FinAi Podcast

Hosted by FinAi News

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Episodes

323

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

The FinAi podcast, which covers current trends and intriguing topics in automation and beyond, is the definitive source for insights and news surrounding automation in financial services.

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60 recent

August 6, 2026Episode 30816 min

AI adoption among SMBs doubles YoY, according to TD survey

Small businesses are increasingly looking to AI to improve operations – and banks must be able to meet the needs of those clients. According to the 2026 TD Financial Preparedness Survey, released in April, 69% of business owners already use AI to reduce expenses, up from 39% in the 2025 survey. The survey polled 1,000 U.S. business owners with 100 or fewer employees. “That was a dramatic increase,” Chris Ward, head of small business banking at TD Bank U.S., tells FinAi News on this episode of the “FinAi Podcast.” In the survey, small business owners identified the top benefits of AI for their businesses: Customer service; Fraud and cybersecurity; and Sales and marketing. AI in SMB bankingWhile small businesses deploy AI internally, they are also looking to their financial services provider for advice and insights. “Operating a small business is really complex nowadays,” Ward says. “It’s tough to be a small business owner, so we found that giving tools to our business customers to help them manage their cash flow is more important than ever.” That’s where the bank’s Small Business Dashboard, or cash flow management tool, comes into play, he says. It offers insights, forecasts future cash flow needs and allows for benchmarking across other businesses in the same industry. “They’re looking for information and they’re looking for somebody who can help them manage their cash flow more intelligently,” Ward says. Listen as Ward discusses how SMBs use AI and how TD is keeping up with the demand for intelligent small business banking solutions.

April 8, 2026Episode 30712 min

Why tax season serves as an AI stress test for banks

Tax season adds stress to banking systems with a surge in transactions, fraud threats, data complexity and necessary risk controls. This added stress, including to AI systems, can expose gaps in data quality, Mark Blake, financial services industry practice lead at data management solution provider Stibo Systems, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. Those gaps to watch for in AI systems include: Mismatched data; Missing data; Lineage issues; and Auditability issues. Financial institutions must ensure “they’re meeting and satisfying the regulators, and they need to be confident that their AI models also stand up to that pressure,” Blake says. Listen as Blake discusses AI readiness at financial institutions this tax season.

February 24, 2026Episode 30619 min

FIs deploy cloud-based AI agents

Financial institutions have established cloud partners and now those cloud providers are being tapped for agentic AI, Ravi Khokhar, executive vice president and head of cloud at Capgemini, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. "The role of cloud has now become an enabler for AI across financial services,” Khokar says. For example, banks are tapping their cloud providers to host agents, creating processes that are “a little bit more intentional for managing risk, compliance, explainability,” he says. Netherlands-based bank ABN AMRO tapped Microsoft and Capgemini to migrate its existing chatbot to the cloud, according to Capgemini’s ” “World Report Series 2026: Cloud in Financial Services.” The bank migrated its chatbot infrastructure to Microsoft Copilot Studio to create an agent that integrates generative AI features and scalability. Before moving it to the cloud, the chatbot had high customer drop-off rates, limited capabilities and high operating costs, according to the report. Now, the agent’s language processing accuracy in Dutch has increased by 7% and overall drop-off rates fell. Listen as Khokhar discusses agentic readiness, multicloud and multiagent ecosystems and the importance of governance, trust and training when deploying agentic AI.

February 9, 2026Episode 30514 min

Bank of America’s head of digital speaks on bank’s AI strategy

Bank of America invests about $4 billion annually in AI and other technologies to keep up with the needs of its clients. “AI at the bank … touches everything we do,” Nikki Katz, head of digital at Bank of America, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. Katz leads a team of designers, data scientists, product managers and others who meet the needs of the 59 million clients accessing the bank through its digital channels — its website, mobile app, and its AI-driven assistant Erica. “We make over a thousand different enhancements to [the digital experience] every year,” she says, noting, “We’re constantly tuning Erica.” Erica adoption continues to grow as it is continuously iterated. The latest stats: About 50 million clients have used the AI assistant; Clients have engaged with Erica for almost 19 million hours; and Erica has had over 3 billion interactions. Listen as Katz discusses how her team approaches emerging technology and the application of AI across digital channels at the bank.

