Breaking Banks

In This Episode Inside The Futurists X Summit: Preparing For An AI Powered Future This week Breaking Banks comes to you from The Futurists X Summit in Dubai, the world’s largest gathering of top-ranked futurists. This summit brings together leaders, innovators and policymakers from around the globe for meaningful dialogue on the future of technology, business and society. Tune in as Breaking Banks and The Futurists host Brett King speaks with Mastercard’s J.K. Khalil, EVP and Division President of East Arabia, and Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard. JK and Brett kick off the discussion with JK highlighting Mastercard’s partnership with the Ministry of AI in Dubai and their AI Center of Excellence in the UAE. Mastercard is always talking about the fast and accelerating pace of change and its impact on consumers’ lives. The AI Center of Excellence aims to demonstrate that AI is more than just a buzzword, helping people see the bigger picture and understand the broader implications — how this access to information and AI translates to daily life. The discussion also touches on exploring possible futures and enhancing the human experience. Then, Raja joins Brett to share his perspective on an AI-powered future. As AI improves quality of life, helping to alter the work-life balance — working less, experiencing more — what does the world look like? With AI, chores can be delegated to the machine, you can let go of certain things and have more time for other things. Time to pursue your passions – a long-standing focus for Mastercard is helping elevate lives through experiences. As technology levels the playing field—and everyone feeds similar briefs into the same AI tools—outputs will start to look alike. That’s exactly why this moment could become a new golden age of marketing: a chance to break through the sameness with real creativity, smart risk-taking and unconventional ideas. With advanced tools and the right mix of strategy and imagination, the possibilities are endless. And when you serve consumers with heart while driving revenue, that’s marketing at its best. It’s an engaging and thought-provoking episode from leaders in the field….priceless! Interested in hearing more about The Futurists X Summit? Follow our sister podcast, The Futurists.

In this discussion, Catherine Lynch, the Head of Digital Experience at Citizens Bank, shares her extensive banking background and insights into human-centered design. She pinpoints the three core customer needs: seeing, moving, and protecting money, highlighting how cognitive overload shapes customer expectations. Catherine discusses innovative strategies like partnerships with fintechs and the importance of observational research from their innovation lab. She emphasizes the power of empathy and rapid prototyping to streamline banking experiences in a complex environment.

In This Episode Dr. Antoine Khadige, Senior Partner at Strategy+ GCC, and Mohamed AlSabea, Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at barq, join host Brett King for a special episode, live from The Money Pot studio at Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Together, they share insights on the Gulf’s fintech transformation and on Riyadh’s growing reputation as the gateway to one of the world’s fastest-moving financial markets, where global players and regional decision-makers come together to build what’s next. It’s an interesting discussion as the trio unpack Saudi Arabia’s dynamic fintech ecosystem and share the success story that is barq. Barq is the fastest growing private wallet / digital bank in the world with 8M users in just 1 year. They share insights on barq’s success, some of its secret sauce and plans for the future. Regulation, digital infrastructure, youthful demographics and public trust have made the GCC a fertile ground for next-generation finance. From embedded finance and AI-driven personalization to the region’s broader Vision 2030 transformation, this conversation captures the determination and optimism fueling Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a global fintech powerhouse. Is the Gulf the “new Europe” for fintech innovation? With determination and bold leadership driving transformation, the region’s financial future is only beginning.

Join banking leader Jim Marous as he sheds light on the crumbling branch model in the U.S. Marous discusses the staggering decline in physical branches since 2008 and reveals how digital transformation is reshaping customer expectations. He contrasts the approaches of big banks versus smaller institutions and explores why some still cling to traditional branches. The chat also dives into emerging technologies like agentic AI and the critical need for banks to adopt digital-first strategies to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape.

In This Episode This week onBreaking Banks, we spotlight the newest member of the Provoke.fm family, Bankers’ Bookshelf, hosted by Paolo Sironi. This episode features Paolo’s interview with Sangeet Paul Choudary, author of the new book, Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Restacks the Knowledge Economy. Paolo and Sangeet discuss how AI is set to transform the global economy and company operations by redistributing power among key players. Sangeet explores four key tensions driving this transformation: tensions between workers and their software tools; tool providers and the organizations that use them; businesses consolidating power and the industries they disrupt; and empowered individuals and established incumbents. Drawing on compelling examples, historical parallels, and innovative perspectives, this conversation uncovers the opportunities and challenges AI presents—and reveals who stands to succeed or struggle when AI restacks the deck. Don’t get left behind! Listen now!

