Episodes

The ethics of artificial intelligence has been a hotly debated topic for years. With the data science community often torn about the proper uses of AI, many industry participants are left scratching their heads. Until recently, there has been little to no regulatory oversight of the technology. Enter the EU. On this episode, Dara is joined by Clara Durodie, Oxford phD and renowned AI author and thought leader to discuss the European Union’s recent proposed AI regulations and share her perspectiv...

So what does crypto have to do with opportunity zones? Join host Dara Tarkowski, guest host Randy Rivera, executive director of FinTEx and co-founder of keen advisors and Jimmy Odom, co-founder of Bit Capital Group to discuss the current state of the crypto markets, the future of blockchain, and some new investment opportunities and incentives available through qualified opportunity zones through qualified opportunity funds – with some spirited debate along the way.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are presently all the rage. Is this newest blockchain application the future of collection and distribution of digital assets or just more hype? Blockchain professor, Lamont Black, of DePaul University joins host Dara Tarkowski to discuss just that. What is an NFT? What do you actually own? How will the regulators treat this new asset? Commodity? Security? Substituted value? It depends. Listen now to learn more.

What do you get when you combine determined retail investors on Reddit, hedge funds and an easy to use trading app? Look no further than the GameStop trading frenzy of January 2021. On this episode, we unpack the events that led to Robinhood’s suspension of trading activity, the Congressional testimony and to-be-expected inquiry from the Securities Exchange Commission. What will the regulatory impact be? What does this mean for fintech? Jennifer Tescher and Carl Volz help hash it out.

Many of us have heard the term. Fewer of us know about how the cottage industry of patent trolls operate. Dara sits down with Michael Switzer, Head of the Intellectual Property practice group at Actuate Law, to discuss some recent trends we’re seeing in the payments space and how organizations and industry can fight back against costly litigation.

Is synthetic data the silver bullet for our growing list of struggles with the massive amounts of data we create? Join Dara Tarkowski as she hosts Nicolai Baldin, CEO and Founder of Synthesized.io, a UK based company who has built a one-stop data sandbox powered by AI. Does synthetic data provide users with the true essence of data without the regulatory headaches, privacy concerns and worry about bias?

What does 2021 have in store for Bitcoin and crypto assets? Will the regulatory environment finally allow us to fully embrace this market and technology? On this episode, Dara Tarkowsku hosts Colleen Sullivan, Co-Founder and CEO and CMT Digital, who operates a crypto asset trading desk and has invested in numerous blockchain and crypto asset ventures, to discuss recent rulemaking, new regulators and regulatory agendas, and the future of crypto markets as we look to 2021 and beyond.

What were some of the most interesting regulatory observations from 2020? What can we expect from 2021 and a transition to a Biden administration? In our last episode for 2020, join Dara and as she discusses these topics with Joann Barefoot, CEO of Alliance for Innovative Regulation and Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs Alliance.

Did you know your personal health information is worth way more on the dark web than your financial information? On this episode, Dara talks with Alissa Knight, renowned hacker, investor and entrepreneur to discuss vulnerabilities of APIs, what that means for the world of telemedicine, and steps organizations should be taking to keep customer information safe.

Dara Tarkowski hosts Joe Borstein, legal innovation veteran, investor, and co-founder of LexFusion, a company that Joe believeswill change the way law firms and legal departments purchase technology — and thereby turbocharge the adoption and use of innovative technologies in an industry traditionally hostile to change. They discuss the changing legal innovation industry, what Jow is seeing in the market and how LexFusion wants change the model of technology adoption for this highly regulated ind...

This special episode highlights some of the incredible work the fintech community has undertaken to serve consumers and small businesses during COVID-19. Join a conversation with Abe.ai, Cross River and Envestnet Yodlee to discuss some groundbreaking work that has earned organizations recognition at the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards powered by Envestnet Yodlee.

As the U.S. barrels towards the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election, chaos, conflict and questions abound. How will a divided versus unified government impact the regulatory environment? What happens to markets, the technology sector and fintech in particular if one party sweeps all three branches? On this episode of Tech on Reg, host Dara Tarkowski games out possible scenarios with Gary Rozier, Managing Director of Oak Street Real Estate Capital and, prior to that, the Senior Vice P...

