John Wingate is a visionary entrepreneur, technologist, and the CEO of BankSocial, a leading fintech platform pioneering decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions for traditional financial institutions. With a career rooted at the convergence of blockchain, AI, and cooperative finance, John has built infrastructure that empowers credit unions and banks to deliver secure, user-controlled financial experiences.

He is a driving force behind the integration of self-custody digital wallets, decentralized recovery systems, and real-time fraud prevention tools across the Hedera network. A frequent speaker at global forums—including the World Economic Forum in Davos—John champions the role of open finance and next-generation trust frameworks in reshaping the financial landscape.

John is affiliated with Texas A&M University-Commerce and has collaborated on initiatives at Harvard, supporting emerging fintech innovation through the Converge Accelerator and the Cooperative Innovation Institute.