Banks have been using natural language processing and machine learning applications for years in managing their anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act obligations. But how does the growing adoption of generative AI tools affect how BSA and fraud professionals protect their banks? On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Agri-Access — former FDIC official Lisa Arquette shares a regulator’s-eye view of generative AI in the BSA world and how regulators have been approaching the technology for their own work.

Joined by ABA SVP Heather Trew, Arquette also discusses:

• The state of play on banks’ beneficial ownership reporting obligations.
• Other elements of implementing the AML Act of 2020.
• How regulators weigh AML/BSA performance when approving mergers and acquisitions.
• Fluctuations in AML/BSA compliance investments through the economic cycle.
• The low number (1%) of BSA-related examinations at the FDIC that result in enforcement actions.

Register for the ABA Financial Crimes Enforcement Conference, Oct. 14-16 in Arlington, Virginia.

In the wake of the summer’s Genius Act, many banks and nonbanks have announced new stablecoin initiatives. Another digital asset — tokenized deposits — may meet needs similar to stablecoins, but the two asset types have significantly different features based on their underlying designs. On this episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA experts Brooke Ybarra and Yikai Wang discuss:

• The key differences between stablecoins and tokenized deposits.
• Risks that widespread payment stablecoin adoption poses to community bank lending.
• Use cases for payment stablecoins (and areas where hype might exceed value).
• How U.S. banks are approaching stablecoin and tokenized deposit pilots.

Princess Castleberry began her career in risk management in financial services, and the biggest risk she sees today is that “leaders are in a capacity crisis.” Work experience, education and professional networks are undermined by this lack of capacity driven by emotional triggers, she says, which are in turn compounded by a massive wave of societal, economic and technological change.

Now an instructional design expert and leadership speaker, Castleberry discusses how leaders can understand and manage triggers to enhance their capacity to lead with empathy. Castleberry will also be discussing these and other topics — including how to reduce “conflict waste” — at the ABA Annual Convention next month in Charlotte.

The rapid evolution of the financial services marketplace means the market for banking as a service is also evolving rapidly. From artificial intelligence to other new technologies to regulatory expectations, how is the partner bank sector shifting? On the season premiere of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Pathward Bank CEO Brett Pharr talks about the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based partner bank’s strategy. Among other things, Pharr discusses:

• The evolution of the business model beyond interchange to include embedded finance, faster payments and other opportunities.
• The criticality of third-party risk management in partner banking.
• How Pathward is using AI to accelerate compliance review of its partners’ marketing materials — and how some AI uses might be limiting young bankers’ learning and development.
• The role of partner banks in advancing financial sector participation by the unbanked.
• How Pathward builds its workplace culture with its “talent anywhere” remote work structure.

The U.S. is experiencing a massive demographic shift driven by the aging Baby Boom generation, declining birth rates and shifts in immigration trends. What effect will aging have on the banking outlook? In the season finale of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA economist JP Rothenberg discusses how America’s aging population:

• Shifts balance sheet management strategies with a surplus of stable deposits by weaker localized loan demand.
• May increasingly push banks into new markets to drive loan growth, which further accelerates consolidation.
• Magnifies credit risk during downturns in the tail of the risk profile
• Increases opportunities for personalized wealth management solutions and expands the growth prospects of senior-serving business sectors.

Alongside the commercial and consumer markets, institutional banking is one of three strategic pillars of $70 billion-asset UMB Bank. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, UMB’s Phil Mason discusses:

• How institutional banking — which includes capital markets, corporate trust, custody and health savings accounts — fits into the business model of the Kansas City, Missouri-based bank and helps extend its footprint coast-to-coast.
• Investments in technology to support the growth of institutional banking.
• The recent expansion in HSA eligibility and how UMB Bank uses the product to engage both business clients and consumers.
• How UMB sources the right mix of talent — particularly from within — to support the diverse and individualized needs of its institutional clients.

What does the future hold for bank risk and compliance professionals? On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Krysti Cunningham of Security National Bank in Omaha, Nebraska — and winner of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award for Risk and Compliance — discusses:

• The technological transformation in risk and compliance at community and midsize banks.
• How technological change is driving the industry toward specialization.
• Applications for AI tools and LLMs in risk and compliance — and how to manage risks associated with this transformation.
• The importance of constant learning as a risk and compliance professional.

Following the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, hear from ABA experts on how key ABA-supported provisions on tax policy, rural real estate and health savings accounts in the budget reconciliation law will affect banks. Experts also discuss what to expect next in terms of implementation.

Resources

• Click here to download the episode if you can’t see the player above.
• View a members-only staff analysis