Risk and Reason

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Ethan Singleton, Partner at FS Vector, to talk about what it really takes to launch and scale fintech products in today's regulatory environment. Drawing on years advising both banks and fintechs — from HSBC to FS Vector's build-focused advisory practice — Ethan shares how AI is reshaping compliance operations, where stablecoins actually have legs, and why the best fintechs plan far beyond their first product.Chapters(0:00) Fintech

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Brendan Phillips, Director of Product at Findigs, to break down the math behind every lease decision. Drawing on his path from Bridgewater to Better's mortgage boom-and-bust to tenant screening, Brendan shares how property managers should think about defaults as an optimization problem, where AI actually works (and doesn't) in regulated decisions, and what the future of renting looks like when the renter holds the power.Chapters(0:0

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Shayanth Sinnarajah, Founding Engineer at Highnote, to talk about what it takes to build payments infrastructure from the ground up — and where it's all headed. Drawing on over a decade building at PayPal and Highnote, Shayanth shares why security has to be your first product decision, how stablecoins reshape cross-border payments, and why the future of commerce is agent-to-agent.Chapters(0:00) Introduction — Who Is Shayanth Sinnara

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Zach Trunsky, Founding Business Operations at Comun, to explore how early-stage fintechs build fraud and risk programs from the ground up. Drawing on his experience at Capital One, Mercury, and now Comun, Zach shares why zero fraud losses is an unrealistic goal, how fraudsters operate as sophisticated full-time professionals, and why the era of massive BPO review teams may be coming to an end.Chapters(0:00) Can You Actually Elimina

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Brett Chereskin, COO of Dub, to unpack how real fintechs think about risk, fraud, and operational discipline at scale. Drawing on his background in military intelligence and aviation, Brett shares why incentivized growth attracts fraud, how attackers probe systems before striking at scale, and why early stage companies must calibrate risk based on what they can actually monitor. The conversation explores mission driven leadership, prud

In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs is joined by Phil Goldfeder, CEO of the American FinTech Council and former New York State Assembly member, to explore how trust, regulation, and innovation intersect in modern banking. Phil shares how leading through Hurricane Sandy shaped his views on financial access and why fintech plays a critical role for underserved communities. They unpack lessons from Silicon Valley Bank and Synapse, the evolving bank fintech relationship, and why fear drive