Halfway through 2026, banking’s favorite buzzwords are still buzzing, but the numbers are starting to tell a less flattering story.

Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant revisit the industry’s biggest predictions and dig into what’s actually happened. Fintechs are eating the checking account, stablecoins are creating awkward boardroom questions, and the much-promised “AI plumbing” has finally arrived. They also unpack why Chase’s branch expansion may have less to do with retail banking than the headlines suggest, why trust alone won’t save community institutions, and why being well-liked is a lot like being broccoli: admirable, but not necessarily anyone’s first choice.

From product strategy and small business lending to the technology investments banks keep avoiding, this is a mid-year reality check packed with data, detours, and plenty of side-eye.

Show Notes: 

• Don't Fall for the Branch Hype: Chase Didn't Build Those Branches for Retail Banking
• What’s Going On in Banking: A Mid-Year Review
• 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report

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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
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Chapters
[00:00] Stacey Goes Back to the Banking Hood
[03:25] The Mid-Year Review Ron Avoided for 11 Years
[04:29] What Bank Executives Expected From 2026
[06:18] The Economy Drifts and AI Plumbing Arrives
[08:07] Fintech Is Eating the Checking Account
[09:42] Why Product Architecture Is Winning
[10:42] Stablecoins and Mega-Bank Theater
[14:03] The Real Threat Is Product Displacement
[16:28] Does Every Bank Need a Chief Product Officer?
[18:26] What Chase’s Branch Expansion Really Means
[21:16] Trust, Broccoli and the 40% Myth
[24:56] Small Business Banking: Trust vs. Speed
[26:40] Why Fintechs Are Winning the Daily Relationship
[29:53] Pre-Building Gets Bumped to the Next Episode

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