Show Notes
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Kara Parkey is joined by Ted Kirk, Country Head US – Strategic Partnerships at YouLend, in New York City, for a conversation exploring why embedded lending is becoming one of the most strategic capabilities for software platforms, and why the traditional buy versus build debate is no longer enough. Ted takes us inside YouLend's approach to embedded finance, explaining why lending is evolving from a nice-to-have feature into a powerful driver of merchant growth, platform revenue and customer retention. They explore what a successful lending strategy actually looks like, how platforms can identify the right moment to offer financing, and why getting the timing wrong can mean missing significant commercial opportunities. At the heart of the conversation is the shift towards modular lending infrastructure. Rather than choosing between building everything in-house or outsourcing the entire experience, Ted explains why platforms should focus on owning the parts of the lending journey that genuinely differentiate their proposition. From customer relationships and distribution to data, underwriting and infrastructure, they discuss where platforms should invest their resources and where specialist partners like YouLend can help accelerate growth. Kara and Ted also explore what successful go-to-market strategies look like in practice. From launching with a lightweight lending proposition to gradually taking greater ownership as demand grows, they discuss why flexibility matters, the risks of overengineering too early, and how partnerships can evolve alongside the needs of merchants and platforms. The conversation then turns to the US embedded lending market, where Ted leads YouLend's strategic partnerships. They unpack what makes the US different from other markets, the challenges of bringing new platform partnerships to market, and what it takes to compete in an increasingly crowded embedded finance ecosystem. Looking ahead, Ted shares his perspective on where embedded lending is heading over the next 12 to 24 months, the opportunities emerging for platforms that get their strategy right, and why the next generation of embedded finance could be defined less by who builds the most and more by who owns what matters. Plus, Ted steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one assumption about how platforms approach lending that he'd happily banish forever. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
More from The Payments Shed
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Joe Dowd, Principal Partner & VP, Americas, for a special Walk & Talk exploring what's really happening behind the scenes in payments recruitment, which businesses are winning the talent race and how emerging technologies are reshaping the industry's hiring priorities. After several turbulent years for the payments and fintech sector, from tightening investment conditions to major industry players restructuring and others continuing to scale, Joe shares his perspective on which businesses are positioning themselves for growth and what separates those succeeding from those struggling. Drawing on his experience working closely with payments companies and their leadership teams, they explore the trends emerging inside boardrooms that don't always make the headlines. The conversation then turns to stablecoins and digital assets, two of the biggest talking points across Money20/20 USA. Sarah and Joe explore whether the excitement surrounding stablecoin infrastructure is translating into genuine recruitment activity, what capabilities businesses are looking to build and which specialist roles could become increasingly important as digital assets move further into mainstream payments. A major focus is the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring across payments and fintech. With AI rapidly becoming part of almost every industry's technology strategy, they discuss whether businesses are creating entirely new positions or fundamentally changing the skills and experience expected of existing teams. From technical expertise to commercial leadership, they examine how hiring priorities are evolving as businesses adapt to an increasingly AI-driven ecosystem. They also explore the challenges of international expansion, particularly for payments companies entering new markets across the US, Europe and LATAM. Plus, Joe takes on The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame, with a twist, revealing the one hire he believes payments businesses should be prioritising right now. Recorded live on the exhibition floor at Money20/20 USA, this special Walk & Talk offers a look inside the payments industry's talent market, exploring where businesses are investing, how leadership requirements are changing and what it takes to build teams capable of supporting the next generation of payments innovation. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Jason Heister is joined by Matt Wren, Managing Consultant specialising in Fintech, for a special Walk & Talk exploring what it really takes for fintech businesses to win banking customers, navigate lengthy enterprise sales cycles and build the right teams to support international growth. With thousands of fintechs competing to sell technology into financial institutions, getting a foot in the door is only the beginning. Matt takes us inside the realities of selling into Tier 1 and Tier 2 banks, exploring why some fintechs successfully move beyond initial pilots while others struggle to turn promising conversations into long-term commercial relationships. From navigating complex procurement processes to understanding the realities of 18 to 24-month buying cycles, they discuss what separates businesses that win from those that fall short. The conversation then turns to AI and its growing influence across banking and fintech. With artificial intelligence dominating conversations across the industry, Jason and Matt explore where AI is delivering genuine value, where the hype is running ahead of reality and how the technology is reshaping the skills, roles and capabilities financial services businesses need to compete. A major focus is the challenge of scaling fintech businesses internationally, particularly between Europe and North America. Matt shares his perspective on the hiring mistakes companies make when entering new markets, why understanding local commercial dynamics is so important and the risks of expanding teams before establishing genuine product-market fit. They also discuss the importance of leadership, talent and commercial execution in building sustainable fintech businesses. From recruiting the right people to understanding what banks actually need from their technology partners, the conversation explores why successful growth requires far more than a compelling product or ambitious expansion strategy. Plus, Matt takes on The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame, nominating one mistake fintechs continue to make when trying to win over banks that he'd happily banish from the industry. Recorded live on the exhibition floor at Money20/20 USA, this special Walk & Talk explores what banks really want from fintech partners in 2026, and why the difference between a promising pilot and a successful partnership often comes down to execution. