$480 - $4.7bn Australia's OG Peer to Peer Lender: Michelle Bagnall - Bank First

$480 - $4.7bn Australia's OG Peer to Peer Lender: Michelle Bagnall - Bank First

Author: Dexter Cousins | Founder, Tier One People May 31, 2026 Duration: 44:12
Looking to upscale your fintech leadership team? Start at tieronepeople.com Michelle Bagnall is the CEO of BankFirst, a mutual bank with 92,000 members and $4.7 billion in assets that exists to serve nurses and teachers in Australia. In this episode she tells Dexter the origin story of a bank that started with $480 in a shoebox, explains why nobody at BankFirst gets paid a bonus, and makes the case that mutuals were the original fintech startups. 00:00 Introduction 03:08 The Origins o...

With over 350 episodes and voices from more than 40 countries, Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech CEOs and Founders has become a go-to resource for those building the future of finance. Hosted by Dexter Cousins, founder of Tier One People, each conversation moves beyond theory to uncover the practical realities of running a fintech company. You’ll hear founders, executives, and investors from ambitious global ventures discuss what's genuinely working-and what isn’t-as they navigate the complexities of this fast-moving sector. The discussions get into the nitty-gritty of raising capital, scaling into new markets, and assembling a leadership team that can handle rapid growth. Episodes regularly explore the specific challenges of building with transformative technologies, whether that's in payments, crypto, artificial intelligence, wealth management, or insurance. It’s this unfiltered access to real-world experience that makes this podcast a valuable listen for anyone in the business, from aspiring entrepreneurs to seasoned investors. If a topic is shaping the fintech landscape, you’ll find a detailed conversation about it here.
Author: Language: en-au Episodes: 50

Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech Leaders
Podcast Episodes
Aaron Violi - From Fintech startup to Canberra Politician. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:27
Scaling your Fintech executive team? Start at tieronepeople.com Can Australian startups thrive under current policy? Shadow Minister Aaron Violi discusses the future of our tech sector. In this episode of FinTech Chatter…
Stripe Tour Sydney 2026 - Karl Durrance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:11
If you're scaling a fintech leadership team, start at tieronepeople.com Karl Durrance is Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand at Stripe, the payments infrastructure company. Australia NZ is Stripes 3rd largest…
Exclusive! Constantinople and MOVE Bank Migration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:06
If you're building an executive team to scale your Fintech, start at tieronepeople.com Move Bank has become the first bank in the world to move its entire operation, technology, product, operations and compliance, onto C…
Peter Jones - Nimo Industries: Breaking into Mutual Banks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:03
Looking to take your leadership team to the next level? Start at tieronepeople.com Peter Jones co-founded Nimo Industries with Leann Jones after living the core banking problem himself as a mutual bank CEO. Ten years ago…
Andy Taylor - Stakk: The Ten Year Overnight Success. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:58
If you're scaling a fintech leadership team, start at tieronepeople.com Andy Taylor is the founder and CEO of ASX-listed Stakk Limited (ASX: SKK), an embedded trust and fraud prevention platform used by Chime, Robinhood,…
Steve Hind | Lorikeet: The $50m AI Startup Every VC Wanted In. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:27
If you're looking for AI Native leaders - start at www.tieronepeople.com Steve Hind is the co-founder and CEO of Lorikeet, an Australian AI startup that has raised more than $50 million USD to build AI concierges for hig…