In an interview with The Fintech Times for its special Money20/20 edition, Galileo CEO Derek White explains how Galileo empowers creators and innovators to expand the financial frontier.
Helping people connect to their money has always been a passion for Galileo Financial Technologies CEO Derek White. In fact, it’s one of the reasons he took the helm of the Salt Lake City-based payments and fintech innovator in June 2021.
“My first real interaction with money was from the first business I started as a kid. My father was unemployed, and I handed over my paycheck as the only income for our family outside of unemployment," White says. “That was a pretty sobering experience. It had a huge impact on me and has been a big driver in my career and why I’ve focused on how to better connect people with their money."
As a veteran of global banking and ex-head of Google Cloud's financial services business, White brings an international perspective to his new role as well as an eagerness to help entrepreneurs and innovators build financial experiences that connect people and their money in unique and powerful new ways.
Galileo's platform and comprehensive, flexible APIs power some of the world's most successful fintechs with combined valuations exceeding $111 billion. Clients use the company's open APIs for everything from digital onboarding of new customers to restricting spend down to the individual merchant location level.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
Making dreams into reality is Galileo's speciality, with a platform that enables creators and, indeed, dreamers, to translate their ideas into sustainable businesses that solve problems and meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike. “Galileo is for innovators who want to expand the financial frontier and build a better financial future for underserved populations or people who identify with a specific cause, or who want to embed financial services into their broader customer experience,” says White.
The platform offers a single connection to more than 55 endpoints of the financial services ecosystem—to networks, issuing banks, KYC providers, mobile wallets and more. By removing the complexity and lowering barriers to entry, Galileo lets these financial innovators build businesses that fulfill their mission and engage their customers in meaningful ways.
Read the entire issue.
The Spring Surge: New Galileo Debit Spend Index Charts Q1 Spend and the Year Ahead
American consumers spent cautiously on debit through January and early February before early tax refunds and spring weather sparked a March spending surge, according to the inaugural Galileo Debit Spend Index.
Why Gen Z’s Debit Card Push is Eating Into Credit Card Profits
For people worried about the economy and dealing with affordability issues, one option could be to tuck that high interest rate credit card aside and reach for a trusty debit card instead. To uncover the latest debit card trends, CardRates recently sat down with Paul Dunning, Vice President of Business Development at Galileo Financial Technologies, a fintech firm owned by SoFi. He explained why Gen Z consumers are turning to debit cards and expecting rewards, the compelling case for debit card rewards, and the appeal of debit cards for the debit-first consumer.
Half of Consumers Have Chosen One Brand Over Another Because Paying or Getting a Refund Was Easier
Consumer demand for financial services embedded within brand apps is outpacing brands’ ability to deliver, with most executives recognizing the gap. New research from Galileo Financial Technologies, soon to become SoFi Technology Solutions, found that 80% of brand executives say they plan to launch integrated financial services, but only 20% have done so thus far. The 2026 Galileo Integrated Financial Services Research Report, based on surveys of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers and 150 senior executives, shows that while consumers are already using features like saved cards, rewards, and instant refunds inside brand apps, most brands have yet to launch these capabilities.
Brand Executives Fear They’re Losing Customers to Rivals With In-App Financial Tools, Galileo Research Finds
Half of consumers have chosen one brand over another because paying or getting a refund was easier
Introducing SoFi Tech Solutions: A Unified Brand Built to Power End-to-End Financial Innovation
We’re evolving from Galileo to SoFi Tech Solutions to reflect the full scope of our platform. We deliver end-to-end infrastructure for fintechs, brands, and financial institutions, now backed by SoFi’s scale and resources. Our mission stays the same: support our clients’ growth while maintaining platform neutrality and strong data protections.