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Grant Evans is joined by Jakob Pethick, Chief Commercial Officer at YouLend, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how modular embedded finance is helping software platforms unlock new revenue opportunities, expand their financial services propositions and support merchant growth. Jakob takes us inside YouLend's modular approach to embedded finance, explaining why flexibility is becoming increasingly important for platforms looking to introduce financial products without the complexity of building everything themselves. They explore how businesses can start with a simple proposition, bring products to market faster and gradually expand their capabilities as their merchants' needs evolve. The conversation then turns to the growing opportunity for vertical SaaS platforms to move beyond payments. As software providers look to deepen their relationships with merchants, Grant and Jakob discuss how platforms can identify which financial products will deliver genuine value, where embedded lending fits into that strategy and why adding more services doesn't necessarily mean taking on more operational or regulatory complexity. A major focus is the importance of understanding the complete merchant financial picture. With businesses increasingly accepting payments across terminals, websites, marketplaces and invoices, platforms often only have visibility of a fraction of their merchants' activity. Jakob explores why this fragmented view can create challenges for financing decisions, how access to broader financial data could improve lending propositions and why increased cash flow doesn't always tell the full story of business performance. They also discuss why successful embedded finance strategies need to be built around long-term merchant relationships, rather than simply adding products for the sake of it. From understanding merchant behaviour to creating more relevant financing experiences, the conversation explores how platforms can use embedded financial services to drive growth, improve retention and strengthen their position within the merchant ecosystem. Plus, Jakob takes on The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame, nominating one misconception about embedded lending that he'd happily banish from the industry. Recorded live from the YouLend stand at Money20/20 USA, this special Walk & Talk explores why the future of embedded finance isn't about building everything at once, but building the right capabilities at the right time. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Justin Hanna is joined by Alexander Rea, CEO & Founder of Fyntek, for a conversation exploring one of the most complex and challenging sectors in US payments: gaming and sweepstakes. Alexander takes us inside the realities of gaming payments, explaining why processing transactions in this sector presents challenges that traditional ecommerce businesses rarely encounter. From declining card acceptance rates and complex transaction flows to the difficulties of securing reliable banking relationships, they explore why gaming operators need payment infrastructure specifically designed for their industry. The conversation then turns to alternative payment methods and the growing importance of ACH. Justin and Alexander discuss why payment options such as Cash App are gaining attention across the gaming ecosystem, where traditional cards can fall short, and how alternative rails could help operators improve acceptance rates, reduce friction and create better payment experiences for their customers. A major focus is the regulatory complexity of operating across the United States. With gaming and sweepstakes rules varying significantly from state to state, Alexander explores the challenges of building a payments orchestration platform that can support different regulatory requirements, maintain banking relationships and help operators navigate an increasingly complicated market. They also discuss Fyntek's latest funding and the upcoming launch of Fyntek V2, exploring why the business has chosen this moment to invest in its next stage of growth, how the platform is evolving and where Alexander sees the biggest opportunities ahead for gaming payments infrastructure. Recorded live at Money20/20 USA, this special mini interview offers a look behind the scenes of one of the toughest verticals in payments, and why solving the industry's most complicated challenges could create some of its biggest opportunities. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Francesco Simoneschi, Co-Founder & CEO of TrueLayer, for a conversation exploring whether the payments industry is finally approaching a tipping point where Pay by Bank can genuinely challenge the dominance of cards in online commerce. For decades, card networks have been the backbone of digital payments, but growing pressure from regulators, politicians and merchants is raising questions about whether that dominance can continue indefinitely. Francesco shares his perspective on what's changing, why merchants are increasingly questioning the cost of card acceptance, and whether the conditions are finally right for alternative payment rails to capture meaningful market share. At the heart of the conversation is TrueLayer's Bank on File proposition, which aims to bring the convenience of saved card payments to account-to-account transactions. Sarah and Francesco explore how storing customer consent rather than card credentials could transform recurring payments, subscriptions and one-click checkout, and why the emergence of commercial Variable Recurring Payments (cVRP) in the UK could represent a significant milestone for Pay by Bank adoption. The conversation then turns to agentic commerce and the future of payment infrastructure. As AI agents increasingly move towards making purchases on behalf of consumers, they discuss whether today's payment rails are ready for autonomous transactions, why bank payments could offer advantages in an agent-driven economy, and what TrueLayer hopes to learn through its work testing agent payments in the FCA's regulatory sandbox. Drawing on TrueLayer's experience building open banking infrastructure across Europe, Francesco also explores what the US payments ecosystem can learn from Europe's approach to account-to-account payments, the differences in adoption between the two markets, and where the next opportunities for convergence could emerge. Plus, Francesco takes on The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame, nominating one thing the online checkout experience continues to get wrong that he'd happily banish from the industry. Filmed live at Money20/20 USA, this special episode explores whether the future of digital commerce will continue to run on cards, or whether the next generation of payments will move directly between bank accounts. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.