Today's guest is Xen Baynham-Herd, Director of Growth at Base and Global Builder Ecosystem lead at Coinbase, working at the centre of where crypto, AI agents, and the future of finance collide.

Before Coinbase, Xen spent eight years as a fixed income trader at UBS, where he championed an internal stablecoin project that eventually spun out into Finality, backed by UBS, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, and Santander. He then made the leap into crypto, rising to COO at blockchain.com, before stepping off the corporate ladder to work with Balaji Srinivasan on the Network State. He went on to found his own startup, Roam XYZ, which was later acquired by Coinbase.

In the full episode, we cover:

- Why the UK's financial system is broken and how blockchain actually fixes it
- How crypto networks like Base are becoming the closest thing we have to network states today
- Why every major bank — JPMorgan, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, UBS — is now quietly moving on-chain
- What x402 is and why AI agents are already paying each other on-chain
- Why agentic activity will be the primary use of crypto networks within a few years
- The highest-leverage opportunities for builders in the next 3 years
- The mindset and traits Xen looks for when hiring builders and backing founders

If you're a fintech founder, a builder thinking about where to place your bets next, or anyone trying to understand how crypto and AI agents are about to reshape the financial system, this one is essential listening.

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Today's guest is Matt Weaver, Head of Solutions Engineering for EMEA at OpenAI, working directly with some of the biggest names in financial services including Revolut, Alicabank, and BBVA.

Before OpenAI, Matt spent four years at a pre-ChatGPT AI company helping banks extract data from documents using traditional machine learning.

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene and disrupted everything he was working on, he knew there was only one place he needed to be, and he was fortunate enough to get the call from OpenAI, where he's spent the last two years building out the Solutions Engineering team across EMEA from the ground up.

In the full episode, we cover:

• How AI has moved from pilots to production inside major financial institutions
• What GPT-5.5 can do that the models couldn't six months ago
• The highest ROI use cases in financial services right now
• How OpenAI helps banks navigate regulation, compliance, and data residency
• What AI agents actually are, and how long they can now run without human input
• Why entry-level employees are outperforming tenured colleagues with AI tools
• How to go use ChatGPT to it best of power

If you're in fintech, working inside a financial institution, or trying to understand how AI is actually being deployed at scale, this one is essential listening.

Connect with Matt Weaver:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattweaver/

Matthew Cheung (Host & Founder Work in Fintech):

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcheung50/

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

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Today's guest is Dileep Thazhmon, Founder & CEO of Jeeves, one of the fastest-scaling fintechs to come out of Y Combinator (YC S20)

Before Jeeves, Dileep built PowerInbox (later Jeeng) to $40M in revenue and a ~$100M exit. While running PowerInbox, Dileep ran headfirst into the chaos of cross-border payments, multiple cards, multiple bank accounts, different payment rails in every country, making his CFO's life a daily reconciliation nightmare.

After his exit, he set out to solve that exact problem and founded Jeeves. Today it's valued at over $2B, operates in 25 countries, and powers global spend for thousands of companies.

In the full episode, we cover:

- His early years and the unlikely path that led him into fintech
- How the idea for Jeeves came directly out of his own pain as a founder
- Why B2B fintech is a completely different game from B2C
- His experience going through Y Combinator
- What it's like having Ben Horowitz and a16z as investor
- The fintech opportunities he's most excited about right now
- His hiring philosophy
- The one piece of advice he'd give young graduates

If you're in fintech, building a company, or curious how global fintech actually gets built, this one's worth your time.

Connect with Dileep Thazhmon:

X: https://x.com/thazhmon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thazhmon/

Matthew Cheung (Host & Founder Work in Fintech):
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcheung50/

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Today's guest is Paroma Chatterjee, CEO of Revolut India, leading one of the world's most valuable fintechs into one of the world's most complex markets.

Paroma has built her career at the intersection of ambition and execution, and there's no better proof of that than what Revolut India has become: a 3,600-person operation in a country where Revolut was virtually unknown just a few years ago.

In this episode, we dive into:

- Paroma's early career and what shaped her leadership style
- Revolut's big ambitions in India, and what the product actually looks like on the ground
- Why it took so long to launch in India, and what finally changed
- The real moats that make Revolut different
- How the Indian fintech industry has evolved, and where it's headed
- What the culture inside Revolut is actually like
- Her hiring philosophy and what she looks for in people
- Opportunities in the age of AI for young professionals

If you're working in fintech, thinking about joining a high-growth global company, or just want to understand what it takes to scale a business in India, this one is worth your time.

