Is traditional banking losing its grip on the future of money?

In this episode of the Payments Experts Podcast, Christopher Dryden, Managing Partner of Global Legal Law Firm, sits down with Ariel Blum, (https://www.nowreceive.com/) fintech entrepreneur and founder of Receive, to explore the rapid evolution of financial technology, digital payments, lending, and the growing influence of fintech startups.

From his early days as a DJ struggling to get paid to working at American Express and Green Dot, Ariel shares his unconventional journey into financial technology and what inspired him to become an entrepreneur.

The conversation explores how American Express helped pioneer digital checkout experiences, the unique economics of card networks, and why fintech companies are increasingly challenging traditional banking models.

Christopher and Ariel also discuss the globalization of payments, the evolution of digital wallets, contactless payments, Banking-as-a-Service, and how technology is making financial products more accessible to businesses and consumers.

As fintech innovation accelerates, the barriers to launching financial technology companies continue to fall. What once required enormous capital, infrastructure, and institutional relationships can increasingly be accomplished by smaller, more agile teams.

Topics discussed include:

• Ariel Blum's journey from DJ to fintech entrepreneur
• His experience at American Express and Green Dot
• The evolution of digital payments and checkout technology
• American Express vs. Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal
• Why traditional banking models are being challenged
• The growth of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)
• Digital wallets, contactless payments, and consumer adoption
• How fintech is expanding access to financial services
• The differences between U.S. and international payments markets
• Israel's growing fintech and technology ecosystem
• Entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of lending
• How AI and emerging technology are lowering barriers to entry

For payments professionals, fintech founders, ISOs, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the future of money, this episode offers a fascinating look at an industry being transformed by technology and competition.

The future of payments isn't standing still. The question is, who's going to lead it?


**Matters discussed are all opinions and do not constitute legal advice. All events or likeness to real people and events is a coincidence.**

PEP Links:
https://www.globallegallawfirm.com/podcasts/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2176695

A payments podcast of Global Legal Law Firm

The payments industry is changing fast, and Visa’s VAMP program and Mastercard’s merchant monitoring approach could fundamentally reshape how e-commerce and high-risk merchants operate.

In this episode of the Payments Experts Podcast, Christopher Dryden and Jeremy Stock of Global Legal Law Firm sits down with payments veteran Rey Pasinli of Total Apps (https://www.total-apps.com/) for a detailed conversation about merchant processing, contracts, chargebacks, TC40 data, VAMP, Mastercard monitoring, processor relationships, and the growing compliance pressures facing merchants, ISOs, agents, and acquirers.

Rey explains how Total Apps evolved from spreadsheets and paper files into its own technology and CRM infrastructure, and why technology, data, and automation have become essential to operating efficiently in payments.

The conversation also tackles one of the industry's persistent problems: merchants and sales agents often don't know what they don't know. Christopher and Rey discuss contracts, surcharging and cash discount programs, legal compliance, processor relationships, merchant education, and how short-term decisions can damage long-term merchant relationships.

The episode then goes deep into Visa's VAMP framework and the data behind merchant risk. Rey discusses TC40 reporting, chargebacks, friendly fraud, dispute-management tools, portfolio-level exposure, and why accurately understanding the underlying data matters. He also explains how processors and acquiring banks may respond as monitoring pressure increases.

Rey also compares Visa's approach with Mastercard's monitoring methodology, including the role of chargeback and refund ratios and the potential implications for newer and higher-risk merchants.

His closing message to e-commerce merchants is simple: question everything. Merchants need to understand their processor, their data, their VAMP and monitoring ratios, their TC40 activity, and whether the tools they're using are actually working.

For merchants, ISOs, agents, processors, acquirers, fintech professionals, and anyone operating in e-commerce payments, this episode offers a granular look at changes that could have significant consequences across the payments ecosystem.

**Matters discussed are all opinions and do not constitute legal advice. All events or likeness to real people and events is a coincidence.**

PEP Links:
https://www.globallegallawfirm.com/podcasts/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2176695

A payments podcast of Global Legal Law Firm

What does it take to build, scale, and ultimately create real value in the payments industry?

In this episode of the Payments Experts Podcast, Global Legal Law Firm Managing Partner James Huber sits down with payments veteran Adam Spencer (Beyond Normal) (https://beyondnormalpartnerships.com/) for a wide-ranging conversation about banking, merchant services, ISO growth, technology, entrepreneurship, portfolio value, and one of the most consequential chapters of Adam’s career: his involvement in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Adam’s payments journey began after roughly 25 years in banking, including 15 years at JPMorgan and later work at BBVA. His experience eventually expanded across issuing, acquiring, digital wallets, sponsor banking, and international payments before he moved into the private sector and consulting.

The conversation explores what agents and ISOs should be doing differently today. Adam argues that smaller payments businesses need access to economies of scale, broader platforms, alternative payment capabilities, and strategic partnerships if they want to compete. He also explains why building a valuable merchant portfolio requires more than simply signing accounts. Retention, customer relationships, technology, vertical specialization, and predictable residuals can ultimately determine what that portfolio is worth.

One surprisingly simple lesson? Answer the phone. Adam explains why strong customer service can dramatically improve merchant retention and why payments professionals who remain valuable to their merchants may also make their portfolios more attractive to potential buyers.

The episode then takes a major turn into Adam’s experience with the PPP program. Adam recounts how his own difficulty obtaining a PPP loan exposed weaknesses in the system and eventually led him into lending technology and services. He describes working with bank relationships, technology, merchant portfolios, APIs, KYC, BSA and AML processes to help make the application process more accessible to small businesses.

Adam also discusses the controversy and scrutiny that followed, including his account of the technology and fraud-prevention processes involved. He states that the system ultimately processed applications at enormous scale and that approximately 2.5 million suspected fraudulent applications were turned over at the application stage.

This is a candid conversation about what happens when banking, payments, technology, entrepreneurship, government programs, and risk all collide.

**Matters discussed are all opinions and do not constitute legal advice. All events or likeness to real people and events is a coincidence.**

PEP Links:
https://www.globallegallawfirm.com/podcasts/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2176695

A payments podcast of Global Legal Law Firm