Opinions

Long-term partnerships between banks and fintechs are the real future of financial services. Pharmaceutical firms' relationships with contract research organizations offer a useful model.

AI isn't inherently good or bad; its value depends entirely on how it's used. For financial institutions, this means shifting the focus from internal productivity gains to customer outcomes.

Non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies have no inherent value, so creating a federal "reserve" of them is absurd on its face. Chinese hacking of bitcoin will have no significant economic impact.

There are reasons to be cautious about how a strategic reserve of the cryptocurrency is established, but the economic arguments for including it in the federal government's portfolio are strong.

The era of unchecked AI enthusiasm is giving way to a more measured and deliberate approach. Organizations are beginning to see AI not as a panacea but as a powerful, albeit complex, tool that requires thoughtful implementation.

China currently dominates the market for the hardware and software used to mine cryptocurrency. Creating a large federal reserve would expose a major U.S. asset to potential Chinese meddling.

Industry players, regulators and law enforcement will need to work together in 2025 to ensure that as Americans increasingly rely on digital payments, the fraudsters trying to take advantage of them are kept at bay.

New regulatory changes have created the potential to enable smaller institutions to compete more effectively with their larger peers — if they're willing to seize the opportunity.

Standing on the sidelines when it comes to the implementation of artificial technology in the investment banking sector is no longer a viable strategy. Companies must move ahead, or risk being left in the dust.