Wharton FinTech Podcast

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Abhi Chadha speaks with Mairead Fanning, a senior leader at IDA Ireland, about Ireland’s rise as a global hub for fintech, AI, and digital financial services. Mairead discusses IDA’s mission and the role it plays in attracting and supporting foreign direct investment, what has historically driven Ireland’s success, and how the country differentiates itself today as companies compare locations across Europe. The conversation explores why fintech has become a strategic priority for Ireland, what global fintechs look for when deciding where to base operations, and how initiatives like Silicon Island are shaping the country’s AI ecosystem. Mairead also shares insights on Europe’s growing appeal, Ireland’s role in crypto and digital assets under MiCA, the fintech sub-sectors showing the most momentum, and how IDA defines a successful outcome for companies building in Ireland, before reflecting on her first year in her current role.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Jackson Ellis sits down with Mike Milotich, CEO of Marqeta, to explore the evolving landscape of modern payments and embedded finance. Mike shares insights from his leadership experience at a pioneering card issuing platform, discussing how fintech companies are reshaping the way businesses and consumers interact with money.

The conversation covers Marqeta’s role in enabling innovative payment solutions, the growing importance of real-time financial infrastructure, and how companies can scale responsibly in a rapidly changing regulatory and economic environment. Mike also reflects on the strategic priorities of a CEO in a high-growth fintech company, including capital allocation, risk management, and navigating public markets.

This episode offers a thoughtful look at the intersection of finance, technology, and strategy, highlighting key trends shaping the future of payments and the broader fintech ecosystem.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Jackson Ellis sits down with Mike Milotich, CEO of Marqeta, to explore the evolving landscape of modern payments and embedded finance. Mike shares insights from his leadership experience at a pioneering card issuing platform, discussing how fintech companies are reshaping the way businesses and consumers interact with money.

The conversation covers Marqeta’s role in enabling innovative payment solutions, the growing importance of real-time financial infrastructure, and how companies can scale responsibly in a rapidly changing regulatory and economic environment. Mike also reflects on the strategic priorities of a CEO in a high-growth fintech company, including capital allocation, risk management, and navigating public markets.

This episode offers a thoughtful look at the intersection of finance, technology, and strategy, highlighting key trends shaping the future of payments and the broader fintech ecosystem.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, host Vaibhav sits down with Christian Widhalm, CEO of Bloom Credit, to unpack how credit data actually moves through the financial system and why the infrastructure behind it has not meaningfully changed in decades. Christian shares his journey from Major League Baseball to fintech leadership, including his years at LendKey, and explains how Bloom is modernising credit reporting through a B2B, API-first platform built for accuracy, flexibility, and faster reporting cycles. We also dive into Bloom+, which enables consumers to build creditworthiness using consumer permissioned checking account and bill payment history, helping many establish credit profiles without taking on new debt.

We cover:
- Why legacy credit reporting standards were built for a different era
- How real-time, higher-quality data can reduce errors and improve decisioning
- What alternative data means for thin-file consumers and financial inclusion
- Why policy and regulator engagement matters in credit innovation
- A pragmatic view on AI in credit operations and reporting
- Leadership lessons on trust, transparency, and operating without ego

If you want a behind-the-scenes look at credit, alternative data, and the next evolution of creditworthiness, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, Cleo Fan sits down with Sandeep Patil, a Partner at QED Investors, about building and investing in fintech companies across global markets. They discuss Sandeep’s journey from operating roles at Capital One, Flipkart, and Truecaller to venture investing, how QED approaches fintech investing across Asia-Pacific, and his perspective on where the fintech ecosystem is headed, covering themes like stablecoins and AI at the application layer.