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Sam Everington joined Starling Bank ten years ago as one of its first twenty employees. He led the build of the technology that has made Starling a Fintech giant - 4.5 million customers and a 9% share of UK business banking.

Mark Bernhardi leads Engine's growth across Australia and New Zealand, having previously held technology roles at Atlassian, nCino and Westpac.

Both join Dexter Cousins on a special episode of Fintech Chatter Podcast recorded at the World Credit Union Conference in Sydney July 2026.

Engine is the software business Starling spun out four years ago to license its platform to other banks. Sam and Mark explain how Engine gets banks like AMP live on a full core banking platform in under twelve months.

They also discuss the opportunity for mutuals and credit unions to compete with much bigger banks and offer their customers the Starling Bank experience using technology platforms like Engine.

Sam Everington LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sameverington

Mark Bernhardi LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/mark-bernhardi

Engine by Starling: https://enginebystarling.com

Tier One People: https://tieronepeople.com

Dexter Cousins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dextercousins

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Peter Jones co-founded Nimo Industries with Leann Jones after living the core banking problem himself as a mutual bank CEO. Ten years ago he decided solve the problem for himself. Today, Nimo is a platform serving over 20 Australian banks and lenders, entirely bootstrapped.

In this episode of Fintech Chatter Dexter asks Peter how his mutual sector background shaped the product. Peter shares his journey bootstrapping a bank grade technology platform through APRA-grade compliance. And shares real examples of how mutual banks are growing nationally on the Nimo platform.

About Peter Jones

Peter Jones is co-founder and COO of Nimo Industries, the Melbourne fintech building loan origination and core banking technology for Australian mutual banks, credit unions and non-bank lenders. Before starting Nimo in 2016, he spent close to two decades in banking, including as CEO of Plenty Credit Union and in roles at ANZ, NAB and ME Bank.

What we discuss

• Why living the “CEO killer” problem of fragmented core banking as a mutual bank CEO shaped how Nimo builds its platform
• How Nimo has stayed 100% self-funded for close to a decade
• Why Nimo dropped the word “startup” for “scale up” internally, and how that shift changed hiring standards
• How South West Slopes Credit Union used Nimo to drive its open banking and CDR strategy
• How one mutual bank client went live on Nimo's platform in five to six weeks and a regional bank hit 30% growth and landed national exposure
• Why critical thinking, not competency-based interviewing, is now Nimo's deciding hiring factor
• Why Nimo is opening the door to outside investment after a decade of bootstrapping

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

02:32 Understanding Nimo's Banking Solutions

05:45 The Journey of Building Nimo Industries

12:48 Addressing Regulatory and Technology challenges in Mutual Banks

18:45 Building Trust with Mutual Banks

21:51 Talent Acquisition Strategies in a Competitive Market

29:07 Navigating Growth and Recruitment Challenges

32:25 Lessons Learned from a Decade of Business

34:38 The Importance of Resilience and Adaptability

36:36 Cultural Fit in Scaling Teams

38:08 The Role of Mindset in Organizational Success

43:53 Navigating Change and Embracing AI

47:45 Opportunities for Nimo

Links & resources

Peter Jones LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjonesaust/

Nimo Industries website: https://nimoindustries.com/

Nimo Industries LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimoindustries/

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Andy Taylor is the founder and CEO of ASX-listed Stakk Limited (ASX: SKK), an embedded trust and fraud prevention platform used by Chime, Robinhood, T-Mobile and H&R Block.

In this episode Andy breaks down Stakk's proposed US$63 million acquisition of document intelligence firm ParaScript, and how the deal turns a decade of building into an AI-powered fraud detection engine.

I ask Andy about Stakk's pivot from consumer neobanking under the Douugh brand into B2B infrastructure. He shares where the business is headed next as it expands into healthcare.

Before Stakk, Andy co-founded SocietyOne, Australia's first peer-to-peer lending platform, and later founded Douugh, an AI-first neobank that listed on the ASX pre-revenue. He has spent close to two decades building fintech businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Find out more - https://stakk.tech/

Chapters
00:00 Welcome to FinTech Chatter
01:16 Introduction to Stakk and Andy Taylor
03:44 The Journey of Stakk: From Douugh to Success
10:54 Reflections on Society One and Early FinTech Days
17:17 Navigating Challenges in the Current FinTech Landscape
23:15 Consumer Behavior Shifts and Market Dynamics
25:55 Future Expectations for Stakk
34:55 Advice for Founders Facing Adversity

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Steve Hind is the co-founder and CEO of Lorikeet, an Australian AI startup that has raised more than $50 million USD to build AI concierges for high-regulation businesses in fintech, healthcare and energy.

Lorikeet's customers include Airwallex, Linktree and Eucalyptus, the telehealth company recently acquired by Hims & Hers in a deal worth up to $1.15 billion.

