Let me start by sharing a couple of things that I believe are true:
- Content creation isn’t a zero-sum game, and any writer or podcaster out there who thinks or acts otherwise is someone you should stop subscribing to.
- I subscribe to and (likely) consume more fintech content than 99.99% of people on Earth.
- Fintech Takes would not be possible without the work done by all of those other fintech content creators. My job is to stand on the shoulders of tall, sure-footed giants and share my observations.
So, [Hugo Weaving voice] if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand me as I attempt to assemble the ultimate list of fintech resources.
(Editor’s note – I’m sure I’m missing lots of good resources. If you notice any obvious ones, please let me know!)
Newsletters & Blogs
Jason Mikula writes the best critical analysis in fintech, hands down. He’s also a wonderful podcast co-host.
Simon Taylor writes infuriatingly great ‘rants’ on all the big ideas in fintech and has a soothing British accent. I would hate him if he weren’t also so nice. Damn it.
My one-stop shop for every piece of fintech news globally. Nik and the team do an outstanding job curating the headlines, providing analysis, bringing people together for great community events, and investing in early-stage companies. They also have tremendous merch.
Patrick McKenzie covers the actual mechanics of how banking works better than anyone.
Net Interest is incredible. Very much worth paying for, in my humble opinion. Marc’s analysis of the past, present, and future of various financial markets is unparalleled.
A more diverse fintech ecosystem is a fintech ecosystem that will work better for all of us. My Workweek colleague Nicole Casperson is helping to make that happen. Subscribe to her newsletter.
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If you like nerdy fintech engineering content on topics like credit decisioning and machine learning, delivered with style and plenty of memes and silly drawings, this is for you. You’re welcome.
Tons of great research and analysis on fintech and crypto. Lex Sokolin is frighteningly smart.
I’ll keep this one super simple – if you don’t read everything Ron Shevlin writes, you are doing fintech wrong.
In the future, everyone will be famous for 15Mb
Dave Birch writes about digital identity, digital money, and lots of other stuff, and he does it exceptionally well and with fun cartoons. What’s not to like?
Chris Skinner brings it. That’s it.
Niche fintech content is the best fintech content. Matthew covers the payment card space, and he does one hell of a job.
Jareau Wadé covers payments, commerce, and fintech infrastructure (among many other topics) in essays that I usually read twice. Smart stuff.
Another great source of fintech news roundups, published weekly. Lots of memes.
A newer entrant in the fintech newsletter scene, but one that I’m thoroughly enjoying. Ryan does a great job mixing analysis and news roundups.
Deep dives and news roundups, but with a focus on publicly-traded fintech companies. How wonderful!
Jared is an investor and former fintech operator. He worked at my favorite fintech company that no one has heard of. He shares his smart ideas here. You should read them!
Trust me when I tell you this – once you start going down the bank regulation rabbit hole, it becomes very difficult to stop. It’s truly fascinating stuff, and this is one of my primary sources.
This one is all aboot the Canadian fintech scene.
My guy Reggie covers the ins and outs of the regulatory compliance side of fintech. An essential resource.
Written by a few folks at Nyca Partners. The three-part series on credit scoring is fantastic.
Matt Brown is an investor. He has a newsletter! It’s good!
Pretty much what the name suggests – musings on fintech from Trupti Natu, an experienced fintech operator.
Tanvi Lal is a VC at Intuit. Her takes on various fintech trends (and VC) are worth your time.
More niche fintech content! This one is all about the intersection of fintech and agriculture, an important intersection.
Ayokunle Omojola was the founding PM for banking at Cash App and is a prolific angel investor in fintech. His essays are published infrequently and are absolutely brilliant.
Another newer entry, but one I’m enjoying a lot. This description says it all, “Fintech is full of sexy companies. This blog will cover none of them! Follow along to learn about the tech, systems, and people that run Wall Street.”
I’m a Giorgio fanboy and you should be too. His analysis of trends in the financial technology space (including DeFi) are great.
Techstars Startup Digest Fintech
Another really great news roundup covering relevant financial technology stories across the globe.
An aggregation of some of the best writing in fintech, delivered to your inbox every week with accompanying musical selections. Yep, seriously. Barb MacLean is the best.
Connecting the Dots in Fintech
Marcel van Oost is one of those guys. Knows everyone in the industry. Somehow able to keep up with everything happening in fintech. Not sure how he does it, but his various newsletters are great.
Described as “inflections in finance and tech.” Sounds right up our alley, yeah?
Prose that will make you weep. Analysis that will make you think. Mostly not fintech, but that’s OK!
You should be reading Packy McCormick.
