ABA Partner Network Podcast

Abrigo AI and how financial institutions can leverage AI assistants and agentic capabilities to automate manual work, improve decision-making, and implement AI responsibly, regardless of where they are in their AI journey.

• Rob Newberry, Senior Consultant, Abrigo
• Theresa Wendhausen, VP, Partner Network, ABA

AI is making fraud faster, more convincing and harder to detect. Financial institutions are dealing with more sophisticated scams, fake identities, weaker authentication, and transactions that look completely legitimate. AI-driven fraud has quickly become one of the biggest security concerns for financial institutions.

Speakers:

• Rob Woellhaf, Advisor to Quinte, Quinte Financial Technologies
• Craig Driver, VP, Partner Network, ABA

Cyber resilience is becoming a strategic priority for financial institutions as today's threat landscape grows more sophisticated, with disruptions carrying greater operational consequences. Yet many banks still rely on cyber GRC processes that are manual, reactive, and difficult to scale. According to RegScale's 2026 State of Continuous Controls Monitoring Report, only 25% of financial services organizations have adopted continuous controls monitoring, underscoring that many banks have yet to transition to an operating model capable of providing continuous visibility into the effectiveness of security controls. This podcast episode explores how banks can modernize cyber GRC by replacing manual, audit-driven processes with a more automated, continuous, and risk-aware approach that strengthens their cyber resilience.

Speakers:

• Dale Hoak, CISO, RegScale
• Lottie Watts, Senior Director, Content Strategy, Partner Network, ABA

Three quarters of American banks now have digital asset initiatives underway, but only 22% have programs live or scaling. Uphold's new research, developed in partnership with American Banker, shows where the gap sits: cybersecurity, risk management, and regulatory uncertainty. This conversation covers those barriers and the Move Onchain framework for getting past them.

Speakers:

• Robin O'Connell, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise, Uphold
• Craig Driver, VP, Partner Network, ABA

As financial institutions look beyond lending for growth, which non-interest income strategies are actually delivering results? In this episode, we explore the revenue opportunities gaining traction in 2026 and into 2027, why consumer engagement is key to long-term success, and practical ways to grow share of wallet without sacrificing trust.

Speakers:

• Ryan Taitt, Regional Vice President, Bank Channel, Franklin Madison
• Craig Driver, VP, Partner Network, ABA

AI is already showing up across financial institutions through vendor platforms, employee experimentation, and embedded tools. As adoption grows, regulators expect banks to demonstrate clear governance, defined accountability, and effective oversight. This discussion explores a practical AI governance readiness checklist that banks can use to identify gaps, establish ownership, and build a governance framework that supports innovation while meeting regulatory expectations.

Speakers:

• Jon Waldman, President, SBS CyberSecurity
• Tim Pannell, VP, Partner Network, ABA

For many banks, their strategic priorities include enhancing their digital capabilities to improve the client experience and investing in advanced technologies like AI to improve automation and operational efficiencies.

If there is one process within banks that has changed the least while everything around it has changed the most, it is audit confirmations. Over time, the process moved from stacks of paper and certified mail to email threads with PDFs attached, to today's patchwork of portals and point solutions. On the surface, that looks like progress. In practice, most banks have simply moved the same manual, disconnected process onto a screen.

That distinction matters more than it might seem, because it's the root of a conversation happening in bank operations, audit, and compliance departments right now: are we actually digital, or have we just digitized the paperwork?

• Dennis Moore, Vice President, Financial Institutions, Circit
• Tim Pannell, VP, Partner Network, ABA

Financial institutions process thousands of document types every day, yet much of the critical data remains locked inside PDFs, scans, and forms. Learn how modern AI-powered document intelligence is helping banks automate data extraction, reduce manual review, accelerate decisions, and improve operational efficiency across onboarding, lending, compliance, and servicing workflows.

Speakers:

• Ozan Bilgen, Founder & CEO, Base64.ai
• Lottie Watts, Senior Director, Content Strategy, Partner Network, ABA

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how banks operate and how consumers think, learn, and decide about their financial lives. Yet while institutions pour resources into AI-driven efficiency and personalization, the consumer mindset isn't evolving at the same pace. This disconnect is now influencing trust, loyalty, and long-term growth potential.

Speakers:

• Emily Reicke, Consultant, Rivel Banking Research
• Theresa Wendhausen, VP, Partner Network, ABA

Audit fraud can expose financial institutions to significant financial, operational, and reputational risk. In this episode, we explore what audit fraud is, examine a real-world example, and discuss how the streamlined Confirmation platform helps you strengthen your fraud prevention processes and protect trust in your organization.

Speakers:

• Melanie Dennis, Sales Executive, Thomson Reuters Confirmation
• Lottie Watts, Senior Director, Content Strategy, Partner Network, ABA