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Hey, fintech fam! 💜

This week, my book Fintech Feminists officially became ours… and we’re just getting started on this book tour.

Next up: Las Vegas, baby! I’m heading to Money20/20 to join thousands of my fintech fam, and you need to catch me there.

Here’s where I’ll be:

📅 Monday, October 28

4:00 PM – LIVE podcast recording of Humans of Fintech + a Fintech Feminists book signing featuring Frances Zelazny, Founder & CEO of Anonybit.

Location: The Venetian, Las Vegas, at the MoneyPot Podcast Stage #1, Money Hall

l📅 Tuesday, October 29

8:30 AM - 10:30 AM – Exclusive Networking Brunch celebrating Fintech Feminists at a penthouse suite in the Bellagio (yes, dancing fountain views for breakfast).

Join us for coffee, bites, and killer insights. Brought to you by my friends at Convera.

Let’s get into the news!

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#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

Every Thursday, I deliver the hottest fintech news and trends, keeping you updated with the most essential insights impacting the industry.

#1 CFPB’s New Rule: Open Banking and What It Means for Fintech

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has finalized a major rule that grants consumers more control over their financial data. Financial institutions, from banks to credit card providers, will be required to let consumers access and transfer their financial data to another provider for free.

Why it matters for fintech leaders: This rule signals a seismic shift towards open banking in the U.S., opening new opportunities for fintechs to attract consumers frustrated with traditional financial institutions.

The rule is designed to foster competition, offering fintech innovators a chance to step in with better rates, superior service, and cutting-edge products.

Key implications:

• Increased consumer mobility: Fintechs will benefit from consumers’ enhanced ability to move their data across providers. This opens the door for new entrants to compete on product value, not just the inertia that keeps consumers with legacy institutions.

• Leverage on data access: By unlocking data, fintechs can gain access to broader consumer financial histories, enabling improved credit risk assessment, personalized financial products, and enhanced underwriting for traditionally underserved markets (e.g., young consumers with limited credit history).

• Opportunities in payments innovation: With greater access to payment data, fintech can advance pay-by-bank and other payment solutions, driving competition in payment markets long dominated by legacy players.

Privacy and trust: The rule also imposes strict privacy controls, a critical area for fintechs. Data can only be used for the purposes the consumer approves, providing a competitive edge to fintechs that can position themselves as secure, privacy-first alternatives to traditional providers.

Looking ahead: Compliance deadlines for large institutions start in 2026, giving fintech leaders a window to develop strategies and products that leverage this new landscape. For fintech, the key will be balancing data-driven innovation with the strict privacy protections consumers are demanding.

The bottom line: The CFPB’s rule marks a pivotal moment for the U.S. financial ecosystem. For fintech, this is an opportunity to seize market share by offering superior products, personalized services, and trust-building measures that can win over consumers as they exercise their new rights to control and share their data.

#2 Uprise Raises $3.3M to Offer Financial Planning Tools for Small Business

Uprise, co-founded by Jessica Chen Riolfi, Chris Goodmacher, and Nanthakumar Muthusamyin 2021, has secured $3.3 million in pre-seed funding to bring personalized financial planning services to Gen Z and small business owners.

Initially created as a financial planning tool for young investors, Uprise has since expanded to offer family office-style services to solopreneurs and small businesses through embedded finance partnerships.

Why it matters for fintech founders: Uprise has identified two underserved groups—Gen Z and small business owners—who both need financial guidance but are often overlooked by traditional financial institutions. For fintechs, this signals a growing demand for products that offer not just tools but personalized, goal-based financial advice.

Key takeaways:

• Financial planning for small businesses: Uprise helps entrepreneurs, freelancers, and solopreneurs—often overlooked by traditional wealth managers—by embedding advisory services into platforms they already use. Partners like NerdWallet’s SMB platform and Carry (solo 401(k)s) enable Uprise to offer tailored financial coaching to small business owners.

• Embedded finance as a growth driver: Uprise’s B2B2C model allows them to integrate financial advisory services into vertical SaaS platforms, making it easier for small businesses to access the financial help they need without leaving their existing tools.

I caught up with Jessica to get some insights and advice about her fundraising process:

• Align with investors who believe in your vision: Jessica emphasizes partnering with investors who deeply understand the fintech landscape. For Uprise, this meant building a cap table with fintech veterans like SoFi’s Dan Macklin and Cash App’s Michael Giles, who also contributed their networks to help with business development.

• Resilience is key: In a challenging funding environment, Jessica advises founders not to take rejections personally. “You can’t always know if it’s you or the market, but the key is to keep pushing through,” she says.

• Direct communication wins: Being transparent about concerns during fundraising meetings has helped Jessica secure faster decisions from investors. She recommends asking for direct feedback at the end of calls to gauge where potential investors stand.

Looking ahead: Uprise’s embedded financial services model is proving effective in reaching small business owners, offering fintech founders an important lesson: partnering with SaaS platforms to deliver targeted financial advice can significantly expand reach and influence.

