Social Currency, powered by Sunrise Banks, is a podcast that introduces you to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, technology and social impact, and how they are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries for a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future. Here we speak to those at the forefront of positive change through social entrepreneurship to unveil the stories behind the revolution that is propelling us toward a world where everyone has equitable access to opportunities.
Where Profit Meets Purpose: Accelerating Financial Equity
Kristen Castell, Managing Director of the Center for Accelerating Financial Equity (CAFE), joins Social Currency to discuss the intersection of profit and purpose in financial services. From fintech innovation to financial inclusion, Kristen shares how technology, partnerships, and mission-driven solutions are helping expand access and opportunity for low-to-moderate income communities. Listen in as we explore the future of financial equity.
30 Jun 2026
FinTech First Responders: Expanding Financial Access
In this episode of Social Currency, Tyler Seydel and Eric Schurr sit down with Kyle Rushman, Vice President, Prepaid Sales & Business Development at Usio, to explore how mission-driven fintech is reshaping financial access for underserved communities. From prepaid innovation to rapid-response payment solutions during crises, Kyle shares how technology can deliver financial wellness at scale—while keeping people and communities at the center.
26 May 2026
Banking the Future: AI, Customer Experience & Product-Led Growth
In this episode, Madeline Fredin, Vice President of Partnership Strategy for Alloy Labs, explores how product-led growth is transforming community banking and fintech, and why delivering exceptional customer experiences has become a critical competitive advantage. The conversation dives into how AI is reshaping productivity, operational scale, and innovation across financial services. From emerging fintech strategies to the future of community banking, this episode offers an insightful look at how financial institutions can adapt, grow, and stay relevant in an increasingly AI-driven world.
24 Feb 2026
Inside the Next Chapter of Payments: Policy, Fintech; and Innovation
In this episode, we’re joined by Brian Tate, President and CEO of the Innovative Payments Association, to discuss where payments policy and innovation are headed next. A graduate of Howard University with experience at the Financial Services Roundtable during the post-crisis reform era shaped by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Brian draws on decades inside Washington to unpack what’s coming for fintech, prepaid products, and the broader banking ecosystem. From regulatory modernization to emerging technologies, he shares his outlook on the opportunities and challenges that will define the next chapter of the payments revolution.
Brian Tate, CEO, Innovative Payments Association
Brian C. Tate is president and CEO of the Innovative Payment Association.
A native Marylander, Brian is a graduate of the Howard University School of Law and is licensed to practice in the state of Maryland and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, Brian has an M.A. in political management from The George Washington University, and a B.A. in political science from King’s College (Pa.). Brian was also a White House intern during the Clinton administration in 1996.
27 Jan 2026
Wealth Beyond Money: Building Security, Choice, and Control
This episode explores the mission of advancing financial stability and generational wealth for traditionally underserved individuals and families through the lens of founder and CEO of The Savings Collaborative Barbara Freeman. The conversation highlights her global career in finance, consulting, and development, and how her personal experiences with financial uncertainty and deeply held values around fairness shaped the founding of the Savings Collaborative. Barbara shares how her work bridges systems, education, and economic opportunity to address the everyday financial fragility faced by working families, ultimately reframing wealth not just as money, but as security, choice, and control over one’s life.
Bio:
Dr. Barbara Freeman is the founder and CEO of The Savings Collaborative. She combines her global experience in finance, education, and social impact to help people and communities expand opportunity. She is also a senior consultant to the World Bank, where she focuses on technology and innovation in education.
She was a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley and is a certified financial counselor. Barbara created award-winning digital learning tools for English learners and students with special needs, making learning more accessible and engaging for diverse students. Earlier in her career, she helped pioneer one of the first global derivatives portfolios as a currency options dealer with UBS and HSBC, and co-founded KPMG Consulting’s Risk Management practice in Asia, building it into a 400-person team.
29 Jul 2025
Gamifying Financial Literacy: Preparing the Next Generation for Financial Wellness with Modak
In this episode of Social Currency, hosts Tyler Seydel and Eric Schurr speak with Madhu Yalamarthi co-founder and CEO of Modak — a fintech platform empowering families to teach financial literacy through gamification. Madhu shares how Modak is helping teens build smart money habits using real-world tools like debit cards and paycheck simulations. He also opens up about his personal journey from a small farming village to Stanford and venture capital, and how that shaped his mission to use business and technology for social impact. This conversation dives into why financial literacy is not just about money, but about empowerment, equity, and preparing the next generation for a better future.
24 Jun 2025
Unapologetic Leadership: Empowering Women and Disrupting the Status Quo
Kristi Hemmer, founder of the Academy for Women’s Empowerment, discusses strategies for achieving gender equity and developing strong female leaders with hosts Eric Schurr and Maria Wilkison in an interview.
27 May 2025
Navigating the Shift: Emerging Trends in Digital Payments
Tony McGee, Senior Director at Onbe, analyzes emerging trends in digital payments, such as embedded finance and real-time solutions, as consumer expectations for speed and convenience increase in this interview.
