Gritty Insights

Where bank, credit union and fintech leaders turn for unbiased, data-driven analyses, and perspectives.

Featured Insights

Cornerstone Advisors - WGOIB 2026 - Cover with Shadow 2

What's Going On in Banking 2026: AI, Crypto, and Fraud—Oh My!

Authored by Cornerstone Advisors Chief Research Officer Ron Shevlin, this comprehensive report takes a clear look at what is real, what is hype, and what requires action now. The 2026 study examines how financial institutions are responding to new challenges, including operationalizing AI, managing escalating fraud risk, deciding what to do about crypto and tokenization, and closing the widening gap between technology plans and execution. Download the report to see how more than 400 forward-thinking banks and credit unions are approaching growth, technology investment, and competition in 2026.

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Cornerstone Advisors Events and Webinars - Whats Going On in Banking 2026

Webinar: What's Going On in Banking 2026

Join Chief Research Officer Ron Shevlin and CEO & Founding Partner Steve Williams for What’s Going On in Banking 2026: AI, Crypto, and Fraud—Oh My! to learn how more than 400 forward-thinking banks and credit unions are responding to the forces reshaping the industry.

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Cornerstone Advisors Events - AI Webinar 2025 - 2.0

From Hype to Impact: Untangling AI’s Role in the Smarter Bank

Join Cornerstone’s Tony DeSanctis and a panel of experts for a look at how AI is really transforming banking—from customer experience and automation to risk, lending, and payments.

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Cornerstone Advisors - AI Playbook - Cover Image with Shadow

A Playbook for Deploying Artificial Intelligence in Your Bank or Credit Union

Artificial intelligence has the potential to boost productivity, fight fraud, and accelerate lending and deposits for financial institutions. This playbook was designed to help bank and credit union leaders build practical AI strategies with simple, proven use cases. Our goal for you: Keep it simple. Identify select use cases across business lines then deploy, iterate, and learn as you grow.

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Speed, Cost, and Control: What Banks Need to Know About AI Agents

A bank CEO used an AI clone on an earnings call… and that was just the start. Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant get into what AI agents could actually mean for banking, from back-office automation and decision-making to governance, blockchain, and why most banks are still asking the wrong questions about AI. Real talk on where the industry is headed and what community banks should actually be paying attention to.

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3 Strategic Blind Spots Emerging With AI Adoption

GonzoBanker | Authored by Tristan Green, Director

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Research Reports

Financial service industry leaders use Cornerstone’s authoritative research to stay current on market developments. Discover what we offer.

Cornerstone Advisors Gritty Insights - All Research 2025

Research Reports & Guides

Where bank, credit union and fintech leaders turn for unbiased, data-driven analyses, insights and perspectives.

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What's Going On in Banking 2026: AI, Crypto, and Fraud—Oh My!

Download the Report

Executive Education & Roundtables

Level up on the dynamic financial services industry from our pros. Our curriculum includes interactive lectures, case studies, group discussions
and hands-on projects that simulate real-world scenarios.

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GonzoBanker Newsletter & Articles

Cornerstone Advisors’ “alter ego,” GonzoBanker is our blog dispatched along with a good helping of irreverence to more than 10,000 readers around the world. Get a dose of our opinionated take on the technologies, vendors, strategies and anything else we run across in the trenches of the banking industry, delivered to your inbox several times a month.

GonzoBanker

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3 min read

The Two/Three-Step-Forward, One-Step-Back Journey of AI

Terence Roche

“I'm not worried about AI replacing me. Can AI sit in a fleece vest at a bar all day and do nothing?” –John Mulaney

4 min read

Deregulation Is Draining The Moat: Banks Aren't Partying Like It's 1999

Ron Shevlin

Two concerns are top of mind for community bank and credit union executives these days: 1) deregulation isn’t going as expected, and 2) the stablecoin threat to deposits.

Colorful hosts Al Dominick, Steve Williams, Ron Shevlin, Sam Kilmer and Mary Wisniewski take you inside the minds of banking and fintech leaders for the latest in finance and financial technology.

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Webinars

Cornerstone webinars explore the latest industry trends, regulations and technologies and deliver expert guidance to help financial institutions make smart competitive decisions.

Cornerstone Advisors and Frich - Z Hits Different - Website Background

Z Hits Different: How to Better Acquire and Engage a New Generation

Join Cornerstone Editor-at-Large Mary Wisniewski and Frich Co-Founder and CEO Katrin Kaurov in a lively conversation about how Gen Z is thinking about money and what it means for finserv marketers.