Fifth Third Bank’s Strategic Expansion and Approach to Innovation
Tom Bianco, SVP, General Manager, Newline by Fifth Third
Russ began the episode with Tom Bianco, SVP and General Manager of Newline by Fifth Third Bank, discussing the bank’s recent acquisition of Comerica. The deal positions the combined organisation as the ninth largest bank in the United States, with more than $280 billion in total assets. Tom explained how the acquisition strengthens Fifth Third’s geographic presence across key states such as Texas, Arizona, California and throughout the Southeast, while expanding its retail and payments capabilities.
From a Newline perspective, the integration brings exciting opportunities, particularly in merging Comerica’s early-stage venture lending business and payments franchise with Newline’s technology and expertise. Tom highlighted how this alignment will deliver new value for clients, employees and shareholders alike.
The conversation then turned to Fifth Third’s balance between innovation and stability. Tom described the bank’s “innovation-first” mindset, underpinned by future-back planning to anticipate where markets are heading. However, he emphasised that innovation is only meaningful when built on a solid foundation of people, processes and technology. Maintaining this equilibrium allows the organisation to both evolve and protect the trust it has earned with clients.
Discussing the role of traditional financial institutions, Tom noted that banks remain vital in powering the last leg of payment processing and in enabling fintech partners such as Stripe and Trustly. Fifth Third supports these partners with not only technology and processing capabilities but also with risk management and operational guidance.
On the topic of trust, Tom described it as a long-term asset built through consistent performance, reliability and client relationships. For Newline, every new client or feature launch must earn its place by reinforcing the overall integrity of the platform.
Partnerships play a critical role in Fifth Third’s competitive strategy. Rather than attempting to build everything in-house, the bank identifies and collaborates with high-growth innovators that have achieved product-market fit. One notable example is Stripe, which Tom cited as a strategic partner with a significant valuation and global presence. By working with such leaders, Fifth Third can focus its investments where they matter most while leveraging partners’ distribution and branding.
Tom also reflected on client expectations in the payments space. Speed and precision are key, and Fifth Third has made these principles central to the Newline culture. “Pace, precision and quality” define how teams operate, ensuring responsiveness to client needs in fast-changing industries.
Finally, Tom addressed the impact of regulation, noting that forthcoming developments such as Dodd-Frank 1033 and changes to master account structures could have far-reaching effects on the payments landscape. Fifth Third takes a long-term approach, planning for 10–20-year horizons rather than reacting to short-term policy shifts.
As host of the Newline suite at Money20/20, Tom looked forward to hearing diverse perspectives from guests representing organisations including Fireblocks, Circle, Federal Reserve Financial Services, Plaid and MAPP Advisors, highlighting Newline’s position at the intersection of innovation and financial infrastructure.
Plaid and the Power of Open Banking
Brian Dammeir, Head of Payments and Financial Management, Plaid
In the next segment, Graham was joined by Brian Dammeir, Head of Payments and Financial Management at Plaid, to discuss the transformative role of open banking.
Brian outlined the breadth of opportunities that open finance presents, from pay-by-bank solutions to financial management tools and smarter credit decisioning. Open banking, he explained, is the foundational infrastructure enabling innovation across payments, data and financial inclusion.
Plaid focuses on three main use cases for pay-by-bank:
- Account-to-account funding, such as topping up wallets or brokerage accounts.
- Billing and recurring payments across utilities and digital subscriptions.
- E-commerce, where Plaid enables seamless bank-based checkout experiences, as seen with partners like Carvana.
Brian highlighted how payment ecosystems differ globally. While markets like India and Brazil have centralised frameworks such as UPI and PIX, the US and Europe have taken a more open approach, resulting in a diverse range of payment methods from traditional cards to buy-now-pay-later services.
Plaid’s mission centres on delivering secure, trusted and seamless user experiences. With over 75 million remembered US consumers, Plaid enables one-click bank payments through its network. Trust and transparency are central to this, with Plaid empowering consumers to control and manage their data permissions.
Fraud prevention remains another key focus. Through its Plaid Protect product, the company leverages network data and machine learning to identify anomalies and prevent fraud across its ecosystem. Brian acknowledged that AI has raised the sophistication of threats, making fraud prevention an ongoing “arms race”.
Looking ahead, Brian expressed excitement for the next phase of open banking evolution. In the near term, Plaid is focussed on scaling pay-by-bank adoption across account funding, billing and e-commerce. Over the longer term, he envisions open banking playing a pivotal role in agentic commerce, where digital agents transact on behalf of consumers. In this world, data permissioning, transparency and trust will remain fundamental principles.
Fireblocks and the Rise of Digital Asset Infrastructure
Ran Goldi, SVP Payments & Network, Fireblocks
The final guest, Ran Goldi, SVP of Payments and Network at Fireblocks, joined Graham to discuss how digital assets and stablecoins are reshaping financial services.
Goldi described a dramatic shift in the industry. For years, companies like Fireblocks had to persuade banks to explore digital assets. Now, the momentum has reversed, with banks proactively seeking to participate. Fireblocks has grown from supporting around 20 banks to over 100 in a single year, reflecting the accelerating institutional adoption of blockchain-based payments.
Banks are now pushing the digital asset ecosystem to mature, demanding infrastructure that includes messaging layers, reconciliation tools and transparency, in short, a framework suitable for mainstream financial operations.
Goldi outlined several leading use cases:
- Stablecoin accounts for business clients, enabling faster B2B and gig economy payments.
- International supplier payments, where stablecoins reduce delays and friction.
- Remittance funding, allowing money transfer firms to move capital more efficiently.
He identified three waves of crypto innovation:
- Custody of crypto assets such as Bitcoin.
- The current stablecoin phase, focused on real-world payments.
- The emerging tokenisation wave, where real-world assets and deposits will be digitised to unlock new efficiencies.
Goldi believes tokenised deposits will be particularly transformative, enabling banks to hold and utilise funds more effectively within the digital ecosystem. This evolution, he suggested, will reshape the money market landscape by improving liquidity and accessibility.
Fireblocks itself positions as the technology layer enabling institutions to interact securely with blockchains. Serving over 2,600 financial institutions and processing $5 trillion annually, the company provides tools for tokenisation, wallet management and transaction execution. Its goal is to empower the industry’s digital transformation without becoming a bank itself.
The interview closed on a lighter note, with Goldi revealing his Fireblocks-branded Nike Air Max trainers, inspired by Money20/20’s own sneaker tradition led by Chief Growth Officer Scarlett Sieber.
Summary
Across these conversations, a consistent message emerged: the financial ecosystem is undergoing profound transformation. From Fifth Third’s strategic growth and Plaid’s open banking innovation to Fireblocks’ digital asset infrastructure, the convergence of trust, technology and collaboration is redefining the future of payments and financial services.
This episode offered listeners a rare glimpse into how established institutions and fintech leaders are working side by side to build the next generation of global financial connectivity.
