Introducing the Open Banker Salon

John Pitts is the co-founder of Open Banker. In his spare time he works at Affirm as the Vice President of Public Policy, Public Affairs, and Social Impact. Prior to Affirm, John was Head of Industry Relations and Head of Global Policy at Plaid. Prior to Plaid, John was the Deputy Assistant Director for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

We started Open Banker to raise the quality of financial policy debate. And thousands of you, it turns out, want ~1,500 words a week of carefully crafted analysis and argument. Some of you, though… some of you keep messaging us asking for a debate debate.

We're excited to announce the Open Banker Salon, a new kind of financial policy event, to be held on June 5, 2026, at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

This isn't a typical conference. No 40-minute talking-head panels. No bland keynotes. The Salon is designed for real intellectual engagement: keynotes from senior figures at the intersection of finance and policy, and debate sessions featuring the economists, regulators, technologists, and practitioners who think about these issues most deeply.

Space is limited, we will be cutting off attendance at 200 people, and we’re sharing exclusively with our readers first, because we know this event is for you.

If your organization is interested in sponsorship opportunities, reach out to us at [email protected]. Early sponsors will have a founding role in establishing the Salon as the premier venue for serious financial policy debate.

We look forward to seeing you there.

— John Pitts and the Open Banker Team

P.S. Register before April 3 to take advantage of early bird pricing

Open Banker curates and shares policy perspectives in the evolving landscape of financial services for free.

If an idea matters, you’ll find it here. If you find an idea here, it matters. 

Interested in contributing to Open Banker? Send us an email at [email protected].