Wrestling Payments

Epizodes

• The Fintech Regulation Cage Match 27.05.2026 38min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Understanding the Future of Fintech Regulation: The Cage Match BeginsIn this episode of Wrestling Payments, Joe Casali dives into the recent executive order that aims to overhaul fintech regulation. As the landscape shifts, understanding how regulation affects fintech firms, banking partnerships, and consumer protections becomes critical for industry participants and observers alike. In this episode: The core aspects of the May 19th executive ...
• FedNow Goes Global: How Proposed Reg J Changes Could Enable Cross-Border Instant Payments 10.04.2026 25min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Description The Federal Reserve just proposed changes to Regulation J that would allow FedNow participants to designate intermediary banks — opening the door for cross-border payments over FedNow for the first time. Joe Casali breaks down what the rule actually changes, how the domestic and international legs of a cross-border FedNow payment would work, and why this might be the moment ISO 20022 finally proves its value. He covers the...
• Conversations from The Clearing House Conference 18.03.2026 26min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary In this episode of Wrestling Payments, host Joe Casali sits down with Phil Robin, SVP of Strategy at The Clearing House. They explore how financial institutions are approaching the challenges of modernizing payment operations, with a focus on risk, governance, and the rapid pace of change in new technologies. Phil shares his perspective on the importance of building strong governance around artificial intelligence, noting that ...
• Washington Update 05.03.2026 55min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Wrestling Payments kicks off 2026 with a trip to the Hill. Host Joe Casali sits down with William Sullivan, Associate Managing Director of Government and Industry Relations at Nacha, for a wide-ranging Washington update on the policies shaping the future of payments. William breaks down the latest twists in open banking rulemaking—including a potential reversal on whether financial institutions can charge for data access—and ex...
• The OCC Charter Loophole: An Illegal Hold on Community Banking? 11.02.2026 41min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Wrestling Payments kicks off 2026 with a critical conversation. Host Joe Casali is joined by Brian Laverdure and Mickey Marshall from the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) to unpack the growing regulatory gap between fintechs and traditional banking. As non-banks rapidly expand into mortgage lending and payments, community institutions face an uneven playing field—and the stakes are rising fast. Mickey breaks down...
• Building a Stablecoin Strategy: Steve Wasserman and Larry Pruss Weigh In 18.11.2025 44min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary In this episode of Wrestling Payments, Joe Casali sits down with Steve Wasserman of Vments and Larry Pruss of Strategic Resource Management for an urgent conversation about the seismic shifts happening in payments right now. Stablecoins and tokenized deposits aren't coming—they're here, and they're already pulling deposits away from traditional institutions. Steve breaks down the critical differences between these technologies ...
• Locked In or Moving Forward: Rethinking Core Renewals 23.10.2025 28min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, host Joe Casali sits down with Rich Carty from Remedy to dig into the realities of core technology contracts in banking and payments. Rich shares how financial institutions weigh tough choices when locked into long-term vendor agreements and why early planning is critical. He explains how most banks only revisit core contracts every few years, often finding themselves committed to outdated...
• Jordan Thaeler on Merchant Choice and the True Cost of Payments 09.10.2025 26min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, host Joe Casali sits down with Jordan Thaeler to explore how embedded payments lock merchants into costly, inflexible systems. Jordan explains why many software providers bundle payment services with their core products, leaving merchants with few choices and rising costs. He shares how this model drives up payment fees over time while reducing merchant leverage and support. Jordan describ...
• Stablecoins vs. SWIFT: The Revolution in Cross-Border Payments 25.09.2025 33min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) While domestic payments are faster than ever, international transactions remain stuck in the past. In this episode, Monex Chief Economist John Min explains why cross-border payments are often slow, costly, and unpredictable. GUEST-AT-A-GLANCE Name: John Min, Ph.D What they do: Chief Economist Company: Monex Noteworthy: John specializes in global payments, macroeconomic trends, and helps financial institutions navigate the complexities of cros...
• How AI Is Changing Fraud Detection in Modern Payments 18.09.2025 38min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) AI is changing the world as we know it. I'm please to present a great conversation i had with Brian Keef of Nice Actimize who are a leader in many things, but AI in Banking. In this Wrestling Payments episode, host Joe Casali interviews Brian Keefe, Manager of Portfolio Pre-Sales at Nice Actimize, about AI's transformative role in fraud detection and compliance. Brian addresses critical NACHA rule changes requiring institutions to monitor both...
