Wrap Up

Sam Boboev

Conversation about finance, tech, AI, and crypto

  1. 3d ago

    How AI agents will change payments, commerce, and fraud - Amir Sarhangi (CEO, Skyfire)

    What happens when AI agents stop recommending products and start buying them for you? In this episode of WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Amir Sarhangi, CEO of Skyfire, to explore what the rise of the machine economy means for payments, banking, and e-commerce. As AI agents become capable of searching, comparing, negotiating, and completing purchases autonomously, entirely new questions emerge around identity, trust, fraud, and payments. One of the biggest challenges is simple: How do you know an AI agent is acting on behalf of a real person? Amir explains the concept of Know Your Agent (KYA), why AI agents need their own digital identity, and how merchants can distinguish legitimate AI agents from malicious bots. We also discuss why stablecoins and micropayments could become the preferred payment rails for AI-to-AI transactions, why traditional payment infrastructure struggles with autonomous commerce, and what merchants, banks, and card issuers should be doing today to prepare for a future where software increasingly becomes the customer. In this episode: What the machine economy actually isWhy AI agents need a digital identity (Know Your Agent)How AI agents will make purchases on your behalfWhy stablecoins are well suited for AI commerceThe role of micropayments in the agent economyHow Skyfire enables AI agents to access websites and make paymentsWhat merchants should do to prepare for AI customersHow banks and card issuers should adaptThe biggest fraud and security risks in agentic commerceWhy AI-powered shopping is closer than most people thinkIf you work in fintech, payments, banking, AI, or e-commerce, this conversation explains the infrastructure needed to make autonomous commerce secure, trusted, and scalable. ____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    How AI agents will change payments, commerce, and fraud - Amir Sarhangi (CEO, Skyfire)

  2. Jul 17

    The Real Reason Banks Aren't Seeing Results From AI - Charbel Safadi (CEO, Zafin)

    JPMorgan invests over $2 billion annually. Morgan Stanley predicts 200,000 banking jobs could disappear by 2030. Yet MIT research suggests most organizations still struggle to generate measurable value from AI. So what is really happening? In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Charbel Safadi, CEO of Zafin, to discuss the future of AI in banking, why most AI initiatives fail, and how banks can move beyond experimentation into production. We cover: • Whether AI is hype or a genuine transformation • Why banks are struggling to achieve ROI from AI • The prediction that 200,000 banking jobs could disappear • How AI changes jobs rather than simply replacing them • Zafin’s new AI Operating System (AIOS) • Why banks need an “airport” for AI agents, not just more AI tools • AI governance, compliance, and accountability in regulated industries • How banks should think about OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and open-source models • The future of autonomous AI agents inside financial institutions • Why proof of work may become critical for enterprise AI adoption One of the most interesting takeaways was Charbel’s argument that AI is not primarily a technology challenge. It is an operating model challenge. Organizations that redesign how work gets done will benefit. Those that simply add AI tools to existing processes may struggle to see meaningful results. What do you think? Will AI create more opportunities in banking, or are the predictions about job losses correct? ____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    The Real Reason Banks Aren't Seeing Results From AI - Charbel Safadi (CEO, Zafin)

  3. Jul 10

    AI Agents Are About to Change Payments Operations - David Rosa (General Manager, Rapyd)

    Stablecoins. AI agents. Cross-border payments. The future of money is changing faster than most companies realize. In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with David Rosa, General Manager at Rapyd, to discuss one of the biggest transformations happening across financial services today. We explore the launch of OpenUSD and what it means for the stablecoin market, why Rapyd believes stablecoins are solving real-world payment problems, and how AI is already reshaping the economics of payments businesses. David also explains how Rapyd uses AI to onboard merchants, automate internal operations, improve decision-making, and why he believes many traditional jobs will inevitably change as AI adoption accelerates. We also discuss: • OpenUSD and the future of stablecoins • Whether stablecoins can challenge traditional payment rails • AI agents and autonomous payments • Why Visa and Mastercard are paying attention • MiCA regulation and its impact on crypto businesses • Real-time payments and cross-border infrastructure • Why emerging markets may be affected most by AI disruption • How Rapyd is rebuilding operations around AI • The biggest mistakes businesses make in payments today David oversees AI Transformation, FX, Payouts, and Platform Solutions at Rapyd, one of the world’s leading fintech companies powering global commerce and payments. Subscribe for more conversations with CEOs, founders, regulators, and executives shaping the future of fintech, payments, banking, crypto, AI, and financial infrastructure.

    AI Agents Are About to Change Payments Operations - David Rosa (General Manager, Rapyd)

  4. Jul 3

    The stablecoin neobank challenging Revolut - Raagulan Pathy (CEO, KAST)

    In this episode of the WRAP UP podcast, I sit down with Raagulan Pathy, Founder & CEO of KAST and former Vice President at Circle . While most companies in crypto and stablecoins are focused on infrastructure, Raagulan believes the biggest opportunity lies elsewhere: building products for end users. We discuss why he left Circle to launch Kast, a stablecoin-powered neobank serving customers in more than 150 countries, how stablecoins are changing global banking, and why traditional banks struggle to serve digital nomads, remote workers, and globally mobile individuals. Topics covered: • Why Raagulan left Circle to start Kast • The vision behind a stablecoin neobank • Can stablecoins compete with Revolut and traditional banks? • Banking for digital nomads and global citizens • Stablecoin adoption around the world • The future of stablecoin cards and payments • Why consolidation is coming to the stablecoin industry • The impact of MiCA and the GENIUS Act • Credit, wealth management, and tokenized assets • Where the next wave of fintech innovation will come from Raagulan also shares his perspective on the future of financial services, the biggest opportunities in stablecoins, and why owning the customer relationship matters more than building infrastructure. Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, regulators, and operators shaping the future of fintech, payments, banking, AI, and digital assets. _____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    The stablecoin neobank challenging Revolut - Raagulan Pathy (CEO, KAST)

