How U.S. Bank is reinventing itself for the digital age with Chief Product Officer of Digital Platforms, Gareth Gaston

US Bank Gareth Gaston

In an evolving financial landscape, US Bank has emerged as a leader in digital transformation. It has reshaped the way customers interact with their finances. Today’s episode of the Tearsheet podcast features Gareth Gaston, Chief Product Officer of Digital Platforms at U.S. Bank. He discusses the bank’s decade-long journey of innovation and customer-centric development.

“We’ve been on a multi-year journey on digital transformation across all facets that you can think of digital,” Gaston explains. This transformation has been more than just a technological upgrade. It’s been a cultural shift that has positioned U.S. Bank at the forefront of banking innovation.

The journey began with the recognition that customers were using more than just physical branches. “When we started this journey, we were renting all our digital tools,” Gaston recalls. “We didn’t have a mobile app. We were kind of renting our online banking and bill pay.”

From these humble beginnings, U.S. Bank has built its own digital platform and in doing so, laid the groundwork for successful future product development. In doing so, it has created award-winning apps and platforms that serve millions of customers.

Here’s my conversation with U.S. Bank’s Gareth Gaston.

Evolution of U.S. Bank’s Digital Transformation

U.S. Bank’s initial move was to shift from renting digital tools to creating their own. This allowed them to develop in-house products tailored to their needs. This shift allowed for greater control over the customer experience. It resulted in faster innovation cycles.

“We rebuilt our app from the ground up, below the glass and above the glass, as we call it,” Gaston shares. This effort paid off. The app got the recognition for “the best app in banking” shortly after its launch.

Expanding Digital Services

The bank did not stop at mobile apps. They expanded their digital offerings to include:

  • A voice assistant, now recognized as a leader in financial services
  • Spanish language conversational experiences
  • End-to-end digital mortgage applications
  • Same-day business loan approvals and funding

Gaston emphasizes the importance of these developments. He highlights, “Our mortgage experience has won awards and it’s fully end-to-end. Most of our applications and processes are done digitally.”

Enterprise-Wide Digital Transformation

U.S. Bank is now expanding its digital capabilities across the entire company. This phase aims to enhance digital services throughout the enterprise. “Having had great success in consumer and business banking, let’s take that across the whole enterprise,” Gaston explains.

This expansion includes creating foundational capabilities. They can be used across all divisions. From payments to wealth management and commercial banking.

Embracing Open Banking and Connected Finance

US Bank has embraced the concept of “connected finance.” It has created APIs that enable various use cases. These include embedded payments and partnerships with other financial institutions.

“We offer both real-time payments and FedNow as one API,” Gaston notes. He highlights the bank’s commitment to staying at the forefront of payment technology.

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning

The bank recognizes the potential of artificial intelligence. U.S. Bank has recently welcomed a new Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. This move underscores their commitment to integrating AI across their operations. From personal productivity tools to enhancing the product development lifecycle.

The Big Ideas

  1. Digital transformation is a continuous journey that requires both technological and cultural changes. Gareth says, “We’ve been on a multi-year journey on digital transformation across all facets that you can think of digital.”
  2. Developing in-house digital tools enables more innovation and control. This improves the customer experience. Gareth says, “We rebuilt our app from the ground up, below the glass and above the glass, as we call it.”
  3. The reusability of digital platforms across the enterprise accelerates product development and ensures consistency. “The whole idea of reuse is that we were very intentional around creating these seven different platform groups”, explains Gareth.
  4. Open banking and connected finance are key to meeting evolving customer needs and expectations. “We embraced, uh, you know, we call it connected finance. But open banking, from the start of the journey in the U.S.”, Gareth says.
  5. AI and machine learning will play a crucial role in the future of banking. This requires dedicated leadership and governance. “It’s so important. We, this week, just welcomed our new chief artificial intelligence officer”, Gareth highlights.

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Reshaping embedded finance with KeyBank’s Jon Briggs and Qolo’s CEO Patricia Montesi

KeyBank -- Qolo partnership on Tearsheet Podcast

Strategic partnerships – those relationships between traditional financial institutions and fintechs – have become really integral as banks seek to modernize their offerings and fintechs aim to scale their operations and get distribution.

KeyBank and Qolo have teamed up on an embedded finance offering. On today’s episode, we sit with Jon Briggs, Head of Product and Innovation at KeyBank, and Patricia Montesi, Co-founder and CEO of Qolo. 

Their collaboration story begins two years ago when a single slide in Qolo’s pitch deck caught KeyBank’s attention. “We still talk about it today,” Montesi recalls. “It was the ‘Series A: Winter Slide’, which was all about how fintech had created this spiderweb ecosystem of suppliers. And sort of put the burden back on banks and corporates to bring it all together.” Their shared goal of simplifying fintech sparked a partnership that’s addressing how treasurer think about and use banking. 

As Briggs explains, “We enter partnerships because they need a lot of mind share, a lot of sweat equity.” What set Qolo apart was their deep understanding of banking-grade compliance and operational risk. This makes the integration process less painful. The result of their collaboration? KeyVAM, a virtual account management system that simplifies money movement by consolidating balances and transactions in a virtual platform, reducing the need for organizations to manage multiple accounts or complex account structures.

KeyBank’s Jon Briggs and Qolo’s Patricia Montesi are my guests today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

Genesis of a Powerful Fintech Partnership

The collaboration between KeyBank and Qolo is a testament to the power of strategic bank-fintech partnerships. Briggs highlights the importance of cultural alignment. He states, “What distinguishes a partner from a vendor is that cultural and executive alignment.” Their shared vision has been key in overcoming the challenges of launching a new product.

Unveiling KeyVAM: A New Era in Treasury Management Solutions

KeyVAM represents a significant leap in core banking modernization. Briggs describes it as “a hyper-modern core ledger” that allows clients to open sub-accounts instantly. What sets it apart is its robust UI and API capabilities. This puts self-serve at the forefront of the product.

Rethinking Account Opening and Management

One of the most striking features of KeyVAM is its ability to streamline account opening. “We put our clients in the driver’s seat,” Briggs explains. “They can do it in as little as 60 seconds.” This quick speed and instant payment setup mark a major step forward in digital banking.

Strategic Importance of Embedded Finance

The development of KeyVAM is not just about solving current client needs. It is a strategic move in the evolving landscape of embedded finance. Briggs notes, “Deposits are going to become even more important for banks going forward, and it’s frankly going to be the gating item for growth.” KeyVAM allows KeyBank to compete with technology and innovation rather than just on rate.

Overcoming Challenges in Fintech Integration

Montesi stresses the importance of education when introducing new technologies in traditional banks. “It’s a really big part of understanding it at that level because a lot of real-time, instant, virtual – a lot of risk and compliance people get nervous when they hear these things,” she explains. This focus on education has been essential for adapting and integrating smoothly.

The Big Ideas

  1. Cultural Alignment has been crucial in navigating challenges and ensuring a successful partnership. Briggs shares, “What distinguishes a partner from a vendor is that cultural and executive alignment.”
  2. KeyVAM is a recent innovation in core banking systems. Briggs explains, “Nobody’s innovated around the core operating account which is at the centre of every banking relationship.” Such banking innovations represent a significant step forward in business banking solutions.
  3. Speed and Efficiency are the game-changers in digital banking. The ability to open accounts in as little as 60 seconds is a game-changer. Briggs notes, “We put our clients in the driver’s seat,” highlighting the focus on client empowerment and efficiency.
  4. KeyVAM helps KeyBank stay competitive by focusing on the value of deposits. This approach is key in navigating today’s changing regulations. Briggs highlights, “Deposits are going to become even more important for banks going forward.” KeyVAM positions KeyBank to compete effectively in this landscape. It results in efficient cash flow management by streamlining accounts. 
  5. Montesi stresses the importance of education and the integration of new technologies. He states, “You have to spend the right amount of time educating folks along that journey.” This focus on education has been crucial in overcoming integration challenges.

Listen to the full episode

 

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