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PODCAST

Curiosity Code Podcast

Discover the fintech podcast "Curiosity Code", featuring exclusive interviews on fintech innovation and financial technology. Hosted by Alex, founder of the digital agency Productera, with a background in B2B and SaaS companies, the podcast brings together founders, CEOs, visionaries, and fintech leaders driving financial innovation, AI, open banking, and digital transformation.Each episode offers success stories, challenges, and groundbreaking ideas about the future of blockchain, AI agents,

technology

All Episodes

26:06

Programmable Self-Custody for Crypto | Frank Hepworth

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/10/06

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Frank Hepworth breaks down programmable self-custody, an onchain model where clients own their crypto accounts and a manager can trade in them but never withdraw from them. Self-custody crypto, onchain asset management, and why most crypto still sits with exchanges and custodians. 🔑 Key Topics & Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:12 What holding crypto on an exchange really costs you 4:49 Why banks entering crypto won't offer liquidity pools

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9:11

Wise Owns Its Rails. Remitly Rents Them. Who's Winning?

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/10/02

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! One remittance company owns its payment rails and keeps 52 cents of every $100. Another rents them, keeps about $2, and grew faster last year. So does owning the pipes decide who wins? A solo episode of Curiosity Code. I work through a question I've already answered twice on LinkedIn, in two different ways: crypto as the experiment where the rails couldn't be owned, what my guests Colin Butler and Elena Shiltseva said, Wise vs Remitly by the numb...

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38:49

AI Agents: Who's Accountable for Mistakes? | Erich...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/09/29

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! AI governance for AI agents in financial services: when an agent makes a mistake at computer speed, who is accountable? Erich Barlow says the organization that deployed it, not the system and not the vendor. "Regulators and customers will not accept that the AI did it." In this episode he walks through where agents are already acting on their own in financial services, how much harm a simple chatbot can really do, whether a permission written int...

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26:10

Crypto-Backed Lending Explained | Himanshu Sahay

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/09/22

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Himanshu Sahay, Co-Founder of Arch Lending and a former engineering leader at Snapchat, Tinder, and Bird, breaks down how crypto-backed lending works, from bitcoin-collateralized loans to no-liquidation borrowing, currently available to institutional borrowers and rolling out soon for retail clients. This episode dives deep into the mechanics of institutional and retail crypto lending, cost of capital, and the future of bitcoin-backed finance. 📌

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9:47

AI Agents in Fintech: Are They Out of Control?

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/09/18

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Are AI agents out of control, or are most companies just governing them with suggestions? A solo episode on agentic AI in banking and fintech: who is in control, and who is accountable when an agent gets it wrong. In July, hundreds of AI agents inside an OpenAI test broke into Hugging Face. Meanwhile TD Bank cut a mortgage step from fifteen hours to under three minutes with an agent. Same technology, opposite outcomes. This episode looks at why, ...

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38:35

Crypto Won. So Where Did the Money Go? | Colin Butler

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/09/16

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Colin Butler spent 2022 to 2025 as Global Head of Institutional Capital at Polygon Labs, where his team ran every major institutional launch on the chain. In this episode he goes back through four years of his own calls and says where he was wrong: why stablecoins were crypto's first product-market fit but not its only one, why the value never accrued to the infrastructure layer he was building, and why it went to the firms that already had the c...

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28:20

Will Open Finance Democratize Banking? | Jose Luis...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/08/21

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Open banking is evolving faster than most traditional banks can keep up with — so where should they even start? In this episode, Jose Luis Navarro Llorens, Strategy lead for Open Banking at BBVA, breaks down what open banking, open finance, and embedded finance really mean for the future of the financial industry. ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 9:13 Why open banking is more than just screen scraping 14:35 Where traditional banks should begin ami...

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34:15

Tokenization in Banking: Stablecoins & Digital Assets...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/07/20

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Tokenization is transforming banking. Parag Monteiro, Global Head of Digital Asset Platforms at Standard Chartered, reveals how major banks are building tokenization platforms, why stablecoins have achieved product-market fit, and how the UAE is leading crypto-friendly regulation. Discover how a 170-year-old bank is embracing digital assets, blockchain technology, and on-chain finance to solve real problems in the financial value chain. ⏱️ KEY ...

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32:01

Open Banking APIs Transform Fintech | Christie...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/06/30

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Open banking APIs revolutionized how banks and fintechs collaborate. Christie H. Kristensen from Danske Bank shares insider strategies on API infrastructure, real-time settlement, and the data governance decisions that make or break fintech startups. Discover why smaller fintechs must build for real-time settlement, when to build vs. buy third-party solutions, and how APIs transformed consumer behavior in banking. ⏱️ KEY TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS...

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34:47

AI Fraud Detection in Payments | Srishti Andreasen

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/06/19

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! AI-powered fraud is reshaping payment security. Srishti Jain Andreasen, Global Business Development Executive at RS Software, reveals why synthetic identity fraud is the fastest-growing financial crime and what consumers and regulators must do to fight back. Discover how the globalization of online commerce has turned payments into the primary attack vector for fraudsters, whether banks should share fraud intelligence, and how women in fintech a...

