Propagate Fintech Podcast

Roland Howard
  • 5.0 (31)
  • Marketing

Propagate Fintech is a podcast exploring how financial services actually evolve. Hosted by Roland Howard, the show features in-depth conversations with fintech founders, bank and credit union leaders, operators, and industry voices shaping lending, deposits, payments, account origination, and go-to-market strategy. Each episode cuts through hype to focus on real-world execution: how products get adopted, why institutions struggle to modernize, where growth stalls, and what works when fintechs and regulated financial institutions intersect. The podcast is produced by Propagate Fintech, an end-to-end marketing and PR agency serving the banking and fintech industry. Propagate partners with fintechs, banks, and credit unions to clarify positioning, build credibility, and drive growth through brand strategy, content, PR, and go-to-market execution.

  1. 1h ago

    Why Do You Forget Everything After a Fintech Conference? You won't at Fintech Meetup

    You ever leave a conference totally inspired, only to forget everything a few days later? Too much of what gets said on stage is theoretical. It's heavy on vision and light on the playbook. In this episode, Roland sits down with Jade Mitchell, who leads content at FinTech Meetup, one of the first major fintech shows of the year. Jade walks through how she builds an agenda with the industry, not just for it. She explains why trust became the theme for the upcoming show and how FinTech Meetup's double opt-in meetings program brokers around 50,000 meetings in three days. We also get into Fintech in 5, a new open mic format that gives anyone five minutes on stage. Jade covers what it takes to win one of two $50,000 SAFE notes in the startup pitch competition. She also shares how the Signal Week acquisition brings a larger digital assets summit to the show. Plus, we talk about The Network, FinTech Meetup's 15-part comedy series about the pitfalls of corporate office life. It's a great example of a brand willing to use humor to stand out. The series was produced by Failure Island, directed by Dorea Slagle, and written by Lucinda Sweazey. New episodes drop every Thursday at 9 a.m. ET on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. If you're planning your team's conference calendar or you're a startup looking to get in front of bankers, this one's for you. Oh, and if you're wondering about that intro track, it's "Meeting of the Minds" by Matt Large. Go show him some love. Timestamps 00:00 How the FinTech Meetup agenda gets built  02:08 Why attendees forget what they learned, and the push for tactical content  04:47 Fintech in 5: an open mic for anyone in the industry  06:53 FinTech Feud and experimenting with new session formats  08:18 Humor in marketing and The Network comedy series  11:25 Why trust is the theme of the show  14:26 The double opt-in meetings program  17:05 Around 50,000 meetings in three days  17:36 How bankers can get the most out of their meetings  19:19 The startup pitch competition and the $50,000 SAFE notes  21:27 How startups get selected to pitch on stage  22:42 The Signal Week acquisition and the digital assets summit  24:31 Why FinTech Meetup belongs on your conference calendar  27:12 Where to watch The Network Links FinTech Meetup: Click here The Network series: Click here Credits Intro Music "Meeting of the Minds" by Matt Large Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  2. Sep 11

    Death Throes of the Store Credit Card? Conversation with Grace Broadbent from EMARKETER

    Private label credit cards are losing ground, and Buy Now Pay Later is a big reason why. Grace Broadbent, payments analyst at eMarketer, joins the show to unpack why store card originations have stalled since 2021, why average interest rates on those cards just crossed 30 percent, and why retailers, not banks, end up taking the blame when balances go bad. We get into how BNPL expanded into card linked installments at Chase, Citi, and Amex, why the experience economy, think stadium lounges and early access to Taylor Swift tickets, has become a real driver of card acquisition, and how eMarketer is tracking which brands show up when consumers ask ChatGPT and Gemini for financial advice. What We Cover (00:00) Grace Broadbent on eMarketer's payments research and proprietary data(01:27) Why private label credit card originations have stalled since 2021(02:25) Private label APR risk, now averaging above 30 percent(03:25) Why retailers, not banks, take the blame when balances go bad(05:48) Chasing loyalists with data instead of chasing new accounts(07:19) Buy Now Pay Later's rise, and why younger consumers are avoiding credit(09:13) How BNPL expanded through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and card linked installments(11:51) The experience economy: rewards, live sports, and stadium exclusives(14:37) The Taylor Swift and Capital One story(14:59) How Gen Alpha is entering the payments ecosystem years before they can open a card(17:26) Stablecoins and tokenized deposits: threat or opportunity for card issuers(20:08) How consumers use AI to research credit cards and BNPL providers(21:47) Inside eMarketer's AI Visibility Index(23:25) Where to find Grace and eMarketer's researchNotable Quote “Until a stablecoin payment can get you into an airport lounge or to the front of the line at a stadium, credit card issuers do not have much to worry about.” Grace Broadbent, eMarketer About Our Guest: Grace Broadbent covers payments at eMarketer, where she researches credit cards, digital wallets, and Buy Now Pay Later trends. She also works on eMarketer's AI Visibility Index, which tracks how brands show up in AI-generated financial recommendations. Find more of her research at eMarketer.com and connect with her on LinkedIn, linked below. Links & Resources: eMarketer: emarketer.comeMarketer's AI Visibility Index, Financial Services: emarketer.com/content/ai-visibility-index-financial-services-leaders-moversGrace Broadbent on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/grace-broadbentListen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/propagate-fintech-podcast/id1874648654Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@PropagateFintech/shortsFollow Propagate Fintech on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/propagatefintechLearn more: propagatefintech.comWant to Be a Guest? Grab 30 minutes with Roland: calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/30min Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  3. Sep 1

