Bai Banking Strategies

Val Srinivas from Deloitte joins us to share his firm’s recent research into the difficulties people with disabilities encounter while banking, and how banks can make things easier.

The stunning collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and other banks in early 2023 has reframed how the industry is thinking about risk. Joan McGowan and Tom French from SAS join us to offer advice to banks and credit unions on how to better address the many risks they face.

American families dislike talking about money – a recent Wells Fargo survey found that 40% of people would rather talk to their parents about their funeral plans than about their financial plans. Michael Liersch, head of advice and planning for Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management, joins us with insights on how banks can help families build more open relationships about money, and why it’s in the banks’ interests to do so.

Banking is getting more complex, and that greater complexity is creating more uncertainties and more risks. Sam Savage from Probability Management joins us to make a case for why banking institutions should change the way they think about and deal with uncertainties.

The visual images of natural disasters tend to highlight damage to property, but the real lasting damage is done to people. Kate Bulger from Money Management International joins us to talk about their BAI Global Innovation Award-winning program to help low and moderate income people deal with their finances after a disaster.

As banks work toward deeper and longer-lasting connections with their customers, their choice of language matters. Beth Johnson, chief experience officer at Citizens Bank, is our guest to talk about how her bank is rethinking how it uses words.

Mobile bank branches have been around for years, but its versatility is giving it a growing role at some institutions. Todd Barnhart and Chris Hill from PNC Bank join us on the BAI Banking Strategies podcast to discuss how they’re taking to the road to reach underserved communities.

The world of real-time payments is about to have a new heavyweight contender as the Federal Reserve rolls out its FedNow Service in 2023. Brian Keefe from NICE Actimize joins us to tell us more about FedNow and how the new service stands to benefit smaller banking institutions.

While many in the financial world are running away from crypto and its perceived dangers, there are others who see lots of opportunity. Gene Grant, CEO at LevelField Financial in Houston, joins us to talk about what his new bank wants to do in the crypto space, and why now is the right time to do it.

Millennials and Gen Z are starting to inherit money in what will end up as the greatest transfer of wealth in history. Steven Ramirez from Beyond the Arc is our guest to discuss the scale of this transfer, and how banking institutions can position themselves to attract some of those assets.

Because banking institutions are in the money business – their customers’ and their own – they are also in the risk business. Keith Pearson, head of financial services at ServiceNow, joins us to discuss how banks and credit unions can improve their security by digitalizing their risk management.

Banking continues its digital makeover, both to gain efficiencies and to meet customer desires for faster, easier and more convenient. BAI’s Debbie Bianucci and Dennis Gada from Infosys join us to discuss the trends and priorities they’re seeing in the industry’s digital transformation.

Many community banks are feeling pressure to grow to avoid being wiped out or bought out. Could serving non-traditional businesses provide the new opportunity they need? Ryan James, CEO of Surety Bank in central Florida, joins us to discuss his bank’s experiences with the non-traditional, including moving into cannabis and crypto-related banking.

Customer service is cheaper for banks to deliver digitally than via other channels – the trick is to do in a personalized way. Jennifer Timbrook from STAR Financial Bank joins us to discuss her Indiana-based bank’s approach to digital customer service.

Environmental, social and governance considerations are growing in importance at banks and credit unions. Gary Levante, who heads the ESG effort at Berkshire Bank, explains why banks should view embracing ESG as a way to gain a competitive edge.

Our series on key issues for banks in 2023 focuses this week on finding, nurturing and retaining talent. Megan Burkhart, chief human resources officer at Comerica, discusses how her bank is dealing with the talent challenge and she offers insights that may be of value to other institutions.

Banking-as-a-service is among the most talked-about innovations in banking, and also perhaps among the least understood. Jeannette Kescenovitz, who leads development of banking-as-a-service capabilities at Finastra, shares her views on how BaaS might grow its presence at U.S. banks and credit unions in 2023.

An aggressively rising interest rate environment can cut both ways for the banking industry. Tom Brown, long-time banking industry analyst and editor of Tom Brown’s Banking Weekly newsletter, offers his views on rate impacts as part of his outlook for banks in 2023 and beyond.

Winners of the BAI Global Innovation Awards are out, and they cover a wide swath geographically and in the industry challenges that they address. Amy Radin, who works with financial services executives to anticipate and adapt to change, is our guest to talk about the BAI awards and financial services innovation more broadly.

A number of key uncertainties face banks and credit unions in the coming year. BAI's Karl Dahlgren shares findings in our latest survey the biggest business challenges for bankers in 2023: new-customer acquisition, digital experience and talent.