Banking Reinvented

In Episode 99 of Banking Reinvented, Tim Rutten sits with Dharmesh Mistry, CEO of Vision 20 20 Consulting, to explore a question that reframes the entire core banking debate: What if the answer isn't replacing the core or wrapping it, but hollowing it out - and letting agentic AI fill the space?Dharmesh has been credited with delivering the UK's first mobile banking app, one of the UK's first online banks, and an early prototype of the single customer view at Lloyds in the late 1980s. Today, through his writing at Fintech Futures and his consulting work, he's building the case for a fundamentally different operating model in banking.The conversation covers a lot of ground: Why piecemeal AI adoption produces local returns and nothing more? Why does architecture have to come before everything else? Why does the shift from extracting value to exchanging value change what banks should be asking AI to do? Why is the window to move first - and move right - narrowing faster than most leadership teams realize?Tune in to hear a sharp, honest conversation about the biggest  transformational moment banking has seen in decades - and what it takes to be on the right side of it.Curious to find out more about customer-centric banking?Step into the future of finance -> Check out our content hub

Wessel Oosthuizen, co-lead of AWS AI and Data at Deloitte Africa with a decade building AI into complex firms, talks about why banks stall when they add AI but do not redesign jobs. He highlights hidden staff use, why pilots fail, front-to-back wedges to reimagine work, wealth management context graphs, and Africa’s need for localized AI rather than Western models.

Dave Murphy, digital transformation leader at Publicis Sapient; Kanishka Bhattacharya, Bain partner with ML/AI expertise; and Marcus Martinez, Microsoft industry advisor on AI in financial services. They cut through AI hype to explore unstructured-data use cases, call-center voice agents, agentic commerce, organizational barriers like data and talent, and practical first steps for banks to start safely using AI.

Andy Deeks, CEO of Leek Building Society and two-decade UK retail banking leader, discusses purpose-driven growth and how ambition can align with member benefit. He talks about clarity and strategic discipline, using technology and AI to augment human connection, and how smaller mutuals can move fast and scale without losing purpose.

Episode 95 of Banking Reinvented explores a challenge every bank faces: how do you modernize legacy architecture while keeping pace with global innovation? And what does AI transformation really require beyond new technology?Host Tim Rutten sits down with Valbona Dhjaku, Advisor to CEO on IT and Digitalization at Credins Bank. Valbona holds a PhD in computer science, teaches at the University of Tirana, and spent two decades leading IT strategy and digital transformation at CREDINS Bank, Albania's second largest bank and the first private bank with Albanian capital. Currently, she's transitioning into the electronic money and payment space.Using Albania's entry into SEPA as the first Western Balkan nation as a case study, Tim and Valbona unpack the architectural challenges banks face when legacy monolithic cores collide with modern payment infrastructure. The conversation goes deeper into why AI transformation demands revolutionary change to operating models, not just incremental technology upgrades, and what's actually blocking banks from unlocking AI's full potential.Tune in to hear what transformation looks like when you're building foundations and embracing the future at the same time - lessons that apply whether you're in an emerging market or a mature banking system.–Curious to find out more about customer-centric banking? Check out our content hub(00:00) – Welcome to the "Banking Reinvented" podcast(00:24) – Introduction to Valbona Dhjaku(01:56) – Valbona's 25-year journey in Albanian banking and technology(04:06) – Albania joins SEPA: the first Western Balkan nation(05:33) – The real challenge: legacy systems vs. modern payment infrastructure(08:29) – Digital banking penetration and competitive context in Albania(11:04) – Albania as an emerging economy: building foundations while innovating(14:08) – The unique pressure of parallel transformation(15:33) – Private banking and market evolution in a young economy(17:35) – Teaching at university: the gap between education and industry needs(20:20) – AI in Albanian banking: where are investments happening?(23:25) – Why AI is revolution, not evolution(24:20) – The biggest challenge: changing mentality and operating models(26:25) – Women in banking leadership: competence, ownership, and confidence(30:04) – The future of payments in Albania over the next five years(33:23) – Episode wrap-upTimestamps

