Iam Bank, a startup virtual bank based in Ireland that has offices in the U.K. is set to launch in the U.S. this fall — and it’s going to do it via a physical bank branch. The bank, which is now in the process of buying a Chicago-based bank it declined to name, said it will set up its first branch, known as a “customer experience center” in Milwaukee in the fall.
“We’ve done a lot of research and it all comes down to trust and credibility,” said Simona Stankovska, head of communications for Iam Bank. “For us, the research shows that people have a massive distrust of purely digital offerings. They need to have a human touch, they need to be able to communicate with someone.”
Despite expectations about the death of the branch, recent surveys support Iam Bank’s view that consumers — especially millennial ones — will continue to demand a human touch to banking.
