Capital One buys Brex for $5B.

Goldman Sachs builds AI agents with Anthropic.

MrBeast acquires a fintech.

This isn’t a headline mashup — it’s what’s happening in banking right now.

In this episode of What’s Going On in Banking, Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant break down the biggest moves reshaping financial services — and what they mean for banks and credit unions without megabank budgets.

Inside the conversation:

What the Capital One + Brex deal signals for SMB banking
Why Goldman’s AI “digital coworkers” change the build vs. buy debate
How AI agents may reshape back-office operations
The emerging battle to own the checking account workflow
Why banks are no longer just competing on rates, but on software

From stablecoins to autonomous AI, this episode separates strategy from hype and highlights what institutions should actually be paying attention to.

Show Notes:

The 2026 What's Going On In Banking Report is NOW LIVE!!

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Chapters
[0:00] Welcome + Arizona Recap & Stablecoin Talk
[3:10] Capital One’s $5B Brex Deal
[5:35] Why SMBs Expect Integrated Banking Tech
[7:27] SMB Segmentation: Capital, Industry, Technology
[10:19] Strategy Over Scale: The Real Growth Question
[11:14] Goldman Sachs Builds AI “Digital Coworkers”
[13:05] What AI Agents Actually Do (And Don’t Do)
[17:23] AI Risks, Bias & The Human Factor
[19:25] MrBeast, Grab & The Fintech Acquisition Wave
[20:36] The Hidden Battle for the Checking Account

2 Fintech Deals Shaking Up the Banking Landscape