For some reason, the topic of innovation as a business practice popped up several times this past week.

Often when they are discussed, mobile banking and mobile payments exist independent of each other, as if they are developing in their own silos and are seemingly unrelated in all but the most indirect ways.

Shields are down! Hull breach imminent! Take evasive action!

In the banking industry there's a distinct sense that nothing ever goes away.

Slowly but surely the term "in-memory computing" is entering the consciousness of bank CIOs, CEOs, and boards.

For a while it seemed like all the hoopla over digital wallets had died down, and no wonder-most people scratched their heads over how to make money out of them. However, several analysts have taken another look and things may be on the brink of heating up again.

The use of cloud computing in banking rumbles ahead, albeit somewhat overshadowed by flashier news of other technologies, such as mobile payments, Big Data, customer relationship management, and others.

Something that the Executive Board said recently-and mentioned here as well-resonated enough to take a second look. To recap, they put it in the context of: "With rising costs and still-sluggish lending growth, the consumer banking industry increasingly sees improving customer experience as critical to maintaining or growing revenue. But in the current economic environment, many banks cannot afford to make large, across-the-board investments in service."

Yet another acronym is making the rounds; this one, CEM, or customer experience management, roughly combines the adage "the customer is always right" with the latest techno-scheme of "predictive analytics."

Who wins when a bank finds a way to safely extend financial services to individuals traditionally deemed out of the mainstream?