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Hey, fintech fam! 💜

We are deep in production mode over here as I prep not one, but two powerhouse events: the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit and the Fintech Security Summit—both taking place at The Times Center during NY Fintech Week.

Between designing the venue, locking in speakers, curating panels, and launching our first-ever Founder Pitch Competition (👀 interested? Apply here!), I’m building the biggest fintech stage for our community.

And yes—amid all the chaos, I’ve still got fresh content for you.

🗞️ This week:

→ Chime’s latest move into financial wellness (and why it matters)

→ Two new podcast episodes to fill your cup with strategy, insight, and real talk from founders shaking up the system

Let’s get into it.

#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

Every Thursday, I bring you the latest fintech news and trends, delivering the key insights that matter most to the industry—and you.

#1 Chime Expands Into Employee Financial Wellness With New Workplace Platform

Chime has officially entered the employee benefits space.

This week, the neobank announced Chime Workplace, a financial wellness platform designed to support employers and employees. 

The offering bundles Chime’s signature consumer features—income management, savings tools, and credit-building capabilities—with new employer-facing dashboards and a rewards program.

The launch builds on Chime’s June 2024 acquisition of Salt Labs and the formation of its B2B arm, Chime Enterprise, signaling a strategic push into embedded financial services at the organizational level.

Why It Matters

The data tells a clear story: Employees are asking for financial support, and employers are taking note.

📉 Financial stress leads to burnout.

📈 Financial support leads to loyalty.

According to a 2023 PNC study, 80% of employees would stay longer at a company that offers financial wellness benefits.

Meanwhile, research from the TIAA Institute and High Lantern Group found that financial stress—from debt to basic cost-of-living concerns—can negatively affect mental health, productivity, and overall workplace engagement.

Financial stress is now associated with a 34% increase in absenteeism and tardiness, and financially strained employees are five times more likely to be distracted at work.

With 42% of U.S. adults saying money impacts their mental health, the business case for financial wellness is no longer just about compassion—it’s about performance.

Chime is not alone in this shift. Betterment at Work (formerly Betterment for Business) has built a suite of workplace wellness tools focused on retirement, investing, and student debt repayment. Other fintechs are exploring similar moves, blending their consumer-facing strengths with employer-distributed platforms.

We’re seeing a growing trend: Fintech is increasingly embedded into the workplace, creating scalable access points for financial tools and support. Why?

• Because the workplace is where change happens.

• Because supporting financial wellness isn’t just a perk—it’s a retention strategy.

• Women, especially in underrepresented roles, benefit the most when employers step up.

More than just another product launch, Chime Workplace represents a strategic expansion of fintech’s role in corporate life—and a recognition that financial health is foundational to total wellness.

As this sector continues to grow, fintech leaders are well-positioned to shape the next generation of workplace benefits, making the case for embedded financial care as a business imperative.

#2 How Sophia Goldberg Built a Payments Startup Backed by 95% Women Investors

In this week’s episode of Fintech Mavericks, my co-host Drew Glover and I sit down with one of the sharpest minds in payments: Sophia Goldberg, Co-Founder & CEO of Ansa.

If you haven’t heard of Ansa yet, take notes. Founded in 2022, the startup is on a mission to help merchants build branded virtual wallets and process small payments more efficiently (read: no more eating high card fees on $5 transactions).

Sophia is the kind of fintech founder who doesn’t just know the infrastructure—she literally wrote the book on it. Her best-selling title, The Field Guide to Global Payments, is a go-to for anyone trying to understand how money moves worldwide. (Yes, she’s that legit.)

Last year, Ansa announced its $14M Series A—and 95.6% of that capital came from female investors. 💸 Talk about walking the walk.

In this episode, Sophia unpacks:

• The playbook for building in a complex, crowded space like payments

• Why she believes B2B fintech needs better storytelling

• How to build a cap table that reflects your values

• Why embedded finance is the next big wave (and how to ride it)

If you’re a founder, investor, or operator thinking about product-market fit, infrastructure, or the long game—this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now on Apple or Spotify. 🚀 Powered by our friends at Brex.

