Launching BaaS 2.0 with Kotapay’s Kavinu

Following the Synapse collapse of 2024, the banking-as-a-service (BaaS) industry faced skepticism from analysts, stakeholders and journalists. While many companies shied away from the conversation, The Fletcher Gorup was tasked with launching a new BaaS platform that the industry can trust, called Kavinu, during Money20/20, the industry’s premier conference. 

Together with Kotapay, the team launched Kavinu with on-site media opportunities and an event on the Vegas strip, followed by a steady cadence of executive thought leadership. TFG worked closely with Kotapay’s Chief Payments Officer to do what no other executive would do during this time: talk to the press about the impact of BaaS 1.0 and what a new BaaS approach would mean for banks, regulators and fintechs. The team continued an 8-month media blitz of coverage leading up to Kotapay’s first BaaS 2.0 partner announcement in May 2025.

Results.

• Within the first 3 months, the team connected Kotapay to, or obtained coverage with prominent banking trade outlets, including American Banker, Bank Director, Tearsheet, BankBeat and ‘finfluencer’ Jason Mikula.
• 25 media placements in Kotapay’s priority verticals, and a readership totaling 56.3M between hard news announcements. This included opinion articles, product Q&As and podcast interviews.
• Positioned Kotapay as forward-thinking leaders in their approach to BaaS, with a thoughtful bank-centered approach to withstand regulatory scrutiny.
• Monitored for US regulatory announcements to provide SMEs with quick-turn opportunities to share opinions with media, and via LinkedIn to grow relationships with industry influencers.

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