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Hi fintech fam, 💜

This week, during our Fintech Is Femme all-hands, we started with something simple: a round of gratitude. Just a few minutes for each person to share what they were thankful for — and the energy shift was instant.

It got me thinking: fintech news often skips the human side of progress. But behind every market expansion, regulatory shake-up, or industry trend are the people making it happen — and the ripple effects they create.

In this week’s newsletter: global expansion news, a behind-the-scenes look at my conversation with the youngest woman billionaire in tech, and an events section that’s filling up fast.

Scroll down for RSVPs and early bird tickets to our next big summit before they’re gone.

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 Brex’s EU Expansion Signals a New Era for Global Fintech — And Raises the Bar for Competitors

The future of fintech is global—and Brex just made its move.

On Thursday, Brex co-founder and CEO Pedro Franceschi announced that the company is now licensed to serve customers in all 30 European Union countries directly. 

The expansion is a major corporate milestone, and from my experience reporting on the industry, a move this big signals a larger shift in the infrastructure layer of fintech—one that raises the bar for competitors, signals where the industry is headed, and underscores the growing expectations of fast-scaling fintech companies.

For years, fintechs have promised international reach. But behind the scenes, many are held back by licensing gaps, fragmented regulatory systems, and product architectures built around a single region. Global ambitions, local constraints.

Brex, according to the announcement, is now the only U.S.-based spend platform with licensing infrastructure in both the U.S. and the EU. 

This isn’t about extending services through partners or patching together workarounds. Brex will be able to issue commercial credit cards directly and originate payments, including direct debits and credit transfers in the EU, expanding its already robust global payment capabilities. 

That’s an operational advantage—and a strategic one.

A Strategic Moat 

For fast-scaling businesses—especially those with distributed teams, cross-border suppliers, or global ambitions—financial operations can’t stay regional. 

Nearly 60% of Brex customers already operate in more than one country. That’s not only a Brex-specific stat; it reflects a broader shift in how companies are built. 

Brex’s EU entry unlocks real financial infrastructure for companies operating outside the U.S.—and does so without relying on middlemen.

This kind of licensing move doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of regulatory groundwork and tech investment—something competitors can’t spin up with a new landing page or integration.

Fintech Needs to Meet Companies Where They Are

This expansion also touches a deeper conversation in fintech: inclusion. Not just consumer inclusion—but business inclusion. Financial platforms can’t keep assuming that innovation begins and ends in the U.S., or that international teams will settle for second-tier tooling.

European startups and mid-market companies deserve the same seamless financial infrastructure as Silicon Valley. 

To deliver on that promise, Brex has established offices in Amsterdam, complete with a full board and local teams in sales, operations, and customer success. 

Staff are already on the ground, with plans to scale alongside demand. When U.S.-based fintechs invest in true localization—not just translation—they don’t just expand their footprint; they level the playing field and raise the standard for what “global” should actually mean.

If fintech is going to live up to its promise of democratizing access to capital and tools, it must become truly borderless. Not in marketing language, but in product reality.

What Comes Next

Brex says it will begin onboarding EU-based companies later this year and expand access throughout 2026. A UK launch is already in the works.

There’s good reason to believe this expansion won’t be the last of its kind. 

As financial operations become more distributed, and as fintech platforms mature, international licensing may become table stakes—not a differentiator, but a requirement. 

The platforms that fail to adapt will likely find themselves boxed out of enterprise deals, startup ecosystems, and global finance teams.

The global nature of Brex’s most recent customer wins—companies like Groupon, Turo, and CLEAR—reflects where the market is going. Founders and finance leaders aren’t just looking for a card product. They’re looking for a system that works across borders, in real time, and without hidden friction.

Brex is betting that it can be that system. And with its EU entry, it may have just raised the bar for what modern financial infrastructure really looks like. 

#2 Why JPMorgan’s New API Rules Could Break (or Build) the Next Wave of Fintech

Last week, JPMorgan called out Plaid (and other aggregators) for flooding its systems with billions of API calls — the vast majority not initiated by customers — and signaled that free access to user data is about to become very, very expensive.

This story might read like a B2B backend squabble. But zoom out, and it’s a major inflection point for the fintech ecosystem — especially if you’re a founder building in the post-open-banking era.

JPMorgan says it’s overwhelmed. Of 1.89 billion data requests in June, only 13% were tied to actual customer activity. The rest? System pings, fraud monitoring, product development, or — let’s be real — aggressive data harvesting.

