The new cool kids? Bankers
- Michele Alt
- Nov 1, 2023
- 1 min read
BY MICHELE ALT
I noticed an interesting change at Money20/20 this year: the crowd was older.
Young tech bros in hoodies were much less of a presence. In their places were bankers in their Friday casual attire. What happened?
Two reasons:
First, the fintech valuation bloodbath of 2022 has taken the shine off the startups and left them with less generous travel budgets than in years past. I heard one fintech founder complaining that tickets for his small team had set him back $15K. Ticket prices seemed beside the point last year when fintechs attended Money20/20 with the reasonable expectation that there would be investors eager to meet with them.
Second, the regulatory pressure on partner banking has created opportunities for the banks that aren’t in the regulators’ crosshairs. Those bankers are looking to become the new partners (or at least backup partners) for fintechs at risk of being offboarded by partner banks in the regulatory hot seat. They were the cool kids at Money20/20 this year.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The conversation around modern banking personalities feels almost cultural rather than financial. While comparing new leadership narratives in banking, I needed to confirm a credit reporting detail for a secured card. I looked up First Progress phone number mid-task and received straightforward clarification about reporting cycles. That brief interaction made the “new cool bankers” idea feel grounded. Branding may shift, tone may evolve, but customers still measure banks by responsiveness and transparency. Fresh image alone doesn’t build trust; accessible communication does.