Changing the way FIs interact with their data

As AI adoption accelerates across financial services, banks and credit unions face a critical challenge: how to innovate without compromising trust, transparency, or regulatory compliance. In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, we sit down with Danny Piangerelli, VP of Engineering at Abrigo, to explore how Abrigo is building and scaling AI responsibly within highly regulated environments.

Listen in to learn how explainability and auditability are embedded into AI-driven solutions, why “human-in-the-loop” design remains essential, and how Abrigo’s agentic framework—including AskAbrigo—is transforming how financial institutions securely interact with their data. Danny also shares how AI is reshaping software development, empowering teams through an “Iron Man” approach, and what fintech leaders should consider as they navigate the balance between innovation and stability.

About the guest:

Danny Piangerelli, Vice President of Engineering at Abrigo, is responsible for Data and AI Platform engineering. He previously served as CTO at BankiFi, CTO at Sensibill, and Co-Founder and CTO of Malauzai Software, which was acquired by Finastra in 2018. Danny has over 30 years of experience in software engineering, architecture, and leadership driving technology strategy and execution. He has been instrumental in advancing Abrigo’s AI capabilities, including the development of explainable machine learning models, agent-based frameworks like AskAbrigo, and modernized development practices that accelerate product delivery while maintaining rigorous standards for auditability and trust.

Helpful links:

AskAbrigo: Secure AI-powered knowledge and data interaction

Bold intelligence: AI’s expanding role in AML & fraud

5 Common lending challenges and how lending software can help

CU AI strategy: From adoption to operational advantage – Abrigo

RZOLUT and Abrigo AML experts discuss sanctions screening

As sanctions risk intensifies and regulatory expectations grow more complex, financial institutions are under increasing pressure to strengthen and defend their compliance programs. In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, we sit down with Greg Pinn of Abrigo and Sarabjeet Singh, Founder and CEO of RZOLUT, to explore how data quality, risk visibility, and AI are reshaping financial crime compliance.

Listen in to learn how expectations around data have evolved, why a unified view across sanctions, PEPs, and watchlists is critical, and how banks and credit unions can responsibly adopt AI while maintaining trust, transparency, and defensibility.

About the guests:

Sarabjeet Singh is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Product Architect of RZOLUT, bringing more than three decades of global experience in financial crimes compliance. With a strong Big 4 background, including leadership roles at KPMG and EY, his expertise spans AML, KYC, sanctions, and regulatory transformation. Sarabjeet has designed and operated large compliance Centers of Excellence for global banks and FinTechs, including multi-year programs for Top Wall Street banks and global payment providers, combining operational scale, machine learning, and automation. His teams have built and maintained global AML datasets for more than a decade. Through RZOLUT, he enables institutions to leverage high-quality data and adopt enterprise-grade screening and due diligence aligned with modern regulatory expectations.

Greg Pinn has spent over 20 years building software products and data solutions to solve AML and financial crime challenges for global financial institutions. His work has included developing sanctions, watchlist, and PEP screening solutions, cryptocurrency compliance tools, adverse media offerings, and advanced risk data products. At Abrigo, Greg leads the development of innovative scan solutions that help banks and credit unions confidently navigate regulatory and operational challenges.

Helpful links:

Rzolut | Compliance, Connected.

What happens when sanctions screening fails

The new sanctions reality: Why community financial institutions need enterprise-grade screening 

Modernizing sanctions screening for U.S. community financial institutions – Abrigo

CTO Ravi Nemalikanti on Abrigo’s AI journey

For the last episode of 2025, get to know Abrigo’s CTO, Ravi Nemalikanti, as he talks about his AI philosophy at Amazon’s AWS Re:Invent conference. Listen in to learn about the metrics Abrigo considers when making decisions about machine learning in its solutions, ensuring that those decisions support community banks and credit unions.

About the guest: 

Ravi Nemalikanti is Abrigo’s Chief Product and Technology Officer and is responsible for leading technology strategy and determining product and development priorities to drive innovation and increase the company’s competitive advantage. Ravi is the Winner of the 2024 Haas Technology Leadership Awardee for North America by Carlyle, an award given to celebrate an exceptional technology leader. Before joining Abrigo in 2022, Ravi was the CTO of Digital Banking at NCR Corp., where he led the organization’s digital-first banking technology roadmap. Earlier, he held leadership roles in Tax and accounting, Global Trade, and Risk Management during 14 years at Thomson Reuters. Ravi holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Andhra University in Andhra Pradesh, India, and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Helpful links: 

AI Hub – Abrigo

Webinar: AI strategy for banking: Unlock the most value – Abrigo

Innovating without breaking the bank

In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, we sit down with Gary Fan, Chief Operating Officer at Royal Business Bank, to unpack what real innovation looks like inside a modern community bank. With experience spanning fintech, global institutions, and community banking, Gary brings a rare perspective on how regional banks can move faster, differentiate smarter, and still stay grounded in sound risk management.

