Emotional Banking

You are here: Home » Blog » Emotional Banking

I’m delighted to contribute to a new book called ‘Strategic Change in Banking: Global Management Perspectives on Digital Transformation and Sustainable Finance’. I hope they find a snappier title ! It’s due out in late 2026, early 2027 , and I’ll let you have more details when I can.

In fairness, it was only a chapter about the future of banking but I think it is (hopefully) an important chapter.

There’s a real danger that predicting the future about anything might be nothing more than a sort of echo chamber. Someone comes up with a good idea, and everyone else jumps on the bandwagon, by repeating the same stuff (albeit in their own words)

So in this new book, I’ve wanted to explore new ideas.

I’ve introduced the concept of ‘emotional banking’. Yes, I know that many of us, perhaps most, get emotional when we see our own bank statements, but this concept goes beyond that. It reflects on the concept that banking isn’t only functional but that we have an emotional relationship with it.

By this I mean that the money we earn, and own, and spend, has an emotional element. It defines who we are, as well as the way we live.

I’m not sure that banks have fully embraced that idea. Perhaps only Mastercard, who talked about ‘priceless’ life events. How do banks trigger that emotion? Is it by making the banking hall some sort of reception gallery, a bit like an up-market bar without the wine list?

Anyway, it’s always good to keep your hand in by writing something – and always good also to stretch some boundaries with a bit of thought leadership. Emotional banking? You heard it here first.