Bank Nerd Corner Strategic Planning? Try Strategic Thinking.
10 snips
Jan 19, 2026 Join Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs Alliance and a leading fintech strategist. He discusses the disconnect between banks and fintech, the hype vs. reality of stablecoins, and the critical need for AI readiness in 2026. Jason highlights how many banks invest in flashy initiatives without addressing core operational capabilities. He emphasizes the importance of distinct strategy, leveraging customer insights, and learning from peers' experiences. Tune in for insights on effectively pivoting, prioritizing, and avoiding the pitfalls of poor strategic planning.
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Fix The Basics Before Chasing Hype
- Prioritize core capabilities like digital account opening before chasing flashy projects like stablecoin launches.
- Build architecture, risk processes, and people competency first to make advanced products actually deliver value.
Capacity And Risk Explain Different Strategies
- Banks vary widely in capacity to change and risk aversion, creating different competitive behaviors versus fintechs.
- Startups often benefit from the "desperation" advantage — moving fast without heavy regulatory drag.
Start AI Low‑Risk and Prove Value
- Treat AI initiatives as tiered by risk and start with safe, high-impact uses like data cleaning and copilots.
- Avoid jumping into high-risk AI use cases (e.g., underwriting underserved markets) without data, controls, and governance.
