SET Training - Banking and Fintech

By Stanley Epstein -  Introduction The U.S. economy in 2025–2026 presents a mixed picture. Growth continues, but at a slower pace. Inflation has eased from prior peaks yet remains visible in essential goods. Confidence remains fragile. At the center of the debate lies trade policy — specifically the aggressive use of tariffs as a tool of economic “punishment.” The evidence suggests a sobering conclusion: broad tariffs have not delivered their stated macroeconomic goals and have instead imposed measurable costs on U.S. consumers and firms. The Current Economic Backdrop U.S. GDP expanded by approximately 2.2 percent in 2025, below historical long-run averages and slower than earlier post-pandemic growth phases. Official data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis confirms this moderation in output growth. See https://www.bea.gov . Job creation has softened relative to prior years, with uneven sectoral performance. Consumer confidence readings published by The Conference Board remain ...

By Stanley Epstein Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental technology confined to innovation labs. It is embedded in credit decisions, fraud monitoring, customer service workflows, supply chain optimization, and marketing engines. Yet many organizations remain stuck in pilot mode. They run proofs of concept, showcase promising demos, and celebrate incremental wins. But few succeed in turning isolated experiments into enterprise-wide capabilities that consistently improve customer outcomes and operational performance. The difference lies not in algorithms, but in integration. This article examines how institutions move beyond AI hype and embed AI into operational workflows in ways that create measurable customer value at scale. From Experiments to Enterprise Capabilities Most organizations begin with AI pilots. A chatbot here. A fraud detection model there. A predictive churn model in marketing. According to McKinsey & Company , while AI adoption has accelerated globall...

The High-Speed Illusion To the average consumer, the act of paying has reached a state of near-magic. A biometric "tap", a mobile swipe, or a background process so integrated it feels invisible—the expectation is simplicity itself. This effortless front-end experience creates a powerful "High-Speed Illusion" of industry-wide mastery. Indeed, global executives perceive payments as the second most innovative industry on the planet (81%), trailing only information technology. However, as any strategic consultant will tell you, simplicity is often the most expensive thing to build. Beneath this "tap and go" surface lies a hidden friction. The industry is currently locked in a high-stakes "push-pull" struggle: the push of real-time rails and AI-driven convenience against the pull of rigid legacy debt and sophisticated fraud. To understand the future of money, we must look past the consumer interface and confront the internal paradoxes that separate th...