Before founding Lorikeet with former Google Brain researcher Jamie Hall, Steve worked in product roles at Stripe and climate tech company Watershed, following an earlier career at BCG and Bridgewater Associates and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He first connected with Dexter in 2019 while working in Silicon Valley. Here's what they discuss in this episode:

00:00 Introduction
01:32 Understanding Lorikeet and Its AI Concierge Solutions
05:54 The Origin of Lorikeet and Its Founding Story
09:50 Navigating the AI Landscape and Company Growth
12:49 Regulatory Challenges in FinTech and AI Compliance
15:12 The Role of AI in Compliance and Customer Relationships
20:03 Steve's Career Journey and Lessons Learned
23:51 The Art of Startup Hiring
28:34 Navigating AI's Impact on Work
33:36 The Future of Work and Leadership
39:05 Optimism in the Age of AI
41:57 Advice for Aspiring Founders

Find out more about careers - https://www.lorikeetcx.ai/careers

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Clayton Howes is the CEO of MONEYME (ASX: MME), an Australian non-bank lender that has originated over $5 billion in consumer credit and now manages a $1.9 billion loan book across personal loans, credit cards, and car finance. In this episode, Clayton walks through the full 13-year journey: bootstrapping from a desk-sized office, listing on the ASX in December 2019, acquiring SocietyOne during the Ukraine invasion, and engineering the Horizon technology platform that now powers everything.

0:00 Introduction
1:34 What MONEYME does and 13 years of milestones
3:37 From corporate to founder
5:32 Why consumer finance over any other vertical
9:53 Why consumer fintech is the hardest category
11:25 The ASX listing decision
14:38 The SocietyOne acquisition
19:53 The Horizon technology platform
23:00 Leadership evolution from player to coach
28:37 Staying close to the front line
32:28 Why the office is always full
36:18 Product innovation and the path forward
42:10 Careers at MONEYME

Links
Clayton Howes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonhowes/
MONEYME Website: https://www.moneyme.com.au
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Michelle Bagnall is the CEO of BankFirst, a mutual bank with 92,000 members and $4.7 billion in assets that exists to serve nurses and teachers in Australia. In this episode she tells Dexter the origin story of a bank that started with $480 in a shoebox, explains why nobody at BankFirst gets paid a bonus, and makes the case that mutuals were the original fintech startups.

00:00 Introduction
03:08 The Origins of Bank First and Peer-to-Peer Lending
05:30 Understanding Mutual Banks and Their Model
10:54 Competing with Big Banks and Neo Banks
14:24 Leadership and Culture at Bank First
21:15 Finding Passion and Purpose in Banking
31:04 Bank First's Role in Supporting Members During Economic Challenges
36:00 The Complexity of Financial Solutions and Collaboration
40:47 Opportunities at Bank First

Links
Michelle Bagnall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bagnall/
BankFirst: https://www.bankfirst.com.au
Tier One People: https://www.tieronepeople.com
Dexter Cousins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dextercousins/

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Fintech Chatter is presented by www.tieronepeople.com - executive search for Fintech.

In this episode Dexter chats to Jamie Twiss CEO of Beforepay Group (ASX: B4P) and Carrington Labs. Jamie joined Beforepay pre-IPO, turning them from a startup into a profitable ASX-listed fintech writing 40,000 small loans a week with a 99% repayment rate.

Jamie and Dexter discuss why Beforepay is on a mission to disrupt the payday lending sector, and provide a fairer system based on advanced credit risk models.

They also discuss the other business of Beforepay Group, Carrington Labs. Jamie explains their expansion into North America, supporting US lenders with the Beforepay credit risk platform, and why he believes AI will fundamentally rewire financial services.

01:00 Introduction to BeforePay Group
02:50 Understanding Consumer Lending and Risk Management
06:13 The Role of BeforePay in Economic Challenges
09:03 Product Evolution: From Pay Advances to Personal Loans
12:10 Carrington Labs: Expanding into the US Market
14:54 Journey into FinTech: From Big Banks to Startups
17:58 Navigating Market Changes Post-IPO
21:12 The Importance of a Diverse Educational Background
23:50 Company Culture and Leadership Values
26:59 The Future of AI in Lending
30:09 Looking Ahead: What’s Next for BeforePay Group

Find out more - https://www.beforepay.com.au/

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Fred Schebesta co-founded Finder in 2006, grew it to five markets over 20 years, won a landmark Federal Court case against ASIC over the Finder Earn product, and is CEO of Finder Ventures.

In this episode of Fintech Chatter we cover where Finder Rewards is going, why stablecoins have quietly won the crypto race, what actually makes an employee irreplaceable in the AI age, and what Australia’s regulatory environment is costing the innovation economy.

What we discuss

• How Finder built from Google search arbitrage in 2006 to a five-market platform in 2026
• Finder Rewards: the cashback product giving Australians $250–$500 on everyday switches
• Why the cost-of-living crisis has reset who uses fintech products and why
• The moat question: brand, data, and regulation as defensible advantages in the AI era
• Stablecoins and DeFi: why USDT’s market cap now exceeds Ripple’s
• The Finder Earn case: ASIC, the Federal Court, and what it cost Australian fintech innovation
• Why Australia keeps losing crypto and fintech builders to Singapore and Dubai
• What makes an employee essential in 2026 (and what doesn’t)
• AI adoption: why not using it is the same as refusing to use a computer in 1995

Discover Finder Rewards - https://www.finder.com.au/finder-rewards

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