Breaking Banks

What Breaking Banks does

Breaking Banks is the flagship weekly fintech podcast of Provoke.fm Media, LLC, founded in 2013 by futurist and author Brett King and hosted alongside Jason Henrichs and JP Nicols. The show explores disruption in financial services, featuring interviews with banking executives, fintech founders, and regulators, and has produced over 500 episodes reaching 10+ million listeners across 180 countries with an average of 100,000+ monthly downloads and peaks above 200,000. The audience skews heavily toward managerial and executive decision-makers (65% in such roles), and the show ranks in the top 0.5% of podcasts globally out of roughly 4.5 million US-based podcasts.

The underlying business is a podcast media production and distribution platform delivered across more than ten major audio platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, PocketCasts, Overcast, Castro, Player.fm, Radio Public, Blubrry, TuneIn, and Voice America) plus RSS feeds and email subscriptions. The product portfolio has expanded well beyond the flagship into a broader network of regional and topical podcasts under the Provoke.fm banner: Breaking Banks Europe (2019), Emerging Everywhere (2020), NextGen Banker (2021), Breaking Banks Africa (2025), plus The Futurists, The Bankers' Bookshelf, Social Currency, Beyond Banking, Breaking Chains (crypto), and Tech On Reg. Featured series formats include "Hot Takes" (industry debates) and "Killing It" (entrepreneur profiles).

The company operates as a privately held for-profit entity with 11-50 employees, headquartered in New York alongside its parent Provoke.fm Media. Revenue is generated almost exclusively through sponsorship, with packages including host-read ads, sponsored segments, branded series, and full episode sponsorships targeted at fintech and financial services brands seeking access to the show's executive audience. Named partners include U.S. Bank (Hot Takes), Sunrise Banks (Social Currency), Mastercard, Revolut, Plaid, Shopify Finance, alongside media partnerships with Finovate, Money 20/20, SXSW, Alloy Labs, and the University of Utah's Fintech Xchange. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no public revenue figures.

Name

Breaking Banks

Legal name

Breaking Banks (as a show/property of Provoke.fm Media, LLC)

Website

https://breakingbanks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Breaking Banks is the flagship fintech podcast of Provoke.fm Media, producing weekly episodes on banking disruption and innovation since 2013. It reaches 10+ million listeners across 180 countries, monetizing primarily through sponsorships targeting banking and fintech executives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fintech Podcast Media

NAICS

Sound Recording Industries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Multi-Show Publishers (MPACADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Podcast Ad Sales Networks & Monetization Platforms (MPACADAD)

Keywords

• Fintech podcast network
• Banking media content
• Financial services podcast
• Fintech industry insights
• Podcast advertising sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship: Breaking Banks generates revenue primarily through sponsorship. Sponsors include top names in technology, financial services and fintech. They offer flexible options for targeted marketing including host-read ads, special episodes, branded series, sponsored segments or episodes, and brand name sponsorship. Target audience is 1 million+ banking & fintech executives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Breaking Banks produces and distributes a global weekly fintech podcast and a network of related audio shows covering disruption and innovation in banking and financial services. The flagship Breaking Banks show, hosted by Brett King, Jason Henrichs, and JP Nicols, features interviews with industry executives, founders, and innovators, reaching 10+ million listeners across 180 countries. Revenue is generated primarily through podcast sponsorship and advertising sold to fintech, banking, and technology companies.

Product overview

Breaking Banks is a podcast network operated by Provoke.fm Media, featuring the flagship Breaking Banks fintech podcast (launched in 2013) and multiple sister podcasts. The portfolio includes regional shows (Breaking Banks Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific), topic-focused podcasts (THE BANKERS' BOOKSHELF, Social Currency, Beyond Banking, Breaking Chains Crypto, Tech On Reg, NextGen Banker, Emerge Everywhere), and special series formats (Killing It entrepreneur profiles, Hot Takes debates). Breaking Banks content is distributed across major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, and others, reaching 10+ million listeners in 180 countries. The network averages over 100,000 downloads per month with peaks exceeding 200,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Breaking Banks Europe: Sister podcast focusing on fintech and banking innovation across European markets, celebrating 250+ episodes as of October 2024.
• Breaking Banks Africa
• Breaking Banks Asia Pacific
• The Futurists
• The Bankers' Bookshelf
• NextGen Banker
• Social Currency
• Beyond Banking
• Tech On Reg
• Breaking Chains
• Emerge Everywhere