    Why Aren't Product, Marketing, and Sales Talking to Each Other?

    Steve Shaw spent ten years at Fiserv working across product, marketing, and go to market before helping build out SRM's AI-powered consulting practice. In this episode, Roland and Steve get into how AI is reshaping fintech consulting, why SEO is giving way to AEO and GEO, and why marketing without product in the room is just a task list. Timestamps 00:00 – Steve's ten years at Fiserv and how SRM wove AI into its enterprise consulting practice 00:14 – Using 30+ years of industry data as an AI-powered consulting input 01:23 – Turning institutional knowledge into something semantically searchable before it walks out the door 02:18 – Are fintech orgs still struggling to find a beachhead for AI, or is everyone on board now 03:07 – The shift from SEO to AEO and GEO, and what it means for fintech marketers 04:38 – Are blogs dead? Why proprietary insight and proof points still matter 05:57 – Why go to market has to be a shared responsibility across product, sales, and marketing 08:31 – Fiserv's Pragmatic Marketing Framework and what it looked like when product led GTM 10:57 – How product's direct access to customers shapes better roadmaps and messaging 12:45 – Steve's one piece of advice for lean fintech marketing teams 14:19 – Where to follow Steve Shaw YouTube Shorts https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M3BGQ2Bz7m0 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tk4nzXXrJqs Book a spot on the show: https://calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/podcast-recording-session Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  4. Aug 28

    Inside a Community Bank's Marketing Ops, with Jeffrey Wright

    Most banks think they've solved personalization because a customer's first name shows up in an email. Jeffrey Wright, Digital Communications and Strategy Manager at a community bank, makes the case for something deeper: knowing a CD is about to mature, knowing the renewal rate before the customer asks, and reaching out before it becomes a problem. We get into what Jeff calls the Frankenstein data problem, the same customer showing up as three different records across insurance, mortgage, and the core. We talk about why attribution is one of the hardest things in bank marketing, from billboards to abandoned forms sitting in the wrong system. And we cover the operator's side of the job: choosing channels, earning executive buy-in, and running an AI agent inside Monday.com that's slowly becoming the bank's entire campaign operating system. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Real personalization vs a first name in an email 02:04 - Inside the CD renewal campaign: 14-day, 7-day, and 4-day triggers 04:51 - What happens to the money when a CD matures 06:16 - Turning one product's end into the next conversation 07:30 - Why banks lag behind credit card aggregators on remarketing 09:38 - Not all data needs to sync in real time 11:23 - The Frankenstein data problem 13:06 - Centralizing on Salesforce and Data 360 16:56 - Trusting the data over the gut 18:59 - How to evaluate a new channel before jumping in 22:32 - What's hardest to attribute in bank marketing 24:41 - Finding a distinct voice without going off brand 30:37 - Humor as an underused tool in bank marketing 31:38 - Getting executive buy-in for something untested 35:16 - Running an AI agent inside Monday.com 39:26 - Technical debt and the fragmented campaign problem OTHER EPISODES Why Most Digital Transformation in Banking Fails, with ICBA's Justin Dunmyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt-BRZK1BdA What Happens When Credit Scores Meet Cashflow, with American Banker's Melinda Huspen https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-propagate-fintech-podcast-321066386/episode/what-happens-when-credit-scores-meet-321910552/ YOUTUBE SHORTS https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z2Wq8uA5eVg https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tk4nzXXrJqs https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rdY1Q1vzPFI LISTEN ANYWHERE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/propagate-fintech-podcast/id1874648654  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6uQG5hQufhHLVDilxuXUuq YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-WE52Kq2dzXCTaL6SWbYRQ Book 30 minutes with Roland: https://calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/30min Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  5. Aug 18

