Bankadelic: The colorful side of finance

EPISODE 233: BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE, BANK CULTURE MATTERS MOST 09.06.2026 27min

Every bank needs to pay attention to the balance sheet but what makes many happy returns possible? Energized employees in a thriving culture provide without a doubt the x-factor that allows a financial institution to succeed and outperform its less culture-centric peers. Anthony J. Labozzetta, President and CEO of Provident Financial Services and Provident Bank, discusses how his regional puts culture first, which makes it easy then truly put customers first and expand the bank’s ever-growing footprint.

EPISODE 232 : SLMs, EDGE COMPUTING AND BIOMETRICS = BANKING'S TECH MUSCLE 05.06.2026 21min

On this episode Sean Mallean, Head of Global Innovation at NCR Atleos, makes a strong case for how an older technology -- edge computing -- can team up with a mighty mini version of todays LLMs -- the small language model -- to produce better banking results for financial institutions. Add in biometrics to reduce friction and you're looking at a vision of banking that best serves customers and employees alike.

EPISODE 231: HOW A PERSONAL LOAN PLATFORM USED AI TO TRANSFORM ITS BUSINESS 29.05.2026 27min

EPISODE 231: HOW A PERSONAL LOAN PLATFORM USED AI TO TRANSFORM ITS BUSINESS by Bankadelic: The colorful side of finance

EPISODE 230: MORE FROM A FINTECH SAGE ON TALENT, AGENTIC AI, AND SMART PLANNING 20.05.2026 23min

It's hard to imagine (go ahead and try) a fintech veteran with as much combined common sense, wisdom and experience as Tom Shen. In this episode, the second of two parts, Tom sets us straight on how winning companies will treat AI as much more than a technology--and make the links to people and purpose as part of a savvy plan, not an afterthought. Check out Episode 228 for more of Tom's thoughts on the state of fintech in 2026.

EPISODE 229: FUNNY MONEY--ANOTHER ROUND OF BANKADELIC SKITS 14.05.2026 33min

Whether it was our 200th episode celebration, Valentine’s Day or japes at the expense of guests who didn’t deserve it, Bankadelic’s Not Ready for Prime Rate Players crashed many an episode under the pretense of providing humor to the proceedings. It’s all in the spirit of “the colourful side of finance,” and on this recap we hear from Mrs. Cockney, The Funk LLM All-Stars, Elmo the Gentleman Farmer and a few too many times from Johnny Da Big—including a rare Money 2020 bootleg where he explains the goombah origins of fintech. An episode not to be missed, unless you have much more valuable things to do with your time … like shampooing the rug.

EPISODE 228: A LEADING FINTECH SAGE: "THE TOP PRIORITY FOR 2026 IS ______." 07.05.2026 23min

Tom Shen may be the most knowldgeable fintech veteran out there; he's a successful entrepreneur who sits on the boards of three companies and has guided strategy with uncommon wosdom and humility. So what does this self-described "chief dabler monkey" name as the top priority for financial services in 2026? Tom wastes no time giving us the answer and defending it in depth. This is the first of a two part Bankadelic special.

EPISODE 227: AN EFFECTIVE, FOCUSED APPROACH TO AI FOR BANKS 03.05.2026 27min

While LLMs and AI have changed the financial services landscape for good, there’s not so much talk about how to improve the manageability of these resources so they can work better for banks. Titan AI founder and CEO Arjun Sirrah explains how his New York-based company has built its technology based on an effective three-prong model — security, explainability and domain specificity — that’s accessible to all financial institutions, right down to the regional and community bank level.

EPISODE 226: GIVING BANKS A HAND SO SMALL BUSINESSES CAN GET A HAND 20.04.2026 24min

Between the twin pillars of accelerating technology and talent challenges, banks that want to serve the small business community, especially on a local level, may think the challenges a bit overwhelming. Ricky Guillot, President and CEO of BAFS, explains how his company helps community financial institutions grow their commercial loan portfolios without adding staff or taking on extra risk.

EPISODE 225: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GETS REAL IN SMALL BUSINESS LENDING--IN MINUTES 10.04.2026 29min

The fact is that today, much of the small business lending world moves at horse and buggy speed. Old school applications? Check. Bank PDFs? Check. Four week decision times? Check. Time to cross off all those check marks and add a definitive game changer to the mix. On this episode, Casca CEO Lukas Haffer explains how he brought the financial pain points learned at Stanford into the real world, making lending -- for instituions of all sizes -- move at the speed of real life.

EPISODE 224 OR SO: BANKADELIC'S APRIL FOOLS DAY PODCAST 30.03.2026 37min

If you think the joke’s on you, you’d almost be correct: It’s on Lou, as he does his absolute best not to look like a dumbass in the presence of three guests who know their fintech, AI and then some. What were banks fooled by? Where do they get the last laugh? All that and more, with special appearances from three of Bankadelic’s Not Ready for Prime Rate Players: billionaire Worthington Bigbucks, Elmo the Gentleman Farmer (who knows more about silos than ay CTO) and Sarge, the trainer/taskmaster at Barbell Bank. Our Guests: Lisa Pent, CEO and Founder, PentEdge Chris Poor, Vice President Strategic Solutions, Quinte Financial Technologies Preetha Pulusani, CEO, Deep Target

EPISODE 223: SMALL BUSINESS CAPITAL AT THE CROSSROADS 18.03.2026 24min

The uncertain economic environment that has sent gas prices soaring and tossed the stock market topsy-turvy has created ripples felt throughout financial services, especially at the level where small businesses need to secure money to grow and function. Will Tumulty, the CEO at Rapid Finance, explains how small businesses can beat the odds, obtain funding the smart way and leverage advances in artificial intelligence.

