For many years, retail banks have been secure, highly profitable businesses. However, recent industry disruption has come knocking at the door of these financial giants. The turning point was the global financial crisis experienced between the years 2007 and 2009 which not only led to large losses, and even the collapse of a significant number of established banks, but has shaken the trust of financial customers worldwide to their core. These factors, combined with the fact that banking has been relatively undisturbed for centuries, meant it was time for change, and that change has been the rapid rise of financial technology companies.Emergent innovative financial technologies are profoundly changing the way in which we spend, move and manage our money, unlike ever before. The digital transformation and its pace of change have been truly astounding, dramatically shifting customer behaviors and expectations of their financial service provider. Retail banks must now become positioned to fulfill their customers' every financial need, especially as the millennial generation is poised to soon command the largest purchasing power of any age group, and banks will need to become cognizant of this generation for a multitude of reasons.