2026 Retail Banking Trends: From Insight to Action - GDS Group

2026 Retail Banking Trends: From Insight to Action

ROUNDTABLE
25 March 2026 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm EST
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

How can financial institutions convert customer intent into revenue by better aligning digital experiences, advisor capacity, and branch strategy?

Banks have invested heavily in digital channels, yet many still struggle to turn customer intent into actual revenue. Today, two out of every three customers who start a digital application never make it to the end, with 67% of digital applications abandoned before completion. Friction isn’t just an annoyance—it erodes the primary relationship before it begins and leaves growth teams overly focused on volume, rather than interaction-to-conversion.

At the same time, branch and advisor capacity are often managed as cost centers instead of revenue engines. Foot traffic can be 35% higher on peak days like Mondays and Fridays, yet many branches still operate with static staffing levels, leading to misaligned advisor time, burnout, and missed opportunities to deepen trust and conversion. While AI is frequently piloted as an efficiency tool, only 5% of organizations have successfully scaled AI beyond the pilot stage, often due to lack of human oversight and cultural resistance to data-driven decision-making.

Meanwhile, the role of the branch is evolving rather than disappearing. 35% of financial institutions are planning branch expansion or major renovation, and 70% of customers say consistent experiences across channels are the most important factor when choosing a primary financial institution. The “front door” to banking may be digital, but branches remain the setting for high-trust conversations where digital intent converts into advice and product adoption.

Institutions that win in 2026 won’t simply invest more in any single channel—they will connect technology, people, and branches into one seamless experience where growth happens when intent meets readiness.

Join Coconut Software and a select group of your industry peers as we explore how to reduce abandonment in digital journeys, unlock advisor capacity as a strategic growth lever, and redesign branch and hybrid experiences so that every high-intent moment leads to the right human conversation.

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Event host

Katherine Regnier

CEO
Katherine Regnier is the Founder and CEO of Coconut Software, a leading Customer Engagement Platform for find out more

About Coconut Software

Coconut Software bridges the gap between complex branch operations and high-value customer engagements with a suite of Intelligent Branch Solutions. The result: streamlined operations, enhanced customer experiences, and empowered staff focused on meaningful work. Its unified platform combines appointment scheduling, in-branch queuing, and video banking to help financial institutions tackle critical challenges head-on—maximizing resources, improving efficiency, and directly impacting customer satisfaction scores. Trusted by leading banks and credit unions across North America—including RBC, Mountain America Credit Union (MACU), and M&T Bank—Coconut Software helps financial institutions optimize workforce planning, streamline branch traffic, and achieve revenue goals

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Discussion topics

Converting high-intent digital applications into purchased products and meaningful advisor conversations

Treating advisor capacity and AI as growth levers rather than cost centers

Redesigning the role of the branch and hybrid experiences to support advisory-led growth and customer trust

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Closed door, tailored conversations to benchmark, share and get better equipped to solve complex transformation projects.

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Alex Boehme, CTO, H&M Group
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Jeffrey Johnson, Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Security Officer, Siemens Health Affairs for North America
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Solve key challenges and ensure relevant discussions connect with outcomes efficiently and at pace.

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Access to industry leading like-minded executives tackling similar initiatives

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Collaborate and network to gain expertise and experience on how to best act and succeed

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In-depth face time with the world’s leading tech companies pushing the boundaries to solve your challenges

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Meet with fellow industry leaders and solve today’s greatest business challenges.

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