EPISODE 222: AI—TOY OR TOOL, HYPE OR HOPE? 13.03.2026 23min

As financial institutions grapple with some serious issues, from fraud to disconnected workflows, many are rushing — in some cases too fast — to enlist AI as the Bot in Shining Armor. Sriram Natarajan, President at Quinte Financial Technologies Inc., walks us through smart ways to think about AI and employ it as a tool to address challenges when given the right data, focus, and end-to-end visioning.

EPISODE 221: PRE-IPO LIQUIDITY AND THE BOOMING IPO LANSCAPE IN 2026 04.03.2026 25min

With 2026 set to be a record-breaking year on the IPO front, our guest Greg Martin, Founding Partner of Liquid Stock, weighs in on what he sees over a range of high-flying companies from SpaceX to OpenAI. He also discusses the pain point his company aims to solve: helping employees tap into their liquidity during the often long ramp-up to a business going public.

EPISODE 220: A COMMUNITY BANKING LEADER AND FINTECH TRAILBLAZER TRANSFORM ACCOUNTS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE 19.02.2026 31min

Jill Castilla of Citizens Bank of Edmond has been recognized time and again as one of the financial sevices industry’s leading lights. Kian Sarreshteh of InvestiFi has brainstormed how to bring digital investing inside traditional accounts. On this special episode of Bankadelic, Kian and Jill share how they’ve brought the InvestiFi platform to Citizens Bank account holders, giving them an easier way to invest (even in crypto) while maintaining the stellar customer attention and service community FIs are known for.

EPISODE 219: THE 2026 BANKADELIC VALENTINE'S DAY LOVEFEST (PART 2) 13.02.2026 46min

Who says you cabn't declare your bankiinglove twice in one week? In this second special Valentine's Day episodes, four Cupids of Coin gather to discuss their loves, loathes and hopes in banking. The goss in 2026 is whether AI is the white knight on a silicon stallion, or a two-timin' hallucinating player. Join us as we solve that mystery and many others in the relam of love and finance. Our guests: Tyler Brantley, VP of sales and partnership, VerticeAI Josh DeTar, EVP of Evangelism, Tyfone Jessica Evett, SVP of Product Strategy & Technology Operations, CloudVirga (hard G) Rebecca Secor, Chief Experience Officer, Member Loyalty Group

EPISODE 218 : THE 2026 BANKADELIC VALENTINE'S DAY LOVEFEST (PART ONE) 11.02.2026 28min

In love with banking? Feeling jilted by AI? Is your fintech life a box of chocolates? Whatever the state of your financial attachments, Bankadelic invites you back to another two-part holiday special, featuring three fabulous guests sharing their views on the state of banking play in 2026. Resident Bankadelic tycoon Worthington Bigbucks also drops by to deliver a Shakesperean sonnet that shares the sad tale of his luvvy-duvvy running off with his chauffer. Our guests: Sarah Koulogeorge, Director of Business Development, Casca Keith Riddle, General Manager, Payfinia Martha Underwood, Founder of Prismm

EPISODE 217: EDUCATE, LISTEN , LEAD: HOW A MORTGAGE STANDOUT BUILDS SUCCESS IN MARGIN AND MISSION 09.02.2026 27min

While many prospective homebuyers are living the American Dream Deferred, others are finding their way thanks to committed professionals who understand how to turn knowledge gaps into opportunities to educate and win customer loyalty. Jeremy Davis, President of Mortgage at Southern Bancorp, describes his successful business approach centered on consumer education and community involvement. His hands-on style serves an overarching philosophy that margin and mission are not mutually exclusive.

EPISODE 216: THE DIGITAL CD RENAISSANCE--AND THE MAN BEHIND IT 30.01.2026 24min

Certificates of deposit have been around since the days of bank vacation clubs and paper passbooks. But they’ve caught up to the digital age, and then some, thanks to the vision and passion of a Seattle-based banker. John Blizzard, Founder of CD Valet, takes us through the ins and outs of an online destination that offers customers some 40,000 choices, likely making it the largest such marketplace in the world. He also shares his views on how forces ranging from AI-driven search to interest rate pressure could shape (and shake) the CD environment in the months ahead.

EPISODE 215: BANKADELIC'S FIVE FINANCIAL SERVICES PREDICTIONS FOR 2026 13.01.2026 25min

So AI is on the rise for FIs: Tell us something we don't already know. But will agentic AI gain traction? Will banks hyperpersonalize with all that data or just muck about in the ones and zeroes? How will community banks and credit unions assert their relevance? The questions abound in 2026, and Bankadelic's got answers, based on interviews, McKinsey intelligence, statistics and more. Stick around, and you'll also get foolish forecasts from Elmo the Gentleman Farmer, Dr. Compliars, the Bankadelic Executioner and resident wiseguy Johnny Da Big, who gives us a live trial of his new LLM, BIG-GPT.

EPISODE 214: THE AI 4: WILL 2026 BE THE YEAR OF HYPERPERSONALIZAION--OR HYPE? 31.12.2025 21min

As part of our ongoing series on the biggest tech breakthrough in history, Bankadelic's "AI 4" experts tackle the subject of hyper-personalization. The idea that every bank customer is different--and thus should be treated as an individual--is common sense. Yet too often, financial institutions rely on "spray and pray" emails and generic loan offers that have nothing to do with the person who gets them. Our distinguished panel assesses the current state of hyper-personalization and whether 2026 could be a breakthrough year. Our guests: Emiliano Giacchetti, CEO, Parascript Mitch Rutledge, CEO, Vertice AI Mac Thompson, CEO, White Clay Matthew Wood, Sr. Director of Banking, Tavant