What if your savings account was so secure that even your account number couldn’t be used to steal from you? That’s the kind of question Austin Capital Bank is answering; Not by thinking like a traditional bank, but by operating more like a tech company.

In her debut interview on Travillian Next, Amber Buker, Chief of Research at Travillian, sits down with Erik Beguin, Founder and CEO of Austin Capital Bank, to dig into the launch of their latest innovation: Fort Knox, a high-security savings account engineered to be fraud-resistant by design. Instead of competing in the high-yield arms race, Erik and his team are creating a whole new category, one that prioritizes safety over speed and uses product design to outsmart fraudsters. Backed by a 50-person engineering team and built to withstand quantum-era threats, this conversation rewrites what a “community bank” even means.

All of the banks we talk to, for the most part, live and die by their spread. And I will tell you right now – same bank, same management, same yield curve, same products – 20 years ago kicks its butt on a spread perspective. It’s not even close. The business has been commoditized.”Scott Hildenbrand, Head of Piper Sandler Depository Fixed Income and Chief Balance Sheet Strategist, joins Travillian co-hosts Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech Search, and Michael Perito, Head of Bank Strategy, to talk about why traditional playbooks aren’t working anymore and what kind of leadership banks need going forward.He shares what he's hearing in boardrooms across the country: M&A is stalled, balance sheets are still upside down, and CFOs are under growing pressure to move faster and think more strategically. He also breaks down where AI fits into all of this and why too many board meetings still feel like “dentist appointments”.

Community banks can’t afford to wait.In this Travillian Next episode, Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search, sits down with Allan Rayson, Founder of Finov8r and former Encore Bank CTO, to talk about what’s actually holding banks back from adopting AI.Allan brings a clear, on-the-ground perspective of what’s happening inside bank C-suites right now and what’s missing. From core tech limitations to cultural resistance, this episode lays out the real stuff that determines whether a bank is just surviving or truly evolving.

(00:00) Intro – Less Than 100 Banks Are Truly Engaged with AI

(00:36) Meet Allan Rayson – Career Background + Finov8r Origin

(01:58) Consulting Focus – Why Banks Are Calling Him Now

(03:34) What Banks Are Asking: Use Cases + Monetizing Tech

(06:06) The Elephant in the Room: AI’s Impact on Employment

(09:06) Why Mass Layoffs in Banking Are Unlikely

(10:30) How AI Will Reshape Bank Organizational Structure

(13:03) AI Call Center Use Case: Credit Unions vs. Banks

(15:08) Where Banks Are Starting with AI – Jog, Not Sprint

(17:19) Use Case Deep Dive – SBA Policy Interpretation

(19:20) Inside vs. Outside the Bank: AI Vendor Strategy

(21:02) Will Banks Hire Chief AI Officers?

(22:05) Why Community Bank C-Suites Need Modernizing

(23:22) Tech Mentality vs. Traditional Banking – Product Mindset

(24:45) Building Tech Muscle Memory in Banks

(26:05) AI Today Is Like the Internet in 1995

(27:09) Treasury Onboarding: Another AI Agent Opportunity

(28:34) What Makes a Bank Future-Proof (and What Doesn’t)

(30:15) Final Thoughts – Core Systems Will Make or Break You

(32:02) Call to Action – Start Somewhere

Travillian’s Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech, and Michael Perito, Head of Bank Strategy, reunite in this informative Talent Talk episode to unpack what’s really going on in banking leadership this year. From the “Trump bump” aftermath to why CFOs and CEOs are the hottest seats in town. They share fresh updates from across the country, including new leadership placements in Sacramento and Scranton, and break down what’s happening in banking talent right now. Relocation’s tougher, candidates are sharper, and the race for top execs is anything but business as usual.

Tying it all together is a nod to The Breakfast Club, as the hosts compare today’s innovation-hungry banks to teens in Saturday detention. Learning, evolving, and preparing to graduate to a better, bolder future.

What happens when a cannabis banking lawyer and a fintech recruiter sit down to talk shop? You get a candid conversation packed with strategy, clarity, and a few laughs along the way.

In this Travillian Next episode, Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian chats with Chris Van Dyck, Partner at Cogent Law, about what banks need to know before entering the cannabis space. They dig into the real risks (hint: it’s not legal trouble), why the SAFE Banking Act remains a long shot, and how savvy cannabis businesses are reshaping financial services.

In this episode of Travillian Next Trailblazers, host Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, sits down with Kim Snyder, the founder and CEO of KlariVis, whose journey from CFO of a small community bank to leading a fast-growing data company is anything but typical.

With a clear passion for solving real problems in banking, Kim shares how lived experience, not just vision, shaped the creation of KlariVis. From launching just before the pandemic to scaling through grit and trust, she talks candidly about the highs, lows, and lessons of building a company that’s helping community banks compete with the big players.

When the dust settled on 2024's late-year burst of bank M&A, it left many wondering: was that a one-off or the beginning of something more?  

In this episode of Travillian Next, Michael Perito, Head of Bank Strategy at Travillian, brings together two seasoned investment bankers, Josh Nolan of D.A. Davidson and Jason Hach of Piper Sandler, for a sharp and grounded discussion on what's fueling (and still hindering) depository M&A in 2025.  

With humor, candor, and years of experience, they unpack the realities behind the optimism, the regulatory friction, and why "fortitude" might be the word of the year in banking.

“Don’t get too high with the highs or too low with the lows”.  

Starting and scaling a bank in today’s world isn’t for the faint of heart, but Chuck Williams has done it with clarity, confidence, and more than four decades of experience guiding his hand.    

In this episode of Travillian Next, hosted by Michael Perito, Head of Bank Strategy at Travillian, Chuck shares how Northpointe Bank pulled off the largest bank IPO in nearly eight years, navigated pandemic-era uncertainty, and continues to grow by staying true to client relationships and a tech-forward approach. From balancing risk and reward to building a mortgage and warehouse lending engine, this candid conversation offers lessons for any leader in financial services. 

Starting a bank from scratch might sound like a wild idea in today’s world, but for Lori Maley, CEO of Bank of Bird-in-Hand (Est. 2013) and Keith Costello, CEO of Locality Bank (Est. 2022), it was a calling. In this episode of Travillian Next, host Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, sits down with two De Novo bank CEOs who defied the odds to build something truly needed. From horse-and-buggy banking in Amish country to digital-first tools for South Florida entrepreneurs, their stories are wildly different but driven by the same thing: a deep belief in serving their communities better than anyone else could.

Curiosity, mentorship, and sushi…three things that might not seem connected, until you meet Lee Easton.

In this episode of Travillian Next Trailblazers, host Keith Daly, Principal - Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, sits down with Lee Easton, Founder of iDENTIFY, to talk about how a childhood mentor and a love for solving complex problems led Lee into the heart of one of banking’s biggest challenges: data.

From building a unified data hub for community banks to navigating the industry’s slow shift to the cloud, Lee shares the ups, downs, and the driving force behind it all—genuine care for the people he serves. Whether you're a founder, a banker, or just someone who enjoys hearing how innovation actually happens, this one’s worth a listen!