Social Currency, powered by Sunrise Banks, is a podcast that introduces you to some of the most innovative changemakers in finance, technology and social impact, and how they are dismantling barriers and reshaping their industries for a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future.
Here we speak to those at the forefront of positive change through social entrepreneurship to unveil the stories behind the revolution that is propelling us toward a world where everyone has equitable access to opportunities.
Blueprints for Change: Lessening Your Climate Change Impact Through Net Zero Banking
Featuring: Laura Wildenborg, Jay Rajaratnam, Adam Bradley Jonas
Big banks in U.S. banks allocate up to 30% of their investments to carbon-intensive industries, inadvertently fueling climate change. Many people are unaware that their bank accounts could be significant contributors to carbon emissions. In this episode, we delve into the story of Firefly, a pioneering sustainable apartment building on Grand Avenue in South Minneapolis. Architect Adam Bradley Jonas and developer Jay Rajaratnam share their insights on overcoming unique challenges in creating net zero buildings. They discuss their collaboration with Sunrise Banks and its innovative Net Zero Banking Program. Laura Wildenborg, VP of Strategic Lending at Sunrise Banks, explains how Net Zero Banking can effectively reduce emissions and drive climate action, empowering both organizations and individuals to kickstart sustainability initiatives.
ListenBalancing Innovation and Regulation: Navigating New Frameworks in Fintech
Featuring: Kirsten Muetzel
As financial systems innovate to offer new products and address problems facing our communities, they may be subject to new processes like novel activities exams. In this episode, we delve into the complexities of regulatory frameworks with Kirsten Muetzel, Principal at KLM Advisory. Tune in to understand how fintechs and bank partners are adapting to innovative activities and what it means for safety, soundness, and consumer protection in the ever-evolving financial ecosystem.
ListenRevolutionizing Credit Building: How Self Financial is Leading the Way
Featuring: Paul Brady
Traditionally, to get credit, you needed credit. It’s a catch-22, and a system that is set up against many of us. Joined by Paul Brady, Senior Vice President of Risk at Self Financial, this episode delves into how Self is pioneering innovative solutions to empower individuals in their journey toward financial stability. From the inception of the Credit Builder Account to the recent acquisition of their Rent and Bills Reporting services, Self is reshaping the landscape of credit building by meeting customers where they are and providing them with the tools and education needed to thrive.
ListenInnovation for Inclusion: MoCaFi’s Vision with CEO Wole Coaxum
Featuring: Wole Coaxum
In this episode of Social Currency, we sit down with Wole Coaxum, CEO and Founder of Mobility Capital Finance (MoCaFi,) to explore his journey from financial services to social entrepreneurship. Discover how MoCaFi is expanding access to financial resources for underbanked individuals via a cost-effective technology pilot program in New York City distributing pre-paid immediate response cards to asylum seekers. Learn how Wole envisions scaling similar programs to help the unbanked and underbanked while creating efficiencies for other local economies.
ListenAhead of the Curve: Strategic Foresight with Eric Schurr
Featuring: Eric Schurr
As a certified practitioner in strategic foresight, Eric unravels how organizations can solve market opportunity challenges using provocative questions to help anticipate and better prepare for change. By re-imagining opportunities for our organizations, strategic foresight can give us the tools to become future-looking. If adopted, the language of foresight begins to infiltrate the language of projects and everyday work.
ListenMeet Your Hosts
Tyler Seydel | Chief Fintech Officer
Tyler Seydel, MBA, CRCM, heads up the fintech division at Sunrise Banks. Tyler is charged with creating partnerships and opportunities for entrepreneurs who have conceived a way to uplift communities by creating access to financial services for the underserved and underbanked. He is also responsible for the bank’s national products and core operations, and previously worked for Meta Payment Systems.
Tyler enjoys cigars in his fleeting free time – saying he aspires to smoke them like Winston Churchill did – and is a keen admirer of anyone who’s willing to take a risk on an idea.
Eric Schurr | Chief Strategy Officer, National Products
Eric Schurr is responsible for driving innovation and growth in the banks’ national lending and digital payments services. Eric’s background includes underwriting, portfolio management and product development at two of the country’s largest financial institutions, Capital One and U.S. Bank.
Eric is a certified practitioner in the art of strategic foresight –a detailed and systematic analysis of driving forces and trends of change before the development of strategies or plans – and applying it to the future of consumption.
Fintech Partnerships: Empowering Financial Inclusion for All
Sunrise Banks partners with financial technology companies – or “fintechs” – to democratize access to financial services by combining the trust, equity and money movement from the bank with the reach of technology. The stability of our fintech partnerships allows Sunrise Banks the security needed to provide nontraditional and strategic lending services to underbanked communities.
Learn MoreFeatured Articles
The Fintech Interview: Tyler Seydel, Sunrise Banks
MoCaFi’s Vision with CEO Wole Coaxum
Revolutionizing Credit Building: How Self Financial is Leading the Way