    Going to Finovate Fall? Listen to This First, With Greg Palmer

    Greg Palmer has coached thousands of fintech founders through Finovate's seven minute, no slides, live demo format. In this episode, he breaks down what separates a demo that lands from one that dies on stage, why saying "we use AI" stopped being enough, and how stablecoins and tokenized deposits are moving from novelty to strategy for banks. Greg also shares the exit sign trick he teaches nervous first time presenters, what actually happens when a demo crashes live in front of an audience, and how to get the most out of Finovate whether you are a banker, a startup, or walking the floor for the first time. Plus, a discount code for anyone thinking about attending. Chapter List 00:00 - How Finovate decides which banks, credit unions, and fintechs to feature 02:13 - Why competitors are willing to share openly on the show floor 03:48 - Why "we use AI" doesn't impress anyone anymore 07:37 - The regulatory pressure banks face when experimenting with new tools 08:55 - Stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and the World of Warcraft gold origin story 13:01 - What a first time banker should prepare before attending Finovate 16:01 - How early stage startups can get the most out of the event 19:14 - Working the booth after your demo without losing anyone in line 21:33 - Greg's theater background and the most common coaching fix he makes 26:48 - Why founders still need to go back to basics on the seven minute pitch 29:58 - The exit sign trick for staying calm on stage 33:19 - What panic attacks and total confidence both look like from the audience 34:58 - What to do when your demo crashes live on stage 38:10 - How to decide if Finovate is worth your one show a year 41:21 - Discount code: PROPAGATE20 for 20% off registration 41:45 - Where to find Finovate and reach Greg directly 42:25 - Greg's coaching work outside of Finovate Discount Code Use code PROPAGATE20 for 20% off Finovate registration. Links Finovate: https://www.finovate.com Propagate Fintech: https://www.propagatefintech.com Propagate Fintech on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/propagatefintech Book 30 minutes with Roland: https://calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/30min YouTube Shorts https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z2Wq8uA5eVg https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tk4nzXXrJqs https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rdY1Q1vzPFI Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  6. Aug 11

    Synthetic Identity Fraud, AI Risk, and the Future of Lending Compliance

    Lending technology is still running on infrastructure nobody would build from scratch today. I sat down with Mike Dunleavey and Gino Angeli from LASER Credit Access this week. About twenty minutes in, Mike described the average loan origination system as feeling like a 747 cockpit. Buttons, panels, widgets everywhere. Nobody designed it. It just accumulated over forty years. LASER's whole thesis is doing one thing well inside Salesforce: pulling credit data, bank statements, and identity verification into one clean decision, with the compliance trail built in automatically. Not trying to be the whole loan origination stack. Just the front door, done right. A few things from the conversation worth pulling out on their own. Episode timestamps: 0:00 Intro and what LASER Credit Access does for lenders1:42 How lending compliance has changed over the last decade plus6:52 Why LASER stayed focused on the front end instead of building a full loan origination system7:54 Why lending technology still looks like a 747 cockpit11:14 The range of lenders LASER works with, and where their needs differ14:00 Managing change fatigue during implementation18:11 Branding, storytelling, and how LASER thinks about marketing26:25 Staying visible for over a decade without a big marketing budget28:40 The fraud landscape, and the fake ID demo that stunned the room31:27 A real client story: forged bank statements and a fifty thousand dollar loss34:38 Where AI fits, and does not fit, inside LASER's own operations39:44 Rapid fire: automation wish lists and vendor evaluation advice44:59 Where to learn more about LASER Credit AccessOn fraud, and how fast it's moving Gino told me about a client who got hit with fully AI generated bank statements, pay stubs, and W2s. The borrower got a fifty thousand dollar loan and then vanished. And the tools behind it aren't specialized or hard to find. Gino showed a room full of Salesforce partners how to generate a realistic fake driver's license using nothing but a LinkedIn photo and Gemini. Took him about a minute. That's not a hypothetical anymore, and it's part of a bigger shift in how fast AI is reshaping the tools everyone in fintech and banking reaches for day to day. On why they've barely spent a dollar on marketing Gino said something I've been chewing on since the interview: their growth has come almost entirely from referral sources, Salesforce consultants and implementation partners, not from campaigns. And when I asked why they've stayed away from broader marketing, his answer was blunt. A random lender scrolling TikTok isn't the decision maker at a loan shop. They'd rather be the trusted answer a consultant gives when someone says "I need something for this." It's a good reminder of a pattern I see constantly in fintech. Most pitches fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the product. On compliance, and where the regulatory ground is shifting A big part of what LASER solves is the audit trail. Permissible purpose, consent language, retention windows, all tracked automatically so a lender isn't scrambling when a bureau or regulator comes calling. Worth watching alongside a separate conversation we had recently on just how much the ground under federal regulatory independence is moving right now. On AI inside their own shop Mike and Gino don't let AI anywhere near their production code, and they were clear about why. They're sitting on personally identifiable information for hundreds of lenders, and one bad update is not a risk either of them is willing to take. Where AI has earned a seat is documentation, internal knowledge base work, and organizing thirteen years of support history. Useful, bounded, and nowhere near the parts of the business that can't afford a mistake. If you're evaluating lending technology, or just curious how a thirteen year old company stays lean and referral driven without a marketing department, worth a listen. More on what LASER does: https://www.lasercreditaccess.com/ Related watches: Claude becoming the de facto AI option for fintechs and bankers: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Uphn9BlsPS8 Why most fintech media pitches fail: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E4DMgreeDZ4 The death of federal agency independence: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tk4nzXXrJqs Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  7. Jul 27

