Agendas that Drive the Future of Financial Services

Celebrate the start of the conference in the Sun Garden at the Hilton Orlando. With fountain views, a warm atmosphere, and room to mingle, it’s the perfect setting for an intimate yet lively evening of networking, dining, and connection.

Indulge in a delightful breakfast while nurturing valuable connections with fellow attendees. Engage in meaningful conversations and network with like-minded professionals on The Floor.

Cetin Duransoy, U.S. CEO of Revolut, leads the American expansion of one of the world’s fastest-growing fintechs—a company that has redefined digital banking for 75 million customers globally. As Revolut accelerates its U.S. growth following regulatory approvals and strategic partnerships, Duransoy brings a unique perspective on how global fintech challengers compete against entrenched banking infrastructure.

In this keynote, Duransoy discusses what it takes to build digital-first banking at global scale, why the U.S. market presents both opportunity and complexity for fintech disruptors, and how traditional banks and fintechs are converging toward similar models despite starting from opposite ends. From product innovation and customer acquisition to navigating regulatory requirements across jurisdictions, he explores the strategic decisions that separate sustainable fintech growth from hype-driven expansion.

As financial services become increasingly integrated and instantaneous, institutions must navigate a complex landscape of emerging risks that challenge traditional defense mechanisms. Experts will discuss the strategic balance between providing a seamless, high-speed user experience and maintaining robust protections against sophisticated global cybersecurity and AI-enabled fraud threats. The conversation will focus on the shift toward proactive risk management, the impact of new regulatory frameworks on digital resilience, and the collaborative, cross-channel strategies required to safeguard the integrity of the financial system in an era of constant technological change.

Fuel up on insightful dialogue and connect with fellow professionals who share your drive during this networking break.

The U.S. digital banking landscape in 2026 is undergoing a profound transformation as regulators shift toward a more innovation-friendly and deregulatory stance, moving away from previous cycles of caution and restriction toward a mandate for technological integration. Experts will discuss the “regulatory sea change” under the current administration, including the rescinding of restrictive crypto guidance and the push for standardized licensing for digital asset service providers.

The panel will also consider the maturation of AI-driven lending regulations, meeting enhanced cybersecurity mandates for real-time payment systems, and managing the evolving balance of power as state regulators increasingly step into consumer oversight roles. This discussion will provide attendees with actionable insights on how these 2026 shifts redefine compliance from a cost center into a strategic driver of operational stability and competitive advantage.

Fraud has evolved into a cross-rail, cross-channel problem while most bank fraud programs remain organized around individual payment types. This new survey of financial institutions explores why by-rail fraud management is increasingly ineffective, how criminals exploit speed and organizational fragmentation, and how these dynamics contribute to both fraud losses and unnecessary customer friction. The research identifies the data, technology, governance, and operating model changes banks are making, or need to make, to detect fraud earlier, respond in real time, and deliver more secure, frictionless customer experiences.

Immerse yourself in a delicious lunch, discover cutting-edge tech solutions, and engage in valuable networking opportunities with like-minded attendees.

Cross-border payments have been banking’s most profitable inefficiency—generating billions for banks precisely because they’re slow, expensive, and opaque: taking days, costing 6-7% in fees, with zero customer visibility. That’s ending. Real-time networks are connecting across countries, stablecoins are bypassing traditional banking, and new standards are forcing transparency. Banks moving $150 trillion annually face fintechs offering instant settlement at a fraction of the cost. Yet compliance remains complex at real-time speeds. This session examines how instant cross-border payments work, where stablecoins fit, how to maintain compliance at settlement speed, and whether traditional correspondent banking survives.

The regulatory ground is shifting beneath the fintech industry. The CFPB’s landmark 1033 open banking rule—finalized in October 2024—is now under reconsideration by new agency leadership, with enforcement enjoined and compliance timelines uncertain. Meanwhile, fintech-bank partnerships face heightened scrutiny following high-profile failures, and embedded finance providers navigate a patchwork of state licensing requirements that vary wildly by product and jurisdiction. This panel brings together fintech policy advocates and regulatory practitioners to examine the most pressing questions: Will open banking regulation survive in recognizable form? How should institutions prepare when the rules keep changing? And where can industry advocacy shape outcomes that balance innovation with consumer protection?