Listeners will hear:

• Advice for launching new products without massive R&D teams
• How to build strong relationships with regulators early (and why it matters)
• Where AI and emerging tech actually fit into a bank’s strategic roadmap
• What the next generation of bank leaders and customers will expect

About the guest:

Gary Fan is the Chief Operating Officer of RBB, a publicly traded bank with over $4 billion in assets. As COO, Gary leads enterprise-wide growth initiatives, digital transformation, product and service innovation, and strategic M&A activity. He is also responsible for optimizing cross-functional operations and driving continuous business model evolution to stay ahead in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

Previously, Gary served as President of Gateway Bank FSB in Oakland, CA, where he successfully led a full-scale turnaround, overseeing all retail and commercial banking units and restoring profitability. His leadership has consistently delivered measurable results across diverse financial institutions.

Gary’s career spans senior roles at global financial organizations, including CTBC Bank, where he served as Head of Strategy for North America and Head of Consumer Lending for its U.S. subsidiary. His expertise includes fintech integration, strategic partnerships, market expansion, long-range planning, and organizational restructuring.

With P&L responsibility over multi-billion-dollar lending portfolios, Gary has led high-performing teams across Sales, Marketing, Retail and Commercial Banking, Operations, Credit Administration, Finance, IT & Security, HR, Legal, PMO, and Real Estate. His cross-industry experience includes Banking, Fintech, E-Commerce, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain & Logistics.

Gary holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at The Wharton School.

Helpful links:

Read about Royal Business Bank.

Learn about how AI integrates into Abrigo solutions: AI solutions for banks

Bring creativity into your financial institution

This episode’s guest is author, speaker, and “patron saint of crazy ideas” Kyle Scheele. Listen in as he makes the case that creativity at financial institutions isn’t confined to marketing teams—it’s simply problem-solving, and it belongs to everyone at your organization. He shares why “culture eats strategy,” explains the importance of making space for innovation in a traditional industry, and suggests practical ways leaders can experiment to reduce the big risk that all community FIs face: losing customers to more innovative competitors.

We’ll explore:

• The risk of losing customers to fintechs and how creativity helps you win trust.
• “Commit to the bit”: the surprising power of shared enthusiasm to build culture and collaboration.
• Two questions leaders should ask to unlock hidden solutions already inside the organization.
• Lightweight systems to surface employee ideas and how strong cultures act like magnets for attracting new talent.

About the guest: 

Whether he’s holding a Viking funeral for the regrets of 21,000 people, hosting the world’s first fake marathon, or gaining a million TikTok followers in just 25 hours, Kyle Scheele is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes. Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in prominent outlets Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, and Goalcast, among others. His videos have been viewed over 250 million times, and he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of audience members across the United States. More than anything, Kyle hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be.

Helpful links:

Read about one of Kyle’s projects: Home Run Marathon attracts more participants than Boston Marathon on TikTok – The Washington Post

Hear more from Kyle at Abrigo’s 2026 ThinkBIG Conference.

Join us for season 2!

Ahead of the curve: A banker’s podcast

Looking for ideas, tips, and best practices to take your financial institution to the next level? Look no further than this podcast featuring insights from banking leaders and advisors across the industry. We’ll tackle a range of topics — technology implementation, loan grading, banking cannabis, and more to ensure you stay ahead of the curve in this fast-changing environment.

You can find all episodes of the podcast on abrigo.com or on your favorite podcast app or platform.

Bank spotlight: How self-serve technology and financial literacy programming have paid off for BankFive

In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, you’ll hear innovative ideas on financial literacy programs and leveraging technology for better customer service from Anne Tangen, President and CEO of BankFive.

Tune in as we discuss:

•  How to engage customers in learning about improving their credit
•  The role of financial literacy in getting the right loan products in front of customers
•  What BankFive is doing to improve its customer experience with thoughtfully designed branches
•  How Tangen and her team have prioritized keeping a human touch in new self-serve technologies and how the investment has paid off

About the guest:

Anne P. Tangen joined BankFive in 2020 as its President and CEO. She has had a long and distinguished career in financial services, having served in various senior roles at Fidelity Investments, State Street Bank, and The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. A respected leader in the industry, she sits on several high-profile boards, including the Massachusetts Bankers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s First District’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council (CDIAC), which advises the Fed on the local economy, lending conditions, and other issues. In addition, she has been featured in the Boston Business Journal, Banker & Tradesman, and Bloomberg Radio Boston, and as a speaker at the New England Bankers Annual Conference and Future Branches Boston.

Anne is involved in various local nonprofits, including the Alden Pettengill Foundation Board of Argosy Collegiate Charter School in Fall River and the Savings Banks Employees Retirement Association (SBERA). She also serves on the Endowment Committee for the Fall River Historical Society.

Helpful links: 

Webpage: About | BankFive

Webpage: Change Management Services | Abrigo

Blog: How accountants can leverage technology to boost client financial literacy, loyalty 

Join us for season 2!

Ahead of the curve: A banker’s podcast

Looking for ideas, tips, and best practices to take your financial institution to the next level? Look no further than this podcast featuring insights from banking leaders and advisors across the industry. We’ll tackle a range of topics — technology implementation, loan grading, banking cannabis, and more to ensure you stay ahead of the curve in this fast-changing environment.

You can find all episodes of the podcast on abrigo.com or on your favorite podcast app or platform.