M&A is back in U.S. banking. The deals are getting done. The headlines are flowing.But here's what most banks get wrong: announcing the merger is the easy part. The real value gets created or destroyed in what happens next.In this episode, Tim Rutten sits down with Brett Mastalli, Senior Partner and Banking Practice Lead at West Monroe, and Nate Porter, Director specializing in M&A and Digital Banking, to explore why most bank integrations fail to capture their promised synergies, and what separates the winners from the ones that struggle for years.They discuss the four load-bearing pillars of integration excellence, the classic pitfalls that derail post-merger value creation, and how modern digital platforms are becoming the secret weapon for de-risking tech conversions while accelerating time to value.Explore how Backbase helps banks modernize their technology and accelerate M&A integration → Check out our content hub

Episode 93 of Banking Reinvented asks an uncomfortable question: In the race toward AI and automation, have banks forgotten what made them valuable in the first place?Host Amjad Ramahi, Director of Solutions Engineering for Middle East & Africa at Backbase, sits down with Reham Sabri, AGM and Senior Director of Premium Banking at Commercial Bank of Qatar. Reham leads the Sadara and Private Banking segments, serving high-net-worth clients who expect digital convenience and deep human connection in equal measure.She's not anti-technology. Her argument is sharper: AI is a given. Digital is expected. Human trust is the real differentiator - especially when clients aren't just optimizing returns, but making decisions about legacy, family, and life.Together, they dig into what "high-tech, high-touch" actually looks like in practice, why relationship managers remain the true competitive advantage when products are commoditized, and where banks keep getting digital transformation wrong.Tune in to hear why the future of banking is human - not despite AI, but because of it. Check out our content hubTimestamps(00:00) - Welcome to the "Banking Reinvented" podcast(00:24) - Introduction to Reham Sabri(01:13) - Why "the future is human" in a world obsessed with AI(04:06) - A customer story: when digital-savvy clients still need human advice(07:08) - Balancing high-tech and high-touch in premium banking(09:22) - Mapping customer journeys and listening to feedback(11:52) - Hiring for empathy: what Reham looks for in relationship managers(15:24) - Training customers on financial literacy and digital tools(18:58) - The Young Bankers and Young Investors programs(24:57) - What makes a bad digital experience in banking(29:03) - Where banks go wrong in digital transformation(33:48) - AI transformation: keeping the human element intact(37:16) - Moving from product-centric to experience-centric banking(41:09) - How to measure empathy: KPIs beyond assets under management(44:12) - Final advice: why banks must shift to an experience model(47:37) - Episode wrap-up

Roland van der Vorst, Head of Innovation at Rabobank and CEO of Rabo Carbon Bank, blends finance, sustainability and agri expertise. He discusses AI as foundational infrastructure, why clients—not competitors—are reshaping banking, how professional services will split between commodity and specialty work, and why curiosity must come before growth mindset to drive real innovation.

Ben Nadel, Co-founder of Woodhurst and specialist in modernizing mid-tier banks and building societies. He discusses why smaller institutions can move faster, how to simplify fragmented tech stacks, the role of top-down commitment and strategic investment, practical AI adoption within known use cases, and balancing digital transformation with local, member-first service.

In Episode 90 of Banking Reinvented, host Heidi Custers speaks with Rom Atapattu, Co-founder and Group CEO of the Patronus Group, about how private banking is changing and what that means in practice.Drawing on more than 25 years across Swiss and UAE private banking, Rom shares his perspective on the Great Wealth Transfer, AI-supported relationship banking, shifting client expectations, and why trust, judgment, and personal context still sit at the heart of wealth advice.The conversation also explores what private banks often get wrong, why most client conversations are not about money, and how new wealth hubs like Mauritius are emerging alongside more established markets.Step into the future of finance -> Check out our content hubTimestamps(00:00) – Welcome to Banking Reinvented(00:24) – Introduction to Rom Atapattu(02:15) – The evolution of Swiss private banking: from secrecy to compliance(06:40) – The single biggest shift in 25 years of wealth management(11:20) – The Great Wealth Transfer: $83 trillion moving to Millennials and Gen Z(13:55) – How next-gen wealth clients are fundamentally different(18:14) – AI won't replace advisors - it will make them superhuman(21:30) – Every client has a story: why personalization matters in private banking(25:15) – Building Banque Patronus: disrupting wealth in Mauritius(32:39) – Why most private banking conversations aren't about portfolios(34:02) – Private banking as the original "beyond banking" experience(35:19) – The biggest mistake banks make: one-size-fits-all wealth management(38:09) – What happens when digital fails the next generation of clients(43:15) – Key takeaways and final thoughts(45:30) – Episode wrap-up