Beyond the Expected: Designing Branches of the Future

At BankSpaces this year, I delivered a presentation titled Cool Sh*t Banks Can’t Do. It was designed to challenge the industry to think beyond a traditional bank and ignite new thinking around what a branch could be.

In today's digital world, most branches still follow a formula that prioritizes transactions over customer relationships and efficiency over experience. But what if we reimagined the branch as something more meaningful, something that reflects how people live, work, and engage with their finances today?

That’s exactly the opportunity DBSI is leaning into. 

Our latest branch designs aren’t just innovative for the sake of being cool. They are rooted in strategy and purpose, created to solve real challenges while unlocking new efficiencies and possibilities.

Here are a few examples:

• A “third place” branch that invites people in for more than a money exchange. We’re talking coffee nooks, coworking zones, and living-room-style layouts that feel nothing like a bank, but everything like a place you’d want to hangout for several hours and be.

• Interactive digital signage that brings financial education to life and redefines how you onboard new clients.

• Spaces that flex and scale from micro-branches that can pop up inside a grocery store to flagship experiences that anchor a community hub.

Each element is intentionally crafted to improve the customer journey, reduce friction for staff, and deliver a stronger return on every square foot. And while the end result may look bold or unconventional, the foundation is always clear: help financial institutions become more relevant, more efficient, and more human.

The most exciting part? These ideas aren’t years away. They’re being designed and rolled out now, for real clients, in real markets.

Are you prepared for the future of banking?

So here’s the question I posed at BankSpaces, and I’ll pose it again here:

If you weren’t tied to tradition, what would you build?

At DBSI, we’re helping banks and credit unions find those answers—and bringing the vision to life one transformation at a time.