Fintech Talks (a Georgia Fintech Academy podcast)

Akita Somani, SVP, BNPL/POS at U.S. Bank - Elavon joins Divij Sharma, a fintech focused senior at University of Georgia Terry College of Business. This conversation explores global trends in payments along with an overview of the Elavon business in Europe.

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/
LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Episode 2: Rodrigo Dantas e Silva - Americas Payments Leader at EY joins Daniel Hadgu and Minas Yohannes students from Georgia State. Tommy Marshall, Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy moderates a discussion about the payments landscape worldwide. The team considers the recent Visa acquisition of Plaid for $5.3 billion. Daniel and Minas talk about their fintech company EthioPay.
FULL TRANSCRIPT IS AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK
https://borusgmy.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/thomas_marshall_usg_edu/EUIreXP3m8lIgSW9dGyLlJsBHVkGRpt0XqIBsj0QtYUYWg?e=yWauU8
Welcome to the Georgia FinTech Academy podcast. The Georgia Fintech Academy is a collaboration between Georgia SpinTech Industry and the University System of Georgia. This talent development initiative addresses a massive demand for Fintech professionals and give learners the specialized education experiences needed to enter the FinTech sector.

Hi everyone. This is Tommy Marshall, the Executive Director of the Georgia FinTech Academy. Welcome to episode two of the Georgia FinTech Academy podcast. Its great to have all of you back here with us and we are excited that we're getting into this rhythm of hosting this podcast where we have an executive visitor from the FinTech industry along with students that have been involved or are involved today with the Georgia FinTech Academy. So at first I'd like to introduce you to Rodrigo Dantas e Silva. Rodrigo, thanks so much for being with us today.

Well, thank you for an invitation, Tommy. It's a pleasure to be here.

And tell us about yourself.

All right. So, I am the Americas Payments Leader for EY and that capacity of basically coordinate our teams and our offerings to serve the payments industry. And a little bit about my past, 10 years ago, a little more than that, I thought my career was over because I had worked a good chunk of it in financial services and strategy and the other good chunk of it in technology. And then someone invented the term FinTech and, [wala 00:01:48], I was saved. So, and that has been a lot of what I've been doing so far.

Fantastic. Thanks so much for being here. I mean, EY is such an amazing firm. Does, I think some really remarkable [thorough 00:02:04] leadership and delivery in the FinTech space and we are lucky, lucky, lucky to have you here in Atlanta. You've moved here to Atlanta. What's it been now? Three years?

A little less than three years ago. Yes.

Okay. And so we are just... Thanks for being here [inaudible 00:02:23]and we're,

All my pleasure [inaudible 00:02:24]

Appreciate for [inaudible 00:02:25]. So, Daniel, tell us about yourself.

Yeah, sure Tommy. So my name is Daniel Hadgu. Currently a first semester senior at Georgia State University. A co-founder of EthioPay, and this current summer I'm going to be interning at Vanguard doing investment management.

Oh great. And how did you get attracted to the Vanguard because they're not in Atlanta the last time I checked Malvern, Pennsylvania if I have my facts.

That's correct. So, I just applied online seeing it on there. And-

Are you a Boglehead?

Oh yes sir. Of course. And so I think the thing that attracted me to them and really liked the big three, which is Vanguard, BlackRock and Fidelity, is right now I think a lot of the things that are

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/
LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Are you ready to dive into the world of FinTech and explore a groundbreaking partnership aimed at shaping the future of finance?

We're thrilled to invite you to an exclusive podcast recording featuring Georgia FinTech Academy and Kennesaw State University, two powerhouse institutions coming together to fuel the development of FinTech talent!

Join us as we discuss the remarkable partnership, the KSU FinTech Program, its cutting-edge curriculum, and much more!

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/
LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Join us on a captivating discussion with Systems and Methods , Inc. (SMI), a family-owned trailblazer in government payment services with over 50 years of innovation and commitment to improving lives. In this must-listen episode, we sit down with Bo Stone , Chief Strategy Officer at SMI , and Wesley Stone Director of Government Affairs at SMI , alongside graduating senior Astrid Cuellar Benitez from Kennesaw State University , and Laura Gibson-Lamothe , Executive Director at the Georgia Fintech Academy .

Founded in 1971 in Carrollton, Ga., SMI began as a modest computer consulting service and has since grown to operate robust State Disbursement Units (SDUs) across 16 states, managing the smiONETM Visa® Prepaid Card for over two million cardholders. This episode delves into the heart of SMI’s innovative spirit and its role in facilitating secure, efficient government payments that significantly enhance the quality of everyday life for millions.

We'll uncover the features and benefits of Kudzu, SMI’s latest endeavor in financial education and management tools, designed to empower users with the knowledge and means to manage their finances effectively. Our guests share personal insights and stories that highlight and complement SMI's relationship-based approach, blending cutting-edge technology with genuine care to craft tailored solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

Tune in to discover how SMI's dedication to innovation and service is shaping the future of financial literacy and access. Whether you're interested in fintech, innovative solutions, or stories of impact, this episode offers invaluable perspectives on creating meaningful and lasting change in the financial landscape.

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/
LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Featurespace is the inventor of Adaptive Behavioral Analytics and Automated Deep Behavioral Networks technology for fraud and financial crime management. In this episode, David Excell the founder of Featurespace joins cybersecurity student Andy Su from the University of North Georgia. Their conversation explores the financial services industry problems Featurespace helps to solve.

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Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/
LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/