This month the CFPB filed suit against Encore Capital Group, five years after the company became subject to a consent decree. Was this a political move by the director or simply CFPB enforcing the rules? The CFPB’s Office of Innovation has grown leaps and bounds since 2016. Why and will that change if the White House switches leadership in November? On this episode of Tech on Reg, Dara Tarkowski chats with attorney Joann Needleman of Clark Hill PLC about consent decrees, 10 years of Dodd-Frank a...

On this episode of Tech on Reg, Dara discusses the long-awaited settlement between Avant and Marlette Funding and the Colorado Attorney General. Among other things, the AG’s lawsuit centered around the relationships between these online lenders and the banks funding the loans originated on the platforms and questioned who the “true lender” really was. Dara is joined by Mary Jackson, CEO of the Online Lenders Alliance, and Ed Gehres, an experienced financial services and fintech attorney. We dive...

U.S. District Judge James Donato’s recent decision to decline the appointment of a list of all male lawyers to lead a class action lawsuit sent a much-needed jolt through the industry this summer. Law firms may tout diversity, equity and inclusion in their glossy brochures. But the numbers and pay inequality speak to a different reality for many women. How can we convince those in power, who are mostly men, to view gender parity as a competitive advantage? How much of our efforts should be spent...

Consumers today expect call technology to feel human and easy. Are businesses up for the challenge and can they implement Voice AI in a way that keeps regulators from knocking on their doors? On this episode of Tech on Reg, Dara speaks with Jim Freeze, CMO of Boston-based AI company Interactions, about how call technology increases profitability and mitigates risk. A conversational experience that makes customers happy and meets compliance needs: find out if human assisted Voice AI delivers on t...

Find cannabis laws and regulations confusing? Guess what: it’s not you. From seed to sale, federal, state and municipal governments create different frameworks and those who learn how to navigate the system win. How can businesses and investors get it right without wasting time and money? How can governments use data to make policy? Dara Tarkowski breaks it down with guest Amanda Ostrowitz, Chief Strategy Officer at Fyllo, and founder of RegTech, CannaRegs, on this episode of Tech on Reg.

On this episode, Dara is joined by two former CFPB professionals. Professor Paul Kantwill, Distinguished Professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and former Assistant Director of CFPB and Dr. Ling Ling Ang, Associate Director at NERA Consulting and one of the CFPB’s first economists. We tackle the Seila Law decision and what it means for the future of the agency, rulemaking, the Office of Innovation, and what’s to come in the agency’s tumultuous ride.

Dara Tarkowski hosts three diverse financial services professionals to tackle the subject of diversity and inclusion in financial services. Gary Rozier, Oak Street Real Estate Capital LLC, Bevon Joseph, Co-Founder of The Greenwood Project, and Randy Rivera, Executive Director of FINTEX, each share their unique perspectives on what it means to be a person of color in the financial services industry, what’s being done to foster change, and share insights on how to make meaningful change within the...

Dara Tarkowski welcomes guest host Randy Rivera, Executive Director of FinTEx, for a discussion with Daniel Rogers, Founder of Fintech student loan company AM Money, to discuss the systematic and institutionalized challenges that students of color face when financing the pursuit of higher education, despite laws and regulations designed to prevent predatory and discriminatory lending, and how AM Money is aiming to solve the problem.

The past months in quarantine and isolation have resulted in sextech companies seeing a surge of sales, clicks, and downloads. Many say sextech is paving the way for how to responsibly share and protect personal health information. Dara sits down with Dominique Karetsos, CEO of the Healthy Pleasure Group, who went from marketing executive and fintech investor to sextech, or in her words “sexual health and wellness technology” expert. This episode navigates the current sextech boom, current regul...

Dara Tarkowski chats with Roger Manu from Australia-based automation experts Cloudcase, where they discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of automation and digitization prompted by both the pandemic, good business sense and a compliance need.

This episode explores what one company, TrueAccord, is doing to harness the power of AI in collections, what a digital strategy means for receivables companies, and what impact (if any) the CFPB rulemaking may have on companies “going digital.”