American Banker Podcast

It's long been assumed that technology will help the financially underserved access the banking services they need. Christine Duhaime, an attorney and founder of the Digital Financial Institute, a financial technology think-tank, says this assumption is wrong, and that some tech advances are already starting to have unanticipated adverse effects on the financially disadvantaged. Banks will have to think creatively — by teaching people to code and maybe even making house calls — to ensure they provide fair access to services.

Bill Barhydt, founder of startup Abra, explains how his company's mobile app uses bitcoin as a payment rail for cross-border remittances while solving the foreign exchange risk and last-mile problem that have hampered adoption of the cryptocurrency.

Executives from Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Canada share their early learnings about distributed ledger technology at American Banker's Blockchains + Digital Currencies conference in July.

Zooko Wilcox, founder of Zcash, discusses how advanced cryptography can bring confidentiality to transactions on distributed ledgers; the relative merits and drawbacks of the Bitcoin and Ethereum models; and more.

David Pollino, deputy chief security officer at Bank of the West, shares insights into the email-based cybertheft attacks he's been tracking and what the bank is doing to shield itself and its customers from email scams.

Regulatory burdens (particularly the Durbin interchange cap), stubbornly low interest rates and a slow, expensive transition from branch to digital banking mean only the wealthy and the desperate are attractive customers, says Todd Baker of Broadmoor Consulting.

Christopher Whalen, senior managing director and head of research at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, discusses the sorry state of European banks, the missteps by European Union regulators and the potential ramifications for financial institutions in the U.S.

Marketplace lenders have been declaring "FICO-free Zones" and playing down the need for the longstanding measure of creditworthiness. FICO CEO Will Lansing explains how the company's score is evolving and why he believes FICO remains the best (not necessarily the only) way to determine ability to repay a loan.

Moven founder and all-around fintech evangelist Brett King discusses how financial institutions can survive a future where artificial intelligence is widespread and plastic cards are no more.

Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott, authors of "Blockchain Revolution," discuss the implications for banks of distributed ledger technology, the pros and cons of private blockchains compared to open networks, how DAOs might eliminate moral hazard, and more.