Ron Shevlin

Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors. Senior Contributor at Forbes where I publish the Fintech Snark Tank blog.

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Looking for fresh, original, thought-provoking #fintech and #banking content and data?

Check out my Observations from the Fintech Snark Tank column on Forbes:

https://t.co/8QKllKtyaf

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

EY Is Spending $100 Million to Find Out Which of Its People Can Think

The consulting firm is trying to solve a business model problem with a bonus plan.

New Fintech Snark Tank post:
https://t.co/IS6jtfc5rT

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

New Fintech Snark Tank post:

Wanna know where a bank is going with AI? Watch the job titles--and where the AI budget is going.

https://t.co/ISqqTUGUCP

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

The Coming Battle Between Personal AI Agents and Bank AI Agents

The real contest isn’t just one agent against another over a single customer’s rate: it’s a battle for which side can scale to millions of negotiations the fastest.

https://t.co/H29C55AVkO

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

The "great wealth transfer"--the $124 trillion that will get passed on over the next 25 years--is a delusion. The delusion isn't the dollar amount--it's the belief among bankers that the money could end up in their institution.

https://t.co/H6p7H1d78b

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

At a $115b valuation, Revolut investors are paying 65x earnings for illiquid common stock in a company whose CEO has said it won't list before 2028, on the theory that a bank which just started lending will never be valued like a bank. Sign me up (not)!

https://t.co/ByYAg1XR65

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Backbase CEO Jouk Pleiter accused the “big 3” core of locking-in their AI models. That’s a misread of what’s really going on. That said, In banking, AI model neutrality isn't real unless your vendor supports the model you pick, not just permits it.

https://t.co/9t7RhZWBOf

[Jim Marous 💯 @JimMarous]

Holding a customer's checking account and receiving their paycheck used to mean you won their banking business. Today, that direct deposit is simply a pass-through hub.

In this episode, @rshevlin, Chief Research Officer at @CstoneAdvisors and author of the Fintech Snark Tank, joins me to discuss why the traditional definition of banking primacy is completely broken.

I watch consumers split their financial lives across multiple specialized platforms that offer better digital experiences or higher yield.

Ron highlights that consumers can use a traditional bank for direct deposit while considering platforms like Robinhood or SoFi as their primary investment or savings companion. Relying on legacy retention tactics creates a false sense of security while deposits quietly leak away through one-click transfers.

What specific value proposition or feature does your bank offer to keep deposits from immediately flowing out to external platforms?

👉 Watch this episode now: https://t.co/Sl7iW7OtfG

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Stripe is offering $53B for PayPal. 𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: Stripe is valuing PayPal like a deposit franchise. Processing more transactions isn’t worth spending $53 billion for. Owning more of the customer relationship—and the financial activity around it—is.

https://t.co/AnHczMTtWA

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

A lot of technology vendors are selling an "AI org chart." Sounds appealing, no? Don't buy it. One study on how AI agents organize suggests the “agentic team” may be the 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 efficient way to deploy the technology.

https://t.co/tFIcIpNonS

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Klarna applied for a bank charter to give Americans a “fairer, more transparent” bank with no hidden fees.

Yeah, right.

https://t.co/Ads9zSvX0K

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Sony Bank got conditional OCC approval for Connectia Trust, a national trust bank that’ll issue a dollar-backed stablecoin.

My take: Sony’s stablecoin is a rail for spending inside its ecosystem.

https://t.co/CnkWE0tr6F

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

JPMC, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and PNC have all held conversations about buying a debit network from Fiserv. What they want is a way to get around the Durbin Amendment’s cap on debit interchange.

The Durbin Escape Room

https://t.co/JzmoBjOz0E

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Plaid launched a “sequential” foundation model that reads financial behavior over time instead of transaction by transaction. It’s the latest piece of the “intelligence layer” the company has been assembling.

Here's what it means: https://t.co/qtgNUwUWA6

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

The value a financial product delivers isn't what it advertises—it's what a consumer captures. The gap is an under-examined problem in product design.

Fintech Snark Tank: The Gym Membership Problem Just Ate Your Debit and Credit Card Rewards Programs

https://t.co/vbdQr1rijM

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Google Finance: Is Version #734 Finally a Winner for Google?
https://t.co/Q9hJe3d26S

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Backbase Acquires Kasisto (And I'd Like to Buy an Adjective, Pat)

https://t.co/rYrqPQ9jet

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

AI doesn’t eliminate people, it replaces coordination—the hand-offs, translations, and meetings that exist so one function can explain itself to the others.

New Fintech Snark Tank post:

https://t.co/hPWg4c9bv2

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Vibe coding may be a new term, but it's an ancient (1980s) practice. In the latest Fintech Snark Tank post, I argue against banks and credit unions deploying vibe coded in apps.

https://t.co/A1UEDKw0l6

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

A new study found that our self-perception of our financial situation outranks our financial behaviors and financial literacy as a predictor of our financial health.

My take on how banks and credit unions can improve financial health programs:

https://t.co/33gwprcUeo

[Ron Shevlin @rshevlin]

Jamie Dimon said JPMorgan Chase is “on the lookout” for an acquisition. I've put together a shopping list for Jamie. At the top of the list: Ramp and Betterment.

See the new Fintech Snark Tank post to find out who the other acquisition targets are:

https://t.co/L2pK9R88g7