Banking Transformed with Jim Marous

What if your business banking clients could ask a question, in plain English, and get an instant, intelligent answer? No spreadsheets. No manual reports. Just the client, their data, and AI working together. It sounds like science fiction, but it's happening right now. Grasshopper Bank has become the first U.S. bank to enable customers to connect their business banking data directly to Anthropic's Claude AI assistant, and the implications are staggering. We're joined on the Banking Transformed podcast by two visionaries who made it happen: Chris Tremont, Chief Digital Officer, and Pete Chapman, CTO of Grasshopper Bank. They'll reveal how they built a secure bridge between banking and artificial intelligence, why they raced to be first, and what this means for every banking organization in America. This is the conversation where the future of banking gets written. The companies that understand this shift will thrive. Those who don't will be left behind.

The future of banking isn't coming – it's already here. And yet, a staggering 46% of retail financial institutions admit they're either early in their digital transformation journey or still in planning stages. At the heart of this inertia lies a familiar bottleneck: legacy core systems. While over 90% of banks surveyed this year say digital transformation is either a “critical” or “high” priority, less than 10% believe their current core can fully support their goals. In this episode of Banking Transformed, I’m joined by Sandeep Lalwani, Head of UST FinX, and Barry O’Connell, Managing Director, Americas for Thought Machine. Together, we examine the real-world consequences of delayed modernization – from constrained innovation to a stunted customer experience – and explore how a modular, coexistence-based core transformation can flip the script. This is the first episode in a new series, "Building the Future-Ready Bank", sponsored by UST FinX.

In this insightful conversation, Ronit Ghose, Head of Future of Finance at Citi Institute and author of 'Future of Money', shares his expertise on the transformation of finance. He discusses how AI is revolutionizing financial management and the rise of digital assets like stablecoins. Ronit explains the impact of open banking across different regions and imagines the future of 'self-driving money.' He also critiques the AI hype cycle and reveals the significant yet underappreciated potential of B2B innovations in fintech.

In this intriguing discussion, Luke Allchin, Director of Research at RFI Global, shares insights from a study of 130 million U.S. households. He highlights the shift toward social media as a primary source for financial decisions and reveals how mobile banking is set to surpass traditional channels by 2026. Luke emphasizes the rising demand for personalized financial advice and warns of consumer distrust in AI tools. He advises banks to build transparency and trust around AI while adapting to the competitive landscape shaped by challenger banks. A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of finance!

While most financial institutions see payment processing as just a commodity service, the smartest ones are realizing it's actually their secret weapon for strengthening commercial relationships, boosting non-interest income, and building real competitive advantages in a growing market. Here's what might surprise you: banks that excel at providing merchant services not only keep their clients longer but also become essential partners in their clients' success. Conversely, those that fail to do so unintentionally push profitable business relationships right into their competitors' hands. On this episode of Banking Transformed, I sit down with Brad Oddo, CEO of Basys, a payments partner known for award-winning support, a white-label approach, and an ability to unlock revenue and relationship potential for financial institutions of all sizes. We explore why merchant services are often overlooked, how banks can transform them into a strategic growth engine, and what the future holds for payments innovation. If your bank isn’t rethinking merchant services right now, you may be missing one of the most powerful levers for growth and retention. This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Basys Basys is a privately held payment processor that helps banks grow commercial relationships and revenue through best-in-class merchant services. With award-winning support, flexible revenue share programs and an industry leading 75+ Net Promotor Score, Basys empowers financial institutions to deepen client loyalty, increase non-interest income and deliver seamless, branded payment solutions that strengthen their competitive edge. basyspro.com

In today’s rapidly changing financial landscape, traditional banking is no longer enough. Customers expect more than just accounts, loans, and transactions—they want personalized, real-time value delivered seamlessly across every touchpoint in their lives. That’s where ecosystem banking comes in. In this episode of Banking Transformed, I’m joined by Mike Cook and Carson Kotnyek from Zafin to explore how banks can move beyond legacy limitations and become orchestrators of value. We’ll unpack what ecosystem banking truly means, why orchestration—not just innovation—is the new growth engine, and how financial institutions can remain relevant by delivering holistic solutions that meet customers wherever they are. If you want to understand how the future of banking is being built—not just in the branch, but in housing, health, commerce, and beyond—this conversation is your playbook. This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Zafin Zafin's Loyalty Rewards capability helps banks deepen customer engagement by rewarding behaviors across the entire banking journey, not just their transactions and spends. It offers behavior-based incentives, flexible point strategies, and personalized rewards, moving beyond traditional spend-based models. With seamless integration and real-time analytics, banks can optimize loyalty programs to enhance customer lifetime value and drive sustainable growth. Visit zafin.com

