Articles by Jim Marous

Jim Marous is a financial industry strategist, co-publisher of The Financial Brand, and one of the top 5 most influential people in banking.

Understanding the importance of financial wellbeing and changing customer behaviors improved customer engagement and sales at a global bank.

The success of a bank CMO requires understanding the power of analytics, technology, strategy and agility to drive business results.

The best way that banks can prepare for the future is to reflect on the progress and shortfalls of the past.

The offering of fee-free deposits at close to 9,000 locations by Chime is the latest in a battle for consumers previously ignored by banks.

With the future still undefined, banks need to rethink business models and be prepared for a permanent hybrid work environment.

The future of work in banking will become detached from physical facilities and become increasingly mobile enabled.

Shifting consumer habits and the emergence of new technologies has put pressure on banks to improve mobile banking experiences.

Smart glasses could be the mobile device of the future, replacing the smartphone as the main way consumers bank and pay digitally.

The performance gap between digitally-ready financial institutions and those encumbered by their legacy business models is troubling.

Banks must catch up in key digital areas like AI. But new themes like ESG, DEI and HR challenges will also be critical in the year ahead.

The six trends will provide competitive advantages, including increased efficiency, improved experiences and future-proofed business models.

Leveraging a model that combines tech-enabled staff with advanced digital banking will enable financial institutions to improve differentiation.

Banks and credit unions will need to modernize back-office processes to complete the journey to becoming digital-first institutions.

Research predicts rapid change in key industry functions, prompting a shift of business models, but slower-than-expected change elsewhere.

These unconventional growth strategies will increasingly replace historically reliable approaches like retail branches or buying banks.

Deep cultural forces keep innovation bottled up at too many banks and credit unions. Several core truths will help unlock the potential.

Financial institutions are experiencing an unacceptable rate of digital account opening abandonment due to slow and broken processes.

Reflecting the massive explosion of neobanks and fintech providers, more people now use digital banking solutions than they do social media.

By tapping data and advanced analytics, banks and credit unions can deliver meaningful solutions to underserved communities at scale.

Financial institutions anticipating ongoing disruption will be better prepared for future challenges and competitive opportunities.

Google's abandonment of Plex digital-only banking should not bring comfort to traditional banks that are slow to respond to neobank offerings.

Priorities are fundamentally shifting in banks and credit unions as they grapple with the challenges (and opportunities) of the marketplace.