Digital Transformation: A Lifestyle Change for Financial Institutions

Let’s be honest: too many banks and credit unions are treating digital transformation like it’s a 90-day juice cleanse.

You know the routine. Lots of excitement up front, a shiny new vendor demo, some buzzwords thrown into the board packet (“API,” “AI,” “next-gen”), and then… everyone goes back to living off legacy cores and sweating through Excel reports.

Here's the thing: digital transformation isn’t a pilot. It’s a personality change.

You Can’t “Try” Digital. You Have to Be Digital.

Do you remember in the movie Caddyshack when Chevy Chase’s character says the famous line “Be the ball.” My advice is “Be Digital.” A bank can’t just bolt on a chatbot and call it transformation. That’s like putting a Peloton in your living room and thinking you’ve joined a fitness cult. Until you change how you think and operate, it’s just decor.

Real digital transformation means rethinking your culture, your cloud-native infrastructure, your tech stack, your vendors, and your customer experience. And yes, it’s messy. You’ll sweat. You’ll second-guess your core. You’ll realize that maybe, just maybe, your “mobile strategy” was actually just a glorified app refresh from 2018.

5 Signs You’re Treating Digital Like a Detox Instead of a Lifestyle

Let’s do a gut check. If any of these sound familiar, you may be in crash-diet mode:

You’re still saying “digital transformation project” like it has an end date. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t. It's like brushing your teeth. You don’t stop just because you did it yesterday.)

Your “digital team” has zero power and reports to Ops. (“Digital” isn’t a side hustle. It’s the main business now.)

You launched a mobile app but still require in-person signatures for wires. (Digital front door, analog back office, classic.)

Your core still dictates what’s possible, not your customer’s needs. (Just because your vendor says “we don’t support that” doesn’t mean your customers don’t expect it.)

You’re benchmarking yourself against other local banks, not against Chime, SoFi, or Apple. (Your customers aren’t thinking about the CU across the street. They’re thinking, “Why doesn’t my bank app work like Venmo?”)

So What Does a “Digital Lifestyle” Look Like?

Glad you asked. A digitally mature bank or credit union:

Builds around customer journeys, not internal silos

Invests in API-friendly, cloud-native infrastructure

Embraces embedded fintech partnerships that extend capabilities (not just “tech vendors” that take 18 months to deploy)

Measures success in engagement, retention, and LTV. Not just transactions per month

Understands that innovation is iterative, not an annual offsite activity

It’s not about having a one-time digital glow-up. It’s about staying digitally fit every single day. (Think CrossFit for your tech stack, minus the shouting.)

Want a Real Transformation? Start by Breaking Up With the Word “Project”

Stop treating digital like it’s something that lives in a slide deck. It’s a mindset. A long-haul commitment. The kind of thing that touches every team, every system, and every interaction.

If your institution wants to thrive, not just survive, you need to stop “doing digital” and start being digital (Be the Ball).

Because transformation isn’t a campaign. It’s a lifestyle.

Want help kicking off your transformation (and actually sticking with it)? Let’s talk about fintech partners that actually fit your institution’s goals and won’t leave you ghosted after the kickoff call. Stay tuned for focused articles about specific fintechs that will support your transformation journey. Be the Ball!