As AI becomes embedded in payments, risk, compliance, and digital asset infrastructure, banks face a new question of control: where decision-making ends and autonomy begins. This panel examines how AI and agentic systems are reshaping execution, oversight, and accountability—and what bank leaders must do to retain control while moving at machine speed.

The critical role of leadership in dismantling the traditional silos between product innovation and risk compliance to transform potential friction into a competitive advantage has never been more important. By shifting the organizational narrative from “compliance as a gatekeeper” to “risk as a design parameter,” forward-thinking leaders can foster a culture where regulatory requirements are integrated into the earliest stages of the digital product lifecycle rather than treated as a post-development bottleneck. Experts will discuss actionable strategies for aligning cross-functional incentives, implementing unified workflow models to increase transparency, and cultivating a shared language of “sustainable speed” that empowers teams to innovate aggressively without compromising safety or trust.

In 2026, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) has evolved into a roughly $30 billion market defined by “invisible banking,” where financial services function as modular “bricks” embedded in every digital journey. This panel explores the next frontier of BaaS, focusing on the shift toward open finance, the rise of autonomous agentic money, and the integration of stablecoin rails for real-time settlements. Industry leaders will discuss how leveraging cloud-native cores and agentic AI allows firms to move beyond legacy constraints to deliver a hyper-personalized, 24/7 financial ecosystem.

Banks have no shortage of fintech pilots, proofs of concept, and innovation labs—but far fewer examples of scaled success. This discussion focuses on why fintech initiatives stall after experimentation, what operating and governance models enable scale, and how executives can align innovation investment with measurable business outcomes.

As digital becomes the primary channel, personalization is no longer a differentiator—it’s the baseline expectation. This panel explores how leading banks are deploying agentic AI that doesn’t just respond to customer needs but anticipates them before they arise. Panelists will discuss the technical infrastructure, organizational changes, and privacy frameworks needed to deliver hyperpersonalization at scale—while preparing for a future where intelligent agents negotiate on behalf of both customers and institutions.

Immerse yourself in an engaging series of technology-focused presentations, unveiling an array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to enhance your workflows.

Automation isn’t autonomy. Agentic AI systems reason across domains, plan workflows, and execute decisions autonomously—a shift from scripted tasks. This session explores autonomous AI applications including loan processing, payments, customer service, and treasury operations. Panelists share how they’re building AI agent “fleets,” infrastructure across legacy systems, and governance for independent AI. Learn what separates proof-of-concept from production and why the limiting factor isn’t the models—it’s the discipline to trust them at scale.

Loosening regulatory expectations are increasing just as banks are being pushed to innovate faster. This panel examines how bank leaders can pursue digital finance transformation while maintaining regulatory credibility, auditability, and consumer protection—turning compliance into an enabler of innovation rather than a constraint in a market undergoing radical transformation.

Banks scaling AI successfully aren’t replacing people—they’re creating teams where humans and machines collaborate on tasks neither could do alone. But this requires fundamentally rethinking roles, skills, and decision making. This session examines the human side of AI transformation—reskilling strategies that prepare employees for AI-augmented roles (not just “learning to code”), identifying which decisions require human judgment versus machine execution, building cultures where employees embrace AI as a tool rather than a threat, and redesigning workflows so relationship managers spend less time gathering data and more time providing judgment. Learn why 30% of banks cite workforce capability—not technology—as their primary AI barrier, and how leaders are solving it.

Customers expect consistency across mobile apps, web platforms, voice banking, call centers, and branches—yet most banks still operate in silos where context is lost and journeys restart with each channel switch. This session examines how to build truly omnichannel experiences through real-time context sharing, voice and gesture-based interfaces, and the technical architecture needed to make every interaction feel unified. Panelists will explore the organizational alignment, design systems, and inclusive accessibility strategies required to deliver seamless experiences at scale.

