Cents Chat

Welcome to Cents Chat, the podcast that's changing the game for ISVs, Payment Facilitators, and Marketplaces! From demystifying complex regulations like FinCen and PCI to the latest on Visa and Mastercard rules, our team breaks it all down with a dash of humor and a ton of insight. Whether you're looking to stay compliant, stay ahead, or just stay entertained, Cents Chat is your go-to source for all things payments. Tune in and join the conversation – it's the most engaging and fun you’ll have learning about payments!

Cents Chat is a business podcast hosted by Kitty & The Crew, with 23 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Kitty & The Crew hosts Cents Chat, a business show with 23 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #7

  The PCI Scope Trap

  Aug 5, 202623 minS2026

  An ISV doesn’t have to store card data to have PCI responsibilities. If its software, integrations, access, vendors, or deployment processes can impact the security of cardholder data, it may already be operating as a service provider. In this episode, Kitty and Chris sit down with Steve Levinson of LHC Advisors to break down the PCI scope trap, the service-provider requirements many ISVs overlook, and why relying on a compliant payment vendor doesn’t make the responsibility disappear. They also discuss Level 1 versus Level 2 validation, QSA-led assessments, vendor-chain attacks, breach exposure, and why strong PCI evidence is quickly becoming a commercial requirement, not just a compliance exercise.

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  Episode #6

  When the Merchant Doesn't Fit the Box

  Jul 22, 202620 minS2026

  Merchant onboarding used to be relatively straightforward. Today, businesses have more complicated payment flows, harder-to-explain models, evolving compliance requirements, and fraud threats that can make even legitimate merchants look risky on paper. In this episode of CentsChat, Kitty and Jason sit down with Allen Kopelman of Nationwide Payment Systems to discuss what it takes to board merchants that do not fit neatly into standard underwriting boxes. They explore how clearer documentation, better flow-of-funds explanations, and stronger communication with underwriting partners can turn a confusing application into an understandable business. The conversation also covers synthetic identity fraud, AI-assisted document review, and why complexity does not automatically mean risk—but unexplained complexity usually creates problems.

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  Episode #5

  Cash Is the New APM

  Jul 8, 202627 minS2026

  In this episode of Cents Chat, Kitty and Steve look at the APM conversation from both ends of the spectrum: OpenUSD, stablecoins, and the future of programmable money on one side, and the humble cash drawer on the other. Then Kyle Hatfield from Centsless joins to explain why cash may be the alternative payment method ISVs forgot to build for. With the penny disappearing, merchants are already facing exact-change signs, rounding rules, state-by-state legislation, refund headaches, split-tender complexity, EBT/SNAP considerations, and reconciliation gaps that a simple POS toggle will not fix. Cash may be old, but the software problem around it is brand new.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #4

  When the Phone Becomes the Terminal

  Jun 24, 202620 minS2026

  In this episode of Cents Chat, Kitty leads a conversation with Koard about what happens when the phone becomes the payment terminal. Joined by co-host Jason for the technical deep dive, the discussion breaks down why card-present payments are still harder than they look, why so many ISVs default to card-not-present flows, and how Tap to Pay can help platforms bring in-person acceptance directly into their mobile apps. Koard’s Behailu explains how their platform helps ISVs, PSPs, and software companies navigate the messy parts: EMV complexity, Apple approval, processor routing, cryptography, merchant onboarding, and the operational reality hiding behind one simple tap. Because payments are never “just an API.”

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  Episode #3

  Preferred Partner, Not Prison: The Payments Lock-In Backlash

  Jun 10, 202623 minS2026

  In this episode of Cents Chat, Kitty and Jason sit down with Jordan Thaeler, founder of POS+, to talk about one of the biggest tensions in embedded payments: the difference between a preferred payments partner and a payments prison. For years, ISVs have built real revenue streams by integrating payments into their platforms, and when done well, that model can create a better experience for everyone. The trouble starts when “preferred” quietly becomes “mandatory,” pricing drifts out of line, functionality lags, and merchants realize they are not choosing a payments provider so much as being cornered into one. Jordan breaks down how POS+ is pushing back on that model by giving merchants more payment choice without forcing them to rip out the software they already use to run their business. The conversation gets into merchant frustration, ISV monetization, payment flow workarounds, AI-driven adaptability, and why the smartest platforms should stop treating friction like a moat. The takeaway for ISVs is simple: pick a great default payments partner, make the economics fair, keep the experience strong, and give merchants a reasonable path to alternatives. Most merchants will choose the preferred option if it actually earns the business. But nobody likes being trapped.

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