Bankadelic: The colorful side of finance

For generations, financial institutions relied on a system of paperwork to make credit decisions. Then as digital technology became commonplace, the process moved into the digital age—but with the explosion of machine learning and AI, also much more is possible. On this episode, Steve Bireley of Lokyata talks about how credit decisions can be improved based on data that’s continuously updated in r...

Businesses everywhere face the reality that talent competition is at an all-time high, with a smaller pool of applicants demanding better treatment. Yet if the pendulum swings back, as many predict it will, financial institutions can’t return to business as usual. Shane Smith, Founder and Recruiter at Bankerhire, talks about how successful FIs have adjusted to the new reality to leverage digital a...

Given their disparate silos of data and an inability to utilize and strategize it, financial institutions are leaving money on the table in all sorts of ways. This week on BankaDelic, Christopher Aliotta of Quantalytix talks about a new approach loan management software that his company has just unveiled. As a career banking professional with a background in coding, Alliota has worked to bridge th...

Financial institutions and businesses of all kinds can no longer count on a voice-activated system—or even live agents—as exclusive means to solve customer problems. Enter Glia’s Rick DeLisi, who has a new book out, “Co-Author of "Digital Customer Service: Transforming Customer Experience for an On-Screen World” (Wiley). In it, DeLisi makes a compelling case for a greater unity between the screen,...

Part two of the Qwoted interview series (hosted here on the Bankadelic page), where Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Matsarsky continues his account of life in the capital. Believe it or not, coffee shops are reopening as outclassed Russian troops founder on the outskirts of town.

While bank cards have been around for decades, the strategies to effectively differentiate them — and market them — have not kept up with the times. Kelly Payne, the Chief Marketing Officer at MOCA Financial, talks about the lessons financial institutions can put into play today, and how to move beyond the “mailbox money” mentality that has defined this category for too long. In assessing the situ...

I wanted to post another Bankadelic episode this week. But the events in Ukraine made it impossible for me to follow thorough. Instead, I'm posting the interview I did moments ago (in my capacity as Qwoted's Editor in Chief) with Yuriy Matsarsky, a Ukrainian journalist who has decided to go from covering the news to being part of it. He talks about what moved him to take up arms with his people, a...

Here’s the great news: Financial institutions are sitting on a goldmine of data. Now the bad: When it goes unused—as it too often does—it might as well be fool’s gold. Mickey Goldwasser, Vice President of Marketing and Chief of Staff at Payrailz, explains how data-driven insights can help businesses understand consumer behavior. In the end, it’s all about the positive psychology of helping people...

Dave Wallace and Dharmesh Mistry, two rockstars in London's fintech scene, have just celebrated the 50th episode of their podcast, Dave and Dharm Demystify, Bankadelic's sister show. To mark that milestone, the Two Ds check in to talk about a powerful triangle that will shape (and shake) banking in the years ahead: hyperpersonalization, decentralization and inclusion. Be sure to check out check ou...

Everyday is a lovely, lovin’ day at Bankadelic, but no more so than when Cupid comes out to shoot his arrows at the heart of what matters in banking and fintech 2022. Join us for this special episode as our five guests share their love for what’s making this a great year so far—and dish the tough love when it comes to things that need to change. Added bonus: Each panelist will talk about that firs...

Whether they struggle with providing seamless customer service a la e-commerce, or just need help tying together the disparate threads of their tech infrastructure, financial institutions have lacked a platform that makes it possible to step up their game on all digital-age fronts. Heang Chan, the CEO of Prelim, shares how his company has cracked the code (or if you prefer, low code/no code) to ma...

Credit unions have always offered personalized customer service—but is that enough to survive in an age of digital ascendancy and pandemic uncertainty? The fact is yes, credit unions can survive and thrive if they can balance the personal/digital equation, and work to attract a young demographic receptive to their value proposition and non-profit status. Randy Rosen, Vice President Benchmarking an...

A surfer dude. A mobster of questionable intellect. A psychedelic pole dancer. And a British executioner-turned-fintech lord from the 18th century. They have absolutely nothing to do with financial services, but all of them appeared in Bankadelic skits in the last half of 2021. It’s time, then, to ring in the Lou Year with a review that captures 15 of the greatest, lamest skits ever produced for a...