With tokenized deposits, stablecoins and on-chain settlement gaining momentum, bank executives must recognize that these developments represent a foundational shift in the industry and decide where best they can play a crucial role in the on-chain ecosystem. Panelists will discuss where on-chain finance creates real strategic advantage, how it integrates with existing balance sheets and regulatory frameworks that are changing, and what banks should—and should not—be investing in now.

Immerse yourself in an engaging series of technology-focused presentations, unveiling an array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to enhance your workflows.

Indulge in a delightful breakfast while nurturing valuable connections with fellow attendees. Engage in meaningful conversations and network with like-minded professionals on The Floor.

AI capability doubles every 100 days. Data quality doesn’t. While banks race to deploy new models, they’re discovering the real bottleneck isn’t computing power or algorithms—it’s fragmented, low-quality data trapped in legacy systems. In this session, panelists tackle the unglamorous but critical foundation layer as they explore building centralized data platforms that work across silos, implement data lineage governance that satisfies both AI teams and auditors, and protect against “AI debt”—the compounding cost of models built on poorly documented, unverified data. Learn why nearly half of all banks cite data quality as their number one AI obstacle and the importance of treating information assets like the strategic resources they are.

With embedded finance projected to reach $7 trillion globally by 2030, the question is no longer whether to collaborate but how to do it profitably and at scale. Leading banks are moving beyond pilot programs to industrialized partnership platforms—white-label BaaS, API marketplaces, and co-innovation labs generating measurable revenue. Yet 40% of bank-fintech partnerships fail to operationalize due to poor alignment, scalability issues, and unclear governance frameworks. This session examines how to structure compliant partnerships that enable speed, navigate revenue-sharing models, and build infrastructure supporting dozens of fintech integrations simultaneously—transforming from “protect the franchise” to “expand the ecosystem” strategies.

With 80% of fraud incidents originating in digital channels, robust security and privacy measures are not optional—but bad design can turn even the most effective measures into a point of friction. This panel examines how leading banks are treating trust as a competitive differentiator, how biometric authentication and behavioral analytics can enhance both security and user experience, communicate threats without causing panic, and balance data-sharing with customer control.

Digital finance strategies are still too often organized around products and rails rather than customer behavior and intent. This session explores how fraud, payments, identity, and digital assets are converging—and why banks must shift toward customer-centric architectures and intelligence models to compete, protect trust, and manage risk in real time.

Artificial intelligence has shattered the economics of cybercrime. Attackers no longer choose between unsophisticated mass attacks or expensive targeted campaigns—AI enables sophisticated, personalized attacks at industrial scale. Deepfake authentication, adaptive phishing, and malware that learns from defenses are now deployed against thousands of targets simultaneously.

Regional banks and credit unions face asymmetric warfare: attackers using cutting-edge AI while defenders operate with limited budgets, legacy infrastructure, and small security teams. This panel examines how AI-powered threats are evolving, why smaller institutions are increasingly attractive targets despite lower volumes, and what realistic defense strategies look like. From behavioral biometrics to threat intelligence sharing, panelists discuss surviving the AI arms race when you can’t outspend the threat.

After starting their AI journeys deploying a handful of models, many banks now have hundreds—sometimes thousands. Each business unit—credit scores, fraud detection, customer churn, pricing, compliance, etc. etc.— builds its own models. And each vendor brings embedded AI. Effective portfolio management means knowing what’s running, where and on what data so you don’t drown in operational overhead or accumulate catastrophic risk. Panelists discuss building centralized model registries that actually get used, implementing continuous monitoring to catch drift before it causes failures, the risk of vendors embedding AI you can’t audit, and why “shadow AI”—models built outside official channels—represents both your biggest risk and best source of innovation, and how to govern it without killing it.

Immerse yourself in an engaging series of technology-focused presentations, unveiling an array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to enhance your workflows.

Every click away from your platform is a conversion risk. Buy-now-pay-later proved that embedded finance isn’t just convenience—it’s a revenue driver. Platforms offering seamless, embedded financial products see higher average order values, increased conversion rates, and stronger customer loyalty. This session examines how leading platforms turn embedded finance into competitive advantage: which financial products drive the most revenue, designing experiences that feel native rather than bolted-on, understanding the unit economics, and when to partner with fintech providers versus building in-house. The future belongs to platforms that never make customers leave.

