CUSTOMER Q&A: FORBRIGHT BANK

A Q&A with Matthew Quale, President of Digital Banking at Forbright Bank

Forbright Bank is on a mission to build a more digital and sustainable future—think smart banking with a purpose. Their seamless, digital-first experiences support both customers and the planet, which they strive to protect through carbon neutral operations and the financing of solar installations, green building upgrades, and accessible healthcare—among other projects.

In this conversation, Matthew Quale, President of Digital Banking at Forbright Bank, sits down with John Pitts, Head of Policy at Plaid, to discuss how their bank is using strategic investments and partnerships to create seamless, personalized financial experiences—and why starting with a clear value proposition is key to long-term success.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.


John Pitts: Let’s jump right in. How have customer expectations shifted in recent years when it comes to digital banking experiences?

Matthew Quale: There’s no question that customer expectations keep rising. People don’t think about financial services in a silo anymore—they compare their banking experience to every app they use. And they expect the same things: fast, convenient, easy to use, and mobile-first.

Pitts: One of the things I admire about Forbright is that you’ve clearly made investments to meet those expectations. What have been the most important ones to position yourselves for long-term success?

Quale: It starts with knowing where to invest for differentiation and where to partner with leading companies like Plaid.

We’ve focused a lot on the experience layer, because that’s where your unique value proposition comes to life. But the other critical areas are your orchestration layer and data ecosystem—your infrastructure overall. That foundation is what enables you to meet customer needs. When customers get frustrated, it’s often because the experience is clunky, they’re forced to call, or things are just slow. A weak data infrastructure makes it even harder to deliver personalized, relevant experiences.

The second piece is building the right partner ecosystem. You don’t need to do everything yourself. The key is plugging into partners that align with where you’re making your core investments.

Pitts: You used the word “unique”. Where do you think digital capabilities have become table stakes—and where are banks like yours uniquely positioned to lead?

Quale: We were lucky to start with a Greenfield tech stack. I often say a lot of institutions are still working off a 2005 chassis—just bolting on aftermarket parts instead of reinvesting for today.

Again, it starts with your value proposition. The competitive landscape has changed. You’re no longer just competing with the three or four banks in your neighborhood—you’re up against every bank nationally.

It’s not enough to be the local option anymore. You need a differentiated offering and a clear job you’re doing for your customer. The idea that you’ll be their all-in-one financial supermarket just doesn’t reflect reality. Most customers have accounts with three or four different banks, and each one serves a specific purpose.

With that in mind, table stakes are things like fast money movement. If you’re lagging and transactions feel slow, it makes it harder for customers to manage their finances across those multiple relationships.

Pitts: What advice would you give a bank that’s just getting started on their digital transformation journey?

Quale: The first question to ask is: What’s your unique value proposition—and how are you going to bring it to life digitally?

You need a clear north star, and everything should build from there. Once that’s clear, I’d focus on the UX layer. That’s where your value proposition gets translated into something tangible. It’s not just about what you say you do—it’s about how the customer experiences it.

And ultimately, your infrastructure has to support that. It’s what allows you to deliver products and experiences that actually match what you’ve promised. You have to be intentional about how you're expressing your value to customers—and how you're backing it up in a digital format.

Pitts: Matt, I love that—because in the digital world, UX really is the product, no matter what’s going on underneath. Getting that alignment between product and experience is essential. It's been so great talking to you today—thank you.

Quale: Thank you, John.