The Financial Brand

Don’t miss The Financial Brand Forum, the best conference on digital growth strategies in the banking world — April 13-15 in Las Vegas. https://forum2026.com/ Join over 2,500 of the brightest minds in banking at the industry's most elite annual event — three days loaded with the big ideas and latest innovations that are transforming banking today. There's too much for you to miss, so sign up online now!

Happening today at 2pm EST: don't miss out!

6 Days to Go! What happens when AI, Marketing, and IT stop working in silos and start moving in sync? You get a CX strategy that’s not just seamless but also unstoppable. Join us as industry leaders from Fidelity Bank and Korcomptenz share real-world strategies, innovations, and insights on: ✅ Aligning cross-functional teams ✅ Elevating banking CX with AI ✅ Driving smarter decisions through data Date: June 11, 2025 Time: 2 PM EST | 1 PM CST | 11 AM PST https://lnkd.in/g8m4rP9n Let the countdown begin! #BankingCX #AIinBanking #DigitalTransformation #MarketingStrategy #CXLeadership #WebinarCountdown #Korcomptenz

42% of U.S. consumers used a virtual card in the past six months, and 65% plan to use one within the year. Yet many issuers still treat them as a niche offering. Virtual cards eliminate the dreaded wait between account approval and card activation. No more "your card will arrive in 7-10 business days." Customers get instant access, reducing friction and those inevitable customer service calls about delivery delays. Unlike static card numbers stored online, virtual cards generate unique 16-digit numbers for each transaction. The impact? Consumers who've experienced fraud are 36% more likely to adopt virtual cards. When security genuinely matters, usage spikes—25% have used merchant-specific cards, 28% for automatic payments.

Following Trump's sweeping tariff announcements in April, U.S. markets saw historic trading volumes and some of the sharpest intraday swings in half a century. For banks, this volatility created an unexpected opportunity to stress-test their AI investments. The results were game-changing. JPMorgan deployed its AI tools across nearly two-thirds of its 320,000 employee desktops to handle the surge in anxious client inquiries. The impact was immediate: data retrieval and documentation time dropped by up to 95%, enabling advisors to respond rapidly to market swings with personalized investment advice. But the real story isn't just about crisis response. It's about how AI is fundamentally reshaping banking operations in an era where "volatility is the rule of the game over the next years," according to Marco Santos, global CEO at GFT Technologies. Read more at the link in the bio.

Banks are celebrating as customers flee CDs for high-yield savings accounts. CD growth turned negative in October 2024, while savings and money market growth hit 0.9% monthly. Victory, right? Not so fast. While institutions pivot their strategies around HYSA demand, they're missing three critical blind spots that could backfire spectacularly: U.S. Treasury rates consistently beat CD rates, and the income is tax-exempt. Fintechs like Public.io are making Treasuries look and act like bank deposits. When CD volumes dropped last October, Treasury issuances hit their 12-month high. Coincidence? Hardly. As Neil Stanley from The CorePoint warns: "Any of those depositors could wire their money out at any moment, and the banker has no recourse. At least with the CD promotion, once the depositor got in, you could count on having it for months."

Happening today at 2pm EST: Institutions that embrace agility, not reaction, will lead the way. Success lies in strategies built to flex, scale, and win no matter the market conditions. In this session, we’ll uncover how agile institutions are proactively adapting – improving margins, reducing cost pressures, and strengthening customer connections without overhauling core systems. You’ll walk away with actionable insights on how to: - Expand relationships in a shifting landscape: Improve loan profitability, limit risk, and drive engagement – even in uncertain environments. - Cut deposit costs while safeguarding liquidity: Deploy smarter pricing and product strategies to keep your cost of funds in check. - Build lasting loyalty through personalization: Deliver meaningful, relevant experiences that inspire trust and long-term commitment. https://lnkd.in/eb8aw6ia

Wells Fargo is doubling down on physical branches with a twist that challenges conventional wisdom. After years of regulatory constraints, the banking giant is pivoting from consolidation to expansion, planning to grow beyond its current 4,000 branches. The strategy? Go where customers are already shopping: busy street corners near grocery stores and Starbucks, not isolated banking districts. But here's the real insight: While teller transactions plummet year over year, visits to meet with bankers are actually going up. Customers increasingly want consultations and guidance, not just quick transactions. This shift is reshaping everything—from branch density (10 minutes away instead of 5) to design philosophy. After experimenting with open cubicles, Wells is returning to fully enclosed offices with doors. Why? As Brad Nolan, head of branch systems and transformation, explains: "Customers don't want to feel like somebody else can hear the conversation they're having, especially when they're relaying private information about their lives, their accounts." https://lnkd.in/e43kYE7d

In today’s economy where customers expect effortless, hyper-personalized interactions, is your CX strategy truly built to scale with AI? As a decision-maker in a financial institution, you’re likely grappling with challenges like: ✔️ Harnessing AI to drive real engagement and conversions ✔️ Aligning marketing, IT, and CX teams for unified execution ✔️ Preparing your enterprise for the next wave of AI-powered transformation If that hits close to home, you're not alone—and you're not behind. But now is the time to act. Join our webinar to discover how industry leaders are uniting AI, marketing, and IT to deliver hyper-personalized CX that drives growth and future-proofs your strategy.   Register now – https://lnkd.in/g8m4rP9n   #BankingCX #AIinBanking #FinancialServices #MarketingTechnology #CustomerExperience

Happening today at 2pm EST: Marketing That Performs: Unlocking ROI Across the Financial Customer Journey In an era of rising customer acquisition costs and evolving consumer expectations, financial marketers are under pressure to deliver not just impressions — but impact. Digital and performance marketing must now do more than drive traffic; it must drive qualified engagement, conversions, and customer growth. In this exclusive webinar from iQuanti, two seasoned marketing leaders (Alex Chang, SVP, Creative Services at iQuanti and Ex-CMO at San Francisco 49ers & Michael Hartman, Board Member and Investor and former SVP Marketing at Mr. Cooper and CMO at Chuck E. Cheese) share how financial institutions can elevate their performance marketing programs by integrating smart content, emotional resonance, and data-driven optimization.