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December 17, 2025 42 mins

In this episode, Tomás returns to share what's changed since Spinwheel's $30 million funding round—including a strategic investment from Citi—and gives us an inside look at the Spinwheel Network Token, a piece of technology that changes how lenders can serve customers across the acquisition journey. Please note: Spinwheel is a sponsor of The Free Toaster Newsletter and Podcast. 

About The Spinwheel Network Token

Spinwheel's Network Token creates a persistent, consent-based identity layer using just a phone number and date of birth. Here's what that unlocks:

  • Skip the funnel: Instead of starting at step one with a lender, consumers can land near the end—already seeing which credit cards they can consolidate, with balances pre-populated.
  • Real-time data: Lenders get live liability information including balances, due dates, minimum payments, and interest rates.
  • Seamless payments: Disbursements can go directly to the credit cards being paid off, not just to a consumer's bank account.

Early results show 20–30% increases in funded loans and up to 50% improvement in payoff completion rates for lenders using the token.

Why This Matters for Agentic Commerce

Tomás makes a compelling case that this infrastructure is a prerequisite for the AI-powered future of lending. When consumers start using voice assistants or smart agents to find and execute loans on their behalf, those agents will need frictionless access to verified financial data—and the ability to act on it. Spinwheel is building that layer now.

 

*****

A word from our sponsor, Spinwheel:

 

Reduce friction in your lending application with just two fields—phone number and birthdate. Spinwheel’s APIs boost application rates by 20-30% while also providing real-time credit data and seamless payment processing. Want to see it in action? Connect with their Head of Growth for a demo!

https://spinwheel.io/partner/?utm_source=freetoaster&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=dec

A word from our sponsor, Fintel Connect

Drive thousands of new accounts and billions in deposits with the only partner marketing solution built for fintech and banking – your all-in-one affiliate platform, partner network, agency, and marketing compliance engine.

https://partner.fintelconnect.com/get-to-know-fintel-connect?utm_campaign=13897733-2025%20Partners&utm_source=The%20Free%20Toaster&utm_medium=podcast

 

A word from our sponsor, New Market Growth:

 

New Market Growth helps fintech consumer lenders generate explosive growth on affiliate marketing channels like Credit Karma, Experian Marketplace, LendingTree, and others. Affiliate marketing involves marketing & credit risk expertise, and NMG's founders bring this with 21+ years of lending experience and 8+ years experience as executive affiliate operators. If you'd like help planning or implementing your affiliate marketing strategy, email us at carlos@newmarketgrowth.com

 

Subscribe to the Free Toaster Newsletter: www.thefreetoaster.com/

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