Podcasts

Banks have devoted a lot of effort and investment to improve the efficiency of their operations, but costs have remained stubbornly stuck at levels that are far too high. Not only are costs too high, but the customer experience has suffered.

Democrats are disfavored in this year's midterm elections, but several factors are keeping races close. The outcome will affect the bank regulatory trajectory for at least the next two years.

Consumer Bankers Association president and CEO Richard Hunt is retiring from the organization this summer, and in a wide-ranging interview he offers his thoughts on the future of the banking industry, the direction of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and how banks can compete against less-regulated fintechs.

DJ DiDonna, founder of the Sabbatical Project, says the breaks help companies avoid staff burnout and recruit and retain high-performing employees. That may be why double the number of Best Fintechs to Work For offer sabbaticals this year.

Congress is expected to pass the SAFE Banking Act by year-end in one way or another. Bankers can learn a thing or two from others who have already taken the plunge. 

Ian Khan, futurist and author of the forthcoming book "Metaverse for Dummies," shares a vision of virtual workplaces where young developers, designers and other talented staffers will want to meet.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has isolated the nuclear power from much of the Western economy, worsening already fraught global supply chains and increasing uncertainty. But it can still get worse.

One reason: lack of digital IDs, say Mary Ellen Iskenderian of Women’s World Banking and Janet Truncale of EY.

The acquisition of the small-business lending marketplace Boefly and partnerships with the loan software company nCino and the construction lending fintech Built are among the efforts helping the New Jersey bank compete with fintechs that have gotten good at serving niche markets, says Frank Sorrentino, its CEO.

The bank was one of the 11 that collaborated with Google in 2020 on a plan to introduce checking accounts through Google Pay. Josh Williams, chief banking officer and head of partnerships at Seattle Bank, talks about what the company gained from that experience and what he looks for in potential fintech partnerships.