#3 Building a Fintech Empire—with Your Life Partner

This week’s episode of Humans of Fintech, live from the Fintech Meetup, gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to build startups as a couple. 

You’ll hear from not one but two dynamic duos:

• Me + my partner in life and business, Anton Briones (Co-Founder, COO & Creative Director of Fintech Is Femme)

• And fintech legends Dan and Sarah Roselli, Co-Founders of RevTech Labs, the accelerator behind some of fintech’s fastest-growing startups

We’re diving into:

• 💜 What it really takes to build a company with your partner

• 🎯 How personal stories fuel business strategy and investor trust

• 🌍 Why RevTech Labs is betting big on global fintech (and NY Fintech Week!)

• ⚖️ The work/life balance myth—and what actually works when you’re scaling a business and a relationship

It’s all about shared vision, mutual respect, and telling your story before someone else writes it for you.

🎧 Listen now on Apple or Spotify.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

_{WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23}

[NEW YORK FINTECH WEEK] Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit

“Where the hell is the funding for women?”

That’s the question I asked in my latest Forbes column—and honestly, I’ve been asking it since my first day reporting in this industry.

So when new data from Tracxn hit my desk, showing that fintech was one of the top-funded sectors for women-led startups in 2024, I had to dig in.

• 💸 Women-led tech companies raised $29.6B last year

• 💸 Just 11.7% of total global tech funding

• 💸 In fintech? Only $3.4B went to female-led companies

• 💸 And a mere 3.4% of VC dollars went to all-women teams

Let’s be clear: the numbers still suck.

But here’s what’s wild—we’re still outperforming.

✨ Women founders deliver 2x more revenue per dollar invested (BCG)

✨ Diverse teams see 30% higher ROI (McKinsey)

✨ 45% more revenue from innovation (WEF)

We do more with less. And it’s time we stop waiting—and start scaling.

That’s why I built the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit.

• 📍 April 23 at The Times Center

• 📍 500+ women (and men) in fintech

• 📍 One day of strategy, visibility, and real deal-making

• 📍 All during NY Fintech Week

This isn’t fluff. It’s funding. It’s client deals. It’s game-changing content x community that drives ROI.

So if you’re a fintech founder, investor, operator, or just tired of being the “only” in the room—come be in this room.

_{WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23}

[NEW YORK FINTECH WEEK] Fintech Security Summit

​🚨 Fraudsters are working faster—and smarter. It’s time we do the same. 🚨

If the last year taught us anything, it’s that security can’t be an afterthought. It’s the foundation. The differentiator. The trust builder.

​We’re bringing together the brightest minds in fintech, risk, fraud, and identity for a high-impact day of strategy, innovation, and real talk.

​Expect actionable insights, serious networking, and the community momentum to stay ahead of evolving threats—without compromising user experience.

​💥 Space is limited and tickets are moving—secure yours today.

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_FINTUNES

🎶 Miley Cyrus - End of the World

Her new song just released tonight. Shall we listen to it together for the first time?

_{LET’S CONNECT}

📰 Share this newsletter with a friend and start growing your network.

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily insights on leadership.

🤝 Grow your business through content & community by partnering with me.

📣 Promote yourself to 50,000 subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.

🎤 Host an epic event by booking me as a speaker, moderator, or emcee.

📚 Increase your expertise by ordering your copy of my book, Fintech Feminists: Increasing Inclusion, Redefining Innovation, and Changing the Future for Women Around the World.

⭐️ P.S. If you’ve read Fintech Feminists (or listened to the audiobook!), I’d be so grateful if you could take 30 seconds to leave a review or rating on Amazon here. Your support means the world to me. A million thanks in advance!

That wraps up today’s edition—thanks for reading! Until next week, keep innovating and challenging the status quo. See you Tuesday!

Love,

Nicole 💜