Banking as a Service - by Jason Mikula

About the Book

Explore banking-as-a-service (BaaS) and its applications, opportunities, challenges, and risks and the key differences across global markets with this comprehensive guide.

Book Synopsis

This book provides a comprehensive look at banking-as-a-service (Baas), equipping readers with an understanding of the origins, evolution, future and applications of BaaS and the key differences across global markets.

BaaS is a game changer in the financial services sector, radically transforming both how consumers experience financial products and the business models delivering them. Banking as a Service cuts through the hype to provide a measured overview of BaaS, helping readers to demystify a complex evolving field and understand its key opportunities, challenges and risks. It provides a framework for understanding where BaaS came from, how BaaS changes the economics and business models of banking products and services, its impact on key stakeholders, and its key regulatory implications.

Banking as a Service explains how business and operating models work, exploring different models such as interchange, deposit gathering, loan origination-to-distribute, legacy, API-first, own licence, match-making and bank service providers and offers a framework for thinking about whether or not they're sustainable. It explores how BaaS operating and business models compare in different global territories and is supported by real-world examples and cases profiling organizations such as Blue Ridge Bank, Unit, Synapse, Goldman Sachs, Railsr, Starling, Solaris, Cacao Paycard, QNB, OnePipe, Airwallex, Nium and Pomelo. It also explains the differences between BaaS, embedded finance and open banking.

Review Quotes

"Jason Mikula does a phenomenal job of cataloguing the rise and importance of the BaaS movement. This book is such a timely and excellent piece of research!"-- "Brett King, Author of Bank 4.0, Founder of Moven and Breaking Banks podcast"

"Jason Mikula is one of my favourite sources of fintech news and analysis. He has his finger on the industry's pulse and is often first with breaking news. He stays with the story after it breaks, chasing down additional developments and exploring all the angles. He really understands and is able to explain the complex regulatory framework in which fintechs operate. This all adds up to Jason Mikula being a must-read for me and other industry professionals."-- "Michele Alt, Co-founder, Klaros Group"

"Jason Mikula's experience as an operator in fintech and banking, combined with his incredible reporting on the banking-as-a-service space over the last few years, makes him the best person to write the definitive book on the past, present, and future of BaaS. He's done just that."-- "Alex Johnson, Founder, Fintech Takes"

"As a banker, investor and someone that's done upwards of 1000 deals in the fintech space, I can highly recommend this book for anyone in the industry or those trying to break into it. The book contains a treasure chest of insights, does an excellent job of capturing the nuances of a rapidly evolving space, and will be required reading for everyone I work with."-- "Steve McLaughlin, Founder & CEO, FT Partners"

"I've spent almost 25 years as a regulator and lawyer in consumer finance and fintech, and there have been few people who have the breadth of understanding of the industry like Jason Mikula does. From the economics, to the operations, to the marketing and the regulation of the industry, he is one of the few people who can connect all those dots, and it clearly shows in this book. Mikula has been on the ground in fintech and has covered some of the brightest and darkest parts of the BaaS industry for years, so it's fantastic to see all of that knowledge brought together in one book. It's a must read for all the rest of us who work with and for BaaS providers."-- "Jesse Silverman, Counsel, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, LLP"

"To understand the future, one must understand the past. Jason Mikula takes us on a thorough but delightful journey beginning with the predecessor models that laid the foundation for BaaS as we know it today. The book isn't just a history lesson, it is a practical guide to what the future holds."-- "Jason Henrichs, CEO, Alloy Labs Alliance"

About the Author

Jason Mikula is the publisher of Fintech Business Weekly, a newsletter going beyond the headlines to analyse the technology, regulatory and business model trends driving the rapidly evolving financial services ecosystem at the intersection of traditional banking, payments, fintech and crypto. He also advises, consults for and invests in early-stage startups. Previously, he spent over a decade building and scaling consumer finance businesses, including at Enova, LendUp, and Goldman Sachs. He is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.