Products and services

• Breaking Banks Flagship weekly fintech podcast hosted by Brett King, Jason Henrichs, and JP Nicols; covers disruption in financial services, banking innovation, fintech startups, and industry players for a global audience of banking and fintech professionals.
• Breaking Banks Europe Regional fintech podcast covering European banking and financial innovation, hosted by Matteo Rizzi; serves European banking and fintech executives.
• Breaking Banks Africa Regional podcast covering fintech innovation and digital banking transformation across the African continent, with content sourced from events such as Crossfin's Circle of Fintech in Cape Town.
• Breaking Banks Asia Pacific Regional podcast covering fintech and banking innovation across Asia Pacific markets including China, India, Thailand, and Australia.
• The Futurists
• The Bankers' Bookshelf
• Social Currency
• Beyond Banking
• Breaking Chains
• Tech On Reg
• NextGen Banker

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 10+ million listeners in 180 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerU.S. Bank sponsors the 'Hot Takes' series on Breaking Banks, powering special episodes on banking topics including BaaS, regulatory headwinds, and fintech partnerships. Recorded live at Fintech Xchange at the University of Utah.
• Sunrise BankscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSunrise Banks powers the 'Social Currency' sister podcast under Provoke.fm, and supports various Breaking Banks episodes and content series.
• MastercardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMastercard partners with Breaking Banks to discuss fintech innovation, serving over 80% of top digital payment and neobank fintechs on the CNBC Global Fintech list.
• RevolutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner on Breaking Banks discussing fintech growth, partnership with Mastercard, and reaching 50 million customers milestone.
• PlaidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlaid experts featured on Breaking Banks discussing open banking, Gateway Partner Program, and partnerships with financial institutions for open banking compliance.
• ShopifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShopify Finance featured on Breaking Banks discussing embedded finance solutions for merchants including Shopify Capital, Balance, Bill Pay, and Credit.
• FinovateminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks collaborates with Finovate for conference coverage, live recordings, and trend analysis from Finovate events.
• Money 20/20minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks covers Money 20/20 conferences with live recordings and key takeaway episodes.
• Alloy LabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks records 'Hot Takes' episodes live at Alloy Labs Annual Member Meeting on banking topics.
• University of Utah FintechXchangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks is a media partner for Fintech Xchange hosted by the Stena Center for Financial Technology at the University of Utah.
• First Electronic BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst Electronic Bank executives featured on Breaking Banks Hot Takes episode on embedded finance, recorded live at University of Utah's FintechXchange Conference.
• Merrick BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMerrick Bank executives featured on Breaking Banks episode discussing embedded finance and trust in banking.
• Virgin UniteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks partnered with Barefoot Innovation for a special episode from Necker Island organized by Virgin Unite, featuring fintech discussions.
• Crossfin's Circle of FintechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBreaking Banks Africa content sourced from Cape Town, South Africa through Crossfin's Circle of Fintech event coverage.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Money Stuff (Bloomberg / Matt Levine): Bloomberg's flagship finance newsletter/podcast with a financial-services executive readership. Comparable in audience quality and influence even though the format (newsletter-led) differs from Breaking Banks' audio-first approach.
• PYMNTS: Established digital media outlet covering payments, banking, and commerce with podcasts and newsletters. Larger and broader scope than Breaking Banks but addresses the same fintech executive audience via audio and written content.
• American Banker: Long-standing trade publication covering banking with podcasts, newsletters, and events. Larger incumbency in the same core audience but broader in scope and less specialized on fintech disruption.
• Bloomberg's Odd Lots: Bloomberg's flagship finance/economics podcast covering markets, banking, and technology. Comparable format (long-form expert interviews) and sponsorships, with a larger institutional audience.

Direct peers

• Fintech Insider (by 11:FS): A flagship fintech podcast network from 11:FS (Simon Taylor, Jason Bates) covering banking disruption, crypto, and payments. Direct competitor in the weekly fintech executive podcast format with similar sponsorship-led monetization and a global audience.
• The Fintech Times: UK-based fintech news and media outlet with podcasts covering global fintech. Direct peer for fintech executive audience reach and sponsorship-led monetization across both written and audio channels.
• Banking Transformed (Jim Marous): Long-running banking and fintech podcast hosted by industry influencer Jim Marous via The Financial Brand. Direct competitor for executive banking audience attention and sponsorship dollars.
• Tearsheet: Media company covering retail banking, wealth management, and fintech with podcasts and research. Comparable in audience (financial services decision-makers) and revenue model (sponsorship, events, research) to Breaking Banks.
• Bankless: Leading crypto/DeFi podcast and media brand (David Hoffman, Ryan Sean Adams) targeting an overlapping financial-innovation audience. Comparable sponsorship-driven model and uses similar host-read and series sponsorship formats.

Emerging players

• Finovate: Long-running fintech conference and content platform (now part of The Finovate Group). Overlaps with Breaking Banks as a content/event partner and competitor for fintech audience mindshare and sponsor budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=breaking+banks+podcast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breaking-banks-radio
• Xx.com/breakingbanks1
• Facebookfacebook.com/breaking.banks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Breaking Banks