Wrestling Payments
Wrestling Payments is a podcast for professionals working at banks, credit unions, and FinTechs who are responsible for managing ACH and payment operations. In each episode, members of NEACH guide conversations to help professionals examine the challenges of modernizing payment operations. Ultimately, the stories uncovered through guest interviews and solo episodes will highlight industry trends and identify how organizations can build their payment operations for the future.
Wrestling Payments
Revenue in the Water: Turning FinTech Strategy into Profit
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Episode Summary
Financial institutions struggle to identify and monetize revenue opportunities through FinTech partnerships while justifying upfront costs to leadership. Wrestling Payments host Elyssa Morgan speaks with Scott Goldthwaite from FinTech Futures, who breaks down where banks can find immediate revenue streams and build compelling business cases.
Scott explains that banks must develop strategies to enhance transaction fee income through sponsorship, acquiring, issuing, and faster payments like RTP. The key is understanding complete money movement needs—both inbound and outbound—rather than siloing into separate strategies.
Addressing cost concerns, Scott emphasizes plotting break-even points and understanding transaction thresholds. He explores emerging opportunities in cross-border payments, AI-powered solutions, and stable coins, providing actionable frameworks for banks ready to move beyond cost concerns and generate real revenue from FinTech relationships.
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: Scott Goldthwaite
💡 Role: Founder & Consultant
💡 Company: FinTech Futures
💡 Expertise: FinTech Operator and Payments Strategist with 24+ years experience, NEACH board member
💡 Connect: LinkedIn
Host-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: Elyssa Morgan
💡 Role: Vice President of Membership
💡 Company: NEACH
💡 Expertise: Payments strategist and growth leader driving member growth and advising financial institutions
💡 Connect: LinkedIn
Key Insights
Calculate Before You Partner
Banks must plot break-even points before entering FinTech partnerships. Understanding transaction economics upfront—implementation costs, staffing, compliance expenses—transforms uncertain investments into calculated revenue opportunities with measurable success metrics.
Think Holistic Money Movement
Successful partnerships require comprehensive infrastructure supporting funds flowing in multiple directions. Earned wage access needs both funding and disbursement; B2B solutions require receiving, holding, and sending capabilities. Banks understanding complete cycles monetize multiple touchpoints.
Prepare for AI-Driven Automation
Agent AI, stable coins, and automated payments will reshape partnership models within 18 months. AI agents will negotiate autonomously while stable coins execute complex payment logic automatically. Banks exploring these technologies now through manageable steps avoid future disruption.