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The past year has been a big one for fintech startups. The high interest rate environment we’ve been under is slowly easing, along with the uncertainties stemming from having to wait for the outcome of the election in the US. The huge amounts of capital that have been parked on the sidelines are now looking to be deployed, and momentum is returning to the fintech space.
M&A activity looks to be on its way back, as well as priced rounds, which have in recent years given way to insider rounds.
My guest today is Brian Kaas, president and MD Of TruStage Ventures, the CVC arm of Trustage, the mutual insurance company which primarily provides services credit unions, cooperatives and other smaller financial institutions. We recorded this episode just before the new year, looking back at the fintech landscape in 2024, and ahead at 2025.
We also talk about the tech challenges credit unions are facing – including a rise in fraud and cyberthreats, and how they need to use technology to find new streams of revenue to keep up with changes in the way people pay for things today.
We also talk about new technologies that will help these financial institutions stay relevant in the long-term and compete with larger banks and even retailers who are increasingly cutting them out of the sales process through embedded finance and other instruments.