Would you let an AI agent be your financial muse, or could it influence you more than you influence it?

Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant debate Meta’s Muse, the warning that AI agents could accelerate bank runs, and whether anyone would pay $20 a month to move $200 from an account earning 1% to one earning 3%. They also explore how AI helped raise $2.3 million in deposits, what happens when software can open an account for you, and whether an agent can understand trust, community, and personal relationships.

It is a candid, sharp, and occasionally spicy look at who could control the future of banking: the customer, the bank, or the agent in the middle.

Show Notes:

• Is an Agentic Bank Run Coming? | The Daily Spark
• Ron's Substack

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Chapters
[00:00] Would You Let an Agent Be Your Muse?
[01:30] Could AI Agents Trigger a Bank Run?
[04:45] Would You Pay $20 to Move $200?
[08:20] Stacey Pushes Back: Convenience Has Value
[11:40] Why Better Rates Do Not Always Move Money
[15:00] How AI Raised $2.3 Million in Deposits
[18:10] The Bigger Shift: AI Opens the Account
[21:20] Can an Agent Understand Trust?
[24:05] Stacey Tests an AI Banking Recommendation
[25:00] Creators: Banking’s Overlooked Customers
[28:20] What Comes Next

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What AI still can't do is at the center of two of the biggest debates in banking right now. Stacey shares a standout Finovate takeaway: a story about a janitorial company that uncovered a business opportunity no AI agent would have spotted. Meanwhile, new research suggests 8 in 10 businesses would consider switching to a financial institution built specifically for their industry. Maybe the future belongs to whoever asks the best questions.

Ron and Stacey debate why human curiosity may become more valuable in the AI era, whether fintech demos are solving real problems or just winning beauty contests, and why banks are increasingly focused on owning workflows instead of chasing deposits.

They also break down Chime's acquisition of Stride. Is it a smart strategic move, or a case of "congratulations, now you have bank problems"? Expect candid opinions, sharp analysis, and a few spicy takes along the way.

Show Notes:

• Chime Bought a Bank. Now it Has to Pay for One.
• Ron's Substack

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Chapters
[00:00] Why AI Still Can't Replace Curiosity
[08:40] The Real Question: Winning Workflows, Not Deposits
[14:30] Ron's Pushback: Creativity, Context & Human Judgment
[18:00] Did Finovate Deliver?
[21:20] The One Demo That Stood Out
[22:50] Chime Buys Stride: Smart Move or Hidden Risk?
[27:00] More Money, More Problems?
[32:15] Final Verdict

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Banking’s AI adoption isn’t frozen. It’s early, uneven, and a lot more complicated than handing everyone a ChatGPT license and calling it transformation.

Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant take apart the “frozen middle” narrative, explain why banks need to fund the less flashy stuff like APIs, data access, infrastructure, and process redesign, and warn that giving 500 employees AI tools could create 500 undocumented ways of working. Because apparently “let everyone run amok” is not an AI strategy.

Then they dig into the SoFi playbook credit unions keep overlooking, the student-lending ROI trap, and a 225-mile car-loan story that proves “apply online” does not always mean digital. Candid, sharp, and occasionally spicy, as always.

Show Notes:

• Banking Is Very Wrong About the AI Timeline
• The Most Important Job Announcement in Banking
• SoFi Gives Checking Away Too, It Just Sells Something Afterward
• Ron's Substack

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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
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Chapters
[00:00] AI Isn’t Frozen
[00:23] The “Frozen Middle” Claim
[02:56] Why AI Adoption Is Just Early
[07:45] AI Is Not One Technology
[09:24] The Bigger Risk: Banks Standing Still
[12:16] 500 Employees, 500 AI Workflows
[14:40] Why One Person Can’t Own AI
[16:10] Banking’s Most Important AI Hire
[18:26] The Two AI Budget Buckets
[22:17] Why Community Banks Can’t Wait
[23:52] Party Like It’s 1993
[28:12] The SoFi Playbook Credit Unions Can Steal
[29:59] The Student-Loan ROI Trap
[31:22] Engagement Beats Rewards
[34:04] The 225-Mile Car Loan Wake-Up Call

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Is there really such a thing as a "core deposit" anymore? Ron Shevlin isn't buying it. Fresh off the African American Credit Union Coalition conference, Stacey Bryant shares insights on attracting the next generation of consumers and leaders before the conversation turns to stablecoins, tokenization, Visa's $2.4 billion BioCatch acquisition, AI-powered fraud, and why the "Great Wealth Transfer" may not be the windfall many bankers are counting on. In other words: a normal week in banking chaos.

Show Notes:

• The 'Great Wealth Transfer' Delusion (or Sorry Girls, But You're Not Getting Your Mom's and My Money)

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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
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Chapters
[00:00] Stacey Returns from AACUC Recharged
[01:06] Why Representation Still Matters in Banking
[03:48] Zillennials, Growth & the Future of Credit Unions
[05:41] Stablecoins, Tokenization & Real Use Cases
[07:20] The Three-Day Interest Problem
[10:24] Why Programmability Matters More Than FedNow
[12:10] Deposit Fidgetization Has Entered the Chat
[13:23] Sticky Deposits Are Dead
[15:12] Visa's $2.4 Billion Fraud Bet
[16:17] AI Is Fueling a Trillion-Dollar Fraud Problem
[20:21] The Vendor Bundling Dilemma
[24:06] The Great Wealth Transfer Delusion
[26:28] Where the Money Actually Goes
[28:01] The Real Opportunity Isn't the Inheritance
[30:22] Parental Financial Management

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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

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
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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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This week on What’s Going On in Banking, Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant somehow connect Knicks parade chaos, a questionable trash can decision, JPMorgan Chase, rewards gaps, and SoFi’s move into small business lending.

