2 Fintech Deals Shaking Up the Banking Landscape

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:

• Goldman Equips AI Agents to do Trade Accounting, Onboarding
• Invasion of the Job Snatchers: Digital Bank Workers Have Arrived | Bank Director
• Ron's Take on Array Acquiring Chimney

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

• Download the Report: https://lnkd.in/gBNhy53P
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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

Subscribe to the What's Going On In Banking podcast here:
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