Heightened Uncertainty Calls for Transformational Thinking

We’re entering the strategic planning season for 2026 amid elevated uncertainty, and as tempting as it may be, among the least useful approaches to planning is to be too reticent. At Curinos, we think this is a time to plan for and take decisive action, which is why we’ve titled our Summer issue of Curinos Review Heightened Uncertainty Calls for Transformational Thinking. All the articles highlight ways in which thinking out of the box has the potential to produce results that go well beyond initial expectations.

Perhaps nowhere is uncertainty more keenly felt by financial institutions than in how they gather and retain deposits. Our lead story suggests that the cone of possible outcomes for rates and volumes in the foreseeable future is unusually wide. To plan for this, FI’s must prepare for multiple scenarios, grounded in data and comparing performance relative to the competition, and contingency plans to quickly pivot as needed.

Over the past decade, the conventional wisdom, and behavior, of branch network planning has been to harvest through consolidation. But many banks now recognize that branches can be instrumental in growing what they now sorely need: core customers. So they’re selectively keeping and even adding branches based less on convenience for all than access to the right customers. We look at how those branches are adapting, by location and configuration.  

Commercial banking’s traditional business model of leading with lending and cross-selling deposits and payments is being upended—thanks to repeal of Reg Q, private credit and new tech vendors and APIs. We propose that future growth will require a new paradigm, one that trades selling commoditized products on price and relationship to selling customized solutions that are based on expertise and product capabilities.

With costs spiraling ever-upward and competition fiercer than ever, adding new retail customers has gotten more challenging than ever. We lay out an accelerated approach to meaningful customer growth through what we call a relationship activation engine. It maintains that acquisition is just the beginning. To have any hope of attaining acceptable customer lifetime value, the right steps in onboarding and deepening are also essential.  

One way to effectively deepen relationships is by touching customers at the right time with the right messaging and offers. Increasingly, that requires AI-enabled decision intelligence. We examine how it’s used to evaluate every customer interaction, feed an iterative loop, instantly adapt and prescribe the best next action for each customer. In an industry where journeys are anything but linear and the goal is long-term trust rather than “filling the cart,” decision intelligence that truly understands banking has become an essential component of the marketing stack.  

Finally, we take an in-depth look at how several providers in the UK are expanding their services to the affluent consumer segment to include travel, health and wealth generation. It’s their way of going beyond rate to connect financial wellness to an affluent customer’s overall quality of life through innovative digital delivery.

Uncertainty can be unnerving, or it can be energizing. We at Curinos believe uncertainty can spawn and nurture the thinking and approaches that can lead to achievements that today may seem unimaginable. We hope you agree and that you enjoy weighing our insights in this Summer issue. As always, we’re grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us and thank you for your ongoing support.

Respectfully,

Sid Singh
Chief Executive Officer