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2024 is a wrap! Listen as industry leaders and fintech influencers share insights on the year that was before turning the lens forward to 2025. What will be hot in this new year?

Back by popular demand, Breaking Banks hosts Brett King and JP Nicols assemble banking industry leaders and fintech influencers to get their takes and predictions on what 2025 has in store for the banking industry.

Joining the discussion are Jim Marous (The Financial Brand, Banking Transformed), Ron Shevlin (Chief Research Officer, Cornerstone Advisors and Forbes Contributor), and Mary Wisniewski (Cornerstone Advisors, Money Isn’t Everything). Together, they explore critical topics shaping the industry, from fraud, risk, and efficiency to cutting-edge innovations like Agentic AI and LLMs, as well as developments in open banking, 1033, and the CFPB.

And what about the lingering impact of the Synapse story from 2024? Will 2025 bring a reckoning, or are brighter days ahead for the industry? Tune in for a lively and engaging conversation packed with expert insights and bold predictions.

Happy New Year from the team at Breaking Banks

Read the entire transcript here.

The discussion opens with reflections on the major events of 2024, from economic shifts to major fintech and banking milestones. The panelists explore how the industry evolved and what lessons were learned.

The fallout from the Synapse failure and regulatory challenges dominated 2024. The discussion highlights how fintechs have adapted, and why, despite hurdles, optimism is growing for 2025.

AI took center stage in 2024, from fraud detection to customer service enhancements. The conversation explores how AI’s role in banking is expanding and what that means for both traditional banks and fintechs.

While much of the conversation is U.S.-focused, the panel examines key developments worldwide, including digital banking growth in Latin America, China, and Africa.

With Section 1033 and the CFPB’s evolving stance, the discussion turns to the state of open banking and data ownership. What are the regulatory barriers, and how will they impact fintech innovation?

The emergence of AI-driven financial agents is set to reshape personal finance. The panel debates how AI could soon manage customer financial lives better than traditional advisors.

With Klarna and Chime considering IPOs, the panel speculates on the first big fintech public offering of 2025. They also discuss when the first AI fintech unicorn might emerge.

The conversation wraps up with a bold look at how fintech, AI, and regulatory shifts will shape the financial industry. Will 2025 truly be a stellar year for banking?

Expanding credit for women entrepreneurs in the Global South, and how fintech can help.

In this episode of The Bankers’ Bookshelf series for Breaking Banks Europe, hosted by Paolo Sironi, Nicola Bilotta, a Senior Research Associate at the Florence School of Banking and Finance, delves into the evolving landscape of international reserve currencies and monetary systems. Bilotta discusses the forces driving the transformation—economic dislocation, geopolitical shifts, and advancing technology—while addressing the global dissatisfaction with the US dollar. He explains how countries like China and the European Union are exploring digital currency initiatives, each with distinct motivations: China aiming for monetary control, while Europe seeks strategic autonomy and a pan-European payment system. Bilotta also explores why the US has been slow to adopt a digital dollar, citing political skepticism and fears of losing influence. The conversation highlights future scenarios, including fragmentation, digital dominance, and global shifts. This insightful discussion is based on Bilotta’s book The Geoeconomics of Money in the Digital Age, and marks the transition of The Bankers’ Bookshelf series into its own show since 2025.

Get the book: https://www.routledge.com/The-Geoeconomics-of-Money-in-the-Digital-Age/Bilotta/p/book/9781032812168?srsltid=AfmBOoo8O35JN-o-TBvUnGfDzfkpYPrfiivuGtVQi89w_TH6sgnGHJkA

FOLLOW THE NEW SHOW: https://provoke.fm/show/the-bankers-bookshelf/

In this episode, Anthony Day, Managing Partner at Midnight, sits down with Matteo Rizzi to explore the major shifts in 2024 and early 2025 in the world of digital asset finance, tokenization, and AI technologies. Matteo announces that Breaking Banks Europe will transition from a weekly to a monthly show, while introducing new monthly series Breaking Banks Africa and a spin-off of #BBE, Paolo Sironi’s success The Bankers’ Bookshelf. The conversation dives into key topics like decentralized finance, the evolving landscape of AI, and the challenges surrounding data privacy and asset tokenization. Join us as we unpack the future of finance and explore the opportunities shaping the financial sector in this insightful discussion.

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Follow Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjjday/

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Paolo Sironi meets Nicola Bilotta, coordinator of the EU-Supervisory Digital Finance Academy and author of “The Geoeconomics of Money in the Digital Age”.