29 Apr 2025
Battling Fraud in Fintech: How Banks and Fintechs can Stay Ahead
Join hosts Tyler Seydel and Eric Schurr as they talk with John Barbella, Founder and President of Neighborli, about preventing fraud in fintech. With over 30 years in financial services, John shares insights on compliance, the evolving fraud landscape, and how banks and fintechs can collaborate to stay ahead. Tune in to learn how Neighborli is bridging the gap between financial institutions and fintechs to create a more secure and innovative digital banking future.
11 Mar 2025
Closing the Legacy Gap: Transforming Transitions with Paige
In this episode of Social Currency, hosts Tyler Seydel and Eric Schurr sit down with Emily Cisek, co-founder and CEO of Paige (Formerly The Postage®), a platform dedicated to simplifying long-term financial planning and legacy management. Emily shares her journey from startup life to founding Paige, inspired by personal experiences with loss and the challenges of end-of-life planning. They discuss the importance of financial preparedness, overcoming the social friction of these conversations, and how Paige is helping families and small business owners secure their futures. Tune in for insights on financial wellness, social connection, and the evolving role of community banks in supporting generational transitions.
24 Sept 2024
Mastering Product Leadership: Balancing Strategy, Management, and Humanity
Featuring Colleen Wilson, Fintech Advisor and Product Executive Technology, your customer base, your business—these things are constantly changing, and in order to be a good product manager, understanding each piece of the puzzle is essential. In this episode, Colleen Wilson, Fintech Advisor and Product Executive breaks down how you can be a strong product leader by effectively managing both product management and product strategy to bring humanity back to [product] leadership and grow business.
23 Jul 2024
Blueprints for Change: Empowering Net Zero Living Through Net Zero Banking
Big banks in U.S. banks allocate up to 30% of their investments to carbon-intensive industries, inadvertently fueling climate change. Many people are unaware that their bank accounts could be significant contributors to carbon emissions. In this episode, we delve into the story of Firefly, a pioneering sustainable apartment building on Grand Avenue in South Minneapolis. Architect Adam Bradley Jonas and developer Jay Rajaratnam share their insights on overcoming unique challenges in creating net zero buildings. They discuss their collaboration with Sunrise Banks and its innovative Net Zero Banking Program. Laura Wildenborg, VP of Strategic Lending at Sunrise Banks, explains how Net Zero Banking can effectively reduce emissions and drive climate action, empowering both organizations and individuals to kickstart sustainability initiatives.
25 Jun 2024
Balancing Innovation and Regulation: Navigating New Frameworks in Fintech
Featuring Kirsten Muetzel, Principal, KLM Advisory
As financial systems innovate to offer new products and address problems facing our communities, they may be subject to new processes like novel activities exams. In this episode, we delve into the complexities of regulatory frameworks with Kirsten Muetzel, Principal at KLM Advisory. Tune in to understand how fintechs and bank partners are adapting to innovative activities and what it means for safety, soundness, and consumer protection in the ever-evolving financial ecosystem.
21 May 2024
Revolutionizing Credit Building: How Self Financial is Leading the Way
Featuring Paul Brady, SVP of Risk, Self Financial
Traditionally, to get credit, you needed credit. It’s a catch-22, and a system that is set up against many of us. Joined by Paul Brady, Senior Vice President of Risk at Self Financial, this episode delves into how Self is pioneering innovative solutions to empower individuals in their journey toward financial stability. From the inception of the Credit Builder Account to the recent acquisition of their Rent and Bills Reporting services, Self is reshaping the landscape of credit building by meeting customers where they are and providing them with the tools and education needed to thrive. (edited)
23 Apr 2024
Innovation for Inclusion: MoCaFi’s Vision with CEO Wole Coaxum
Featuring Wole Coaxum, Founder & CEO of Mobility Capital Finance, Inc. (MoCaFi)
In this episode of Social Currency, we sit down with Wole Coaxum, CEO and Founder of Mobility Capital Finance (MoCaFi,) to explore his journey from financial services to social entrepreneurship.
Discover how MoCaFi is expanding access to financial resources for underbanked individuals via a cost-effective technology pilot program in New York City distributing pre-paid immediate response cards to asylum seekers.Learn how Wole envisions scaling similar programs to help the unbanked and underbanked while creating efficiencies for other local economies.
22 Mar 2024
Ahead of the Curve: Strategic Foresight with Eric Schurr
Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer, Sunrise Banks and Social Currency Podcast Co-Host
As a certified practitioner in strategic foresight, Eric unravels how organizations can solve market opportunity challenges using provocative questions to help anticipate and better prepare for change.
By re-imagining opportunities for our organizations, strategic foresight can give us the tools to become future-looking. If adopted, the language of foresight begins to infiltrate the language of projects and everyday work.
Inside a recent episode
Where Profit Meets Purpose: Accelerating Financial Equity
Published 25 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And we also believe that the technologies, especially today, can help people with their financial wellness. And so that was the idea for CAFE, our missions advancing financial wellness for low to moderate income people. What we do is we really bring together the financial service industry. So working with financial institutions like Sunrise Banks, with the investors, with the regulators, with industry leaders all across the country, and bringing them together with these fintech founders that, you know, see a problem in the world like People can't access money for loans to start businesses or for personal loans and have created technology solutions to do that. […]
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