Instant is transforming the way people get paid. From earned wage access, digital tipping to virtual and physical paycards, we offer everything in one, easy to use platform so your employees can choose how, when and where they get paid.
Welcome to
Where we explore the intersection of payroll innovation and fintech disruption.
Hosted by Tal Clark, a fintech industry veteran and CEO of Instant, this series dives into the trends transforming how America’s hourly workforce gets paid—from earned wage access and digital payroll to the evolving role of employers in driving financial wellness.
Each episode features expert insights from HR leaders, fintech pioneers, enterprise employers, and industry analysts who are shaping what’s next in financial services. Whether you’re in payroll, human resources, or financial tech, Instant Payments delivers the conversations that matter to those powering real-time pay.
Welcome to
Where we explore the intersection of payroll innovation and fintech disruption.
Hosted by Tal Clark, a fintech industry veteran and CEO of Instant, this series dives into the trends transforming how America’s hourly workforce gets paid—from earned wage access and digital payroll to the evolving role of employers in driving financial wellness.
Each episode features expert insights from HR leaders, fintech pioneers, enterprise employers, and industry analysts who are shaping what’s next in financial services. Whether you’re in payroll, human resources, or financial tech, Instant Payments delivers the conversations that matter to those powering real-time pay.
Where we explore the intersection of payroll innovation and fintech disruption.
Hosted by Tal Clark, a fintech industry veteran and CEO of Instant, this series dives into the trends transforming how America’s hourly workforce gets paid—from earned wage access and digital payroll to the evolving role of employers in driving financial wellness.
Each episode features expert insights from HR leaders, fintech pioneers, enterprise employers, and industry analysts who are shaping what’s next in financial services. Whether you’re in payroll, human resources, or financial tech, Instant Payments delivers the conversations that matter to those powering real-time pay.
Meet Tal Clark
Chief Executive Officer at Instant Financial and host of Instant Payments
Tal Clark is the driving force behind Instant Financial’s mission to improve financial wellness for frontline workers. With more than 30 years of experience in financial services, payments, and payroll innovation, Tal brings unmatched insight to the evolving world of payments. As CEO of Instant, he’s helped make on-demand pay a mainstream benefit—delivering meaningful impact for millions of employees and the businesses that depend on them. Before Instant, Tal led transformative initiatives at First Data (now Fiserv) and helped launch Money Network, the first platform to deliver electronic pay solutions to all employees. On this podcast, he sits down with innovators, leaders, and change-makers shaping the future of pay and financial wellness.
All Episodes
Tal Clark continues the conversation with Amir Hemmat about Welcome Tech’s benefits and recruiting tools for hourly and frontline workforces.
Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, welcomes Amir Hemmat, co-founder and CEO of Welcome Tech, an AI-powered workforce and financial wellness platform serving more than 4.5 million immigrant and frontline workers.
Host Tal Clark, the CEO of Instant Financial, continues his conversation with Spencer Baumhower, the President of Aloha Hospitality, about adopting Instant to digitize nightly tip payouts, citing over $30M and 300,000 tip payments processed.
Spencer Baumhower, President of Aloha Hospitality, joins the podcast to unpack his journey from entry-level busser to leading a 1,000-employee restaurant group.
Marcus Wasdin returns to the show to unpack the pragmatic realities of deploying AI in restaurant operations and navigating modern private equity trends.
Marcus Wasdin (Founder, The Wasdin Company) joins the show to pull back the curtain on the realities of restaurant technology, cutting through AI hype to deliver actionable insights for modern operators.
Melissa Doolin-Koehne (Founder, Elevate Four) joins the show to tackle restaurant workforce leadership, balancing purpose and profits, and driving retention.
Melissa Doolin-Koehne (Founder, Elevate 4) joins the show to break down restaurant workforce trends around brand equity, economic pressure, and the gig economy.
Jason Dorsey (President, Center for Generational Kinetics) joins the show to break down the harsh financial realities facing America’s hourly restaurant workers.
Ben Elliott (CFO, Randstad USA) continues the show to break down workforce trends around earned wages, digitization, and AI.
Randstad US CFO Ben Elliott joins us to discuss the monumental scale of staffing payroll, including delivering $480 million in earned wage access to over 114,000 workers.
Sun Holdings VP of HR Laura McLand returns to discuss the tangible impact of instant payments on employee retention, including a 20% drop in turnover.
Join Sun Holdings VP of HR Laura McLand as she breaks down the logistics of supporting 30,000 employees across 13 diverse brands.
In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, Tal Clark and Cotton Patch Cafe CFO Stephanie Callihan discuss how real-time pay solves the “promotion paradox.”
In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark talks with Stephanie Callihan, CFO of Cotton Patch Cafe.
In this bonus episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark joins Heather Heebner, Head of Compliance at Instant Financial, to unpack the CFPB’s new Advisory Opinion on Earned Wage Access.
In this part two episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark continues with Britt Landrum, CEO of Landrum, Inc., exploring the intersection of HR tech and leadership.
In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark talks with Britt Landrum, CEO of Landrum, Inc., about the evolution of his family-run staffing and PEO business.
In this episode Matt Umholtz discusses the labor challenges faced by the restaurant industry and the importance of an ‘hourly first mindset,’ career advancement opportunities, and the role of training in reducing turnover rates among young workers.
In episode 6 President and CRO of AllianceHCM Matt Umholtz shares his journey working in high-end kitchens to becoming a payroll and HR tech leader.
In this episode, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Kep Sweeney, CEO of PDQ Restaurants as they delve into the business environment of the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space, discussing the handling and implications of tips, employee compensation, the free market, and industry trends.
PDQ Chicken CEO Kep Sweeney joins Instant Financial’s podcast to discuss leadership, workforce management & how QSR brands can navigate restaurant challenges.
Dr. Martin Armstrong, VP of Payroll Shared Services, shares his journey from the Navy to payroll leadership, exploring modern payroll technology, earned wage access, and career advice for payroll professionals.
In part 2 of the Ultra Steak episode, Kevin O’Bold shares real-world insights on transitioning from cash to digital, optimizing labor, customizing tip pools, and the future of technology in the hospitality industry.
Host Tal Clark talks with Kevin O’Bold, VP of Finance at Ultra Steak. Kevin shares his journey from accountant to VP, insights from a decade in the industry and how Ultra Steak is modernizing payroll, IT, and operations.
Join host Tal Clark as he talks with Tim Gannon, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse about the journey from creating the iconic Bloomin’ Onion to building a restaurant empire rooted in culture and people-first values.
In this debut episode, restaurant veteran David Alvarado joins Instant CEO Tal Clark to explore how digital tip payouts are replacing outdated cash methods—streamlining operations and supporting employee wellbeing.
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