The Banker Next Door

This is part 35 of the crypto series. Is a new Crypto Winter upon us? Bitcoin has witnessed its worst drop in three years, dropping to as low as 60,000. Some market analysts believe Bitcoin could drop as low as 40,000 before it stabilizes. Why is Bitcoin falling? It could be a combination of things. Profit taking, short selling, and the uncertainty around crypto legislation. We also consider crypt...

The number of stocks for people to invest in has been shrinking since the 1990s. However, a new market was risen for the ultrawealthy, wherein they can invest in private companies through invitation-only transactions. This is before a company goes through an initial public offering (IPO). Is this creating a two-tier system? This is happening at a time when the world’s billionaire population is sur...

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

As 401(k)s are creating a generation of ‘moderate millionaires,’ Wall Street is seeking to add new investment options. Some of these options include private assets, alternative assets, crypto, and annuities. Are these investments a good idea? Are these investment products safe for everyday consumers? It is concerning that some of these investments can be difficult to get out of and present higher...

Businesses continue to flee Democrat run cities such as San Jose, Chicago, and New York due to high taxes and regulation. The trend is now irrefutable. Companies continue to head into states such as Texas and Florida with lower taxes and less burdensome regulations. Democrat cities are all in a ‘doom loop’ as the politicians will continue to increase taxes and regulation driving out business, whic...

Polymarket and Kalshi have exploded onto the scene as ‘Prediction Markets’. These companies have found a way through a legal loophole to compete against DraftKings and FanDuel, two of the largest online gambling platforms. The popularity of Prediction Markets has caught the eye of Wall Street with companies such as Goldman Sachs and Susquehanna trying to figure out how they can trade on these new...

This is part 34 of the crypto series. In this episode we cover three stories related to the activities of Tether and Kontigo in Venezuela and Iran. We consider the duality of stablecoin in those situations. We also examine the recent price decline in Bitcoin. What is driving the price down? In other news: Strategy might be a little underwater, Fairshake has a lot of money to spend on crypto regula...

The worries on Wall Street about a Private Credit Market meltdown continue to build. BlackRock experiences another fund loss. First Brands founder Patrick James and his brother have been charged with fraud. Ford, GM and other big names in the auto industry step in to help First Brands. Higher scrutiny is being placed on Nondepository Financial Institutions (NDFIs) and Business Development Companie...

This video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on January 30, 2026. President Trump announced his pick for the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve as Kevin Warsh. What is Kevin's background? Is he a good pick? Will he get through the Senate confirmation hearing? Most importantly, will he deliver? 

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

Major deposit reforms are coming. There are currently three bills being considered in Congress and the Senate. They include The Keeping Deposits Local Act (H.R. 3234), The Main Street Depositor Protection Act (S. 2999), and The Community Bank Deposit Access Act (H.R. 5317). These three bills will change the way deposits are insured, transferred, and managed. This episode proposes five items that b...

Many financial institutions around the U.S. are already experimenting with Agentic AI. Some of the areas that are currently being worked on include fraud detection, security enhancements, efficiency, and customer service. How can banks put Agentic AI to work? This episode looks at the following potential use cases: contact center agents, processing ACH returns, loan underwriting, and money launder...

The competitive landscape in banking is shifting. With the influx of banking charter applications in 2025, fintech players such as PayPal are seeking to officially enter the banking space. Bank charter applications are expected to continue increasing in 2026. With fintech, digital, and crypto players all looking to get into banking. What does this ultimately mean for banks, regulators, and fintech...

As we roll into 2026 it’s time for a regulatory update. Community bank deregulation is top on the list with 1071, Stablecoin, Reg II debit card interchange proposal, and BSA reporting. In addition, other major regulations around 1033 rule, regulatory relief legislation, ACRE implementation, GSEs, and FHLBs are considered. This episode examined ICBA’s Advocacy in Action for the 1st quarter of 2026...

With the announcements of NYSE expanding in Dallas and Wells Fargo moving their wealth management HQ to Miami, what does this mean for the future of Wall Street? Since COVID, many of the largest financial firms in the U.S. have been making the move south into Texas and Florida. Given the political landscape and continued advances in technology, this trend seems certain to continue. This episode ex...

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

This is part 33 of the crypto series. In this episode we cover the battle over stablecoin regulation as bankers and crypto firms continue to argue over the finer points of The Genius Act and The Clarity Act. On the banker’s side, there is a real concern that if Stablecoins are allowed to pay interest, rewards, or annual yield payouts, that will cause a drain on bank deposits. On the crypto side, p...

The collapse of auto parts supplier First Brands in 2025 has put a spotlight on the cash flow technique known as Supply Chain Finance (SCF). This is also known as “factoring receivables” or “collect early, pay late.” The problem with SCF is that it can distort a company’s actual cash flow position. It can make cash on hand look a lot stronger by pushing off payments to vendors and moving debt to a...

Whenever you have massive unrest in a country that threatens the current regime, you can bet before all the protests a bank failure occurred. The current situation in Iran is no different. In 2025, Ayandeh Bank failed due to almost $5 billion in losses on a lot of bad loans. The Iranian government rolled the bank into a state bank and printed a ton of money to cover the massive losses. Unfortunate...

How did Apple’s credit-card partnership with Goldman Sachs completely fall apart? Goldman Sachs decided to make a push in retail banking a few years ago with Marcus and the Apple Card portfolio. That strategy proved a failure and Goldman decided to get out of that end of the banking business. Marcus was closed, loans sold off and the Apple Card portfolio became the last piece. The set up of the Ap...

Saks Global files for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was saddled with a large amount of debt stemming from the purchase of Neiman Marcus, which was funded with $2.2 billion in junk bonds. Right after the merger with Neiman Marcus, Saks immediately began having cash flow issues. Saks stopped paying vendors, vendors didn’t send products, and soon the lack of adequate inventory led to a drop in s...

This is a clip from the BND: Strategy Room Live Stream from 1-10-2026. This clip provides an update on the real estate market.

This is a clip from the BND: Strategy Room Live Stream from 1-10-2026. This clip provides an update on the performance of the U.S. auto industry. 

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

There were 31 total bank charter applications filed in 2025 but most of those applications came from nonbank digital asset-focused companies. Meanwhile, the number of De Novo bank applications for 2025 was only 3. Furthermore, there were 5 US bank IPOs in 2025, the highest number in four years. Finally, Bankers see a lot of potential activity and fee income in the M&A market for 2026. This epi...