Bai Banking Strategies

Growing competition in financial services is fueling a corresponding upswing in innovation among both new entrants and established players. BAI's Debbie Bianucci and Dennis Gada from Infosys discuss the latest innovations they're seeing, and how those advances stand to change the industry.

Leverage data and relationships — that, in a nutshell, is Fifth Third Bank’s plan to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Stephanie Smith, who heads the bank’s DEI efforts, tells us more about building a program to provide greater access and opportunity, both in the bank and in the community.

Digital banking made tremendous gains during the pandemic. While some banks and credit unions lagged, others set the pace. David Tuyo, head of Los Angeles-based University Credit Union, joins us to talk about what his institution has done, where it’s headed and what others can learn from UCU's acceleration into digital banking.

Environmental, social and governance considerations are rising in importance in banking. Amelia Pan, managing director in the ESG advisory group at PJT Partners, joins us with thoughts on how bankers should think about ESG as it gains in stature.

Identity fraud, account takeover, phishing attempts — financial institutions have seen all of these crimes increase in 2021. Andy Shank, vice president of fraud and risk product management at Vericast, joins us to discuss how banks and credit unions can better protect customers from these growing threats.

Like other industries, banks can often benefit in the present by learning lessons from the past. Financial commentator Zachary Karabell joins us to discuss "Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power," his new book on one of the nation's oldest financial firms, and why its story matters for banks today and in the future.

The personalization trend being driven by online retail, streaming media and other industries is also a front-of-mind issue for banks and credit unions. Greg Kanevski, global head of banking at ServiceNow, discusses a personalization strategy that has an optimal mix of people and technology.

Where’s the leading edge of design and technology in banking, and how is it changing the industry? Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of the branding and design firm SLD, tells us what North American banks can learn from overseas financial institutions about the latest tech and how they can put those insights to work.

Customer relationships are highly valuable assets for banks and credit unions, and that makes them potentially lucrative targets for fintechs and other competitors. Cheryl Chiodi from ABBYY and industry consultant Jim Griffin share ideas on creating personalized banking experiences to strengthen customer relationships and stand up to outside threats.

The double whammy of COVID and competition has banks and credit unions speeding up their move to the cloud. Chris Zingo from Finastra joins us to talk about how the financial industry is changing its approach to the cloud as digital banking grows in importance.

Banking customers want speed, convenience and ease of use. They also want customized experiences that address their specific needs. Chris Stanley from Moody’s Analytics joins us to discuss what goes into creating this kind of personalized customer experience as banking goes ever more digital.

As banks, credit unions and other businesses rely more on customer data, that data rises in value and becomes more of a theft target. Jim Van Dyke, SVP for innovation at Sontiq and a leading voice on data breaches, discusses how financial institutions can best protect their customers.

There was a time when banks tended to give fintechs the side-eye. These days, banks are taking another look at fintechs as they consider them as a potential business partner. Randy Rivera, an ex-banker who's now on the fintech side, shares his thoughts on the benefits and challenges of a bank-fintech partnership.

To address long-standing financial inequality, U.S. banks are stepping up their public commitments to make more capital available in underserved communities. Michael Innis-Thompson, the head of community lending at TD Bank, joins us to talk about a $105 million fund to help minority-owned small businesses and an even bolder initiative that the bank is undertaking.

Middle-market banks may be large businesses in terms of assets and reach, but they lack valuable scale compared to the industry’s biggest players. Danelle Faust from Accenture Interactive shares a customer-centered strategy that can help middle-market banks compete more effectively despite the size gap.

Banks and credit unions seeking to tighten connections with their customers need to know what those customers value. Karl Dahlgren, managing director for research at BAI, joins us to share interesting and some surprising results from the latest BAI Banking Outlook research on consumer banking preferences.

It may surprise banks and credit unions to know that they are seen by some as high emitters of climate-altering carbon. Emily Kreps, global director for capital markets at CDP Worldwide, explains the thinking behind the high-emitter status, and what bankers can do to change it.

The pandemic-related upswing in digital banking is also adding momentum to open banking. Nick Farrow from Modern Treasury joins us to talk about where open banking stands in the U.S. now, and how it may change future customer relationships.

After more than a year of extreme stress and uncertainty, America's small businesses are gathering momentum in a bustling economy. Patrick Smith, head of small business banking at Santander Bank, joins us to offer his thoughts on what small businesses need most from their banks now, and how best to deliver it to them.

The branch isn’t going away but it is evolving. PWCampbell CEO Jim Caliendo offers his thoughts on where branches are headed – what they’ll look like, what they’ll offer customers and more.