In a more contentious world economy, where trade and finance are increasingly interlinked with economic security and geopolitical considerations, questions arise about the underpinnings of the US dollar’s global leadership. For decades, the US dollar has reigned supreme, serving as a powerful tool of US foreign policy. However, history shows that currency dominance can shift with global power dynamics. Will China or another power rise to challenge the US-led system? Will the international monetary system experience a process of fragmentation, or will a new global order emerge? Will financial technology ease such a change? In this conversation, Paolo and Nicola delve into the intricate web of how three forces – economic dislocation, evolving geopolitical relations, and technology – could potentially foster transformations in the international monetary system.

In this Breaking Banks Europe live podcast episode, Matteo Rizzi interviews Parul Seth Khanna and Sam Ghiotti during the Singapore Fintech Festival. Parul, co-founder of pinbox solutions, discusses the evolving fintech landscape in Asia, particularly in India. She shares insights on how the region is embracing technology and innovation to transform financial services, and the challenges companies face in such a dynamic market. Sam Ghiotti, co-founder of Abito, talks about his experience in building a fintech company in Japan, navigating the country’s unique cultural and regulatory environment. He explains the complexities of Japan’s financial behavior, where risk aversion and low financial literacy dominate, and how Abito is addressing these issues with fresh financial solutions. The episode explores global fintech trends, with both Parul and Sam offering valuable perspectives on market dynamics, innovation, and overcoming obstacles in diverse regions.

At the Singapore Fintech Festival, Breaking Banks Europe, hosted by Matteo Rizzi and supported by CXO Conversations, featured conversations with Premier Oiwoh (NIBSS CEO) and Jo Ann Barefoot (CEO of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation). Premier highlighted Africa’s innovation leadership, emphasizing USSD payments and financial inclusion. Jo Ann discussed regulatory challenges in emerging markets, noting the impact of technology and generational shifts in central banks, including insights from Rwanda, Ghana, and Namibia. The podcast explored cross-border payments, digital asset regulation, and the evolving role of technology in finance. Jo Ann also shared her podcast, Barefoot Innovation.

Donna Dupont is the Chief Strategist at Purple Compass. She is a deep expert in designing foresight and forecasting scenarios for defense, national security, policing, public safety and public health for government agencies clients in Europe and North America. In this episode, she provides practical advice, based on her experience, for how to contend with increasing volatility in society, geopolitics, the environment and economics.  

Regular listeners of Breaking Banks are likely familiar with the Killing It series, hosted by Jason Henrichs and Alex Johnson, where they explore candid stories of success, failure, and the pivotal and sometimes tough decisions that drive the journey from VCs to unicorns in the high stakes world of entrepreneurship. (If you’re not, check it out!)

In this episode, Brett King shifts gears with a “Starting It” theme, sitting down with industry veteran Anthony Thomson —an entrepreneur, marketer, speaker, author, and founder of Metro Bank, Atom, and 86 400. Metro Bank challenged traditional banking in the UK, while Atom and 86 400 brought innovation as neo-banks in different markets, with 86 400 later acquired by NAB (National Australia Bank) and then merged into UBank.

Join this enlightening discussion as Brett and Anthony dive into the unique missions and lessons behind each of these groundbreaking ventures. And who knows? You might even get a sneak peek at the next big breakthrough in the industry! 

Read the entire transcript here.

Brett King and Jason Henricks open the episode, reflecting on their history of exploring financial disruption. Special guest Anthony Thompson joins from Abu Dhabi, sharing memories of past debates on the future of banking.

Anthony recounts his journey from marketing in financial services to founding Metro Bank. The discussion highlights how Metro Bank disrupted traditional banking by focusing on customer-centric value and trust.

The hosts and guest delve into the dual dimensions of trust: competence versus intent. Anthony explains how Metro Bank leveraged customer-centric policies, like dog-friendly branches, to foster associative trust.

Anthony reflects on the rise of digital banking, including his transition to founding Atom Bank. The conversation examines how mobile banking became the cornerstone of modern financial services.

The discussion explores Atom Bank’s founding principles, focusing on delivering a superior mobile experience and balancing liabilities with assets. Anthony contrasts Atom’s approach with competitors like Monzo and Starling.

Anthony describes his move to Australia to establish 86 400. He shares how lessons from Atom influenced his strategy, particularly the importance of engagement and transaction accounts.

The conversation shifts to why traditional banks struggle with digital transformation. Anthony and Brett critique cultural and regulatory hurdles faced by legacy institutions.

Anthony discusses how regulators worldwide are adapting to digital banking innovations, emphasizing the importance of competition and better consumer outcomes.

Anthony shares his hopes for the future of banking, emphasizing customer-centricity as the industry’s ultimate goal. Brett and Anthony speculate on the next breakthrough, pointing to adjacencies and AI in banking.

The hosts summarize the key themes of the episode, including trust, customer value, and the evolution of banking. They close with a call to action for listeners to engage with the podcast and its community.