Open banking was sold on a promise: APIs would unlock innovation, data sharing would empower consumers, and banks would discover new revenue streams. Five years in, the results are mixed. The institutions winning in open banking identify specific customer pain points first, then reverse-engineer the technology and partnerships to solve them profitably. Panelists will share how customer-first open banking strategies generate measurable returns through reduced acquisition costs, improved retention, strategic partnerships that expand market reach, and digital architectures built for long-term profitability.

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.

Banks have moved past “What is generative AI?” to “How do we use it safely at scale?” GenAI can fabricate information and expose proprietary data, yet properly deployed it delivers 30-40% faster code development and automated document analysis. This session examines the difference between agentic AI (which takes action) and generative AI (which creates content), explores where GenAI delivers measurable value versus unacceptable risk, and provides frameworks for prompt engineering, output validation, and human oversight that make production deployment possible without compromising accuracy or compliance.

Authorized Push Payment fraud—where criminals manipulate victims into willingly sending money—cost Americans over $8 billion in 2024. Unlike traditional fraud, customers authorize these transfers, creating a liability gray zone. The UK now mandates reimbursement for fraud victims (up to £85,000), and U.S. regulators are watching closely. Banks face a three-part challenge: detecting social engineering in real-time without blocking legitimate payments, determining liability when customers override warnings, and balancing protection with personal responsibility. This session examines behavioral analytics, friction-based interventions, effective customer education, and evolving liability frameworks.

Banks have spent years piloting digital finance initiatives—from tokenization and real-time payments to AI-driven operations—but few have successfully scaled them across the enterprise. This discussion explores what separates experimentation from execution, including governance models, technology architecture, talent, and capital allocation decisions that enable sustainable innovation without introducing unacceptable risk.

Immerse yourself in an engaging series of technology-focused presentations, unveiling an array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to enhance your workflows.

Immerse yourself in a delicious lunch, discover cutting-edge tech solutions, and engage in valuable networking opportunities with like-minded attendees.

Sathish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Data and Digital Officer at Ally Financial, led the nation’s largest all-digital bank from mainframes to modern cloud architecture while deploying enterprise AI at scale. He spearheaded development of Ally.ai, a proprietary platform now empowering 10,000+ employees.

In this keynote, Muthukrishnan shares lessons on scaling AI at the enterprise level, including exploring agentic AI within banking governance, ensuring responsible AI frameworks, the critical importance of company-wide change management, and why keeping humans at the center unlocks AI’s true potential. From handling 5 million customer calls with AI-powered summarization to building governance structures that enable innovation while managing risk, he explores how banks can move from pilots to production—and why transformation succeeds only when the entire organization embraces change.

Banks have moved past “What is AI?” to “How do we deploy it safely at scale?” This session examines the operational realities of taking AI from proof-of-concept to production: building governance frameworks that enable speed rather than blocking it, implementing agentic systems that operate with increasing autonomy, managing the organizational change required when AI moves from tool to teammate, and measuring ROI in ways that satisfy both CFOs and boards. Leaders discuss what separates successful enterprise AI deployment from experimental projects that never reach customers.

Fuel up on insightful dialogue and connect with fellow professionals who share your drive during this networking break.

Between 2026 and 2030, banking will be re-architected at its core. Artificial intelligence will move from decision support to autonomous execution. Financial activity will increasingly occur on-chain. Banking services will be embedded into non-bank platforms. Cyber risk and fraud will redefine digital trust. And regulation will be rewritten for a world of real-time, programmable finance.

This super-panel brings together executive leaders to examine the five forces that will define competitive advantage over the next five years—and to debate what incumbents must change now to remain relevant. The discussion will focus not on experimentation, but on strategic choices, operating model shifts, and leadership decisions that will shape the future of banking, including a deep dive into the following:

• Agentic AI becomes core banking infrastructure.
• On-chain finance moves from edge case to systemic relevance.
• Open finance becomes embedded finance.
• Digital trust, cybersecurity, and fraud converge.
• Regulation rewrites the rules of innovation.