In today’s podcast episode, we discuss the evolving definition of affiliate marketing, the most interesting areas of the space today, and how improvements in measurement have helped position affiliate as a channel that marketers can confidently invest in. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Max Willens, AWIN President of North America Adam Weiss, and Higher Dose Chief Marketing and Commercialization Officer Ingrid Milman Cordy. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Its $250 billion AI infrastructure investment courts Washington, but public backlash over data centers could erode the goodwill.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what SpaceX’s IPO says about xAI’s position in the AI race, why so many AI companies are rushing to go public this year, whether these IPOs will drive business growth or become a distraction for shareholders, and how much these AI giants are actually competing with one another. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Jacob Bourne and Principal Analyst Nate Elliott. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Santander credits AI with $40 million in Q1 value, turning fraud prevention, service, and operations tools into measurable returns.

A direct mail expert identifies optimization opportunities for banks’ direct mail programs.

Brands reallocate budgets to blend TV scale with targeting, but walled gardens risk eroding efficiency.

It adds embedded investing in partnership with Atomic.

Varo’s not dead yet thanks to a $123.9 million Series G round.

PNC unveiled direct Bitcoin trading for private bank clients—high net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high net-worth (UHNW) individuals. PNC clients will be able to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin through PNC using Coinbase’s crypto as a service product. Amid the Great Wealth Transfer, banks and brokerage firms can’t ignore crypto, and they shouldn’t satisfy themselves with retail offerings. With integrated crypto trading and custody, PNC fixes a crucial competitive gap with crypto firms and forward-thinking brokerages, augmenting wealth services to attract consumers who expect to invest in crypto. Peers will follow.

In their earnings last week, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and TD Bank—Canada’s two largest financial institutions—flagged investments in AI R&D. This builds on recent data about banks’ deployment of agentic AI as well as detailed insights from JPMorgan’s and Bank of America’s public statements about their massive spending on AI and supporting infrastructure. Dollars spent on technology matter—so do how the money is spent and the number and severity of conflicting priorities. Business troubles are metastasizing more quickly because of the rapid pace of change technological innovation is imposing on a historically staid industry.

In 2025, 82% of US consumers did not increase their emergency savings, including 33% whose emergency savings decreased and 18% who had none to begin with. Financial institutions (FIs) are in a strong position to help consumers save. When they do so successfully, they can enhance customer loyalty and help them stay on firmer financial ground, making them high-quality customers for non-depository banking products and services.

Bank of America (BofA) recently introduced 401(k) Pay for plan sponsors and participants. It handles recordkeeping, flexible deposit options, retirement income planning, and financial advice. retirement custodians have a particular opportunity to cater to Gen Zers, who often job hop, causing their retirement accounts to multiply. They also increasingly live frugally and save and invest aggressively. To attract Gen Zers, plan custodians should distribute both traditional and nontraditional savings and investment products and offer tools like automated investing and financial education.

Sixty-two percent of the very wealthiest consumers expect to thrive next year, according to a WSJ Intelligence study, a larger share than the other two classes of affluent investors that were covered. UHNW investors see volatility as a chance to expand and protect their wealth through diversification, alternative assets, and bespoke advice. The emerging affluent, by contrast, prize affordability, digital convenience, and transparency. Banks and wealth managers that offer frictionless digital access on one end of the spectrum and high-touch expertise on the other will bridge this divide

JPMorgan Chase spends $2 billion per year on AI and finds an equal amount of cost savings as a result, said CEO Jamie Dimon in a recent Bloomberg TV interview. During its April investor day, JPMorgan forecast spending $18 billion on technology in 2025. JPMorgan is increasing the gap between the haves and have nots in bank technology. AI development in financial services, supported by modern platforms, is outrunning nearly everyone.

The news: Disney and the NFL struck a landmark deal late last week that gives the entertainment giant access to a suite of high-profile NFL content in exchange for an undisclosed equity stake in ESPN that is “potentially worth billions,” per The Athletic. Our take: It won’t be long before the lines of power in the sports streaming world are reexamined once more, and the Disney-NFL deal foreshadows that ESPN may get marquee NFL rights next time around. YouTube’s Sunday Ticket contract with the NFL expires in 2030, with Amazon’s Thursday Night Football agreement ending three years later.

The news: We’ve seen TD Bank lean into comedy before to appeal to younger consumers and launch new products. It’s using a similar strategy to educate current and prospective customers about fractional investing services. Can it work? It’s a clever concept that has prompted consumers, who generally like the ad, to question the legality of using snippets of widely recognized logos, per Creative Bloq. The ad’s core strength is how it takes a complex financial concept—fractional investing—and makes it instantly understandable through a simple visual pun. This approach is highly effective in grabbing attention, especially from younger, digitally savvy audiences, who might find traditional financial ads unappealing.

The rest of the year is top-of-mind for leaders in marketing and retail, which they expect to be challenging but riddled with opportunities to stand out from competition.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Americans’ feelings towards AI have changed this year, the gaps in concern between AI experts and the general public, and the best ways to get started with AI. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Grace Harmon, and Senior Vice President of Media Content and Strategy Henry Powderly. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Measurement should do more than recap results—it should help guide your next move. By aligning metrics with true campaign goals, marketers can turn insights into smarter decisions and create space for long-term growth.

A new type of tax-advantage account making its way through Congress could be a chance for banks to attract and retain customers.