Our Story

Four passionate and experienced financial services professionals—Stessa Cohen, Barb MacLean, Jim Perry, and Efi Pylarinou—met in person at Finovate Fall 2023 in New York City. While catching up with our mutual friend Theo Lau, who was signing copies of her book The Metaverse Economy, Stessa suggested we read it and share our impressions on LinkedIn to help amplify its key ideas.

At some point, we asked ourselves: Why stop at one book?
Before we knew it, the Fintech Book Club was born.

Today, we gather quarterly on LinkedIn Live to discuss the most thought-provoking new books shaping fintech, banking, money, and the broader financial ecosystem. Our conversations are candid, curious, and grounded in real-world experience—and we invite our audience to actively participate with questions, comments, and perspectives of their own.

The goal is simple: read deeply, think critically, and learn together—out loud.

In 2025, we lost our friend and co-founder, Barb MacLean. Her voice, perspective, and kindness were foundational to the Fintech Book Club, and her influence remains part of every conversation we have.

Stessa, Jim & Efi
The Fintech Book Club

Four individuals participating in a virtual meeting: Top left, Stessa Cohen, with curly gray hair and glasses, sitting in front of colorful abstract art; Top right, Jim Perry, bald with glasses, smiling, in front of framed pictures on the wall; Bottom left, Dr. Efi Pylarinou, with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses, wearing an orange top; Bottom right, Barb MacLean, with blonde hair, sitting in front of bookshelf and artwork.
Stack of seven finance and banking books on a wooden surface.
Promotional graphic for a LinkedIn live discussion about the metaverse economy scheduled for November 17, 2023, featuring photos of four speakers and a book cover titled 'The Metaverse Economy'.