Agendas that Drive the Future of Financial Services
 
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Sunday, June 1, 2025
2:30 pm
Workshop Pre-Conference Executive Sessions
4 hr 15 min

Join us for an invitation-only half-day conference specifically tailored for high-level executives led by host. Session details to follow.

4:00 pm
DIGITAL BANKING Conference Registration Opens
2 hr
7:00 pm
Kick-Off Reception
2 hr
Sponsored by

Join us at the conference’s Bank of the Future kick-off reception, where innovation and iteration come together.

Get ready to accelerate your journey into digital banking’s next big phase while forging meaningful connections with industry pioneers, trailblazers and disruptors.

Start your immersive experience at the Bank of the Future kick-off reception. Let’s toast to innovation, connection and the exciting road ahead!

Monday, June 2, 2025
8:15 am
Registration and Networking Breakfast
45 min
9:05 am
Keynote Address  Why Every Bank Needs a Digital Asset Strategy
40 min

Nathan McCauley leads the only federally chartered digital asset bank—Anchorage Digital—and partners with other banks looking to crack into crypto. With regulatory progress and market momentum driving more institutions into the digital-asset ecosystem, McCauley unpacks why banks of all sizes need to develop comprehensive crypto strategies today to remain competitive as the crypto industry swiftly evolves. Drawing on insights from the latest in blockchain innovation—including tokenization, stablecoins, and wealth management solutions—McCauley outlines how banks can dive into digital asset technology to create new revenue streams while meeting client demand.

9:45 am
The Data-Driven Bank: How AI is Reshaping CX in Banking
45 min

American Banker surveyed banking leaders to understand the unfolding role that data and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have on the customer experience in banking. The research looks at the use cases banks are prioritizing and the impact on customer journeys. The session explores the research findings and the characteristics and best practices that define data-driven banks to better understand their overall readiness for AI adoption.

10:30 am
Networking Break
30 min
11:00 am
Fireside Chat  Interview with Raman Bhatia, Group CEO, Starling Bank
40 min

A candid conversation about the modern leadership opportunities and challenges of steering a high-profile neobank into its next chapter.

11:40 am
Fireside Chat  Interview with Brian Minick, Chief Technology and Information Security Officer, Fifth Third Bank
40 min

Gain strategic insights and practical tactics for optimizing your banking environment to effectively combat the threats posed by cyber risks and losses resulting from increasingly sophisticated attacks and fraud.

12:30 pm
Experience Floor Luncheon
1 hr 10 min

Indulge in a taste of tomorrow at the Bank of the Future Lunch, exclusively hosted on the Experience Hall floor during the DIGITAL BANKING Conference.

Innovation Lunch  Future-Proofing Finance: Partnerships as a Multiplier for Innovation and Scale
45 min
Sponsored by

Sustainable innovation in financial services isn’t about chasing the next big thing. It’s about building the kind of infrastructure and partnerships that consistently deliver leading next-generation consumer experiences. In this fireside chat, we explore how Fifth Third’s approach to digital transformation avoids fragmentation. Instead of launching standalone digital products, they’ve invested in a unified relationship banking model, one that seamlessly connects branch, digital, and contact center experiences. Their modernization efforts emphasize cloud-native, API-first architecture designed to boost agility, interoperability, and long-term flexibility. The conversation will also highlight how bank-fintech partnerships enhance their ability to meet evolving consumer expectations and engagement.

Innovation Lunch  Empowering Financial Wellness: Using Technology and Analytics for Effective Debt Consolidation
45 min
Sponsored by
1:40 pm
Customer Experience
The Power of Partnership: Truist Partnership with Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium
30 min

The benefits of a bank partnering with a sports team include increased visibility, community and business engagement, and expanded market reach. But it takes more than just slapping a team logo on the bank’s marketing materials. In this session, learn what it takes to build a purposeful partnership that drives awareness and impact in a meaningful way. Panelists will discuss how to create unique experiences for clients and customers, how to create synergy between both brands, and how to drive value together.

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
How Embedded Finance is Transforming the Office of the CFO
30 min

In this panel, fintech and banking leaders discuss how they’re partnering to build new products that redefine traditional CFO responsibilities and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. Panelists will explore how embedded finance is reshaping how CFOs manage financial operations, enabling greater visibility into cash flow and improved decision-making.

