Finding the Right Digital Banking Partner: A Consultant’s Playbook

Success starts with alignment—not flash. Here's are thoughts on what should matter to growth-minded bankers. And we review a FDIC's consent order with Hatch Bank.

Hello, Banker Slaters!

Let’s take a look at how far we’ve come—and where we’re going.

Who knew? I still remember sitting in a cozy cottage in Bardstown, Ky., with a taster glass of bourbon in hand when I hit “publish” on the very first Bank Slate post. It was May 2021, and I was just looking for a way to catalog and keep up with banking and fintech trends.

I never imagined what my project would evolve into.

What began as a simple experiment has become a full-fledged platform with 2,000+ subscribers, a 22,000-member LinkedIn group, and a thriving podcast series that continues to draw top voices in banking and fintech.

So what’s next?

Bank Slate Consulting is the next step in our evolution. We’ve been actively working with banks and fintechs for months on high-impact advisory projects, ranging from strategic planning to director onboarding/board education and from fintech partnership readiness to compliance alignment.

Recent engagements include a board assessment for a community bank in Iowa, helping a bank out West develop balance sheet strategies and build a technology roadmap, and serving as a consultant to fintechs as part of an exciting partnership with Grasshopper Bank.

The platform’s growth has paved the way for new consulting opportunities. enabling us to showcase our thought leadership to a wider audience of bankers, investors, fintech founders, and industry professionals. The response has been energizing, and it has reaffirmed our belief that the best consulting engagements are built on trust, insight, and real conversations.

With that in mind, we’re making Bank Slate even more accessible:

• All new subscribers now get three months of free, paywall-free access—so you can see what we’re from the outset.

• We’ve lowered the cost of an annual premium subscription, making it easier for industry pros to stay connected and informed.

• Here's something new: Anyone who pays for an annual subscription is eligible for a complimentary consultation. Whether it’s discussing industry trends or working through a specific situation, 30 minutes of conversation could kickstart meaningful insights and future collaboration.

To our loyal subscribers who have backed us from the beginning, we are offering an extension to your subscription as a token of our appreciation for your support. And yes, the free consultation is available for you, too.

Thanks for being part of this journey. Here’s to what comes next.

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Let’s talk about digital banking.

The landscape is flooded with vendors promising frictionless UX/UI, fast deployments, and open APIs. For banks keen to modernize without breaking the budget or disrupting operations, selecting the right partner requires more than buzzwords.