Episodes

  • The SoFi Cross-Buy Engine Fuels Amazing Growth

    The SoFi Cross-Buy Engine Fuels Amazing Growth
    Jun 27 2026
    SoFi is not winning by cross-selling harder. It is building a bank where members reach for the next product on their own.In this episode, Jim Marous breaks down how SoFi moved from a single-product student loan company to a full-service digital bank with a powerful customer growth engine. The key insight is the shift from cross-sell to cross-buy: instead of pushing another product, SoFi creates daily engagement, useful experiences, and timely options that make members want to expand the relationship.The discussion explores SoFi’s 43% product growth from existing customers, its national bank charter, its use of Galileo and Technisys, and the behavioral design principles behind its member experience. For banks and credit unions, the challenge is clear: the future of growth may depend less on selling harder and more on being useful when customers are ready to act.A must-listen for leaders focused on digital banking, customer engagement, fintech strategy, and relationship growth.
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    10 mins
  • The Best Banking Innovation Doesn't Need a Huge Budget

    The Best Banking Innovation Doesn't Need a Huge Budget
    Jun 24 2026
    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.
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    9 mins
  • Arming Front-Line Bankers with AI Tools That Win Clients

    Arming Front-Line Bankers with AI Tools That Win Clients
    Jun 23 2026
    The relationship managers who resisted AI the hardest became its biggest advocates the first time it made them a hero in front of a client.Recorded live at nSight in Charlotte, Jim Marous talks with Jillian Boyle, SVP at WaFd Bank, and Will Jung, CTO of nCino, about arming front-line bankers rather than automating them. WaFd, with nearly $30 billion in assets, put an app in its bankers’ hands and gave them back the time they used to lose to administrative work. Boyle is direct that the technology was never the obstacle. The people were.In this episode:• Why WaFd gave its bankers AI tools and data instead of trying to replace them• The moment skeptical bankers flip from resistance to adoption• Why every banking problem does not need a large language modelRecorded at nSight, sponsored by nCino, with research access linked below. Banking Transformed, hosted by Jim Marous, publishes multiple times each week. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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    36 mins
  • Why Banks Miss Human Customer Moments

    Why Banks Miss Human Customer Moments
    Jun 20 2026
    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.
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    8 mins
  • How to Earn Attention in an Age of Distraction

    How to Earn Attention in an Age of Distraction
    Jun 17 2026
    "The banking industry spends billions competing for deposits, loans, and new accounts. But what if the real competition starts much earlier? In this episode of Banking Insights, Jim Marous explores why attention has become one of the most valuable assets in banking and why many financial institutions are losing the battle without realizing it. Using the FIFA World Cup as a lens, Jim examines how organizations earn attention, why visibility is not the same as relevance, and what banks and credit unions can learn from brands that consistently stay top of mind. You'll discover: • Why customer attention is the leading indicator of future growth • How silent attrition often begins long before balances leave • Why AI search, digital engagement, and financial insights are changing the rules of competition • How institutions can earn attention without increasing marketing budgets • Practical strategies to become more relevant in the moments that matter most Before customers give you their money, they give you their attention. The institutions that understand that difference will be positioned to win the next decade. #Banking #DigitalBanking #CustomerExperience #Marketing #FinancialServices #BankingTransformation #RetailBanking #CreditUnions #AI #BankingInsights"
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    9 mins
  • Reaching the Underserved: Strategies to Scale Financial Inclusion

    Reaching the Underserved: Strategies to Scale Financial Inclusion
    Jun 16 2026
    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
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    35 mins
  • How Digital Leaders Grow Revenues 5X Faster

    How Digital Leaders Grow Revenues 5X Faster
    Jun 15 2026
    Only 13% of banks and credit unions are operating at the highest level of digital maturity. They are growing revenues at 5X the rate of their less mature peers, and they are not the largest institutions.In this episode of Banking Transformed, Jim Marous draws on new research from Alkami and the Emerald Research Group to explain what digital maturity actually means today, why it no longer correlates with asset size, and the three factors separating the institutions pulling away from everyone else. He walks through the four-segment maturity model, the cost of standing still in the AI era, and what every banking executive should do Monday morning, with a closer look at one community bank that committed early and what its experience tells the rest of the industry.Take the Digital Maturity Model and Assessment Tool. Download the full research report.Banking Transformed publishes multiple times weekly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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    10 mins
  • Unlocking Credit Access for Millions

    Unlocking Credit Access for Millions
    Jun 10 2026
    Sixty-five million Americans cannot fully participate in the economy that most people take for granted. For many, the issue is not irresponsibility. It is a medical crisis, divorce, job loss, thin credit file, or temporary setback that pushed them outside the traditional credit system. In this Banking Insights episode, I examine why more banks and credit unions are retreating from consumers with credit scores below 670, even as the need for responsible credit access continues to grow. Based on Digital Banking Report research, this episode challenges industry assumptions about risk, regulation, fees, and financial inclusion. The opportunity is not simply to approve more applications. It is to build a better credit model around access, education, and financial momentum, where consumers are given the tools, transparency, and a clear path to improve their financial future. I also share the story of Taeisha Jamison, whose credit score improved by more than 150 points after gaining access to a product that combined responsible credit, embedded education, and a clear path forward. Her story shows what happens when financial inclusion moves beyond messaging and becomes a working business model. In this episode: - The data behind the retreat from lower-score borrowers. - How fees can fund responsible access. - Why education without access, or access without education, falls short. - How banks can create financial momentum through smarter product design, alternative data, behavioral tools, and transparency. Download the full Digital Banking Report, The Ultimate Subscription: Fees That Unlock the System for Millions, at DigitalBankingReport.com. This Banking Insights episode is sponsored by Credit One Bank. #BankingInsights #CreditAccess #FinancialInclusion #FinancialHealth #CreditOneBank #BankingTransformed
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    11 mins