In This Episode Gyrating securities prices, perplexing consumer confidence numbers, multiple revisions of jobs numbers, varying interest rate forecasts- that’s VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Tim Mahedy is Founder and Chief Economist at Access Macro and serves as the Chief Economist at Alloy Labs, and his perspective, shaped by time at the IMF, as the Chief of Staff at the San Francisco Federal Reserve, and by advising leaders globally, comes at a critical moment. He joins host JP Nicols to reveal why the old banking playbooks are dead, how the “VUCA Bazooka” is reshaping the landscape not just now, but for the foreseeable future, and what bold leaders must do now to turn chaos into their biggest competitive advantage. If you don’t want to be left behind, this is your wake-up call, and your blueprint to winning in 2026 and beyond. JP Nicols and Tim Mahedy will be giving an executive briefing on their findings and recommendations on October 2nd. Learn more and register at AlloyLabs.com/events

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks, we feature a fascinating and thought-provoking episode from our sister podcast, The Futurists, where Brett King welcomes celebrated experimental astrophysicist Professor Brian Cox. Professor Cox, an English physicist and musician, is widely recognized for presenting science programs such as BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage and the Wonders of... series. He is also the author of two popular science books: Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?) and The Quantum Universe. He’s selected to deliver the keynote address at The Futurists X Summit in Dubai on September 22nd. In this episode, Professor Cox dives into how our understanding of black holes and quantum information theory could change our fundamental understanding of the universe, ushering in a new era of scientific advancement. Professor Brian Cox is one of the most articulate scientists in the world today. This interview underscores that, in an era where science faces ongoing challenges from political forces and media, our future lies in embracing knowledge and applied intelligence. Are we at the event horizon of something new and extraordinary?

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks we’re continuing our series on Brett King’s new book, Branch Tomorrow, featuring interviews with contributing authors: Bruno Diniz, Efi Pylarinou,Jim Marous, Paolo Sironi, and Richard Turrin. Each brings specialty in different markets giving Branch Tomorrow a multi-perspective look at banking, banking culture, and the future of financial services across the globe, from the US to India, Europe, China, and Latin America. In this episode, Branch Tomorrow co-author Efi Pylarinou, a leading global fintech and tech influencer, shares insights on branch transformation from the European zone. Efi delves into some of the uniqueness, challenges and opportunities of the European market — a great example of diversity and different ways of operating — one item of note, the large Post Office networks that can essentially compete with fintechs and offer services. In looking at the evolution of banking and to the future of banking in Europe, Efi and Brett focus on the transition from traditional banking to digital-only models like Revolut, breaking down what makes them successful, taking a close look at the economics of the different models. They also explore how AI is reshaping customer experiences in banking, the impact of cashlessness, and the social implications of some of these changes. How will regulatory challenges shape the future of banking? Will shared banking spaces emerge as a solution for branches? In the next five years, in Europe and globally, will we see new disruptors that will challenge existing disruptors from the last decade? The future of banking is here. Branch Tomorrow, a must-read for future-focused leaders dedicated to thriving in the digital transformation of finance — available mid-September. Get a sneak peek by listening now!

Richard Turrin, a fintech innovation expert and author of 'Cashless: China’s Digital Currency', shares insights into China's rapid digital transformation in banking. He discusses the monumental changes driven by platforms like WeChat and Alipay. Meanwhile, Paolo Sironi, Global Research Leader at IBM, highlights how European banks are navigating branch transformation by blending digital and physical services. The conversation covers trends in consumer preferences and the future of banking amidst the rise of cashless economies.

In This Episode This week on Breaking Banks we’re excited to introduce Brett King’s latest book, Branch Tomorrow. This new book re-examines our understanding of bank branches, banking culture, and the future of financial services across the globe, from the US to India, China and Latin America. In a special Breaking Banks series, Brett interviews contributing authors Bruno Diniz, Efi Pylarinou, Jim Marous, Paolo Sironi, and Richard Turrin to deliver a multi-perspective global look at banking. Each author brings specialties in different markets; all analyzing changes and data from the past decade to what’s been happening with branch banking and providing insights into the ongoing transformation in finance. In this conversation, Brett speaks with Bruno Diniz, Financial Innovation Expert, Bestselling Author, Speaker and Professor specializing in fostering financial innovation in Latin America. They delve into the evolution of banking in Brazil and LATAM, particularly the decline of traditional bank branches and the rise of digital banks like Nubank with its rapid growth in Latin America (123 million+ customers). They also explore the impact of regulatory changes, the economics of digital banking, and the role of innovative payment systems like PIX while discussing the challenges traditional banks face in adapting to this rapidly changing financial landscape. We encourage you to listen now and stay tuned for more in this series!  Branch Tomorrow, releasing in September, is a must-read for bankers, regulators, fintech innovators, and future-focused leaders eager to thrive in the digital transformation of finance. The future of banking is here!