Allen Kopelman

expert panel

AI is changing what customers expect from their banks and challenging long-held assumptions about what loyalty really means. Members of the FinTech Think Tank explain why retention, product ownership and longevity are no longer enough—and how banks can use AI to deliver more relevant guidance, stronger service and greater trust.Customers now have more ways to find financial information, compare providers and manage their money, raising the stakes for banks competing to build lasting relationships. As technology gives them more choice and access to personalized financial guidance, traditional advantages such as familiarity, reputation and the inconvenience of switching may carry less weight than they once did.Members of the Senior Executive FinTech Think Tank bring experience across banking, payments, financial technology, investing and AI to this evolving challenge. Their perspectives point to a common imperative: Banks can use AI to make interactions faster and more personalized, but lasting customer relationships will depend on whether the technology delivers genuine value, earns trust and helps customers make better financial decisions.Recent industry research underscores the urgency. McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review 2025 reports that consumers have become more digital and less loyal as AI, aggregators and other intermediaries reshape how they choose financial providers. Banks therefore face a higher standard, with growing pressure to compete not simply on products, but on the value they provide throughout the customer relationship.

expert panel

Fintech is expanding financial inclusion by reducing barriers to access and making financial services more responsive to users' needs. Members of the Senior Executive FinTech Think Tank share how technology, AI and digital payments can reach underserved communities and build greater trust.Financial inclusion is moving beyond the question of whether consumers and businesses can open an account. Increasingly, the bigger question is whether financial products are affordable, understandable and designed around the people expected to use them.The opportunity remains significant. While account ownership has continued to rise globally, gaps persist among people facing barriers related to income, geography, digital access, financial literacy and other circumstances. Expanding access, therefore, requires more than putting traditional financial services online.Members of the Senior Executive FinTech Think Tank bring a practitioner perspective to this challenge, examining how payment technology, digital financial services and AI can expand access without creating new barriers. Their insights point to a common principle: Financial inclusion is not achieved simply by digitizing financial services. It requires designing those services so more people can understand, trust and use them.