Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer
Customers Bank
Carlos Coto is Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Customers Bank, bringing over 20 years of experience across retail banking, commercial banking, payments, and management consulting. A rare blend of strategist and operator, he has held leadership roles at HSBC, Bank Leumi USA, American Express Global Corporate Payments, and top-tier consulting firms L.E.K. Consulting and Strategy&.
Coto leads Customers Bank's AI and automation efforts, having built the bank's governance framework, structured partnerships with leading AI companies, and developed its multi-year AI strategy. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA in Finance from Baruch College. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.
After years spent proving AI could cut costs, banks are now asking whether AI can grow revenue. Leading institutions have shifted their AI investment thesis from defensive efficiency to offensive growth as financial media networks turn checking accounts into ad-supported assets, predictive engines drive lifts in non-interest income and AI-powered embedded finance creates entirely new revenue streams. This session looks at the business case for revenue-focused AI, measuring top-line impact beyond vague “customer satisfaction” metrics, and navigating organizational resistance when AI disrupts established revenue models. Learn why the banks winning on AI aren’t always the ones with the best models—they’re the ones who figured out how to charge for them.