB 11

    Security is only as strong as the weakest link, with Dennis Winter | Fintech Garden Podcast 142

    Igor and Dumitru switch things up once more only to focus on security this time. Meet Dennis Winter, CTO of Boerse Stuttgart Digital and Chief Security Officer at Boerse Stuttgart Group, the second biggest stock exchange in Germany and the 6th in Europe. With over two decades of experience in building and scaling digital products, he combines deep technical expertise with a strategic perspective. Dennis shares his perspective and expertise on the importance of driving security-aware culture across all levels of an organization. On top of that, the guest highlights what it's like to put the customer at the focal point when establishing security protocols. Criminals don’t steal money. They steal identities. With Dan Feaheny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj8mop_z1_o AI vs Fraud: Inside Device Fingerprinting with Catherine Woneis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiPQQItHgQk Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 02:01 – Let's talk security 04:05 – Human-centric security risks 07:33 – Proactive vs reactive security 11:08 – Security 10 years ago vs now 14:45 – Keeping humans at the frontlines of security 21:09 – The AI talk 24:59 – Post-quantum cryptography 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 Dennis Winter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denniswinterberlin/ Follow Fintech Garden on LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/fintechgarden Visit DashDevs: https://dashdevs.com/

    35 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
    49
  • Show Website
    Fintech Garden