Banking Transformed with Jim Marous

The best banking innovation isn't about budget. It's about the distance to the customer.Jim Marous unpacks the 16th Edition Innovation in Retail Banking Report from Infosys Finacle and Qorus and explains why most retail banking innovation never reaches scale. Only 31% of initiatives are deployed at scale and delivering, and fewer than 4% of banks have agentic AI running at full scale. The innovations that win share one trait. They become invisible, embedded so naturally into how customers get paid and save that no one even notices the technology. That advantage comes from proximity to the customer moment, not spending power, which is why community banks and credit unions can out-innovate institutions many times their size.Banking Transformed is hosted by Jim Marous, Co-Publisher of The Financial Brand and Owner and Publisher of the Digital Banking Report, with new episodes published multiple times weekly.

Most banks know far more about their customers than the customer ever feels. In this Banking Insight Video, I look at why relationship banking often feels programmed, from the quarterly business banker check-in that goes to voicemail to the small human moments customers actually remember.Using examples from Ritz-Carlton, Delta, Nordstrom, Disney and TD Bank’s Automated Treat Machine, this episode explores what banks can learn from companies that make ordinary interactions feel personal. The point is not to copy those examples. It is to rethink how banks use customer data, technology, frontline judgment and employee empowerment to make customer experience feel more human.For bank executives, retail banking leaders, marketers, digital teams and frontline managers, this is a practical conversation about relationship management, personalization, customer loyalty, surprise and delight, and the human moments banks keep missing.

Traditional financial institutions often view the credit-underserved market as a liability. In this episode of Banking Transformed, Michael Coleman, CMO of Credit One Bank, joins me to demonstrate how that mindset is shifting. We explore the actionable strategies banks can use to reach millions of underserved households by moving from fear-based risk avoidance to purposeful risk management.We break down the pathway to inclusion:• Targeted Outreach: How to leverage pre-approved offers and data-driven insights to lower barriers to entry for millions.• Empowering Through Education: Why proactive, digital-first credit education turns potential risks into loyal, long-term card members.• Transparency as a Tool: Using clear fee structures and open communication to build trust with populations that have been historically excluded. Download the full Digital Banking Report, The Ultimate Subscription: Fees That Unlock the System for Millions, at DigitalBankingReport.com. This episode is sponsored by Credit One Bank #BankingTransformed #FinancialInclusion #CreditOneBank #Fintech #RetailBanking #ConsumerFinance

Most banks still treat AI as a faster way to do the same work. Citibank believes the entire operating model of banking is about to change. Recorded live at the Financial Brand Forum, Driss Temsamani, Head of Digital at Citi and author of The Agentic Bank, explains why the next phase of AI is not about chatbots or isolated use cases. It is about rebuilding how banks deploy software, organize teams, serve customers, manage operations, and create decisions at scale. We discuss why software development costs are collapsing, why subject matter expertise becomes more valuable in an AI-driven organization, how agentic systems could reshape customer engagement, and why technologies like blockchain may become foundational to the future of financial services infrastructure. This conversation goes well beyond automation. It looks at what banking may become once intelligence is embedded into every part of the organization. Hosted by Jim Marous, Co-Publisher of The Financial Brand and Owner and Publisher of the Digital Banking Report. #Banking #AI #AgenticAI #DigitalBanking #BankingTransformed #Citi #Fintech #CustomerExperience

Most banks still treat AI as a chatbot or efficiency tool. Bank of America built something much bigger. In this live conversation from the Financial Brand Forum, Jorge Camargo, Head of Digital Platforms at Bank of America, explains how Erica evolved from a simple virtual assistant into infrastructure supporting 65 million clients across consumer banking, wealth management, and treasury services. Today, Erica is becoming the foundation for how Bank of America approaches agentic banking. We discuss what 3.2 billion customer conversations revealed about consumer behavior, why proactive engagement matters more than reactive service, and how Bank of America is moving from AI as a destination to AI embedded throughout the customer experience. Hosted by Jim Marous, Co-Publisher of The Financial Brand and Owner and Publisher of the Digital Banking Report. Subscribe to Banking Transformed for new episodes multiple times each week. #Banking #AI #AgenticAI #DigitalBanking #BankingTransformed #BankofAmerica #CustomerExperience #Fintech

Most banks think they have an attrition problem under control because the closure numbers still look healthy. But customers are not leaving the way they used to. They are opening accounts at Chime, SoFi, Robinhood, Cash App, and Acorns while keeping their old bank relationship open. The direct deposit stays, and the account stays active, and even the dashboard says everything is fine. Meanwhile, more spending, more engagement, and more deposits quietly move somewhere else. In this episode, I break down what I call “silent attrition” and why the first outbound transfer matters more than the eventual account closure. Using data from J.D. Power, Cornerstone Advisors, Accenture, and a real-world engagement with a $10 billion institution, I explain why traditional retention metrics no longer reflect customer reality, how challenger brands are winning share of wallet without triggering alarms, and what banks can do right now to identify customers who are already halfway out the door. Because by the time the account closes, the relationship has usually been gone for years. #Banking #DigitalBanking #Fintech #CX #AI #CustomerRetention #attrition #BankTransformation