• Compliance v Sales: Wrestling with Pay by Bank Growth 22.08.2025 46min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, host Joe Casali sits down with Sarah Stapp, Chief Commercial Officer, and Geoff Scott, Head of Compliance, at Aeropay. Together, they dive into the ongoing push and pull between sales and compliance in the world of pay by bank, exploring how teams can move fast without leaving risk behind. Sarah and Geoff discuss the growth of pay by bank in the United States, noting how new technologies a...
• The Send Side of Instant Payments: How RTP® is Transforming Business 01.08.2025 37min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, Jim Colassano, Senior Vice President at The Clearing House, joins host Joe Casali to discuss the transformative impact of the Real-Time Payments (RTP) network. He explains how RTP is revolutionizing how businesses manage payments, particularly on the send side. Jim highlights the shift from traditional batch processing to instant payments, emphasizing the network's ability to handle vari...
• Breaking the Silo Surface: Uncovering the People-Powered Currents of FinTech Strategy 25.07.2025 39min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Mid-market banks and credit unions are trapped between agile FinTechs and mega banks, held back by internal silos. On Wrestling Payments, host Elyssa Morgan explores how these institutions can break barriers and leverage their unique strengths. Randy San Nicolas (Braid CEO) and Daryn Barney (Role FinTech Partners founder) reveal how to overcome self-imposed limitations. "To break through silos, you must step outside to see the ...
• Revenue in the Water: Turning FinTech Strategy into Profit 24.07.2025 32min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Financial institutions struggle to identify and monetize revenue opportunities through FinTech partnerships while justifying upfront costs to leadership. Wrestling Payments host Elyssa Morgan speaks with Scott Goldthwaite from FinTech Futures, who breaks down where banks can find immediate revenue streams and build compelling business cases. Scott explains that banks must develop strategies to enhance transaction fee income thr...
• Into the Depths: Busting the Myths About FinTech “Tech” Readiness 23.07.2025 32min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Many financial institutions feel stuck, believing technology myths hold them back from innovation. In this Wrestling Payments episode, host Elyssa Morgan talks with Brian Anderson, VP of Banking Transformation at Finzly, about busting these myths and competing in today's payments ecosystem without waiting for core systems to catch up. Brian explains how institutions can shift from core-reliant to core-complimentary thinking, tr...
• FinTech Waves Ahead: Navigating Growth with Risk in Mind 22.07.2025 31min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary Financial institutions face a critical challenge: modernizing payment operations through FinTech partnerships without compromising compliance. On Wrestling Payments, host Elyssa Morgan explores practical strategies for balancing innovation with regulatory requirements. Mark Forbis (former Jack Henry CTO) and Stephen Coburn (Avalo Labs CEO) reveal what works when banks and FinTechs collaborate. Mark explains why most institution...
• FinTech in Open Water – Seize the Opportunity While Maintaining Control 21.07.2025 30min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, Host Elyssa Morgan talks with Dr. Angela Murphy from Pidgin about the shift from competition to collaboration between financial institutions and fintechs. They explore why partnership is a critical strategy for shaping the future of financial services and meeting rapidly evolving customer expectations. Angela addresses the common fear among institutions of losing control. She argues that...
• Introducing Mascoma Technologies - From Legacy Cores to Agile Banking Platforms 01.07.2025 45min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) Episode Summary In this episode of Wrestling Payments, Joe Casali from NEACH sits down with Raphael Reznek and Ingrid Hebert from Mascoma Bank and Mascoma Technologies to explore an incredible success story: how a community bank built its own fintech platform from scratch. After years of vendor disappointments and legacy system limitations, Mascoma took the bold step of building in-house—and the results are remarkable. Raphael shares how their...
• Behind the Network: Treasury Software's Role in Payment Processing 04.06.2025 28min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of Wrestling Payments, host Joe Casali from NEACH speaks with Glenn Fromer of Treasury Software about solving the critical "last mile" disconnect between small businesses and the ACH network. Glenn shares how his journey from accountant at fast food chains to payment software developer revealed significant inefficiencies in payment operations. His company evolved from addressing bank reconciliation issues to c...
• Nacha Smackdown Series - Part 3 Technical Foul Throwdown 29.05.2025 26min

  Send us a text. (email us if you need a response) QUESTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME. jcasali@neach.org EPISODE SUMMARY In this third installment of the NACHA "Smackdown" Rules Violations in the Ring series, Wrestling Payments host Joseph Casali dives into NACHA's enforcement process, examining real rules violation cases and their consequences. The episode unpacks three enforcement cases involving micro-entries to invalid accounts, entries to invalid accounts, and failure to perform annual ACH complia...