Now, the bank is preparing to charge aggregators like Plaid for access — and the price tag is steep. One proposed model would cost Plaid up to $300 million annually.

The free ride is over. And if your fintech startup is riding shotgun on Plaid’s infrastructure, this changes everything.

Startups have thrived on the backbone of free bank data access. That era is coming to its end.

Founders, take note: if your business model relies on aggregator access to consumer data, you need to revisit your assumptions — fast. This changes your cost structure, your risk model, and potentially your go-to-market strategy.

We’re entering the Monetization Era of Open Banking.

The infra you once got for free is now a product with a price tag. And honestly? What if that’s not such a bad thing?

Real infrastructure costs money. Fraud prevention isn’t free. And expecting enterprise-grade data delivery at no cost was always a short-term hack.

This moment puts a spotlight on who controls access to data — and who gets to profit from it.

Because let’s face it: the infrastructure the fintech ecosystem was built on still leans heavily on legacy systems. And those legacy systems were never designed with modern innovation, interoperability, or equity in mind.

So, maybe the better question is:

If fintech is really here to fix what’s broken — then why are we still plugging into the same broken foundations?

Instead of fighting for cheaper access to old systems, we should be asking: What would we build if we started from scratch?

Why It Matters

Open banking was built on the promise that your data belongs to you. Aggregators helped bring that vision to life — but now, with paywalls and pushback from banks, we’re being forced to reckon with a deeper truth:

We need to build new infrastructure — not just negotiate better access to the old one.

Because if we don’t address the root problems (opaque rails, centralized control, bias baked into the system), we’ll keep patching over fractures with shiny UX and hoping the banks don’t change the rules again.

This moment matters for:

• Founders solving real problems — not just putting a new skin on legacy tools.

• Investors backing infrastructure that actually levels the playing field.

• Operators who believe open access isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation of innovation.

Could This Moment Actually Strengthen Fintech?

Yes—if we build it right.

Maybe this is a pressure test. The fintech ecosystem has leaned on the same old legacy systems for years. If this push from JPMorgan forces us to invest in better infrastructure, more sustainable business models, and user-first innovation—we come out stronger.

Think:

• More secure data flows.

• Less dependency on middlemen.

• Better economics for mission-driven fintechs.

But that only happens if we fight for it.

What Founders, Operators, and Investors Should Do Now

Audit your stack: If your product depends on Plaid, MX, or any aggregator — review your usage, data refresh rates, and infrastructure costs. You may need to optimize now before fees hit.

Model the shift: Start mapping what aggregator fees would do to your margins. Bake this into your next fundraise or GTM plans.

Explore alternatives: Open banking APIs like Akoya or direct bank integrations may become more appealing (or necessary) depending on your product roadmap and user base.

Think bigger: Can you build new rails? Partner on shared infrastructure? Fund something more equitable? This is the moment to back real alternatives — not just find new workarounds.

Own the conversation: We need more founders, builders, and VCs shaping what comes next. Don’t wait for banks or regulators to define the future.

Fintech always said it was here to reinvent the system.

What if this is the test?

Let’s stop duct-taping the old system and start designing the one we actually need.

#3 Creator Economy Meets Fintech — Inside My Interview with Lucy Guo

What happens when a billionaire founder known for building at breakneck speed sets her sights on the messy, misunderstood world of creator finances?

You get one of the most revealing convos I’ve had all year.

I sat down with Lucy Guo — cofounder of Scale AI, founder of Passes, and newly crowned “self-made billionaire” (her words: “I feel nothing”) — to talk about what’s broken in the creator economy, why fintech is the missing piece, and how she’s quietly building the rails for a new kind of financial system.

Here’s your preview of a few key takeaways I gathered from my notes of our conversation that I will distill in a proper column in the coming weeks. 

5 Things Founders Need to Know from Lucy Guo

1. Creators aren’t just influencers. They’re businesses — and the infra hasn’t caught up.

Passes is working on creator-focused financial tools because banks and fintechs still treat creators like liabilities. 

The traditional underwriting system? Useless. Guo’s solution: use engagement data, upload frequency, and subscriber revenue to predict income and offer real financial services.

2. Loans are coming. And creators are asking for them.

Passes is aiming to develop tools to offer cash advances and loans to creators based on real-time performance data — think fan subscriptions, content uploads, and even sentiment analysis from Reddit, Telegram, and Discord. They’re already seeing consistent income patterns — better than some SaaS companies.