In banking, every second matters. Fraud happens in milliseconds. Customers demand instant answers. And AI can only deliver value if it’s powered by live, real-time data. Yet many banks are still relying on batch reports and outdated systems, making decisions based on yesterday’s insights. The shift can’t wait. Forrester predicts that by 2025, half of all businesses will use AI-powered self-service as their primary customer touchpoint. That future won’t be possible without real-time data at the core. Banks that leverage streaming data will transform customer experiences, manage risks more efficiently, and unlock the full potential of AI. Those who don’t risk being left behind. Today, I’m joined by Gillaume Aymé, CEO of Lenses.io and a leading voice on data innovation. Together, we’ll explore why real-time data is becoming the lifeblood of modern banking, the hurdles institutions must overcome, and how to build the foundation for AI-driven success. This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Lenses Lenses 6.0 is a Developer Experience designed to empower organizations to modernize applications and systems with real-time data autonomy. This is particularly crucial as AI adoption accelerates, and enterprises operate hundreds of Kafka clusters across multi-cloud environments. As the industry’s first multi-Kafka developer experience, Lenses 6.0 allows teams to access, govern and process streaming data across any combination of Apache Kafka-based streaming platforms, from a single interface. https://lenses.io/

Most banks, including potentially yours, are falling into a dangerous trap. They're announcing AI initiatives, holding innovation showcases, and talking about digital transformation, but when it comes to measurable business results, 70% have nothing to show for their investment. The winners, like JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, and a few others, aren't just lucky. They've decoded a specific approach to talent, execution, and measurement that lets them turn AI investments into strategic advantages. Meanwhile, most are wasting budgets with little to show for it beyond PowerPoint slides. Today on the Banking Transformed podcast, we're joined by Alexandra Mousavizadeh, CEO of Evident, who has just released the most comprehensive analysis of AI outcomes in banking. Her team tracked 173 AI use cases across 50 major banks, and the data reveals a stark divide emerging in our industry. Alexandra will reveal which banks are already using AI to steal retail customers, how they're measuring real ROI, and most importantly, what retail banking leaders need to do differently in the next 12 months to avoid being left behind. If you're responsible for retail banking strategy, customer acquisition, or digital transformation, the next 30 minutes could determine whether your bank thrives or merely survives the AI revolution.

In this episode of Banking Transformed, John Stuckey from FIS shares insights on the evolving landscape of digital business banking and the strategies financial institutions need to adopt for future growth. The discussion examines how market needs have evolved for business banking clients, the effect of Customer 360 perspectives, the increasing influence of open banking on business financial relationships, and the ways AI is transforming competitive dynamics. John also delves into the competitive dynamics between fintechs and traditional banks, and how banks must evolve their digital solutions to meet changing market demands.

Silent attrition may be the biggest threat most banks aren’t talking about — and the stakes are rising fast. The 2025 Generational Trends in Digital Banking study reveals that only 56% of digital banking consumers expect to maintain their current relationship over the next year, while the rest are quietly drifting toward stagnation or disengagement. This continuous erosion of loyalty comes just as the U.S. faces one of the largest intergenerational wealth transfers in history. Thirty-seven percent of Americans expect an inheritance in the next two decades, but if banks can’t hold on to younger, digital-first customers now, those assets — and the loyalty — will walk out the door. Joining me today on the Banking Transformed podcast are two powerhouse experts – Jason Dorsey, President of The Center for Generational Kinetics, and Allison Cerra, Chief Marketing Officer at Alkami Technologies. They will unpack the findings from the 2025 Generational Trends in Digital Banking Study and share what banks must do now to stop the quiet exodus before it’s too late. Remember, silent attrition doesn’t announce itself — it’s a quiet leak of loyalty, share of wallet, and future opportunity that can be devastating if ignored. This Episode of Banking Transformed is Sponsored by Alkami Alkami Technology, Inc. is a leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions in the United States that enables clients to grow confidently, adapt quickly, and build thriving digital communities. Alkami helps clients transform through retail and business banking, digital account opening, payment security, and data analytics and marketing solutions. To learn more, visit www.alkami.com.