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 Risk Without the Headache

(1:05) From HSBC to FS Vector: Ethan's Path to Fintech Consulting

(4:07) The FS Vector Origin Story

(7:45) Why Culture Matters in Compliance

(10:51) AI in Compliance: Buy vs. Build

(17:16) Hot Takes: Column, Cross River, and Bank-Fintech Tech Stacks

(23:28) Stablecoins: What's Real and What's Smoke

(29:48) Advice for Fintechs and Banks: Plan Beyond Your First Product

Follow Ethan Singleton

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-singleton-esq/

Follow Eli Wachs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliwachs/

Check out Footprint
https://www.onefootprint.com

Footprint is an AI-native platform powering identity verification, fraud prevention, and AI fincrimes agents for banks and fintechs.

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

(0:00) Meet Brendan Phillips

(1:16) From Hedge Funds to Housing Tech

(3:34) What Silicon Valley Got Wrong About Mortgages

(6:50) The Math Behind Every Lease

(12:16) How Findigs Automates Tenant Screening

(25:03) Where AI Works (and Doesn't) in Screening

(29:12) The Future: A Renter Passport

(31:51) The Case Against Personal Guarantors

Follow Brendan Phillips
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-phillips-

Follow Eli Wachs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliwachs/

Check out Footprint
https://www.onefootprint.com

Footprint is an AI-native platform powering identity verification, fraud prevention, and AI fincrimes agents for banks and fintechs.

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 Sinnarajah

(3:24) From PayPal Intern to Founding Highnote

(8:45) What Makes Payments So Compelling

(13:17) Security as the Bedrock of Fintech

(18:10) What Highnote Does and Who It Serves

(25:26) Conversational Commerce and Agent-to-Agent Payments

(33:10) The Economics of Agentic Payments

(37:58) Building an Engineering-Driven Company

Follow Shayanth Sinnarajah
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssinnarajah/

Follow Eli Wachs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliwachs/

Check out Footprint
https://www.onefootprint.com

Footprint is an AI-native platform powering identity verification, fraud prevention, and AI fincrimes agents for banks and fintechs.