Inside Reinvent Forum Paris: What banking leaders are really saying

The contrast was particularly stark in a discussion featuring Hello Bank! and Revolut. While the latter remains relentlessly focused on customer expectations, BNP Paribas’ digital subsidiary continues to devote much of its attention to its product catalog. One seeks to understand which services genuinely matter to users, allowing them to test features risk-free and form their own opinions. The other relies on a predictive engine to determine which product to sell following an interaction with an advisor.

In another area, incumbent banks—along with their fully digital subsidiaries, where applicable—continue to believe that customers want personalized human interaction for what are considered complex financial needs, such as wealth management or mortgage lending, justifying the continued importance of branch networks. These face-to-face relationships are viewed as a source of trust and reassurance. The logic is hardly surprising: physical presence remains one of traditional banks’ few differentiators against neobanks, while the quality of web and mobile experiences continues to converge across the industry.

Another critical theme for the sector is the battle for talent. The issue surfaces quickly whenever discussions turn to AI, and the concern is understandable, given the growing demand for advanced data and analytics expertise. I heard one representative from the European Central Bank argue that banking must do more to strengthen its image as a technology-driven industry in response to its declining appeal among young graduates. But the talent shortage is also being felt in the functions where these capabilities are most needed, including product leadership and regulatory oversight.

On a more anecdotal note, a few observations stood out. One executive enthusiastically promoted the idea of having advisors sit side by side with customers during conversations, a practice adopted by a number of banks. Yet I find myself wondering: does this setup unintentionally suggest that the interaction is really happening with the machine, diminishing the advisor’s role in the process? By contrast, I appreciate the notion that the ideal financial experience is one in which people rarely have to think about or actively manage their money because it operates seamlessly in the background. I also agree with the view that every call to a support center represents a failure of the customer experience.

I cannot say whether the financial institutions represented at the Qorus event accurately reflect the industry as a whole. Still, the discussions felt reassuring compared with the impressions often conveyed through official communications. One message, repeated several times throughout the forum, stood out in particular: banks must be careful not to become consumed by technology and should remain focused on what genuinely serves customers.