The Financial Technology Report with RJ Lumba

Mission-Critical Software: Finastra’s Chris Walters

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Chris Walters, CEO of Finastra, a financial services software provider across lending, payments, treasury and capital markets, and digital and retail banking. Finastra serves roughly 7,000+ customers worldwide, including about 80% of the world’s top 50 banks, and supports large-scale financial workflows—helping move about $7 trillion in transactions per day and supporting syndicated lending activity measured in the trillions. 
The company’s portfolio spans core platforms that financial institutions rely on to run lending operations, process payments, and modernize banking services through cloud and open technology.
Chris became CEO in January 2025 after serving as CEO of Pluralsight and CEO of Avantax. Earlier, he held senior operating roles including COO of Bloomberg’s Industry Verticals Group and COO of The Weather Company.
Chris supports Year Up. To learn more about this organization click here.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

An AI Network For Credit Access: Pagaya’s Sanjiv Das

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Sanjiv Das, Co-Founder and President of Pagaya, a financial technology company that enables financial institutions to expand access to more customers through an artificial intelligence network. Pagaya evaluates and approves loan applications in real time on behalf of banks and lenders, and pairs that underwriting with a funding solution that can move approved loans off a partner’s balance sheet.
Sanjiv joined Pagaya as President in 2023 and oversees strategy and growth across the company’s commercial business, including its single-family rental business and Darwin subsidiary. He brings more than 30 years of experience across consumer banking and capital markets, including CEO roles at Caliber Home Loans and Citi’s mortgage division, and senior leadership positions at First Data, Morgan Stanley, American Express, and Bank of America.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Real-Time Life Insurance Underwriting: Ladder’s Jamie Hale

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Jamie Hale, CEO and Co-Founder of Ladder, an insurtech company focused on making life insurance faster and easier to purchase online. Ladder offers a digital application experience built around speed and simplicity, with real-time underwriting that can result in on-the-spot coverage and a process designed to be completed from home.
Jamie co-founded Ladder in 2015 after a career spanning investing and financial services, including roles as a founding partner at Aldenwood Capital and as a partner at Oak Hill Investment Management. Earlier, he worked on new product development at NextCard.
Jamie supports CASA. To learn more about this organization click here.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Embedded Life Insurance: Covr’s Sam Barnett

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Sam Barnett, CEO of Covr Financial Technologies, an insurtech company that provides a digital insurance platform through financial institutions and other national partners. Covr’s embedded technology helps financial advisors and their clients research and purchase life insurance from top-rated carriers through a streamlined digital process.
Sam was appointed CEO in January 2026 after more than two decades in insurance distribution and growth leadership. His background includes senior roles at Lincoln Financial and Global Atlantic/KKR, and most recently he served as CEO of VIBE Insurance.
Sam supports St. Jude Children's Hospital. To learn more about this organization click here.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Multi-Asset Private Investing: Crowd Street’s John Imbriglia

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with John Imbriglia, CEO of Crowd Street, a platform for direct-access private market investing. Crowd Street has more than 300,000 members and over $4 billion of platform assets, and has expanded beyond its roots in commercial real estate to offer fund-based access across private equity, private credit, venture capital, and real estate. The company has also built partnerships to support manager due diligence and broaden its offering set for self-directed accredited investors.
John became CEO in 2024 after more than two decades working across fintech, private markets, and wealth platforms. He was previously a general partner at Platform Capital Management and a managing director at iCapital, where he was one of the firm’s first employees.
John supports StreetSquash and CitySquash.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

API-Driven Digital Banking: Plumery’s Ben Goldin

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Ben Goldin, Founder and CEO of Plumery, a digital banking experience platform designed to help financial institutions build and evolve mobile and web channels with modular, API-driven components. Plumery’s platform is built to integrate with both legacy and modern core systems, giving banks, neobanks, and digital wallet providers a flexible way to launch and iterate digital experiences without committing to a rigid “buy or build” approach.
Ben founded Plumery after more than two decades in digital banking and fintech product leadership. He previously held executive roles at Mambu and Backbase, with experience building and scaling digital banking platforms used by banks and financial services teams globally.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Modern Payments Infrastructure: qolo’s Patricia Montesi

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Patricia Montesi, Co-Founder and CEO of qolo, a full-stack payments platform built for fintechs and financial institutions. qolo supports card issuing, ledger management, and payment processing, giving teams a single system to manage virtual accounts, move money across payment rails, and maintain real-time visibility into balances and flows. The platform is designed to replace point-solution stacks and legacy cores with bank-grade ledger infrastructure that supports multi-rail payments, digital wallets, and commercial money movement use cases.
Patricia co-founded qolo in 2018 after a career spanning payments operations, client delivery, and product launches across startups and large financial technology providers. Her background includes leadership roles at FIS and other payments and fintech firms.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

B2B Card Acceptance at Scale: Boost Payment Solutions’ Dean M. Leavitt

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Dean M. Leavitt, Founder and CEO of Boost Payment Solutions, a fintech acquirer exclusively focused on the B2B marketplace. Boost optimizes the use and acceptance of commercial cards through proprietary technology-enabled solutions that help companies initiate, accept, and process commercial card payments more efficiently. Headquartered in New York, Boost operates globally, serving thousands of companies and supporting commercial trading partners across 45+ countries.
Dean founded Boost in 2009 after more than 30 years in electronic payments leadership, including serving as interim president of Cynergy Data and previously leading US Wireless Data. Earlier, he founded US Data Capture, where he helped expand card acceptance into sectors including hospitals, universities, municipalities, and supermarkets.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Connecting Capital to Housing: Avenue One’s Ryan Stroker

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Ryan Stroker, Founder and CEO of Avenue One, a technology platform that connects institutional debt and equity capital with local real estate operators investing in single-family rental housing. Avenue One uses data, analytics, and underwriting technology to support acquisitions, financing, renovations, and asset management, enabling institutions to deploy capital more efficiently while giving local builders and property owners access to scalable funding. The platform operates across more than 20 U.S. markets and supports investments in residential rental portfolios at scale.
Before founding Avenue One, Ryan spent years in capital markets and residential real estate investing, including senior roles at Amherst, Royal Bank of Scotland, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Technology for Financial Health: Achieve’s Brad Stroh

Welcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Brad Stroh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Achieve, a digital personal finance company focused on helping consumers manage, reduce, and resolve debt. Achieve operates a multi-product platform that includes debt resolution, personal loans, home equity lending, and financial education tools designed to support consumers across different stages of financial health. The company serves individuals navigating high-interest credit card debt, affordability challenges, and long-term financial stability.
Stroh co-founded the business in 2002 as Freedom Financial Network and has led its evolution into Achieve, overseeing the expansion from a single solution into a broader personal finance platform. He brings decades of experience building consumer financial services businesses and working across lending, debt resolution, and capital markets.
Brad supports USA Lacrosse. To learn more about this organization click here.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.