AI and Cloud Computing
Creating The Right Foundation and Architecture for AI
30 min

As financial institutions navigate complex regulatory requirements and prioritize data security, the right foundation and architecture ensures they can fully exploit AI technologies while safeguarding sensitive information. What are the enabling architectural principles of supply chain data? Join us to learn strategies for building an adaptive, intelligent banking ecosystem with generative AI at its heart. 

Cyber Risk and Fraud
Darkness Visible: Proactive Steps on How Banks Can Detect and Prevent Synthetic Identity Fraud
30 min

Synethic identity fraud, which is projected to cost banks $23 billion by 2030 (and more in operational and reputational costs), is on the rise, and it’s getting more complex with the use of general artificial intelligence and deepfakes by bad actors to carry out attacks. Fraudsters rely on automated tools to create and scale AI-generated fake identities and documents across multiple platforms, exploits gaps in identity verification systems, notably with digital accounts.


To prevent the orchestration of ID fraud, banks must work to shore up points of vulnerability and secure digital platforms to guard against data breaches that expose sensitive data that makes it easier for ID theft to occur. Industry practitioners and experts detail why proactive usage of AI and machine learning, strong identity verification, Know-Your-Customer technology-enabled document verification, and tokenization of customer data are required to combat a rising tide of ID fraud.

2:15 pm
Case Study  AI in Financial Crime Compliance: Balancing Innovation, Risk, and Real-World Impact
30 min

AI is transforming financial crime compliance, but where is it delivering real results today? While much of the industry’s focus has been on customer-facing AI, the biggest impact may be in streamlining compliance, reducing risk and improving decision-making behind the scenes. In this panel, industry participants share their insights into how AI is being used to enhance compliance workflows, improve risk assessment, reduce friction between clients and regulatory requirements, and increase collaboration between institutions and AI experts.

Cyber Risk and Fraud
New Fraud Trends: Live Audience Interactive Q&A with Fraud Experts
30 min

Hear the latest trends in fraud and new novel ways victims are being targeted. Explore the growing threat landscape and how AI tools are both helping and hindering fraud prevention efforts. Learn the risks associated with third-party software and actionable recommendations for managing these relationships.

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Best-in-Class Bank-Fintech Partnership – KeyBank and Qolo
30 min

Learn about this successful partnership offering that was critical to the success and development of Key Virtual Account Management (KeyVAM). Qolo’s next-generation infrastructure provides instant access to payments data, analytics, card and account generation, and money movement. What you’ll learn: The work that went into bringing it to life, the collaboration of the partners, the technology, and the measurable success based on impact and scalability.

2:45 pm
Networking Break in Bank of the Future
30 min
3:15 pm
AI and Cloud Computing
AI as a Driving Force At the Point of Payment
30 min

AI can guide consumers on what type of payment method to use at the point of purchase based on their credit history, debt, spending patterns, etc. Fintechs and banks are hoping that AI will help consumers establish better financial wellness by pointing them to make choices in how they pay for a purchase, whether via credit card, debit card, buy now, pay later, etc. But the landscape is competitive and banks must compete with fintechs who are moving faster.

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Social Commerce: The Influencers’ Profound Influence on Consumers and Digital Finance
30 min
Customer Experience
Case Study  Building Real Connections Through Digital Banking: Journey to Personalized Member Service
30 min
Sponsored by Personetics

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Fireside Chat  Jo Jagadish, Head of Digital Banking and U.S. Contact Centers, TD Bank
30 min

Discover how to accelerate customer empowerment while “rightsizing” your bank’s omnichannel customer experience through retail, digital, and contact centers. Explore strategies for guiding customers to leverage all touchpoints effectively, empowering them to navigate their banking needs confidently. Gain insights into the behind-the-scenes data and tools that support this transformation—connecting the dots to empower customers at every touchpoint—and bridge the gap to ensure customers experience a truly integrated banking journey.

3:50 pm
Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Fireside Chat  Interview with Alejandro Perez, Chief Administrative Officer, BNY
30 min

How Co-Locating Talent Across Tech, Operations, and Client-Facing Teams Accelerates Innovation and Responsiveness

By bringing together diverse skill sets and perspectives, how can companies foster a culture of collaboration and creativity, driving solutions that meet client needs? In this fireside chat, BNY’s Chief Administrative Officer Alejandro Perez will discuss the global bank’s strategy in co-locating talent in order to break down silos, increase knowledge sharing, reduce time-to-market for new products and services and deliver a world-class client experience.