3. Long-term wealth matters more than short-term brand deals.

She’s bullish on turning creators into accredited investors. Why? Equity, not ad revenue, builds generational wealth. “If I can show them the next Uber,” she says, “that’s where we actually move the needle.”

4. Want to raise money? Manufacture FOMO.

Guo’s fundraising playbook is ruthlessly simple: raise less than you need, fill it fast with angel checks, and look “oversubscribed” before VC meetings start. “Angels do little diligence,” she says. “Get the momentum, then go bigger.”

5. The creator economy isn’t a niche. It’s the next SMB segment.

Visa just declared creators small businesses — finally. But the real unlock isn’t branding. It’s infrastructure: on-time payouts, smart budgeting, real-time analytics, and embedded wealth tools. That’s where the opportunity is.

Why It Matters for Fintech

Fintech loves to talk about “serving the underserved.” Here’s the test.

Creators are the most overlooked category of modern entrepreneurs:

• Unpredictable income

• High earning potential

• Poor access to capital

If fintech can crack the creator economy, we’re not just solving a new TAM — we’re setting the blueprint for next-gen underwriting, modern wealth building, and real-time financial tooling.

And that’s not a niche. That’s the future. Full interview drops soon — stay tuned.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

_{FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 (your weekend listen)}

[NEW PODCAST] Cristina Cordova on Building Stripe, Notion & Linear Before They Were Cool

This week on Fintech Mavericks, Drew Glover and I sat down with Cristina Cordova — COO at Linear, former Head of Platform & Partnerships at Notion, and one of Stripe’s first 20 employees, where she forged the partnerships that powered Stripe’s early hypergrowth.

From cold-emailing global media companies at 22 to creating the playbook for product-led growth, Cristina breaks down how she spots breakout companies before the rest of the world catches on — and what most founders get completely wrong about scale, partnerships, and momentum.

If you’re building, scaling, or mapping your next bold move, this episode is packed with unfiltered advice, career-defining insights, and hard-won lessons from inside some of the most iconic tech companies of the past decade.

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

P.S. Brex is offering exclusive perks for Fintech Mavericks listeners — and they’re seriously valuable. Check them out at brex.com/fintechmavericks.

_{WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13}

[NEW YORK] RISKY BUSINESS: A FINCRIME OPS TOUR

NYC Fraud Fighters: This one’s for you.

$3 trillion. That’s the global cost of financial crime—and it’s growing fast.

At Fintech Is Femme, we’re not sitting on the sidelines.

We’re teaming up with Unit21 to launch Risky Business: The FinCrime Ops Tour — an invite-only event series built for fraud, risk, and compliance leaders ready to share what actually works.

🚨 NYC Kickoff | August 13 | Arlo Midtown

I’ll be moderating a panel:

“Future-Proofing FinCrime Ops — Automation, AI, or Elbow Grease?”

This isn’t a sales pitch or a snoozy conference panel.

It’s a room full of operators, execs, and AML rebels trading real playbooks, war stories, and tactics to stay three steps ahead of AI-powered fraud.

Limited seats. Curated guest list.

_{WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8}

[SAN FRANCISCO] FINTECH IS FEMME LEADERSHIP SUMMIT: SF TECH WEEK

​🚨 Early bird tickets are live — only 50 available (they’re already going fast!)

Join 200 of fintech’s boldest founders, investors, and operators for a high-impact day of real talk, tactical insights, and power networking at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit — happening October 8 during SF Tech Week at The Green Room, San Francisco.

This isn’t your average conference.

It’s built for fintech insiders who are scaling, raising, hiring, and navigating AI, GTM, and growth in real time. No panels just for show. Just blueprints for what’s working (and what’s not) from people actually in the trenches.

Who’s it for?

– Funded fintech founders (Pre-Seed to Series A)

– Investors sourcing the next breakout companies

– Operators & execs building at the edge of finance and tech

⚡️ Only 50 early bird tickets available.

_#SPONSORED

From Italy to a Nasdaq Reservation

How do you follow record-setting success? Get stronger. Take Pacaso. Their real estate co-ownership tech set records in Paris and London in 2024. No surprise. Coldwell Banker says 40% of wealthy Americans plan to buy abroad within a year. So adding 10+ new international destinations, including three in Italy, is big. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

_FINTUNES

🎶 Reneé Rapp - Why Is She Still Here?

I'm thoroughly impressed with our girl's latest album. This standout ballad truly shines, and the entire album is a seamless experience with no skips—exactly how I like it.

_{LET’S CONNECT}

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📚 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 💜