Follow Paroma Chatterjee on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paroma-chatterjee-503193/

Matthew Cheung (Host & Founder Work in Fintech): https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcheung50

Work in Fintech Socials:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-in-fintech-global/
- X: https://x.com/WorkinFintech
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/work_in_fintech/

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

Follow our socials Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdS4bYoCXaHVgfVm6syUrDw

Today's guest is Richard Davies, CEO of Allica Bank, the fastest growing company in the UK from 2020 to 2024, built specifically to serve the small and medium sized businesses that traditional banks consistently overlook.

Richard has spent his career across some of the most influential names in banking and fintech — from Barclays and HSBC to being employee number one at Oak North, and Group COO at Revolut when it scaled from 5 to 15 million customers.

In this episode, we get into:

- What makes Allica Bank special and why he left Revolut to build it
- The real reasons behind Allica Bank’s rapid growth
- How Allica Bank serves one-third of the economy ignored by big banks
- The future of traditional banks — branches, consolidation, and what comes next
- The biggest trends and opportunities in fintech over the next 5 to 10 years
- How leading digital banks are using AI right now
- Richard’s hiring philosophy and what he looks for in people
- The future of Allica Bank

If you're building in fintech, banking, or thinking about your next career move, this one is worth your time.

Richard's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-davies-1323b2

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

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From a small village to the heart of global financial markets.

On our Women’s Day special, we host Charlotte Crosswell, Board Member at the London Stock Exchange.

Charlotte’s journey is an inspiration for many girls and women who want to build a career in fintech and financial services.

From humble beginnings in a small village to the global financial stage, she has held leadership roles at the London Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Innovate Finance, and CFIT.

She was also among the few women on the trading floor in the 1990s, building her career in an industry that was still largely male-dominated.

In this episode, Matthew Cheung, founder of Work in Fintech, sits down with Charlotte to unpack:

✅ Her journey from a small village to senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Nasdaq, and the London Stock Exchange
✅ How fintech and technology are transforming financial services
✅ Why data ownership will define the future of financial markets
✅ The importance of innovation and continuous learning in a rapidly changing industry
✅ Practical advice for young professionals entering the industry

Coming just after International Women’s Day, Charlotte also shares her thoughts on the progress women have made in fintech and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Whether you’re interested in fintech, financial markets, or building a career in the industry, this episode offers valuable insights into leadership, innovation, and navigating one of the fastest-evolving sectors in the world.

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

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Today’s guest on the show is Sheel Mohnot, Co-founder and General Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a San Francisco based seed-stage fund focused on fintech, with investments in companies like Ramp, Mercury, and Unit.

In this episode, host Matthew Chung, founder of Work in Fintech, sits down with Sheel to unpack:

✅ His journey from founder to venture capitalist
✅ What truly separates exceptional founders from the rest
✅ The role of luck and timing in startup success
✅ How AI is reshaping fintech and venture capital
✅ The next big opportunities emerging in fintech
✅ Practical advice for young entrepreneurs navigating risk, learning, and growth

Whether you’re an aspiring founder, investor, or operator, this episode offers an honest look at building in fintech, spotting opportunity early, and what it really takes to win in today’s startup ecosystem.

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

Follow our socials Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube

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Today’s guest on the show is Carlos Espinal, Managing Partner at Seedcamp, one of Europe’s leading seed-stage venture capital funds, with early investments in companies like Wise, Revolut, and UiPath.

In this episode, host Matthew Chung, founder of Work in Fintech, sits down with Carlos Espinal to unpack:

✅ Carlos early career & how he got into venture capital
✅ How Seedcamp spots billion-dollar founders before anyone else
✅ The key traits that separate exceptional founders from everyone else
✅ How the venture capital landscape has evolved
✅ The biggest opportunities in tech right now
✅ Practical advice for young entrepreneurs

Whether you’re an aspiring founder, investor, or someone looking to break into venture capital, this episode offers a candid look at how careers evolve, how great companies are built, and what it really takes to succeed in the startup ecosystem.

Important Links
https://cee.medium.com/how-venture-adapts-when-trust-erodes-41568a2deb33

Check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about opportunities in fintech and web3.

Follow our socials Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdS4bYoCXaHVgfVm6syUrDw