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Hey, fintech fam! 💜

Anyone else feel like they’re running a marathon and a sprint at the same time?

Same.

The energy this fall is different — busier, louder, faster. And while my summer was no vacation (newsletters, podcasts, advising, building content campaigns), nothing compares to the all-out push of putting on the first-ever Fintech Is Femme AI Summit.

With sponsors like Stripe, Middesk, Brex, Kroolo, JPMorgan, GoodFin, and Rosy Finch Marketing — we’re officially on the SF Tech Week calendar and less than a month away from showtime.

I won’t lie: building a Summit is like adding a second full-time job on top of everything else — curating content, wrangling speakers, building sponsorships, selling tickets. But it’s also the most energizing work I’ve ever done. Because it’s not just an event. It’s a signal. It’s proof that fintech and AI can be smarter, more human-first, and more inclusive when we build differently — together.

We’ve got 3 weeks to go and a stage full of founders and leaders you need to meet. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to grab your ticket, this is it. 🎟️ Get your seat here.

Inside today’s newsletter: two new fintech stories, a fresh podcast episode, and more details on the activations coming your way.

Let’s get into it.

#SalesforcePartner

🚨 119% Growth in AI Agents: What Salesforce’s New Report Means for Fintech

In May, I partnered with Salesforce and got an early look at the future of AI at their Agentforce World Tour. Seeing AI agents live — not in a deck, but solving real problems — felt like one of those “this changes everything” moments.

Now Salesforce has released its Agentic Enterprise Index, and the data backs up what I felt in that room:

→ AI agent creation surged 119% in the first half of 2025.

→ Customer service conversations led by AI agents grew 22x in six months.

→ 94% of consumers chose to interact with an AI agent when given the option.

This isn’t hype. This is AI crossing over from feature → infrastructure.

And fintech? We’re at the center of it.

Financial services saw AI agent actions grow 105% month-over-month. That means everything from customer support to financial planning is already being reshaped.

But here’s the key shift:

AI agents aren’t replacing humans — they’re freeing humans up. Agents handle the repetitive. Humans handle the complex. Together, that’s how we scale inclusion and deliver better outcomes.

I’m also paying attention to who’s leading the charge. Women founders like Laurel Taylor (Candidly), Shivani Siroya (Tala), and Anna Joo Fee (GoodFin) are showing how AI can drive real financial access.

The future of fintech will be built on collaboration between humans and agents. And if this report is any indication, that future is already here.

#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

#1 Fashion Startup Phia Raises $8M to Reinvent Shopping with AI

It’s New York Fashion Week, and yes — even the runway has a fintech angle.

Phia, the AI-powered shopping startup founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, just closed an $8 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins, with a star-studded cap table that includes Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, and Sheryl Sandberg.

What they’re building: an AI agent for shopping that does what your credit card statement wishes you would — compares prices, calculates resale value, and flags price drops in real time.

In just five months, Phia has already hit 500,000 users, 5,000 brand partnerships, and tens of millions in sales, according to the company’s announcement.

Here’s where fintech comes in.

Shopping has always been a financial decision disguised as lifestyle. Phia’s model sits at the intersection of AI, consumer finance, and commerce infrastructure:

• Real-time price intelligence → think of it as embedded financial literacy for retail.

• Resale value calculations → a nod to wealth preservation in a world where your closet can be an asset class.

• Secondhand market indexing (300M+ items) → frictionless access to circular economy value creation.

If this feels like Klarna + TheRealReal + ChatGPT had a baby, you’re not wrong. And with resale and recommerce now a $200B+ industry, Phia is positioning itself as the AI rails underneath it.

Why It Matters

In fintech, we talk a lot about agentic finance — AI that makes smarter decisions on your behalf. Phia is taking that thesis to fashion first, but the implications run much deeper.

If consumers start to expect “smart shopping agents” that can manage spending, maximize value, and predict resale, what stops those expectations from extending to banking, insurance, or investing?

As co-founder Sophia Kianni put it:

“We started Phia to make it easy for consumers to find the best price on items they love and to create a new search engine for shopping that learns from user data at scale.”

That’s not just retail talk — that’s the language of personalized financial guidance.

My take: This isn’t just a shopping app. It’s a case study in how fintech is infiltrating every vertical, including fashion and sustainability.

Because at the end of the day, money movement is culture — and whoever owns the rails for how we spend also shapes how we build wealth.

#2 Connecting the Dots: Building Businesses That Last

The room was buzzing in NYC. Not your typical fintech panel — this was a live taping of Humans of Fintech, and the energy was different.

On stage with me were two women who prove that fintech leadership isn’t just about product or profit — it’s about people.

Nicole Mitchell, Partner at Aprio, has spent nearly 30 years guiding founders through the messy middle of growth. She doesn’t just crunch numbers; she calls herself a “travel guide” for entrepreneurs — showing them the turns ahead before they hit the roadblocks.

Tiffany Haynes, investor, advisor, and former COO of Fingercheck, went from nearly two decades in corporate life to scaling a scrappy fintech startup to a $150M exit. She breaks down the moves that matter: when to say no to acquisition offers, how to scale without losing your soul, and why keeping teams engaged is the real growth hack.