Cyber Risk and Fraud
Cybersecurity and Fraud In An Age of Unprecedented Risks
30 min

Combating cyber risks and fraud in today’s digital banking environment, where threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and more vulnerabilities are being exploited, requires institutions to develop a multi-layered, iterative approach to cybersecurity that safeguards sensitive data, adheres to regulation, and proactively anticipates and mitigates risks. Learn from industry executives and cybersecurity experts on the evolving sophistication of cyber-attacks and what components of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy are most critical, including a robust cyber infrastructure, artificial intelligence-driven fraud detection systems, advanced authentication and access controls, cyber resilience and risk testing, and cyber incident response guidelines for distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, insider threats, phishing and social engineering, and more.

Customer Experience
The Modern Credit Union Experience: Delivering High-Touch Banking in the Digital Age
30 min

With digitization being a necessity to meet customer expectations, the financial industry needs to embrace their local and relationship building “roots.” Credit unions need to identify relevant strategies to bring the best of the in-person experience to digital channels. Credit union leaders discuss which aspects of physical banking interactions should be translated into digital experiences; how to prioritize and test UX for ease of use and accessibility; how to use data and transaction history to offer customers the right product at the right time; and when to implement self-service options versus those that require more in-depth discussion and support.

4:25 pm
Demos  Live Demos in Bank of the Future
1 hr
Sponsored by
5:35 pm
Experience Floor Reception
55 min

Wind down and network in style as the day’s excitement culminates in our exclusive Experience Hall cocktail reception. Join fellow attendees, speakers, and innovators for an evening of mingling and celebration. Savor delectable hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails as you reflect on the day’s insights, discoveries and key action items.

6:30 pm
Innovator of the Year Celebration
2 hr 30 min

American Banker’s annual Innovators of the Year lists pay tribute to the brightest minds in finance and technology. Honorees are recognized at a prestigious awards program.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025
8:00 am
Breakfast Briefing  CD Valet
45 min
Sponsored by
8:15 am
Registration and Networking Breakfast
45 min
9:00 am
Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
The Future of Bank-Fintech Partnerships: Innovation and Best Practices for Compliance
30 min

The tidal wave of fintech innovation that is transforming financial services shows no signs of retreating, as open banking, emerging technologies and customer expectations continue to evolve the industry at an accelerated pace. Bank-fintech partnerships have been instrumental in shaping the future of global digital finance, delivering seamless, mobile-first solutions, but operational risks and regulatory compliance must be managed and met by models that foster collaboration and ensure safety and soundness. Industry participants and experts weigh in on how these innovation-based partnerships are expanding access to banking services, optimizing the customer experience, speeding product development, and increasing operational efficiency—all with an eye on establishing clearer bank-fintech partnership guidelines to manage risks and compliance.

Customer Experience
Prioritizing a Mobile-First Strategy to Enhance the Customer’s Omnichannel Experience
30 min

Artificial intelligence is enhancing the customer experience across bank channels, creating personalized experiences, streamlining processes, improving security and increasing self-service capabilities. As banks’ mobile-first strategies evolve, customers are being empowered to make better informed financial decisions and engage with their institutions in more proactive, meaningful ways. From AI chatbots that provide instant customer support and basic financial guidance, to online portals and mobile apps that allow clients to access their accounts and execute transactions whenever they want, wherever they want, mobile-first banking is at the center of the customer experience. Learn how enhanced digital experiences, AI integration and increasingly personalized products and services are creating a seamless experience that meets customers’ radically changing expectations.

AI and Cloud Computing
Case Study  CDW
30 min
9:35 am
Cyber Risk and Fraud
A Modern-Day Playbook for AI-Driven Compliance and Risk Management
30 min

Perhaps nowhere is artificial intelligence more vital to digital banking than in identifying risks and ensuring compliance with regulations, while also increasing operational efficiency and futureproofing against known and unknown risks. If financial institutions want to develop a modern-day playbook for AI-driven compliance and risk management, then learn from these experts and practitioners on how to develop an integrated approach that will ensure a compliance framework that meets banks’ needs in a complex regulatory environment with greater efficiency.

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Case Study  The Future of Bank–Fintech Collaboration
30 min
Sponsored by

With BaaS under regulatory scrutiny, what’s next for bank–fintech partnerships? Ingo Payments CEO Drew Edwards moderates a candid conversation with leaders from KeyBank and Pathward to explore why banks still need fintechs, how to manage risk, and what successful collaboration looks like in today’s evolving service economy.