February 2, 2026Episode 30420 min

How AI is catching check fraud early

Check fraud remains a threat for financial institutions, but AI can help by detecting anomalies. Check fraud is “a growing concern for many,” Ati Azemoun, vice president of business development at Longmont, Colo.-based software provider ParaScript, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. In fact, 63% of organizations experienced check fraud or attempted check fraud in 2025, according to the Association of Financial Professionals. The AFP surveyed 521 treasury practitioner members. One anomaly AI can detect is signature forgery, Azemoun says. ParaScript’s forgery detection software, SignatureXpert.AI, can compare signatures from previous checks and flag when a signature is different, ultimately stopping the fraud, he says. Founded in 1996, ParaScript banking clients include financial institutions, government agencies and companies in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Australia. In 2025, ParaScript partnered with tech provider BIRGER which will introduce the technology to commercial banks in Mauritius, Africa. Listen as Azemoun discusses the current state of check fraud and how AI is reducing fraud at financial institutions.

January 6, 2026Episode 30323 min

Reimagining payment experiences with agentic AI

AI, in some capacity, has been used within payments for 30 years. The latest evolution in AI is through the agentic lens — transforming transactions and experiences alike. “We're actually thinking about really reimagining not one payment, but an entire experience,” Zachary Aron, principal, Deloitte Consulting, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. For example, how can agents be used for travel, business spending or even date nights, he says, noting that you bought the airfare, but do you need to add a hotel or sightseeing package? Agentic AI can facilitate those payments. Agentic AI makes payments “invisible and easy,” Aron says. Listen to “The Buzz” as Aron discusses the possibilities for agentic transactions this year.

December 16, 2025Episode 30219 min

Rabobank, Santander Brazil see returns from Pega GenAI

Rabobank and Santander Brazil are seeing efficiency gains from generative AI. The European banks use AI Pega GenAI from workflow automation system provider Pegasystems, Steve Morgan, global banking industry lead at Pega, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast.

November 25, 2025Episode 30116 min

White Clay CEO Mac Thompson talks 8 steps for AI implementation

Financial institutions are implementing AI at scale, but logistics should be the focus before diving headfirst into emerging technology. Mac Thompson, chief executive of software provider White Clay, tells FinAi News the eight steps he shares with financial institution clients when approaching AI on this episode of “The Buzz.”

November 18, 2025Episode 30014 min

Austin Capital Bank CEO Erik Beguin on AI-driven fraud

Fraud is on the rise, and AI is contributing to both the solution and the problem. “Fraud is a really large problem and growing exponentially,” Austin Capital Bank Chief Executive Erik Beguintells FinAi News in this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. Consumers reported losing $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the FTC. And that’s probably understated, Beguin says, noting that not all consumers report being defrauded, due to embarrassment, being in denial or other reasons. Fraudsters are using AI to target individuals, using it to read social profiles and identify the best way to attack a person, he says. This streamlines an extremely laborious task for bad actors. On the other hand, FIs are using AI to boost account security, Beguin says. For example, consumers and financial institutions are likely to start moving away from usernames and passwords and even traditional multifactor authentication methods. Instead, the market should move toward biometrics and AI-driven device and image authentication.

November 11, 2025Episode 29923 min

Casca CEO Lukas Haffer on opportunities for AI in small business lending

Small business owners need fast access to capital, with fair rates. That’s the reality that Lukas Haffer, chief executive of AI-native loan origination provider Casca, tells FinAi News on this episode of “The Buzz” podcast. For small business owners, the “No. 1 problem is access to capital,” he says. The time it takes to close a Small Business Administration loan, one guaranteed by the SBA, is 90 days, Haffer says. No one has time for that, he says. And this is where AI and a streamlined experience come in. Manual procedures in the lending process, including document collection, analysis and communication, can be streamlined with AI, he says. In fact, Casca is working with financial institutions to do just that. For example, when a client sends an email, creating a response that includes personalized messaging, previous correspondents, and necessary information, it can take 20 to 25 minutes, Haffer says. With Casca, that message can be created in 63 seconds. Casca, founded in 2023, continues to grow. Its most recent fundraise consisted of $29 million in a series A round, bringing total funding to $33 million, according to the company. The round was led by Canapi Ventures. Live Oak Bank, Huntington National Bank and Bankwell Bank also participated. Listen to “The Buzz” as Haffer discusses the opportunity for AI in small business lending and where Casca plans to expand its business.

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