XpertSavers: Strategy Alone Won't Cut It

The 2026 Playbook for Turning Digital Plans into Deposit Growth at Mid-Sized Banks

The Problem Banks Keep Misdiagnosing

Most mid-sized banks believe they have a digital problem. They have strategies, roadmaps, vendor decks, and technology plans approved at the board level, yet deposit growth still lags expectations and digital channels underperform.

The real constraint is structural: most banks still treat digital like a branch extension, governed by the same assumptions and operating model. But digital customers do not want a “virtual branch.” They want a fast, clear experience they can complete end-to-end on their phone, without paperwork or human handoffs. Until banks operate digital as its own business, strategy will continue to stall, no matter how thoughtful or well-funded it looks on paper.

In 2026, this misunderstanding becomes harder to ignore. Customer behavior has shifted decisively toward digital. People are researching products, opening accounts, and managing relationships online, often without ever stepping into a branch. Digital is no longer a side channel. It is where the business happens.

Digital Is More Than a Channel, It’s a Business

Branch banking and digital banking operate on fundamentally different economics, yet many banks continue to govern them the same way. Branches are fixed-cost, capacity-constrained, and geographically bound. Digital channels, by contrast, are variable-cost, scalable, and unconstrained by footprint.

Despite this, many banks still govern digital like a branch extension. Ownership is fragmented, budgets are capped prematurely, and performance is reviewed too infrequently to drive accountability. Digital banking is treated like a cost center instead of a growth engine. The irony is that deposits are the business: strong digital deposit growth expands lending capacity, improves liquidity flexibility, and reduces dependence on expensive funding sources like brokered CDs.

Where Strategy Breaks Down Inside Mid-Sized Banks

One recurring issue is ownership. Digital initiatives are often delegated instead of led, leaving no executive accountable for outcomes. Without CEO, CFO, and Treasury ownership, execution slows as decisions move through committees rather than owners.

Budgeting practices compound the problem. Technology and marketing are treated as discretionary expenses instead of long-term strategic investments. Marketing spend is fixed or capped too early, rather than managed as a variable cost tied directly to deposit performance.

Operational friction then finishes the job. Teams and vendors operate in silos; end-to-end ownership disappears, and leadership lacks real-time visibility into what’s working. Decisions revert to instinct, politics, or legacy habits instead of performance.

These are not tactical mistakes. They are governance and leadership failures.

What Good Execution Actually Looks Like

Execution requires operating digitally with discipline and intent, not just working harder or buying more tools.

Banks that consistently deliver digital deposit growth tend to share a few defining behaviors:

• They design and manage a true end-to-end digital experience, from onboarding through ongoing engagement, supported by technology that performs under real-world market conditions.
• Marketing spend is treated as a controllable growth lever, scaled up or down based on performance and deposit goals, rather than constrained by static budgets.
• Performance is reviewed continuously, not quarterly, so leadership can see deposit growth, acquisition cost, and conversion trends in real time.
• Most importantly, ownership is explicit. Someone is accountable for outcomes, not just plans.

When digital is managed this way, strategy stops being theoretical. It becomes operational and efficient.

Proof That Digital Economics Work When Operated Correctly

At CIT, I led the launch of a direct digital bank that was built in nine months. Within four years, it grew to $11 billion in deposits while significantly lowering the cost of funds. The difference was operating digital as a business with clear ownership, economics, and accountability from day one.

I’ve seen the same pattern repeat at mid-sized banks, including $750 million+ in deposits from a sub-$1 million digital marketing investment and major conversion gains after removing friction from onboarding.

Across each example, the outcome was not driven by better strategy decks. It was driven by operating digital as a business, with executive ownership, measurable economics, and disciplined execution.

Why Measurement Becomes Non-Negotiable in 2026

As digital banking grows more complex, execution discipline becomes harder to sustain without better visibility. AI-driven personalization, predictive analytics, and rising customer expectations raise the bar for performance, while cybersecurity pressure, fragmented data, and cost-of-funds volatility increase the cost of guessing.

Without real-time insight, leadership cannot reliably scale what works, stop what does not, or defend decisions to ALCO committees, boards, or regulators. Measurement drives governance and decision quality.

In banking, that visibility is especially critical because digital marketing spend is expensive and inefficiencies scale quickly. Real-time performance tracking shows what is driving funded accounts, what is inflating acquisition costs, and where friction is killing conversion. With that clarity, teams can adjust spend and product focus weekly, manage cost of funds proactively, and stay on pace against deposit targets.

Turning Strategy Into Performance with the Right Infrastructure

XpertSavers works with banks at the point where most digital models break down, between strategy and sustained execution. The firm stays embedded through delivery, aligning leadership, managing vendors, and ensuring digital initiatives perform inside real banking environments.

Gleam, XpertSavers’ analytics platform, provides real-time visibility into marketing spend and deposit growth, allowing leadership teams to manage digital as a business rather than a pilot. Performance is reviewed weekly, not after the fact, and decisions are grounded in data rather than assumptions.

The 2026 Decision Facing Bank Leadership

The market has already shifted. Customers are choosing banks online, FinTechs and national players are not waiting for consensus, and cost pressures are increasing rather than easing.

Banks that continue to govern digital like a branch will keep falling behind, regardless of how strong their strategy appears. Banks that treat digital as a standalone business can grow deposits, control costs, and compete nationally without sacrificing trust.

Digital transformation is not a technology decision. It is a leadership decision.