Customer Experience
Case Study  Innovating with Intention: Technology’s Role in Deepening Customer Relationships
30 min
Sponsored by

In an increasingly digital world, trust is built not just through products, but through seamless, secure, and thoughtful experiences. In this fireside chat, leaders from Citizens and Plaid will explore how financial institutions can leverage technology to meet evolving customer expectations while deepening relationships. Hear how Citizens approaches innovation with a customer-first mindset, and how collaboration can offer more intuitive, impactful digital experiences. This conversation will offer practical insights on using innovation as a tool for long-term retention and engagement.

Fighting Fire with Fire: Chief AI and Data Officers on How to Combat Escalating Levels and Types of Cybersecurity Threats and Fraud
30 min

Cyber risk-related fraud in financial services is increasing in frequency, sophistication and type of attack at an alarming rate, in part due to the increasing usage of artificial intelligence by bad actors.. By 2025, some experts predict that the costs from global cybercrime could reach $10.5 trillion annually.The good news: AI is being used by banks and financial institutions to fight fraud. The panel outlines a modern-day playbook for using AI to reduce fraud across channels.

10:05 am
Demos and Networking Break in Bank of the Future
1 hr
11:10 am
AI and Cloud Computing
Enhancing Business Outcomes with Generative AI: Driving Innovation in Data Analytics
30 min

Generative artificial intelligence is driving significant innovation in data analytics, which, in turn, is accelerating business outcomes and mitigating risk in banking and financial services. This expert panel will delve into the evolving use cases of GenAI within banking and provide a roadmap for success.

Customer Experience
Innovation at the Speed of Business: Transforming Banks into Digital-First, Customer-Centric Organizations
30 min

Banks’ customer relationships are becoming increasingly transactional. As a result, three-quarters of customers have a relationship with at least one other bank. With digital challengers and fintechs gaining ground, traditional banks need to strengthen their positions—fast. Learn what steps to take to engage customers through data-driven personalization that puts tailored experiences, advice, and products into their hands.

11:45 am
AI and Cloud Computing
Modeling the Risks and Returns of Generative AI
30 min

As banks experiment with use cases for generative AI, the anticipated return on investment in the technology must be balanced with mitigating the inherent risks introduced by large language models, from the potential for hallucinations and bias to proper privacy disclosures and adherence to regulatory compliance. Learn how banks are using GenAI in sales and marketing, customer service, operations, document analysis and workflow, and other areas while being mindful of the need to use the technology responsibly and ethically.

Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
The Role of Fintech in Modernizing Community Banks
30 min

Bank-fintech partnerships can enable community banks to leverage new technologies and compete with larger banks in offering innovative products and services. Learn about the different types of fintech partnerships–operational technology, customer oriented and front-end (BaaS)–and how to develop a playbook for community banks to gain a competitive edge over other banks and nonbanks.

Customer Experience
Capitalizing on the Hyper-Personalized Future of Financial Services
30 min

The urgency of personalization and customer experience over the next five years is being driven by customers that are demanding products and services tailored—in real time—to their individual needs and smoother, frictionless experiences across platforms and channels. The ability of banks to deliver on both will drive customer acquisition and growth. Artificial intelligence is playing a central role in banks’ ability to use data-driven insights to capitalize on the hyper-personalization of financial services, including predictive engagement for real-time CX. Yet the vast opportunities must be balanced with operational commitment and execution on privacy, trust and compliance concerns.

12:20 pm
Digital Finance, Fintech, and Crypto
Third-Party Risk Management
30 min

How to ensure that banks can operate safely and comply with regulations while still providing access to new technologies and services.  Learn how to manage third-party risk in open banking.

AI and Cloud Computing
The Risk and the Return of Generative AI
30 min

As banks experiment with use cases for generative AI, the anticipated return on investment in the technology must be balanced with mitigating the inherent risks introduced by large language models, from the potential for hallucinations and bias to proper privacy disclosures and adherence to regulatory compliance. Learn how banks are using GenAI in sales and marketing, customer service, operations, document analysis and workflow, and other areas while being mindful of the need to use the technology responsibly and ethically.

Customer Experience
Navigating the Regulatory Tension Between Digital and In-Person
30 min

While digital platforms provide efficient, tailored advice at scale, regulators often emphasize the importance of maintaining physical branches to ensure accessibility and equitable service. Join us to discuss how banks can bridge this regulatory divide, demonstrating the value of digital channels while addressing the concerns tied to reducing physical footprints.

