Promoting a transparent, inclusive, and customer-centric financial system

With nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of the public and private sectors, Phil Goldfeder currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the American Fintech Council (AFC), a leading industry association representing responsible financial technology (fintech) companies creating critical access to safe and affordable financial services. AFC, comprised of the nation’s largest fintech companies, fosters innovative, transparent, and responsible products that promote competition, consumer protection, and financial health, inclusion, and equity. AFC is committed to robust industry standards, with a focus on consumer protection and regulatory compliance, in addition to advocating for and embracing appropriate government regulation.

Before joining AFC, Goldfeder served as Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Cross River, a financial institution and technology infrastructure provider that offers embedded financial solutions. In this role, Goldfeder founded the Online Lending Policy Institute (OLPI) and has been a leader in shaping the new financial services landscape since early 2015. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020, Goldfeder helped lead the Cross River team to mobilize internally and offer a streamlined and automated system to provide more than $12 billion in PPP funding to the most vulnerable small businesses in every state, as well as additional short-term relief efforts to communities in the company’s footprint and beyond.

He previously served as an elected member of the New York State Assembly representing diverse neighborhoods of Queens, N.Y. After most of his district was devastated during Superstorm Sandy, Goldfeder lead recovery efforts with a specific focus on partnering with the banking and insurance industry to help rebuild his community and reform outdated policies. He was the author of transformative banking and insurance modernization legislation and was also a key legislative leader on a diverse array of issues. Prior to his election, he served as a senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Phil’s career in public service and expertise in leadership, crisis management, as well as his ability to enact positive change and develop deep relationships with diverse leaders on both the local and national levels, has put him at the forefront of innovation across banking and technology industries. He is an active industry leader as he engages policy makers and regulators, provides thought-leadership, and is frequently invited to speak on panels, roundtables, and conferences globally on banking, technology, financial literacy, and the new financial services landscape.

Becky O’Mara is Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Head of Member Benefits at the American Fintech Council (AFC). Prior to joining the AFC, Becky was a Senior Principal at Promontory Financial Group, where she provided regulatory and strategic consulting services for a variety of high-profile consumer finance clients and was a key member of the Compliance Practice Group. Prior to Promontory, she worked at Fenway Summer LLC in its advisory business, FS Advisory LLC, where she acted as engagement manager, producing tailored regulatory, financial, and market entrance analyses. Prior to consulting, Becky worked in Deutsche Bank’s Equity Capital Markets group, where she participated in the execution of 100+ equity and equity-linked offerings for Financial Institutions and Real Estate issuers, raising over $75 billion in equity for clients, including numerous TARP repayments by financial institutions for the U.S. Treasury.

Ian P. Moloney is Senior Vice President, Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the American Fintech Council (AFC) leading the association’s policy strategy across the fintech ecosystem. Prior to AFC, Ian was Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Cross River where he was responsible for leading the bank’s regulatory strategy, focusing on fintech and traditional banking regulations, and representing the bank as a regulatory expert to direct Cross River’s public policy objectives and positions to engage effectively with key federal and state regulators and policymakers. Ian was also previously with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington D.C. as a Senior Analyst of Financial Markets & Community Investment, where he worked on fintech, small business lending, and digital identity issues. He has been involved in the fintech space since 2017 and has published multiple reports on fintech topics, both domestically and internationally. Ian has written on fintech issues for the Federation of American Scientists, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, and the United Nations.

Ian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, History, and Philosophy with an Ethics Minor from Central Michigan University. Ian also has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Taylor McCarthy, CEM, CMP, is VP, Head of Events at the American Fintech Council (AFC). Prior to joining AFC, Taylor was the Director of Events at Cross River, where she led events strategy including the production of 350+ internal and external experiences. Prior to Cross River, she worked at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), overseeing one annual conference and two regional meetings. Before BMES, Taylor managed program development, marketing, sales, and operations for the Healthcare portfolio of events at Access Intelligence, Inc. Taylor graduated from Elon University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sport & Event Management.

With over 19 years of experience in the banking and fintech law sectors, I am the CEO of Colin Darke Solutions, a company that provides compliance solutions for fintech companies. I am also an attorney and advisor at GwC, a law firm that specializes in helping emerging companies and their investors (and I am in charge of their fintech focused practice). As part of my compliance work, I am currently the interim director of compliance at Scratch Financial, a fintech company that offers patient finance solutions for veterinary services. I am also a senior advisor at American Fintech Council, an industry association that advocates for responsible innovation and inclusion in fintech. I hold an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law, and I am admitted to practice law in Illinois, Michigan, and Massachusetts. My core competencies include consumer protection laws, fintech regulations, and complex financial transactional matters. I am passionate about creating and supporting fintech solutions that improve financial access and inclusion for underserved communities and markets. I am also an artist and illustrator, and I run a website called Colin Darke - The Ambidextrous Artist, where I showcase my artworks and share my creative process. I believe that my artistic background gives me a unique perspective and a competitive edge in the fintech industry, as I can combine creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills to deliver effective and compliant solutions.

Hayden Cole is Director of Government Affairs at the American Fintech Council (AFC). Prior to AFC, Hayden served as a public policy associate for Pathward (formerly MetaBank) where he assisted in advancing the company’s thought leadership with Congress, the Administration, and other national industry stakeholders through a comprehensive understanding of the legislative and regulatory process.

Prior to Pathward, Hayden worked on initiated ballot measures and for the City of Lincoln, Nebraska’s Commission on Human Rights. Hayden is a South Dakota native and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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Frank has extensive experience in the financial services industry from Fintech to traditional banking. In serving consumers and small businesses through innovation, he has advocated for strong, clear, and sensible regulation and promoted strong corporate governance. Most recently, he was Chief Administrative, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Risk Officer of Best Egg, Inc., a leading Fintech platform. Prior roles have included Chief Regulatory Counsel for the consumer businesses at JPMorgan Chase, General Counsel for Chase Card Services, and EVP & Deputy General Counsel at Capital One Financial Corp., where he was responsible for managing the Company’s legal and government relations teams. In addition, Frank served in the Administration of George W. Bush as Senior Advisor, Counselor to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and General Counsel at the Small Business Administration. He began his legal career in private legal practice at Cleary, Gottlieb.  

Frank also has extensive experience working with industry trade associations to support balanced and successful legislative and regulatory policy, including serving as a founding Board member of the American Fintech Council (and its predecessor associations MLA and OLPI), a founding leader of the ABA’s Card Policy Council, a Board member of AFSA and other roles. He has also served as a Board member of several community non-profit organizations. He is currently President-Elect of the Board of Directors of ACC-Greater Philadelphia. He received a B.A. from Swarthmore College, a law degree from N.Y.U. School of Law, completed the Stanford Business School Executive Program ,and was a Fulbright Fellow in Tokyo, Japan at the University of Tokyo and the Japanese Ministry of Finance.