Financial Inclusion

Episode 300 – Reflecting on 12 Years of Payments on Fire

2026 is a milestone year for Glenbrook as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the firm. We also find ourselves airing the 300th episode of our Payments on Fire podcast – founded by George Peabody in 2014, nurtured by Yvette Bohanan, and now continued on through the hosting efforts of most of the team.

We thought there would be no better way to mark the 12 year achievement – and pay respect to what George and Yvette built – than to revisit the journey with clips from the first 299 episodes. From early episodes on digital currency and AI, to fast payments evolution and financial inclusion efforts (and how could we leave out tokenization), listen in as Bryan Derman and Jill Wurst guide you through significant moments in the podcast’s history.

Episode 269 – Designing Digital Financial Services for Women is Designing for All, with Sonja Kelly, Women’s World Banking Institute

In our third episode in a series to spotlight the latest in global developments in payment systems from a financial inclusion lens, Sonja Kelly, Global Head of Women’s World Banking Institute, joins Joanna Wisniecka to dive into design principles for inclusive digital financial systems and how all end users benefit when design considers the specific needs of women.

Episode 266 – Innovating Inclusive Financial Systems on the African Continent, with Sabine Mensah, AfricaNenda

In this episode, Joanna Wisniecka welcomes Sabine Mensah, Deputy CEO of AfricaNenda, a leader in financial inclusion, to explore Africa’s dynamic path towards inclusive instant payment systems and the need for continued innovation and collaboration to enable access to financial services for all Africans on the continent by 2030.

Episode 263 – Driving Digital Financial Inclusion: The Journey We’re On and the Road Ahead – Michael Wiegand, Gates Foundation

In this episode, Joanna Wisniecka joins Yvette Bohanan to chat with Michael Wiegand, Director of Inclusive Financial Systems at the Gates Foundation, about the work the Foundation is doing globally and the transformative impact of digital financial inclusion on economies and societies.

Episode 256 – Banking on Fintech, with Anthony Sharett, Pathward

In this episode, Anthony Sharett, President of Pathward, joins Glenbrook’s Bryan Derman to share insights on the evolving partner banking space, the importance of risk and compliance frameworks, and Pathward’s mission of financial inclusion. Tune in as they also discuss potential policy and regulatory changes due to implications of major discrepancies in the banking-as-a-service arrangement between fintech platform Synapse and its banking partners.

Episode 251 – Bridging the Communication Gap Between Treasury and Payments with Debopama Sen, Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions

Debopama Sen, Head of Payments at Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions, joins Glenbrook for this episode to explore how treasury and payments professionals can collaborate on opportunities presented by the evolving payments landscape.

Episode 219 – Smart Takes on Cross-border Payments with Ryan Zagone, Head of Americas, Wise for Banks, and Joanna Wisniecka, Glenbrook

Ryan Zagone, Head of Americas for Wise for Banks, and Glenbrook’s Joanna Wisniecka join Yvette on this episode of Payments on Fire to help untangle the innovators’ and incumbents’ dilemmas in improving cross-border payments.

Episode 191 – Fanning the Flames: A Year in Travel – Jordan

We’ve reached our final destination on Glenbrook’s 2022 tour of local payment methods around the world. Joanna Wisniecka joins Yvette Bohanan on this episode of Fanning the Flames to chat about her recent trip to Jordan. Joanna walks us through her experience opening an account and and making payments with ZainCash, and also provides insights into JoPACC (Jordan Payments & Clearing Company) initiatives throughout the country.

Episode 157 – Experts Deep Dive on Financial Health and Inclusion

As part of Glenbrook’s ongoing efforts to highlight new approaches to financial inclusion in the US, Erin McCune and Justin Pituch recently spoke with a panel of expert practitioners in the financial health space: Kimberley Gartner, Arjan Schutte, and Ryan Falvey.

Episode 156 – How to Make Financial Health a Reality – Mimi Joy, Financial Health Network

This podcast with Mimi Joy explores consumer financial wellbeing in the US and initiatives to improve access to quality affordable financial services for low and moderate income Americans. Mimi shares her perspective as Head of Partnerships at the Financial Health Network, a leading authority in the space.