Hey, fintech fam 💜

It’s that time of year — the industry is packing bags, booking dinners, and heading to Las Vegas for Fintech Meetup.

And we’re showing up in a big way.

Team Fintech Is Femme is producing six live Humans of Fintech podcast episodes on the show floor, plus two Penthouse events on March 31 (the kind where the real conversations — and deal flow — actually happen).

And one I’m especially excited about: I’ll be interviewing keynote speaker Ryan Breslow, Founder & CEO of Bolt on a question I think our entire industry is quietly circling right now:

Do consumers actually want one platform to manage shopping, payments, identity, and rewards?

And more importantly, does the trust exist yet to make that real?

From Vegas, we roll straight into our biggest build yet:

FTW: NYC — the official New York Fintech Week conference.

And I’m building this alongside some of the most important players in the ecosystem:

Mastercard, Brex, CleverTap, Highnote, Casap, Candidly, Prove, Jumio, iProov, Feedzai, Osborne Clarke, Stifel Bank, Withum, Springboard Enterprises, RevTech Labs, Moola, Zenity, Charm Security… and more coming.

Early bird tickets sell out March 31 — don’t wait on this one. Secure your spot here.

And if you want a preview of what we’re building — scroll down to meet the first two Leadership Summit headliners. They’re…🔥🔥🔥

Let’s get into it. ✨

#TRENDING

Every Thursday, I break down the fintech stories that matter most — grounded in my reporting, interviews with industry leaders, and what I’m seeing unfold across the industry.

When I first wrote about MrBeast acquiring Step, I said this:

This isn’t fintech acquiring users.

It’s culture acquiring fintech.

This week, Washington responded.

Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter raising concerns about the deal — specifically around whether young users on Step, a financial platform built for teens, are adequately protected under new ownership.

Her core message:

If you’re going to operate in financial services — especially with kids — you don’t get to play by creator economy rules.

MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), the most-watched creator in the world, now owns a fintech platform designed to introduce young people to money, credit, and financial behavior.

On paper, the mission sounds aligned:

But Warren’s concern is less about the mission — and more about the mechanics of influence.

Because Step has previously:

And now, that platform sits inside one of the most powerful media machines on the planet.

This moment is bigger than MrBeast.

It’s about what happens when distribution meets regulation.

For years, fintech companies have been trying to buy attention:

MrBeast flipped the model:

Own the audience first. Then buy the financial rails.

It’s a brilliant strategy.

It’s also a dangerous one — if not handled with extreme care.

Because in financial services, especially with:

Trust isn’t a growth lever — it’s the product.

And trust built in entertainment does not automatically translate to trust in financial decision-making.

At the same time, we’re seeing the opposite move play out:

Fintech acquiring media.

Plaid announced this week it’s acquiring This Week in Fintech.

Clearly, the industry is waking up to something fundamental:

Distribution is everything.

Different directions. Same conclusion.

If you control attention, you control growth.

And increasingly:

If you don’t own distribution, you’re renting it.

MrBeast and Plaid are playing the same game — just from opposite sides.

Both are trying to answer the same question:

How do you become the default?

But here’s the difference:

And regulators are going to treat those very differently.

For fintech founders, operators, and investors — this is a defining moment.

1. Distribution is no longer optional — it’s existential

Whether you build it, buy it, or partner into it — you need it.

2. Regulation is the ultimate gatekeeper

You can acquire a fintech company.

You cannot bypass the rules that come with it.

3. Influence is not the same as fiduciary responsibility

Having an audience — even one that trusts you — does not mean you are equipped to guide financial decisions. Especially for young users.

4. Media and fintech are officially converging

This isn’t a trend anymore. It’s a structural shift.

And for companies like mine — for Fintech Is Femme — this is the moment.

Because if fintech companies are racing to own distribution…

Then, media platforms that already own trusted, high-quality audiences become even more valuable.

MrBeast may very well succeed.

His distribution is undeniable. His ability to drive behavior is unmatched.

But fintech is not content.

It’s regulated. It’s sensitive. It’s consequential.

So the real question isn’t:

Can creators build fintech?

It’s:

Can they build trust that holds up under regulation, scrutiny, and real financial outcomes?

Because in this next era of fintech, attention might get you, users, but only trust keeps them.

Prediction markets are having a moment.

Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have surged in popularity, attracting attention from Silicon Valley, Wall Street — and now, Washington, too.

This week, lawmakers introduced a wave of bipartisan legislation aimed at tightening the rules. One bill, the PREDICT Act, would ban members of Congress and senior government officials from trading on political prediction markets entirely — citing growing concerns around insider information and conflicts of interest.

Other proposals go even further, seeking to restrict betting on elections, war, and government actions altogether.

The message from lawmakers is clear:

when markets start to look like betting on democracy itself, the stakes change.

Prediction markets allow users to “bet” on the likelihood of real-world events — from elections and policy decisions to geopolitical outcomes.

In theory, they’re framed as tools for:

Recent headlines have raised eyebrows — traders placing highly accurate bets on geopolitical events, or politicians potentially participating in markets tied to their own influence.

Even the platforms themselves are reacting:

When money meets information — especially privileged information — the line between prediction and exploitation gets thin.

Here’s the question I keep coming back to:

Is this what we should be building?

Fintech has always been about expanding access — to capital, to opportunity, to financial systems that actually work for people.

But prediction markets sit in a more complicated category.

They don’t necessarily:

Instead, they optimize for:

And yes — there is an argument for their utility. Markets can be powerful forecasting tools.

But when the most profitable trades depend on:

…it starts to look less like innovation — and more like financializing uncertainty itself.

For fintech founders, operators, and investors — this moment is bigger than regulation.

It’s a signal.

1. Not all fintech innovation is inherently good innovation

Just because something can be built — and monetized — doesn’t mean it should scale unchecked.

2. Trust is becoming the defining currency of this next era

Prediction markets raise fundamental questions about fairness, transparency, and who has access to information. That matters deeply in financial systems.

3. The industry is being forced to choose what it stands for

Are we building tools that:

Or tools that:

Because regulators are paying attention — but more importantly, so are users.

Prediction markets may very well become a permanent part of the financial ecosystem.

But as they evolve, fintech has to decide:

Are we building for better outcomes — or just better bets?

For the Season 10 kickoff of Humans of Fintech this year, I sat down with Sanjib Kalita—Fintech Meetup Chairman, former Google Wallet operator, and a rare fintech leader who’s lived on both sides of the equation: building the rails and building the narrative around them.

Early in the conversation, Sanjib dropped a line that perfectly captures the founder whiplash: “At a large company, there’s a lot of people listening to you, but you don’t know what to say—whereas at a small company, you know what to say, but no one’s listening.” It’s funny because it’s true—and it’s also a blueprint for how founders should think about distribution, signal, and momentum.

He also got real about the early grind: “There were moments where I had 20 bucks in my pocket in New York City… and I was still happier then than when I had my corporate job.” Not because struggle is romantic—but because building something of your own can feel like agency.

One of my favorite segments was his “Intel language” story: he created a testing language in the 90s, went back decades later, and learned engineers were still using it—because he paired the tech with clear, visual documentation. The lesson: products don’t scale on code alone. They scale on communication that gives other people power.

Sanjib’s biggest fintech responsibility right now? Simple—and hard: “Think long term.” Not “hit the next metric,” not “raise the next round”—but build something that earns trust over years.

And the rapid-fire closer was the cleanest definition of success I’ve heard in a while: “Love what you’re doing, love the impact you’re having, and love who you spend time with.”

🎧 Listen to the full episode here (and watch on YouTube) for the stories, the playbook, and the real talk.

And see you in Vegas next week at Fintech Meetup!

Let’s keep you booked and busy. Every Thursday, I share fintech events worth adding to your calendar— both IRL and online.

Join us for an exclusive networking breakfast hosted by Women Who Prove x Fintech Is Femme, featuring brunch, mimosas, and a special live taping of Humans of Fintech with Alyse Belavic — ​Head of Strategic Initiatives, Prove — inside the private Penthouse at Mandalay Bay during Fintech Meetup.

Small businesses power the global economy — and fintech is rewriting how they access capital. Join us at Fintech Meetup for an exclusive evening reception featuring a live Humans of Fintech conversation on scaling infrastructure for the global SMB economy. Champagne, founders, operators, and the conversations that actually move the industry forward.

So excited to share our FTW: NYC sponsor lineup.

And as promised, meet your first two headliners…

Early-bird ticket pricing ends on March 31.

Gorgeous. What a reminder that the younger you is so proud.

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

Love,

Nicole 💜