There was a young lady called Aisha who lived in the wide and varied continent of Africa. Aisha dreamt of opening her jewelry store one day when she and her family resided in a tiny town. Yet she quickly saw that the absence of financial services in her town impeded her ability to accomplish her aspirations. Aisha and her family often encountered difficult and expensive processes even when they could visit banks despite traveling great distances. But suddenly, a miraculous event took place.

How brands integrate technology with core aspects of the customers' experience becomes even more relevant, as machine learning and AI replace humans in many cases. This is not necessarily a negative thing, as long as the technology is being utilized to enhance the relationship with a customer: "AI represents the future of frontline customer service." "AI-driven chatbots (computer programs simulating human conversation) can handle a significant number of basic customer service questions, freeing up resources to focus on issues requiring more significant attention. This type of support also allows for shorter wait times on the phone and with in-person chat, and as the AI system earns more about the nuances of situations, it will gradually increase the accuracy and scope of its support capabilities."

I recently had the honor of speaking at 2018 CBA LIVE with Kevin King from ID Analytics. It was a truly remarkable event with inspiration around every corner. We felt at home in our session on the growing risks of synthetic identity theft per the conference's "Beyond The Bank" theme this year. CBA LIVE Beyond the Bank perfectly framed the collective conversation, as it encompassed consumers' growing demands within the space that are increasingly falling outside the traditional banking realm. Digital payment innovations took center stage at sessions throughout the event.