10-Q, Member Exclusive

The changing tides in the Gen Z-traditional FI relationship

  • With the rise of new-age, youth-centric non-bank financial firms, traditional banks might find themselves at the end of the line in the eyes of Gen Z.
  • Some banks are now stepping out of their comfort zones to adapt and stay competitive with the largest generation, who are currently their customers and also the talent of tomorrow.
close

Email a Friend

The changing tides in the Gen Z-traditional FI relationship

    Legacy banks are stepping out of their comfort zones to co-exist with non-banks and win over Gen Z

    Lit, sick, gucci — how do traditional banks measure up in Gen Z lingo? Likely, they’re not even a contender among these words that scream cool and trendy. With the rise of new-age, youth-centric non-bank financial firms, traditional banks might find themselves at the end of the line.

    It’s not that banks are oblivious, but their longstanding focus on security, slow-moving steps, regulations, and compliance tends to saddle them with a serious and boring image in the eyes of Gen Z.

    Banks are now implementing tangible actions to adapt and stay competitive with the largest generation, who are currently their customers and also the talent of tomorrow. Growth begins where comfort ends — keeping this in mind, banks are overhauling their strategies related to employment, internal policies, and marketing. However, when it comes to products and services, some are opting for strategic partnerships. 

    We explore each of these areas to see how some banks are approaching things differently, and, in a few cases, even diverge from the norm and conventional routes.

    1. The most unusual fusion of traditional banks and TikTok


    subscription wall for TS Pro

    0 comments on “The changing tides in the Gen Z-traditional FI relationship”

    Embedded Finance, Member Exclusive

    U.S. Bank deepens focus on CX through its recent embedded payments suite expansion

    • U.S. Bank has recently expanded its embedded payments suite in response to growing demand for more integrated solutions.
    • By making this move, the bank is emphasizing the importance of embedded payments in creating a smoother user experience, a key driver behind its latest expansion.
    Sara Khairi | July 17, 2025
    Member Exclusive, The Quarterly Review

    The Quarterly Review: How Zelle’s GM Denise Leonhard scaled beyond $1 trillion through customer growth and 2,300+ financial institution partnerships

    • Denise Leonhard, GM of Zelle, is back to report that her aim to help Zelle go beyond the $1 trillion mark in transaction volume has been achieved.
    • Leonhard breaks down how systematically improving security and reliability as well as focusing on high-value use cases has allowed the firm to become more of a mainstay in consumers and SMBs financial lives.
    Rabab Ahsan | July 15, 2025
    10-Q, Member Exclusive

    From payment processor to commerce platform: PayPal’s new card launch tells a bigger story

    • PayPal is rolling out a new physical card that brings its PayPal Credit offering into brick-and-mortar stores.
    • We take a closer look at how its launch signals PayPal’s broader shift from a payment processor to a commerce platform.
    Sara Khairi | July 14, 2025
    Banking as a service, Embedded Finance, Member Exclusive

    A closer look at Citi’s strategy for growing its TTS business in the 2025 BaaS landscape

    • Citi continues to build infrastructure through API-driven solutions and deeply integrated partnerships — a strategy that has proven to be a reliable growth engine and a core pillar of the bank’s long-term vision.
    • We look at how its Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) division is playing a central role in expanding the bank’s footprint in Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).
    Sara Khairi | July 10, 2025
    Artificial Intelligence, Banking, Member Exclusive

    How Bank of America cracked the code on AI adoption by making Erica indispensable to both customers and employees

    • Bank of America transformed its customer chatbot Erica into an employee productivity powerhouse, achieving 50% IT service desk automation by strategically targeting common pain points and building adoption incrementally over five years.
    • Learn the adoption secrets behind getting 90% of employees to embrace AI tools, including how Bank of America overcame the adoption hump and integrated generative AI with 25 proof-of-concept projects now entering production.
    Rabab Ahsan | July 08, 2025
    More Articles