Together, we pulled back the curtain on what it takes to connect the dots — across leadership, scale, and culture — and why the future of fintech belongs to leaders who put people first.

This one’s not theory. It’s receipts. It’s a strategy you can use whether you’re building your first product or leading a 600-person team.

Massive shoutout to our friends at Rho for putting together a series of events with us to honor the leading women in accounting.

We’re hosting our next event in this series (it’s a movement, not a moment) in San Francisco on Oct. 1. I’d love for you to join us — RSVP for your spot here.

#3 Open Banking’s Plot Twist: JPMorgan & Plaid Make Peace

If you’ve been following the open banking saga, you know this story has had everything: billion-dollar fees, White House-level lobbying, fintechs crying foul, banks flexing power. And most recently? JPMorgan and Plaid.

Rewind: In July, JPMorgan sounded the alarm. Its systems were being hit with nearly 2 billion API calls a month from data aggregators like Plaid — but only 13% tied to real customer activity. Translation: banks footing the bill for constant pings, fraud checks, and data scraping.

The fix? A new tollbooth.

JPM floated charging Plaid up to $300 million annually for access. The fintech world erupted.

Over 80 CEOs — from Stripe’s Patrick Collison to Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev — signed a letter to the President urging him to block what they called “exorbitant consumer data access fees.” They framed it as a fight for freedom: your financial data belongs to you, not the bank.

It felt like an existential moment. If JPM’s fees stuck, the open banking dream could collapse into a gated ecosystem where only the most capitalized players survived.

Fast-forward to this week: JPMorgan Chase and Plaid announced a renewed agreement that keeps the pipes open — with a pricing structure in place.

The deal ensures Chase customers can keep connecting their bank accounts to fintech apps through Plaid, with both sides promising more security, speed, and “continued innovation.”

So, what does this mean?

1. The fees didn’t disappear — they just got formalized.

Plaid is paying to play, but we don’t know how much. What we do know: JPM gets compensated for the infrastructure it provides, while Plaid preserves its ability to serve millions of users.

2. The consumer stays connected.

This deal prevents Chase customers from suddenly losing access to the apps they rely on for budgeting, investing, or payments. That’s a win for consumers — and for fintechs building on Plaid’s rails.

3. The power dynamics shift — but the ecosystem survives.

The “Monetization Era” of open banking has officially begun. Banks will charge for access. Aggregators will pay. And startups need to adapt their cost structures and margins accordingly.

Here’s my take: This truce is less about who won the fight, and more about what it signals. Open banking isn’t dying. It’s maturing.

The scrappy days of “free” access are over. The future will be defined by negotiated partnerships, standard-setting, and (hopefully) infrastructure that works better for everyone.

But let’s not forget: this isn’t just about JPM and Plaid.

It’s about who writes the rules for the next decade of financial innovation. The ink may not be dry, but this agreement shows at least one path forward — one where banks, fintechs, and consumers can all stay connected, if not always on equal footing.

Founders, the takeaway is simple: audit your dependencies, model in the costs, and keep building for a world where access isn’t free but innovation still scales.

Because the question isn’t whether open banking survives. It’s whether we’re bold enough to build an ecosystem that’s sustainable — not just duct-taped together.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

[VIRTUAL] The Future of Fintech: Best in Show

Fintech Is Femme and Empire Startups are teaming up to spotlight the next generation of builders redefining money as we know it. From lending to payments, wealth to insurance, capital markets and beyond — these are the founders creating the future.

At each event, five early-stage companies will take the stage. A panel of sharp investors will weigh in. And together, we’ll crown fintech’s Best in Show.

This isn’t just a pitch event — it’s where ideas meet capital, culture, and community.

✨ Save your spot:

• Modern Money: WealthTech Showcase — Oct 6, 2025

• Fintech Is Femme: Female-Led Showcase — Nov 10, 2025

[SAN FRANCISCO] Leadership Summit: AI Edition (Officially a part of SF Tech Week!)

It’s official: Fintech Is Femme AI Summit is part of #SFTechWeek 2025 - it’s the biggest one yet. We've made history, and we're doing it again.

Co-hosted with powerhouses like Stripe, Brex, Middesk, Kroolo, Goodfin, Rosy Finch Method & Co., and networking powered by Fiat Growth and wellness hour powered by J.P. Morgan — we’re building the most tactical, women-led fintech + AI experience of the week.

Why AI, why now?

Because the story of AI in fintech shouldn’t just be told by the same voices on every stage.

It’s time to change the narrative — with women and diverse thinkers, builders, founders, operators, and investors actually leading with AI in their product, compliance, GTM, and growth.

🎤 On stage this year:

• Sibongile Ngako, CCO at Brex 

• Asya Bradley, VC Partnerships at Stripe 

• Drew Glover, Co-Founder at Fiat Growth 

• Anna Joo Fee, CEO at Goodfin 

• Luan Cox of American Fintech Council 

• Jackie Wylie, Head of Marketing at Middesk 

• Laurel Taylor, CEO at Candidly 

• Brittany Mosley, of Rosy Finch Method & Co.

More to be announced 👀

_FINTUNES

🎶 JADE - Angel Of My Dreams

_{LET’S CONNECT}

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

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🤝 Meet the industry leaders who can change your career at the Leadership Summit.

📣 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 💜