Modeling the Risks and Returns of Generative AI
30 min

As banks experiment with use cases for generative AI, the anticipated return on investment in the technology must be balanced with mitigating the inherent risks introduced by large language models, from the potential for hallucinations and bias to proper privacy disclosures and adherence to regulatory compliance. Learn how banks are using GenAI in sales and marketing, customer service, operations, document analysis and workflow, and other areas while being mindful of the need to use the technology responsibly and ethically.

1:05 pm
Experience Floor Luncheon
55 min

Indulge in a taste of tomorrow at the Bank of the Future Lunch, exclusively hosted on the Experience Hall floor during the Digital Banking Conference.

2:00 pm
“Hot Takes”: A Robust, Lively Discussion on the Digital Finance Industry’s Most Controversial, Urgent and Regulatory Issues
45 min
2:45 pm
The Future of On-Chain Finance—With or Without TradFi
45 min

A super-panel of experts and industry players explores the coming wave of opportunities for banks and other traditional financial institutions—and competitive challenges if they resist—to participate in on-chain finance, offering custody solutions, issuing and managing stablecoins for cross-border payments and remittances, tokenization of traditional financial assets, etc. What’s at stake? TradFi as we know it—finally.

3:30 pm
Networking Break in Bank of the Future
30 min
4:00 pm
Why Embedded “Instant” Wage Access and Virtual Wallets Could Spark the Next Consumer Banking Revolution
45 min

Payroll and workforce management providers are embedding instant wage access and virtual wallets into their platforms to give employers the ability to provide employees with greater options as to when and how they get paid. Yet these embedded solutions suggest another emerging trend: That employees could soon also have access to more affordable consumer bank products and financial tax and health benefits through their employers’ payroll and workforce management platforms, particularly as younger workers look to “unbank” themselves.

4:45 pm
Keynote Address  Day 2
40 min
5:30 pm
Demo Awards & Experience Floor Reception
1 hr

Wind down and network in style as the day’s excitement culminates in our exclusive conference Experience Hall cocktail reception. Join fellow attendees, speakers and innovators for an evening of mingling, note swapping and potential deal making. Savor delectable hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails as you reflect on the day’s biggest insights and notable innovations.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025
8:30 am
Networking Breakfast
30 min
9:05 am
Agentic AI, the Creation of the Digital Labor Force and the Future of Digital Finance
35 min

Agentic artificial intelligence—AI systems capable of independent, adaptive decision-making and problem-solving in real time to achieve specific goals—is a significant step toward the creation of a digital labor force that can produce notable gains in efficiency, productivity, innovation and user experience, while enabling humans to shift their focus to more strategic, valuable roles and responsibilities. A robust panel will discuss how agentic AI will create a powerful digital labor force, where agentic AI systems can best be utilized in the financial services industry, what skills are required to manage large language model (LLM) agentic workflows, and what challenges need to be addressed—issues around transparency, privacy, security and computing resources—to scale enterprise-wide and fully deliver on its performance promise.

9:45 am
Frictionless Fraud: Best Practices for Delivering Secure Customer Experiences
45 min

In recent years, there has been a rapid acceleration in efforts to transform the customer experience in banking, making it easier for customers to open accounts, deposit money, make payments and verify information. At the same time, banks face increasing fraud risks, placing an emphasis to mitigate that risk at the center of any customer experience initiatives. In this session, American Banker research lead and industry panelists explore the best practices that banks and credit unions are adopting to manage and mitigate fraud risks, specifically looking at the tools and technologies used to verify and authenticate customer identity to ensure secure, low friction experiences across all channels.

10:30 am
Ask the Experts: What Does the Future of Digital Finance Look Like 5 Years Out?
45 min

As innovation accelerates, economic uncertainty grows and the regulatory environment seems fluid, this super-panel discussion with high-profile executives from across the digital finance landscape, including banks and financial institutions, fintechs, venture capitalists, and management consultants, takes the audience through five or so critical themes that will drive the future of digital finance over the next five years and the implications for players industry-wide. Themes to be explored include the dramatic rise of account-to-account (A2A) payments, social commerce and payments, the institutionalization of generative and agentic artificial intelligence, the mainstreaming of stablecoin payments and on-chain finance, the emergence of new models for Banking-as-a-Service and Payments-as-Service, and the impact of cyber risks on identity verification, privacy and compliance are among the top-of-mind trends.

11:20 am
Keynote Address  Closing Keynote
30 min