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39:12

Blockchain Bonds & On-Chain Assets | Steve Wallace

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/06/04

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Which asset class gets fully tokenized first? Steve Wallace breaks down blockchain tokenization, on-chain bonds, regulatory gaps, crypto vaults, and why distribution remains traditional finance's biggest competitive advantage. Discover how real-world asset tokenization is reshaping institutional investing, which tokenization use cases are smart versus questionable, and how cryptonative firms can compete with traditional asset management distribu...

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19:40

Blockchain in Banking: Threat or Opportunity | Artur...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/03/16

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Digital banking transformation in Armenia and Central Asia: ACBA Bank's Head of Digital Banking reveals how banks are navigating blockchain adoption, payment infrastructure gaps, and compliance challenges in emerging markets. Artur Kartshikyan, Head of Digital Banking at ACBA Bank, discusses the future of banking in Armenia, blockchain's role in financial institutions, and why Central Asia's payment corridor lacks modern infrastructure. This epi...

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20:12

Fintech M&A Strategy: Exit Timing | Mayerlin Garcia

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/03/09

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Investment banking expert Mayerlin Garcia reveals when fintech founders should pursue M&A, why scaling companies need external advisors, and the critical mistakes that cause fintech deals to fail post-acquisition. Learn fintech M&A strategy, exit timing, and how to navigate investment banking for high-growth fintech companies. ⏱️ KEY TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:31 Why External Advisors Are Crucial for Fintech Success 8:0...

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21:16

Product Design AI Tools & Future | Patrik Borgatai

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/02/27

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! Thank you for listening! SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@CuriosityCodePodcast Connect with Productera: Website: https://productera.io Linkedin: / alexkhomyakov Become a guest: https://productera.io/podcast

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28:38

Digital Banking Bast Practices: From Launching 7 Banks

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/02/10

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! In this episode, Al Southall — technology and operations leader with 25+ years of experience and a track record of launching seven digital banks — joins Alex Khomyakov to unpack the real playbook behind successful digital banking. From early internet banks to today’s cloud-native platforms, Al brings a rare long-term perspective on what has changed — and what hasn’t. They discuss how technology lowered barriers to entry while regulation raised e...

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43:34

Why The ATM Still Matters In a Digital Age

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2026/02/09

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! In this episode, Paul Gardiner, Founder of Marin FinTech and former CITO/CTO behind the world’s largest ATM and payment networks, joins Alex to unpack the hidden infrastructure of money. With more than 25 years of experience running global ATM, payments, and fintech platforms, Paul brings a rare, inside view of how cash, cards, and digital systems actually move money at scale. They explore why predictions about the “death of cash” keep mi...

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21:27

Gen Z Ans The New Rules Of Workplace Culture

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2025/12/23

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! In this episode, Akita Somani — Senior Vice President of Inclusive Growth Strategy at U.S. Bank and a 2024 Women in FinTech honoree — joins Alex Khomyakov to discuss how Gen Z is transforming workplace culture, communication, and leadership. Drawing on her experience leading global, multi-generational teams, Akita shares practical insights on inclusion and modern leadership. They explore how digital-first communication, authenticity, and transpar...

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39:20

Inside The Hidden Challenges Of Fintech Software...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2025/12/02

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! In this episode, Alex Khomyakov sits down with Hanif Nezhad, Co-Founder of Neco Solutions — a fintech software company building platforms for neobanking, wealth management, and algorithmic trading. Hanif’s journey spans high-frequency trading systems, white-label robo-advisors (including one acquired by ING), and the launch of Options Robot, an automated options-management product for U.S. retail traders. They dive into the realities of building...

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18:19

How Blockchain Is Transforming Brokerage Operations

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2025/11/12

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! What if brokers could move money as fast as markets move? In this episode, Jonathan Cumberlidge — Co-Founder & CEO of Sintvia, bridging traditional finance and crypto infrastructure — joins Alex Khomyakov to explore how blockchain is redefining trust, speed, and efficiency in the brokerage world. After nearly two decades in legacy finance, Jonathan is now leading the charge to modernize payment rails and settlement systems for brokers worldw...

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38:18

From Lost 5 Bitcoins In 2012 To The Importance Of...

Curiosity Code Podcast ·

2025/10/29

Lovely listener, share with us your thoughts! In this episode, João Andrade — Head of Cybersecurity & Compliance at Hacken, blockchain veteran since 2012, and licensed pilot — joins Alex Khomyakov to explore the evolution of blockchain from its wild, unregulated beginnings to today’s security-driven era. Having mined his first Bitcoin by accident and later helped shape blockchain compliance frameworks, João brings both technical depth and hard-won perspective. They discuss the lessons le...

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63 results

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