Provoke Media

12/10/2025

Europe’s banks are already seeing the death of the branch. Is the U.S. next?

In the new episode of Breaking Banks, Brett King continues the fascinating discussions around the theme of his new book, "Branch Tomorrow." This week, Brett features insights from collaborator Efi Pylarinou on the future of financial services: branchless challengers, fintech disruptors, and AI-powered branch advisors.

The result? A provocative look at what banking might feel like tomorrow.

🎧 Catch the full discussion - Link in comments.

A special thanks to this week's sponsor, Fin.ai! https://bit.ly/4m3kdC9

11/10/2025

Why are physical bank branches struggling so much?

In the recent episode of Breaking Banks, Brett King and Paolo Sironi unpack why branches are struggling in today’s digital world.

Banks in Germany have even warned regulators that without certain revenue streams, they would need to close their branches. The truth is, many branches no longer operate as advisory centers, but more like brokerage hubs.

It's a fascinating preview of the issues discussed in Brett's new book, "Branch Tomorrow," with collaborations by Paolo Sironi and other global banking experts.

Learn more: https://amzn.to/4mTA5Zi

05/10/2025

What's a "Super App" and why is it so cool?

In China, apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay have revolutionized banking and fintech.

In this clip from Breaking Banks, Brett King and Richard Turrin explain how these super apps transformed payments by making refunds free and instant, sometimes in under a minute. This level of speed and ease has created a new expectation for how money should move, one that traditional banks are still struggling to meet.

The lesson is clear: once people experience seamless, instant refunds and payments, their trust shifts to the platform that delivers it. Banks that can’t offer the same thing risk losing relevance in a world where digital convenience wins.

04/10/2025

The Branch of Tomorrow? Or No Branch At All?

Digital disruption has reshaped banking on a scale the West is still catching up to. In China, banks have already lost the payments business—and they can’t get it back. They’re still “data poor” while fintechs thrive.

In a recent episode of Breaking Banks, Brett King sits down with Richard Turrin and Paolo Sironi to unpack:

Why traditional branches are disappearing

How fintechs have permanently shifted consumer trust

What “Branch Tomorrow” looks like for banks that want to survive

🎧 Listen now to understand where banking is headed: https://youtu.be/2OF2svpLWIk

30/09/2025

What if the content you send to customers could be both compliant and high-performing, automatically?

On a recent episode of the Finovate Podcast, Assaf Baciu, President and Co-Founder of Persado, shares with Greg Palmer how Persado's agentic AI platform is eliminating the long, painful bottleneck between marketing and compliance.

Here's an amazing example: In one case, Persado helped reduce the approval timeline for a single subject line from 12 weeks to just hours.

This isn’t just smarter marketing, it’s safer, faster growth, which is the true promise of AI.

Listen now: https://provoke.fm/ep-268-assaf-baciu-persado/

Your new go-to-market(ing) strategy – balancing compliance and speed with agentic AI Detailed Summary: In this Finovate Podcast episode, Greg interviews Asaf Baciu, President and Co-Founder of Persado, an agentic AI platform that optimizes both marketing performance and regulatory compliance for f...

28/09/2025

Are banks with prehistoric legacy systems just screwed when it comes to going digital?

(After all, wasn't it the inability to quickly go digital that led to the rise of fintechs?)

As Brett King and Bruno Diniz explain, many big banks tried to launch digital divisions. Some worked, most didn’t. Because digital isn’t just a channel, it’s a new way of operating entirely.

But the shift is no longer optional.

Learn more on the latest episode of Breaking Banks, and read Brett King's new book, "Branch Tomorrow," for expert analysis on the disappearance of the branch bank: https://www.amazon.com/Branch-Tomorrow-Brett-King-ebook/dp/B0FN6Y69PK/

27/09/2025

Hot Take: bank branch scaling is impossible unless you're going digital.

As Brett King explains, there's a massive cost gap between traditional banks and digital-first players. While JPMorgan Chase pays $400 to $450 to bring in a customer through its branches, Nubank acquires new users for just $5 to $7.

This big a difference isn’t about efficiency, it’s about survival. The economics of branch banking simply cannot keep up with digital-first models. And if you want to understand why Nubank scaled into the largest bank outside of Asia, this is it.



Link to full episode: https://bit.ly/4mZx0GH

21/09/2025

How do we give financial advice in a post-fact world?

Financial advice should be the same for everyone, not tailored to benefit the bank.

As Jennifer Tescher explains, there's a right answer, and it's the right answer for the customer.



Watch the full episode → https://bit.ly/4mKHidw

20/09/2025

Could this be the best solution to financial data privacy concerns?

Just forget about "privacy" and start thinking about "ownership."

In this conversation, Jason Henrichs, Brett King, and Jennifer Tescher talk about the ongoing battle over who controls your financial information. The question remains: do customers truly own their data, or are they just lending it to institutions?

Brett points to Brazil’s proposed legislation that shifts from data privacy to full data ownership, giving people the right to sell their data in exchange for better services. This is about putting control back in the hands of consumers and redefining how the financial industry uses personal information.



Link to the full episode:

14/09/2025

There's fallout from the immigration crackdown that banks might not have seen coming.

In the recent episode of Breaking Banks, Jennifer Tescher of Financial Health Network talks about how fear is pushing some immigrants to pull their savings from banks and keep cash at home. The concern is that personal information, like individual taxpayer identification numbers, could be used to track them.

Jennifer warns that if this fear becomes reality, it will not only harm individuals but could also erode trust in the banking system itself. This is a call for the industry to protect customer data, rebuild trust, and ensure that banks are a safe place for everyone’s money.



Link to full episoide: https://bit.ly/4mKHidw

13/09/2025

Ok, we'll just say what you're all thinking: people want human help when help actually matters.

This is especially true for financial services. People don’t want unnecessary calls or updates. They want quick, human help, typically on demand.

This is a real look at what trust and digital experience mean for banks and advisors today.



Watch the full episode: https://bit.ly/3H3hLx9

12/09/2025

🔥 Behind every successful stablecoin-bank deal is a team who knew how to navigate compliance, legal, and partnership hurdles.

Now those insiders are teaching their playbooks.

👉 12 live masterclasses, starting Sept 15th.

Learn more and get your seat today: https://bit.ly/StableClass

Coupon: breaking10 for 10% off.

Where Stablecoin Startups and Banking Partners Learn to Collaborate—and Close Deals Faster Taught by alumni of Circle, Calibra, Cross River Bank, LHV, JP Morgan, and more