For the second straight holiday season, Bankadelic has assembled a cast of animated, effervescent and informed fintech/financial services leaders to pass the virtual eggnog, talk about the gifts of an incredible year, and share their enthusiasm for what they’re looking forward to in 2022. Disclaimer: Ebenezer Scrooge has not endorsed this podcast, not that we asked him. Second disclaimer: No holid...

Heading into 2022, the days of conventional call centers and impersonal service are numbered. In the next wave that will surprise and delight consumers, “digital customer service” leverages data and technology to create one-of-a-kind experiences where reps work alongside the people they serve as real-time problem solvers, even to the point of sharing screens. Rick DeLisi, lead analyst at Glia, tal...

Over decades of groundbreaking (and often backbreaking) work, Dr. Lynne Baldwin of BHMI and Randall Hardy of Pulse have established their leadership in taking payments into the digital age. Today, these two industry veterans recount some of the challenges they’ve faced and the values that drive their work. They also discuss what’s ahead in the payments landscape heading into 2022: an exciting time...

Pass the carving knife, the cranberry sauce and an extra heaping helping of what we’re thankful for in 2021—personally and professionally—while looking ahead to how we’ll build on the blessings in financial services. A superstar panel of five finance leaders will guide us on the pilgrimage .. and share memories of their oddest Thanksgiving vittles ever. Meet our dinner guests: Amy Berger, Vice Pre...

This finance-themed shopping ditty, commissioned for the WalletPop personal finance web page, became a hit soundtrack for a YouTube video shot in NYC. It's featured in Bankadelic's 2021 "Banksgiving" podcast. Music written, produced and performed by Lou Carlozo, with drums by Chuck Harling. (Photo: Daily Mail)

The COVD-19 pandemic and resulting the Great Resignation have taught us just how wrong our workplace assumptions were. Fact: In an overwhelming number of cases, people got more done at home, not less. And yet, some employers continue to operate in a pre-pandemic fog. They bog down employees in an avalanche of meetings, emails and menial tasks, to the detriment of productivity. Dr. Tommy Weir, the...

While none of us would think of carrying rotary phones in our pockets or trying to stream videos via box cameras, we still use the generations-old FICO score as the main way to evaluate credit worthiness. That leads to mistakes, oversights and the exclusion of otherwise deserving consumers. Pankaj Kulshreshtha, the Founder & CEO of Scienaptic AI, explains how “augmented intelligence” can close the...

In 2021, the financial services world saw a lot of tech jargon and goblin-de-gook, as well as Great Pumkins carrying lots of promising fintech goodies. In a conversation so engaging it's scary, Bankadelic hosts five financial all-stars to talk about the hype, the hope and all things tech that took center stage in 2021--whether they deserved to or not. Our guests: Paul Davis of Strategic Resource M...

Even with a financial services landscape competitive as ever, misperceptions about the fine points of customer experience and customer engagement refuse to go away. But knowing how they compare and contrast is essential to succeeding in business on every customer-facing level. On this episode of Bankadelic, Engageware CEO Bill Clark explores these fine distinctions, casting new light on the power...

Though “challenger bank” is a sexy, rebellious kind of label that many digital properties have adopted, that doesn’t mean the value propositions are new, revolutionary—or profitable. Arcady Lapiro, the CEO and Founder of Agora, explains how challenger banks really work, why they’re challenged to deliver something truly unique—and how financial institutions would do much better to target underserve...

Of all the neobanks created to serve a nice clientele, it’s safe today none approaches the originality of Nerve, the world's first created for musicians. The Austin, Texas-based bank, which launched last month, is out to bring financial harmony to the lives of players on the road, in the studio, at the turntable and writing their next hit. Fintech veteran and co-founder John Waupsh takes us throug...

While the COVID-19 pandemic saw many companies rush into cloud computing, not all of them studied the security ramifications of it all. As a result, financial services organizations have been left vulnerable as hackers and their malware lurk in the shadows. On this episode, Sean Martin of CSI Managed Services explains the crucial differences between public and private clouds, and what companies ne...