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

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] 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

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfUYX

Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
https://qrco.de/bgmHtr

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

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfUYX

Download the 2026 "What's Going on in Banking" Report here:
https://qrco.de/bgmHtr

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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Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV82