Pathward President Anthony Sharett joined Zack Miller, Founder of Tearsheet, on the Tearsheet Podcast to discuss the evolution of sponsor banking and what it takes to build successful bank-fintech partnerships.
In the episode, Sharett emphasized the importance of true co-creation and how it shapes new partnerships as a collaborative, hands-on process at the intersection of product, technology, risk and compliance, and sales and business development teams. Pathward’s team goes on-site with new partners to evaluate opportunities and ask critical strategic questions.
“What problem are we trying to solve? Is there a gap in the market? Do the parties have a right to win?” said Sharett. “And then evaluate what technology or product gaps may be present that we need to address to make sure that we have a seamless experience, not just with our fintech partners, but for the end user, which could be a consumer or a small business.”
Pathward has been operating in sponsor banking for more than 20 years, building the strategic foundation needed to support fintech partners at scale. Sharett also explained why strong partnerships between banks and fintechs are essential to expanding financial access to underserved communities, and where he sees the industry headed – from artificial intelligence implementation to embedded finance and digital payments.
Listen to the full episode on Tearsheet.co.
