Ken Gavrity, EVP, Head of Enterprise Payments at KeyBank | Episode 140

What does the EVP and Head of Enterprise Payments at the 12th largest bank in the country have to say about the past, present and future of fintech? A lot! Ken Gavrity has had a fascinating career and is a wealth of information when it comes to the current challenges the industry has faced on its way towards digital dominance and the benefits that comes with the kind of autonomy that only automation can bring – especially in the payments sector. In fact, when asked how he defines the competitive edge his company brings to the marketplace, he defaults to his core strategy for success: solving problems before, during and after the payment cycle. KeyBank markets to both the commercial and retail consumer with a national presence that saturates the retail market and a vertical marketing strategy for the commercial side that includes healthcare, real estate, industrial and technology as some of their main sectors. They have an operation that sustains approximately 17,000 employees and a portfolio of assets totaling $180 billion dollars. Regarding where he sees the industry going in the next 2-3 years, automation, embedded banking and cryptocurrency are the top drivers he holds a focus on. In fact, according to Ken, 8% of “cardable” spend was going through software platforms in 2019. But this number is expected to jump to an impressive 40% by 2025 – making the embedded banking sector a big trend to watch for on the horizon.And as far as they key component to making any business successful, he coins culture as “the competitive advantage that can sustain any company over time.”This is definitely a data-driven podcast with pearls of wisdom you don’t want to miss.