  5. Jun 26

    Why payments infrastructure is a moat, not a commodity - Myles Stephenson (CEO, Modulr)

    I sat down with Myles Stephenson, CEO of Modulr, to talk through how the company evolved from powering early Revolut t to building a full-stack payments automation platform serving lenders, payroll providers, and travel companies. Modulr made a deliberate call two years ago to stop being a horizontal BaaS provider and go deep on specific verticals. They hold an EMI licence, settle at the Bank of England, and have direct scheme access and Myles argues that gives them everything they need without the overhead of a banking licence. The business model is flow, not storage, which means transaction revenue drives profitability, not interest margin. We get into: Why Modulr walked away from the embedded finance land grab to double down on payments automationHow their EMI licence gives them everything they need (and why they don’t want a banking licence)The US expansion with FIS and what real-time payment adoption actually looks like across marketsWhy the US is behind on real-time payments and what it will actually take to change behaviourCommercial VRP and whether open banking can ever dent direct debitStablecoins vs. tokenized deposits — and how a non-bank positions for bothHow Modulr built a compliance hub with Sardine and where AI fits into fraud and operationsHow Modulr reached profitability, and why the answer is flow, not interest marginWhat’s on the roadmap: ACH in the US, foreign currency, and commercial VRP as a collections layerModulr’s bet is simple: own the infrastructure, stay focused on payments, and let the applications follow. Whether that thesis holds in the US is the real test.

    Why payments infrastructure is a moat, not a commodity - Myles Stephenson (CEO, Modulr)

  6. Jun 19

    Why Stripe bet on AI agents and stablecoins - Neetika Bansal, (Business Lead, Stripe)

    This is my first-ever in-person episode, recorded live at Stripe Tour London. I sat down with Neetika Bansal, Business Lead for Connect, Money Management, and Crypto at Stripe. We covered a lot of ground: why Stripe doesn’t have its own stablecoin, what Stripe Treasury actually means for global startups, how AI agents are starting to transact at scale, and where the real stablecoin volume is coming from. Here’s what we got into: Why Stripe built an open stablecoin issuance platform instead of launching its own coin Stripe Treasury: multi-currency accounts, stablecoin balances, and paying contractors worldwide The machine payments protocol and Link AI wallet x402 protocol hitting 100M cumulative transactions and what that signals How companies like Meta, Felix, and Deel are using stablecoins for real economic activity Fraud, disputes, and trust in a world where AI agents transact faster than humans How Stripe is managing 300+ product launches across Bridge, Privy, and its core platform Advice for founders building global-from-day-one companies on how to think about money movement Neetika’s take on where agentic commerce goes in five years is worth listening to closely. _____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    Why Stripe bet on AI agents and stablecoins - Neetika Bansal, (Business Lead, Stripe)

  7. Jun 12

    AI just killed your banking career or gave it a second life - Tim Rutten (CMO, Backbase)

    Banks are not being replaced by AI. They are being rebuilt around it. Tim Rutten, Chief Marketing Officer at Backbase, joins me to break down what that actually means for your career and for the industry. Jamie Dimon wants fewer bankers and more AI builders. But what does that really mean for the thousands of finance professionals already in the workforce? Tim gives a more nuanced read, and it is not the doomsday story the headlines are selling. We also get into the difference between machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI in a banking context, how Backbase’s AI-native banking OS handles governance and auditability in a regulated environment, who is liable when an AI agent makes a mistake, and why token cost management is one of the most underrated problems in agentic banking. If you work in banking or are thinking about entering the industry, this one is worth your time. _____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    AI just killed your banking career or gave it a second life - Tim Rutten (CMO, Backbase)

  8. Jun 5

    Why Adyen, Stripe, and PayPal still can't fix global payments - Davi Strazza (CBO, Lightspark)

    In this episode, I sit down with Davi Strazza, Chief Business Officer at Lightspark and former President of North America at Adyen, to discuss why traditional payment infrastructure remains broken despite decades of innovation—and how Lightspark is using Bitcoin, Lightning, stablecoins, and AI to build a new financial network. We cover: Why 15% of online transactions still fail The limitations of SWIFT and traditional payment rails How Lightspark connects RTP, FedNow, PIX, UPI, and SEPA Instant Why Bitcoin is becoming a transport layer for money movement The role of stablecoins in global finance Lightspark's new Grid Global Accounts product How AI agents will make payments and manage money autonomously The future of machine-to-machine commerce If you're interested in payments, fintech, stablecoins, digital banking, or agentic commerce, this conversation is packed with insights. ____ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev/ Newsletter: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrapuppodcast/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrapuppodcast X: https://x.com/samboboev

    Why Adyen, Stripe, and PayPal still can't fix global payments - Davi Strazza (CBO, Lightspark)
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About

Conversation about finance, tech, AI, and crypto

Information

  • Creator
    Sam Boboev
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Wrap Up

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