Banks are spending over $760 billion a year on technology. And yet, most are stuck in a loop, launching transformation programs that deliver incremental fixes, not compounding improvement. The gap isn't budget. It's architectural drag, fragmented operating models, and a siloed mindset. Here's the uncomfortable truth most banking leaders already sense: the institutions that will lead the next decade won't be the ones that spend the most on banking digital transformation. They'll be the ones that learn and adapt the fastest. And that requires something most banks haven't done yet: stop treating "keep the lights on" and "build the future" as competing priorities. The $3 Trillion Question Global retail banking generates roughly $3 trillion in annual revenue. Payments alone, banking's most lucrative fee engine, is projected to grow at approximately 4% annually through 2029. However, capturing this growth requires real-time liquidity management and zero-latency settlement.…