    Game Over for the Fed?

    For decades the Federal Reserve operated like it sat on its own island: insulated, untouchable, above the political fray. Two Supreme Court rulings, Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook, just rewrote the rules on whether a president can fire the people who run the nation's monetary policy. Kyle Campbell, who covers the Fed and bank regulation for American Banker, joins the show to break down what these rulings really mean, what happens if Trump succeeds in removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and whether Kevin Warsh can keep the institution independent, or if he becomes what one senator has called a sock puppet. What We Cover (00:09) The pair of Supreme Court rulings that left the Fed as the last agency standing on independence (02:00) Why the Fed got an exception when the Court said no other agency gets one (03:54) What happens if Trump succeeds in removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook (08:19) The safeguards still standing between the White House and the FOMC (12:47) This week's FOMC meeting, set against an escalating war in the Middle East (14:05) Whether there is any backchannel between the Fed and the Department of War (16:00) What a harmonized, single-minded regulatory era means for financial services Notable Quote "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. And if you push the Fed and the economy tanks, everybody knows it was by your design." — Roland Howard About Our Guest Kyle Campbell covers the Federal Reserve and bank regulation for American Banker. His July 20th article, “What comes next for the Fed's regulatory independence,” sparked this conversation and is linked below. Links & Resources ● American Banker: What comes next for the Fed's regulatory independence ● Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/propagate-fintech-podcast/id1874648654 ● Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@PropagateFintech/shorts ● Follow Propagate Fintech on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/propagatefintech ● Learn more: propagatefintech.com Want to Be a Guest? Grab time on Roland's calendar: calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/30min Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

  8. Jul 23

    Could Humor Be the Most Wide Open Lane in Fintech Marketing?

    Most fintech brands play it safe with their marketing. Static image, motion graphic, list your differentiators, call it a day. Nobody gets in trouble for that. But safe doesn't fail loud, it fails quiet, and quiet is the real risk. In this episode, Roland breaks down why humor is one of the most wide open lanes in fintech marketing and almost nobody is fighting for it. He walks through a real project where his team had fifteen thousand dollars and sixteen seconds of screen time to work with, no audio, at a major trade show. What happened next, including killing the idea, reviving it, and testing it against real bankers, is the whole episode. 0:00 – The fifteen thousand dollar thought exercise 1:15 – Why humor is the most wide open lane in fintech marketing 2:40 – Where the industry's "safe" instinct comes from 3:50 – Why playing it safe is the real risk, not the joke that misses 5:10 – How AI lowered the cost of testing a bold idea 6:20 – Three tactics for building this muscle on your team 9:00 – The real client story: sixteen seconds, no audio, $15K on the line 11:45 – Killing the fun idea, then bringing it back 13:00 – What happened when they tested it with real bankers and execs 14:20 – The ask: pick one project this quarter Links:   💼 Follow Propagate Fintech on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/propagatefintech  🎬 More clips on YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@PropagateFintech/shorts  🌐 www.propagatefintech.com Want help building a bolder content strategy for your fintech brand? Book time with Roland: https://calendly.com/roland-propagatefintech/30min Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com

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5
out of 5
31 Ratings

About

Propagate Fintech is a podcast exploring how financial services actually evolve. Hosted by Roland Howard, the show features in-depth conversations with fintech founders, bank and credit union leaders, operators, and industry voices shaping lending, deposits, payments, account origination, and go-to-market strategy. Each episode cuts through hype to focus on real-world execution: how products get adopted, why institutions struggle to modernize, where growth stalls, and what works when fintechs and regulated financial institutions intersect. The podcast is produced by Propagate Fintech, an end-to-end marketing and PR agency serving the banking and fintech industry. Propagate partners with fintechs, banks, and credit unions to clarify positioning, build credibility, and drive growth through brand strategy, content, PR, and go-to-market execution.

Information

  • Creator
    Roland Howard
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Propagate Fintech Podcast
  • Show Website
    Propagate Fintech Podcast

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