Ben Thompson’s analysis is second to none. It’s a treat when he occasionally covers fintech, but his general tech coverage is well-worth reading.
Matt Levine is the GOAT.
Reporting
Jeff Kauflin and the team at Forbes do incredible reporting on fintech. I read everything they put out.
My source for all the fintech fundraises and cool product launches. Mary Ann Azevedo and the crew at TechCrunch get the scoops.
AB covers the entire waterfront – banking, credit unions, policy, tech, payments. Kevin Wack’s reporting on Wells Fargo deserves to win awards.
Banking news, with the nerdiness turned up to 11. Highly recommend. The Managing Editor, Kiah Haslett, is also a kickass podcaster.
I’ve been reading Jim and Steve and the team at The Financial Brand for many years, and I don’t see that changing.
I don’t always read insurance and insurtech news, but when I do, I prefer Coverager.
Podcasts
One of the OGs in the fintech podcast space. Still bringing the heat (literally in the case of Jason’s hot sauce pods).
There is no other fintech podcast like this one. That’s all I’ll say.
Another OG. This one is from 11:FS, and it’s a great combination of deep dives into specific topics and news roundups.
Money2020’s podcast is surprisingly prolific and wide-ranging. Highly recommend.
Will Beeson has been doing this for a long time, and it shows. I learn a ton from his podcasting and writing.
The interview podcast in fintech. I was honored to make an appearance recently!
This one is from the folks at Lithic, and it slaps. Great content on a variety of different fintech topics. Matt left at the end of season 1, but I’m told Reggie will be pressing on for season 2. Can’t wait.
The pitch is the title — Miguel interviews leaders in fintech every week.
I’m new to this one, which is an embarrassing thing to admit, given how good it is and how long it has been going. I have no excuse.
Nicole Casperson interviews the people behind fintech. Consistently excellent interviews.
A newer entry in the fintech podcast space. This one is weird (it’s more of a video quiz show than a traditional podcast) and delightful.
Rex Salisbury has a podcast and he gets great guests to come on. Nuff said.
Ron Shevlin has a podcast? Yes! Yes he does! And it’s both short (episodes are less than 20 minutes) and very informative.
Peter and the gang at Fintech Nexus do a ton of interviews with interesting people in and around the fintech ecosystem.
Jim Marous interviews folks in banking and fintech. That should be all the selling I have to do for this podcast.
From the wonderful folks at Sunrise Banks, a podcast about the intersection of banking, technology, and social responsibility.
One of the first fintech podcasts that I started listening to and possibly the first one to have me on as a guest. I’m a big fan of Theo, Brad, and Arunkumar.
I’ll be honest – I wasn’t familiar with this one until I was asked to be a guest. I spent most of the recording for that episode just learning from the other guests, who were much smarter than I am. Now I listen to every episode.
From my friends at This Week in Fintech. I really enjoy these interviews with fintech investors, founders, and operators.
Events
I attended my first AOBA last year, and I can confirm that there isn’t another show like it. Community bankers, as far as the eye can see.
After two years of being a digital-only event, Fintech Meetup held its first in-person event earlier this year, and it was great. Think Money2020, but smaller and more productive. I’ll be back next year.
Fintech people don’t get my love for this event, but my love is real. If you’re at all curious about the banking side of fintech (and we all should be), this one is can’t miss.
Empire Startups New York Fintech Week
It’s basically a fintech festival, and it is as awesome as it sounds. Jon consistently crushes it with this event.
The fintech event for developers, but great for non-developers as well (I can testify!)
I’ve been going for years, and I will continue to go for many more years. Finovate is my jam.
This one, put on by MX, is in my backyard, and the content is just as great as the scenery.
Fintech’s biggest event. Love it or hate it, it can’t be missed. I hope to make it to the European version one of these years.
Good Stuff from Companies
The folks at a16z give away some great fintech thoughts. Worth following.
Sort by Domain (Fintech), and you will uncover some gold.
JP, Jason, Samer, and the team at Alloy Labs know their stuff.
The folks at F-Prime Capital created the Fintech Index, a tool that tracks the performance of emerging, publicly traded financial technology companies. They also publish a very good State of Fintech report every year.
So much good data and analysis. A treasure trove.
When B2B fintech companies ask me for advice on how to craft a content marketing strategy, I point them to Lithic. An amazing collection of resources here.
Ditto for Unit. Their guides are great.
The Ultimate List of Lists
I’m designating my friend Bruno as the official Keeper of Fintech Knowledge. This list of resources that he maintains is, by far, the most comprehensive and well-kept list that you’ll find anywhere. Whatever I may have missed on my list, he will surely have.
