Firmer Ground from SRM

Hosted by Neil Dougherty

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Latest episode

Sep 2025

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EN-US

About the show

Welcome to Firmer Ground from SRM, a podcast exploring key topics and actionable takeaways for leaders in the financial services industry. Every episode we produce features experts from the world of banking and financial services, including SRM thought leaders, executives at future-thinking financial institutions, and other experts from all corners of the industry. Learn more about us at https://srmcorp.com/

Listen to episodes

15 recent

September 10, 2025Episode 137 min

An Overview of Stablecoins and The GENIUS Act with Larry Pruss

In this episode, we speak with Larry Pruss, SRM's in-house expert on all things digital assets and stablecoins. Larry has over 30 years of experience as a trusted adviser, strategist, author, speaker, and futurist. The topic of the day is stablecoins and the GENIUS Act passed this summer in Washington. We discuss both the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for traditional FIs in the age of stablecoins.

June 25, 2024Episode 335 min

Injecting Startup Thinking Into Financial Institutions with Steven Van Belleghem

In this episode, we’re joined by Steven Van Belleghem, Customer Experience expert, author, and keynote speaker, as well as the co-founder of nexxworks in Belgium. Steven is also a member of the SRM International Advisory Board, and on this episode we discuss ways established corporations – notably banking institutions – can think like startups to remove friction for their customers and empower their employees to succeed.

April 19, 2024Episode 243 min

2024 Commercial Payments Overview and Trends

In this episode, we speak with Dean Nolan, SRM's Managing Director of Commercial Payments. Dean brings 25+ years of experience in payments and financial services to SRM, having held leadership positions in payments strategy, innovation, product management, and product sales at Fifth Third Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, First Data, and MasterCard. He is a frequent speaker on Instant Payments and Fintech and API workgroup chair at the US Faster Payments Council. The topic of the day is commercial payments, and specifically what headwinds in 2024 are transforming the landscape. This includes the impact of fraud, instant payments, infrastructure upgrades, Banking as a Service, and overall transformation initiatives.

January 3, 2024Episode 128 min

The State of Fintech with Charles Potts of the ICBA

In this podcast, we discuss technology and innovation with a fintech veteran, Charles Potts with the Independent Community Bankers of America. In addition to serving as the ICBA’s Chief Innovation Officer, Charles oversees the association’s ThinkTECH accelerator program. Charles joins Paul Davis, SRM’s Director of Market Intelligence, for this conversation. The two reflect on the emergence of AI in financial services, discuss the importance of supporting early-stage fintechs, and share their thoughts about innovation in the financial services industry in 2024.

October 27, 2023Episode 1142 min

Power Dynamics in the Financial Services Industry with Teresa Freeborn

In this podcast, we speak with author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and former Credit Union executive Teresa Freeborn about her background in financial services, the continuing challenges women leaders face in the workplace, and the motivation for her book Suits and Skirts: Game On! The Battle for Corporate Power. We also discuss Teresa’s new role on the SRM International Advisory Board. With equal parts tenacity and compassion, Teresa covers a lot of ground in this discussion with our host Neil Dougherty, SRM’s Managing Director of Global Marketing. Enjoy!

October 12, 2023Episode 1045 min

The State of Community Banking with Gary Findley

In this podcast, we speak with one of the preeminent voices in California Banking, Gary Steven Findley. Born into a banking family and now with 50+ years of hands-on experience in the banking industry, Gary shares his insights with us on the current state of banking after a tumultuous 2023 and what he believes are the challenges and opportunities for the road ahead. Gary also breaks down his role with the California Community Banking Network and the organization’s mission. Join us for this in-depth discussion on the ever-evolving dynamics of community banking.

September 22, 2023Episode 941 min

Rethinking Customer Experience Tracking and Performance Metrics for FIs

In this podcast, we speak with our colleague from SRM Europe, Pete Bainbridge. Pete is one of our Senior Consultants based in the UK. He brings 2+ decades of experience in customer and business insights for financial services clients, having previously provided similar services at Grant Thornton UK. Pete has been the lead advocate and consultant for the SRM global customer loyalty tracking and insights offering called CLIX, which first debuted in 2021. In this conversation, we talk to Pete about the current state of customer experience in retail banking, the differences in attitudes between US and European banking customers, and how the SRM offering can help build a robust database of customer insights and analysis. Additionally, Pete debunks a few myths about typical KPIs related to customer experience/satisfaction and how financial institutions can set better performance standards based on their unique goals.

August 28, 2023Episode 837 min

Responsibility, Growth & Innovation in the Credit Union Movement with the NCUA’s Rodney E. Hood

In this podcast, we speak with the Honorable Rodney E. Hood, the 11th Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (from 2019 to 2021), NCUA board member, and now Board Chair of NeighborWorks America, a non-profit focused on affordable housing across American cities and rural communities. Rodney takes a break from his busy schedule to talk to us about several topics, including his unique background and career, his work related to affordable housing and DE&I, how regulators and credit unions work together today, some key fintech opportunities for credit unions, and his overall take on the ongoing digital transformation of the industry (including AI’s potential). It’s one of our most interesting episodes yet and we hope you enjoy the conversation with Rodney!

August 14, 2023Episode 733 min

Assessing the Maturity Scale in Today's Banking Environment

In this podcast, we speak with our colleague Simon Rose. Simon is SRM Europe's Consulting Director based in Durham, England. He works directly with bank and credit union clients on matters of organizational design and technology strategy. Simon brings a unique understanding of the global financial services industry to the table. In this conversation, we speak to him about the challenges of scaling and maturing a financial institution in the United States and how the international banking community has faced and overcome similar challenges. We hope you enjoy this episode with our colleague Simon!

July 19, 2023Episode 633 min

Balancing Risk & Innovation with SRM's Josh Herman

In this episode, we chat with our colleague, Josh Herman. Josh is a Director in our Digital Assets Advisory team and works with our clients to prepare their institutions for the future of banking. He brings a unique perspective as a former NCUA examiner and credit union insider (having led strategy initiatives at Frankenmuth Credit Union in Michigan). We discuss several topics in this one, including the shifting role of credit unions and community banks, Josh's experience weighing risk and reward scenarios in the context of innovation, the continued evolution of data analytics in banking, and much more. Enjoy this conversation with Josh!