Cornerstone Advisors, a leading management and technology consultancy for banks, credit unions, and fintech firms, announced today that it has created a Digital School to provide financial institution executives with education and tools to get them up to speed on this critical area of competition.

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Tony DeSanctis, a senior director at Cornerstone Advisors who is leading the firm’s educational programs, said: “Financial institutions’ two most frequent touch points with customers are digital and payments. For the last three years, Cornerstone has been helping clients deliver on their payment strategies through our Payments School. Now, digital has grown to the point where the need for education is as great or greater than it has been for payments.”

According to The Financial Brand, digital transformation is the most important retail trend for 2023. Yet What’s Going On In Banking 2023, Cornerstone’s newly published research, shows that 93% of community institutions are less than halfway through their digital transformations. “We created Digital School to encourage bank and credit union executives to recognize how crucial digital transformation is to their continued success,” DeSanctis explained.

The inaugural Digital School will be held on June 20-21 in Raleigh, N.C. Facilitated by Jim Burson and Chris Miller, Cornerstone’s Digital Practice leaders, the school will focus on key topics including:

  • Digital Banking Best Practices
  • Digital Marketing – Driving Engagement Through Data
  • High-Value Digital Account Opening & Lending
  • New Ways to Think About ROI – Return on Channel
  • Embedded Finance vs. Embedded Fintech: To Play or Not to Play

“The demand for knowledge in this area from our clients has been robust, and we are looking forward to offering executives a curriculum packed with timely and essential insights,” Burson said. “Attendees will walk away from Digital School with a clear set of actions to implement that will enable them to compete more effectively in today’s digital world.”

Burson added that the shift to digital-first banking, especially among the younger generations, makes it critical for financial institutions to deliver a differentiated digital experience. “We are excited to give bankers practical, tangible direction on how to make that transformation a reality.”

DeSanctis said Cornerstone is also expanding its other educational offerings including Payments School and Disruption University, which focuses on fintech trends, to continue providing financial services leaders with the insights and tools to stay competitive.

“Our role as trusted advisors is to provide guidance that will enable bank and credit union executives to make smart decisions about their business models, product and service offerings, resources, and technology systems,” DeSanctis said. “The expansion of these educational offerings affirms our commitment to this mission.”

DeSanctis noted that seats at these limited-attendance programs fill quickly, so executives interested in attending are encouraged to register early.

DeSanctis expands on Digital School’s purpose, agenda, and takeaways in this video.