Automation

Whether it is a bank branch or an automated fast-food kiosk, talented and engaged employees will remain integral to future success.

The image of traditional custody banks is as stodgy as it gets, but some are using machine learning to help their clients and their own research teams glean insights from massive amounts of data.

Digital banking services should solve consumers' problems and offer them advice, and they must rely on artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology, bankers from TD, RBC and Bank of the West said.

The megabank is looking to robotics and machine learning to save time and money.

Rent is one of the few payment types where automation has made very little headway, still relying heavily on mailed checks that the landlord deposits in person at a bank. One strategy to change that is to borrow a concept from the gig economy, in which the payment rides along with other services.