
American Banker Podcast
Thoughtful discussions about current topics, moderated by American Banker editors.
Latest episodes

Jul 1, 2025 • 27min
The digital asset opportunities opening up for banks
Staking activities and stablecoins are two of the possible ways banks could have a role in decentralized finance, said Margaret Butler, head of the financial services practice at the law firm Baker Hostetler and Kristiane Koontz, director of Treasury Services and Payments at Zions Bank, in interviews recorded at the Digital Banking Conference in June.

Jun 17, 2025 • 19min
‘Failures across the board’: Dara Tarkowski on Synapse case
Tarkowski, managing partner at Actuate Law, shares a legal perspective on the lawsuit that Yotta, a savings app provider, filed against Evolve Bank & Trust, in September and recently amended.

Jun 3, 2025 • 22min
Can banks beat the 80/20 rule for generative AI?
Sid Khosla, EY Americas banking and capital markets Leader, predicts that over the next two years, 20% of generative AI cases will drive 80% of the value across financial institutions. In this podcast, he explains what those use cases are and how banks can make the most of them.

May 20, 2025 • 24min
What will AI-driven banking look like in the future?
Theo Lau, co-founder of Unconventional Ventures and author of the new book Banking on Artificial Intelligence, shares a vision of how banks could help consumers navigate financial uncertainties.

May 6, 2025 • 17min
‘You can’t make it a side gig’: Brett Pharr on banking as a service
It takes $50 million to $100 million dollars, three to five years of losses and a complete commitment from the board to make it as a banking-as-a-service bank, the CEO of Pathward bank says in the latest American Banker podcast.

Apr 30, 2025 • 22min
How J.P. Morgan is helping to build connected cars
Rob Abrams, CEO of Mobility Payment Solutions at J.P. Morgan Payments, is overseeing the development of in-car wallet systems that turn cars into rolling credit cards. He explains his vision of what connected cars could look like and do in the future.

5 snips
Apr 15, 2025 • 15min
Banks struggle to keep up with threat of AI deepfakes
Valerie Abend, Accenture’s financial services cybersecurity lead, dives into the urgent challenges banks face against AI-driven threats. She reveals how generative AI creates sophisticated deepfakes, complicating security measures. Abend emphasizes the need for banks to adopt proactive strategies and align leadership on cybersecurity. Furthermore, she discusses innovative ways to promote customer trust and awareness without inducing fear, highlighting the importance of transparent communication and collaboration in the fight against evolving banking fraud.

Apr 1, 2025 • 19min
'It can eliminate things we don't like doing': Vlad Lukic on AI
Generative AI will remove toil from our day to day jobs, argues Lukic, who is managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group.

Mar 18, 2025 • 17min
Could industry standards prevent the next Synapse-style mess?
“We want to put banks in the risk management driver’s seat,” says Sima Gandhi, co-founder of the Council for Fintech Ecosystem Standards, which has worked with a group of fintechs to create risk and compliance standards banks can use to evaluate their fintech partners.

Mar 4, 2025 • 23min
‘It’s a tremendous priority’: Huntington CFO Wasserman on AI
Software code generation and knowledge management are two of the places the bank has begun using generative AI to improve efficiency.