970. Insights: The future of lending doesn't care about your credit score with Plaid, Affirm and N26

About this episode: On this week's episode, in partnership with Plaid, host David Barton-Grimley is joined by some great guests to dive into the world of credit. For decades, traditional credit scores have been the foundation of lending - but in 2025, they’re starting to show their age. These outdated models are struggling to reflect how people actually live, work, and spend today - especially gig workers, freelancers, immigrants, and younger borrowers. So, what’s gone wrong with our credit systems? And more importantly - how do we fix them? This week's guests: Zak Lambert - Head of Product, Europe at Plaid Ankur Sisodia - Head of Product, Lending & Savings at N26 Alexander de Rafols - Director of Product at Affirm Links to check out: Join our WhatsApp community, where you can get the inside track on all all things 11:FS, as well as having your say on the things we should be paying attention to. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://chat.whatsapp.com/KpA4gFbbWDlLFm7kx39raf⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Support our charity partner School-Home Support ⁠⁠ Advertisements: If you're running an early-stage business with Seed or Series A funding, Tide’s new savings account offers rates up to 4.48% (AER), with instant access to your money. Plus, get the best rates for free for 12 months at tide.co/insider. About Fintech Insider: Fintech Insider by 11:FS is a bi-weekly podcast that covers everything from finance and banking to technology and the latest trends in financial services. Our expert hosts, with hands-on industry experience, are joined by key decision-makers, VCs, and top reporters from across the financial landscape, including guests from companies like Stripe, Revolut, Plaid, PayPal, and Monzo. Together, they break down the biggest news and innovations shaping the space. Our weekly news show drops every Monday, covering major stories like mergers, new product launches, regulatory shifts, and emerging tech trends. On Thursdays, our Insights show goes deeper into the hottest topics driving the future of finance, including AI in banking, decentralised finance, and the evolving landscape of embedded finance. Whether you're already in the fintech game or just starting to explore, this is the #1 podcast for you. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! Got a question for us? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices