AI will extend financial services to every individual and business, no matter how small or remote.

What digitization began, personalization will complete.

TymeBank in South Africa has become one of the world’s fastest-growing digital banks, reaching over

7 million customers by offering low cost, branchless services via kiosks and mobile channels.

Its model demonstrates that affordable, inclusive banking at scale is not only possible… It's profitable.

Stringent regulations are pushing borrowers toward non-bank lenders. Private credit giants

now manage hundreds of billions in assets, offering businesses alternative financing paths

that sidestep traditional banking constraints.

Goldman Sachs has aggressively expanded its footprint in private credit, operating

one of the largest alternative asset management arms in the world.

Through its private credit division, Goldman is financing deals that traditionally

would have belonged to commercial banks… Positioning itself to benefit from both

regulatory shifts and rising demand for more flexible lending solutions.

This shift signals a new dynamic: banks must choose whether to compete,

collaborate, or redefine their role within the broader financial ecosystem.

Larger banks are pulling away from the pack. Scale brings pricing power,

stronger brands, and more diverse funding.

But size alone isn’t enough. Regional and niche players can still win

by focusing sharply and executing with precision.

In retail banking, the ability to scale digital infrastructure often

defines long-term profitability.

Digitization removed friction… But it also erased emotional connection.

AI is now bringing humanity back to digital experiences. Banks can offer tailored conversations,

proactive advice, and seamless service through intelligent assistants.

Customers no longer need to choose from menus or repeat details across departments.

Conversations will feel natural, helpful, and continuous.

Traditional banking sold products. The future will bundle experiences.

Banks are shifting to customer-centric models where individuals can tailor

their financial services to fit their lives. Dynamic pricing, bundled services,

and personalized packages will become the norm.

Small businesses, in particular, will benefit from modular,

plug-and-play financial tools.

Generative AI is fundamentally changing how work gets done in banks, from automating

repetitive tasks to augmenting high-value decision-making.

This shift mirrors the impact spreadsheets once had on business operations… Except now,

the transformation touches every department.

JPMorgan Chase has given over 200,000 employees access to its internal generative AI platform,

IndexGPT, part of a broader suite of AI-powered tools. By early 2024, nearly half

of those employees were actively using the system, supporting tasks like legal research,

compliance analysis, investment insights, and customer service scripting.

This large-scale adoption marks a significant evolution in workforce dynamics: AI is no longer

a specialized tool for tech teams… It’s becoming a personal assistant for every employee.

As generative AI reduces administrative burden, bank employees will increasingly focus on

judgment, empathy, and client relationships. Roles are evolving, and so is the culture…

Toward curiosity, collaboration, and continuous reinvention.

The first wave of AI focused on cost savings.

The next wave will focus on value creation… Smarter sales, better marketing, and deeper relationships.

AI is freeing up front-line teams to focus on what matters most: helping clients succeed.

Done right, the same AI that reduces back-office costs can also increase lifetime customer value.

Legacy systems are crumbling under their own weight.

Banks are embracing open-source platforms to scale faster, reduce costs, and accelerate innovation.

Linux-based systems are leading the charge, and initiatives like FINOS are encouraging industry-wide collaboration.

By 2028, more than 80 percent of new servers will run on open-source systems.

Generative AI is dismantling decades of legacy code.

From reverse-engineering COBOL to writing entire workflows in modern languages,

AI is accelerating software development and reducing technical debt.

Engineers are becoming architects, and product managers are becoming builders.

At Google, over a quarter of new code is already written by AI and approved by human engineers.

Many SaaS platforms weren’t built for the AI era.

Monolithic systems are giving way to composable, cloud-native architectures that adapt in real time.

Platform providers must move fast or risk being left behind.

Banks are looking for tech stacks that are modular, AI-ready, and easy to integrate.

The market will reward flexibility over feature lists.