Stacey is still on a Knicks high. Ron is trying to bring everyone back to reality. Together, they debate whether a JPMorgan Chase employee deserved to be fired, why rewards programs may be banking’s version of a gym membership, and whether SoFi’s latest move should have community banks and credit unions sweating.

Trash cans were stolen. Rewards went unused. SoFi entered the chat. Just another normal week in banking!

Show Notes:

• Woman who emptied Knicks trashcan on street — then stole it — is fired from JPMorgan Chase, was DEI exec
• The Gym Membership Problem Just Ate Your Debit and Credit Card Rewards Programs
• SoFi enters small-business loan market

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
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Chapters
[0:00] Welcome Back to What’s Going On in Banking
[2:08] The Knicks Finally Win and Stacey Is Not Over It
[3:01] The Trash Can Incident That Became a Banking Story
[5:20] Was JPMorgan Chase Right to Fire Her?
[8:05] Stacey Puts on Her HR Hat
[9:24] The Gym Membership Problem in Rewards Programs
[12:46] Are Banks Profiting From Customer Inertia?
[15:20] AI, 1033, and the Future of Product Recommendations
[17:20] Advocacy-Based Value vs. Acquisition-Based Value
[21:31] SoFi Enters Small Business Lending
[23:31] The Gray Zone Between Consumers and Businesses
[25:00] Stacey Pushes Back: Relationship Depth Still Matters
[29:12] Can Community Banks Really Beat SoFi on Depth?
[30:16] The SoFi Data Advantage
[32:43] How Banks Can Use Data to Fight Back

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The Knicks finally gave New York manners, Chase got wildly misquoted, and banks are still out here pretending branches are the main character. Stacey Bryant and Ron Shevlin break down what JPMorgan Chase’s branch expansion is actually about, why community banks should stop copy-pasting big bank strategy, and why zillennials might be the investment opportunity financial institutions keep missing while they argue about checking accounts like it’s 2009.

Also, Ron officially hates the term “white paper,” so please update your records accordingly.

Show Notes:

• Don't Fall for the Branch Hype: Chase Didn't Build Those Branches for Retail Banking
• The Zillennial Opportunity: Credit Unions’ Traditional Investing Imperative in the Crypto Age

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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
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Chapters
[0:00] Welcome: New Orleans, Conferences & Banker Concerns
[4:37] Fiserv’s Agent OS Enters the AI Agent Race
[8:07] What “Agentic AI” Actually Means
[10:26] Operating System or Orchestration Layer?
[12:13] Commercial Lending & AML: The First AI Agent Use Cases
[15:50] How AI Could Change Commercial Lending
[19:20] Bringing AI Skeptics Along
[22:00] The AI Capability Continuum
[23:42] When AI Should Act Autonomously
[25:08] Culture, Risk & the Future Banking Workforce
[27:31] Why Bank Leaders Can’t Ignore AI Decisions
[31:04] OpenAI + Plaid: ChatGPT Enters Personal Finance
[33:03] Why Ron Is Skeptical of AI Financial Advice
[37:20] Small Business AI Adoption & Customer Behavior
[40:59] Advice vs. Execution: Where AI Finance Gets Valuable

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What are the headlines getting wrong about banking right now? In this episode of What’s Going On in Banking, Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant take on three big debates: whether Gen Z belongs in the boardroom, why AI executive clones may be more illusion than innovation, and why SoFi’s stablecoin story is really about Galileo’s B2B infrastructure play, not just consumer crypto hype.

From credit union branding and board diversity to executive judgment, authenticity, tokenized money, and stablecoin strategy, this episode cuts through the surface-level takes and gets to what financial institutions should actually be paying attention to.

Subscribe for more candid, sharp, and occasionally spicy conversations on what’s really going on in banking.

Show Notes:

• AI Clones in the C-Suite: A Productivity Solution to the Wrong Problem
• SoFiUSD Is the Bait, Galileo Is the Hook
• Ron's Substack Account

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
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Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
crnrstone.com/wgoib2026

Chapters
[0:00] Intro: Knicks Energy, Boston Betrayal & Banking Banter
[3:24] Stacey’s Conference Aha Moment
[4:08] A Gen Z Board Member at a $2B Credit Union
[5:44] Should Credit Unions Drop the “Credit Union” Name?
[6:39] Ron’s Pushback: Gen Z Isn’t a Board Strategy
[9:30] Representation vs. Real Board Expertise
[11:46] Diversity of Thought or Market Research?
[13:25] Ron’s Substack Era Begins
[14:32] AI Clones in the C-Suite
[16:20] Why AI Can’t Replace Executive Judgment
[17:10] Authenticity, Trust & the “Real Slim Shady” Test
[20:20] When AI Clones Actually Make Sense
[24:20] SoFi’s Stablecoin Story: The Headlines Got It Wrong
[26:20] Why Galileo Is the Real Stablecoin Play
[28:21] Stablecoin Strategy: Rails, Role & Reach

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