The bottom line: Uprise’s $3.4 million raise is a clear signal that there’s a growing appetite for fintech solutions catering to small business owners' unique financial needs. Fintech founders should note that focusing on underserved markets, like solopreneurs, while leveraging embedded finance partnerships can open up significant growth opportunities.

#3  Data Breaches Are Costing Fintechs Millions—Here’s What You Can Do

Since the massive Equifax breach in 2017 exposed the personal data of 147 million U.S. citizens, data breaches have become a growing and recurring issue across industries.

This year alone, major companies like Dell, Dropbox, and T-Mobile have been hit, highlighting the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks. Fintech companies, holding vast amounts of sensitive financial data, are far from immune—and they’re paying a high price.

Why it matters for fintech founders: Research shows that fintechs lose an average of $51 million annually to fraud, with a median of 1.7% of their revenue being siphoned off by cybercriminals.

The need for stronger fraud prevention has never been more critical, especially as criminals leverage “fraud as a service” tools readily available on the dark web.

Alarmingly, nearly 50% of fintechs cite fraud as their top challenge, underscoring the urgency for robust solutions.

Key takeaways:

• Fraud is evolving fast: The sophistication of fraudsters has skyrocketed. Criminal syndicates now offer services to hack and exploit data on-demand, contributing to a 13% increase in fraud losses for fintechs in the last year alone.

• It’s not just financial losses: The costs go far beyond stolen funds. Reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and lost business revenues can have a lasting impact on fintech startups and scale-ups alike.

How to stay ahead:

One key solution fintechs should consider is biometric identity technology. Frances Zelazny, founder of biometric security startup Anonybit, has seen firsthand how vulnerable traditional authentication methods are to breaches and fraud.

Her company tackles these challenges by using distributed biometric data to prevent fraud at the root, addressing systemic security flaws that allow criminals to exploit centralized databases.

Frances’ insight: “Traditional authentication methods—usernames, passwords, and security codes—are fundamentally broken. The constant reliance on compromised data perpetuates a vicious cycle of breaches and fraud,” she explained in an interview.

Her solution: decentralize and anonymize biometric data to eliminate the ‘honeypot’ effect that centralized systems create for hackers.

A paradigm shift for fintech: Frances believes the future lies in proactive fraud prevention rather than the reactive model most companies use today. Fintech founders can gain a competitive advantage by integrating advanced biometric systems into their platforms.

This not only builds customer trust but also offers a long-term cost-saving strategy by drastically reducing fraud losses.

Want to hear more from Frances? Catch us at Money20/20 on the showroom floor recording Humans of Fintech live covering this exact topic! (Scroll down for details).

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Come join us every Thursday to keep up with the best fintech events! These events are perfect for meeting people, learning new things, and connecting with our fintech community. Let's add these fun events to our schedules - I hope to see you there!

_{MONDAY, OCTOBER 28}

[LAS VEGAS] Humans of Fintech LIVE Podcast & Book Signing at Money 20/20

​4:00 - 4:30 PM: Join Frances Zelazny, Founder & CEO of Anonybit, for a conversation on fraud, addressing problems at the root, and how women leaders and founders are shaping the future of fintech.

Location: The Venetian, Las Vegas, at the MoneyPot Podcast Stage #1, Money Hall (Check us out on the agenda).

4:30 - 5:15 PM: Stick around to grab a signed copy of Fintech Feminists, with books generously sponsored by Anonybit.

Add this to your Money20/20 calendar by clicking here.

_{TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29}

[LAS VEGAS] Fintech Feminists: Book Launch Brunch at Money20/20 🍾

8:30 AM - 10:30 AM – Exclusive Networking Brunch celebrating Fintech Feminists and exploring the future of fintech at the Bellagio Lakeview Suite (dancing fountain views for breakfast, anyone?).

Join us for coffee, bites, and insights from an expert panel.

Speakers:

💡 Saira Rahman, VP, New Investor Initiatives, Fundrise

💡 Jessica Olivera, Product Marketing, Convera

💡 Bukie Adebo Umeano, Investment Principal, Anthemis Group

Brought to you by Convera, Whop, and hosted by yours truly. Save your spot here.

_{TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12}

[SAN FRANCISCO] Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit: San Francisco

​📍 Location: Chandran Gallery, San Francisco

​After eight SOLD-OUT shows and over 1,000 tickets sold at live events, I’m stoked to be back in San Francisco to host the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit while celebrating the launch of Fintech Feminists.

​What’s in store:

​🔥 Fireside Chats with trailblazing fintech leaders & investors

​💡 Panel Discussions uncovering strategies for securing funding and investor-founder partnerships

​🚀 Founder Spotlights showcasing real stories of success

​🤝 Networking designed to fuel powerful partnerships

​🍸 Happy Hour to close the day with celebration and connections

​📚 ALL TICKETS include a signed copy of Fintech Feminists by yours truly.

Grab your early bird ticket here before they’re gone!

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_FINTUNES

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_{LET’S CONNECT}

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

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

That’s all for now! See you Tuesday!

Love,

Nicole 💜