Bringing a fintech attitude to your financial institution (with Gary Fan)

In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, we sit down with Gary Fan, Chief Operating Officer at Royal Business Bank, to unpack what real innovation looks like inside a modern community bank. With experience spanning fintech, global institutions, and community banking, Gary brings a rare perspective on how regional banks can move faster, differentiate smarter, and still stay grounded in sound risk management.

Listeners will hear:

• Advice for launching new products without massive R&D teams
• How to build strong relationships with regulators early (and why it matters)
• Where AI and emerging tech actually fit into a bank’s strategic roadmap
• What the next generation of bank leaders and customers will expect
• How Royal Business Bank is positioning itself to compete through product design, niche markets, and cultural evolution

If you’ve ever wondered how a bank can innovate without losing its identity—or how smaller institutions can compete in a fintech-driven world—this episode offers fresh, grounded, and actionable insight.

About the guest:

Gary Fan is the Chief Operating Officer of RBB, a publicly traded bank with over $4 billion in assets. As COO, Gary leads enterprise-wide growth initiatives, digital transformation, product and service innovation, and strategic M&A activity. He is also responsible for optimizing cross-functional operations and driving continuous business model evolution to stay ahead in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

Previously, Gary served as President of Gateway Bank FSB in Oakland, CA, where he successfully led a full-scale turnaround, overseeing all retail and commercial banking units and restoring profitability. His leadership has consistently delivered measurable results across diverse financial institutions.

Gary’s career spans senior roles at global financial organizations, including CTBC Bank, where he served as Head of Strategy for North America and Head of Consumer Lending for its U.S. subsidiary. His expertise includes fintech integration, strategic partnerships, market expansion, long-range planning, and organizational restructuring.

With P&L responsibility over multi-billion-dollar lending portfolios, Gary has led high-performing teams across Sales, Marketing, Retail and Commercial Banking, Operations, Credit Administration, Finance, IT & Security, HR, Legal, PMO, and Real Estate. His cross-industry experience includes Banking, Fintech, E-Commerce, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain & Logistics.

Gary holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at The Wharton School.

Helpful links:

Read about Royal Business Bank.

Learn about how AI integrates into Abrigo solutions: AI solutions for banks