Breaking Banks

In This Episode

Have we reached the point where AI is beginning to matter in a commercial sense or are we still in the ‘figuring it out’ stage and it’s not driving outcomes yet?

In this episode host Jason Henrichs is joined by Prashant Mehrotra, Chief AI Officer at U.S. Bank, and John Sun, Co-Founder and CEO of Spring Labs, for a deep dive into the frontier that is AI.

Listen as these executives share insights on AI as a transformational force, not just one part of the organization. Everyone needs to be brought along on the journey which requires evangelization, education, building, and execution as one. Best techs just exist, it should not feel like you are doing AI, you should just be doing your work — a state where intelligence is embedded and is everywhere.

The trio also explore the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility, and using AI thoughtfully. AI is complex, and organizations need to know where best to use it. There’s no need to overengineer every single solution. Generative AI costs every time you use it and human oversight remains essential, particularly in highly regulated environments.

As we search for efficiency and transformation for good, is AI the next set of prosperity, similar to the invention of the automobile?

This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode

In this episode of Breaking Banks, industry leaders Jason Hass (First Electronic Bank), Mike Jorgensen (U.S. Bank), and Louis Mrachek, (Merrick Bank) connect with Jason Henrichs for a dynamic conversation centered on embedded finance. Embedded finance seamlessly integrates financial services into non-financial platforms. Some examples include BNPL, Lending: Business & Personal Loans, and P&C Insurance, simplifying the claim process and getting the payment.

The panel explores how fintechs and banks are evolving from competitors into true partners—combining innovation, compliance, and trust to deliver better customer experiences.

They also tackle tensions between speed, risk and regulation, and the critical role banks still play behind the scenes. The future of finance may be invisible — but the trust powering it cannot be.

This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode

We’ve recently seen growth in many areas, but a disconnect always seems to exist between economic growth, especially capital market growth, and what people on the ground are experiencing. In short, the macro story is strong; the reality is more fragile if you look at households. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, what is the first thing today’s consumer pays for every month? Mortgage/rent, health care, food? All good guesses, but no! The primary financial priority: the cell phone.

In this episode, Robyn Burkinshaw, CEO of BlytzPay, and Jason Henrichs discuss the reality of financial health in the United States. With 30% of the population living at or below the poverty line and 25% considered unbanked or underbanked, the current system often widens the wealth gap.

Jason and Robyn discuss redefining financial health through access, designing for real lives rather than ideal users, and using the system to create stability. And Robyn shares how BlytzPay is working to “break the box” by helping lenders and servicers meet subprime consumers where they are via text-to-pay and a flexible online payment system. The mission is increasingly vital as AI and new technologies can potentially bridge or widen the current wealth disparity.

This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode

Banks are evolving beyond traditional financial products to offer value-added services that deliver outcomes that matter in customers’ everyday lives.

In this episode of Breaking Banks, we explore this shift through a very specific lens. Joining host Jason Henrichs are Marcy Allen, Head of Enterprise Financial Institutions at Carefull, a company focused on helping families protect aging loved ones from financial risk and fraud, and Drew Reilly, VP, Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank They discuss how banks approach value-based accounts and loans, the realities of delivering these services within large institutions, buying versus building, and what happens when financial services appear where customers actually need help, not just where banks traditionally operate.

This episode is part of the Hot Take series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

In This Episode

Which trends are genuinely reshaping and transforming banking? Is fintech hitting its “awkward adolescent phase”—past the hype but not yet fully mature?

Today we sort through the signal and the noise. Which trends are actually changing how banks work and which are mostly theater. There are lots of pitches coming at banks, but just like in baseball, you can’t swing at them all. How do financial institutions decide what’s worth pursuing versus what’s just the latest headline?

Joining host Jason Henrichs are two people who view the landscape from different vantage points: Alex Johnson, Founder of FinTech Takes who analyzes and challenges the narratives shaping fintech, and Meghan Kober, Head of Fintech Partnerships & Investments at U.S. Bank who sits on the side of who decides which innovations get deployed within one of the most innovative banks. Together, they dig into where fintech stands today and what the next phase might look like once the noise settles.

This episode of Breaking Banks is part of the FintechXchange recording series at the University of Utah, powered by U.S. Bank.