Gen X May Be the Most Undervalued Banking Opportunity Right Now

Gen X does not get much attention in financial services strategy conversations. In a recent ProSight Banking Strategies Podcast discussion, Lee Wetherington, senior director of corporate strategy at Jack Henry, and Marcell King, president and COO at Nuuvia, make the case that this may be a mistake. Gen X, they argue, may be one of the most important customer groups for banks—not just because of its own needs, but because of its position inside the broader family financial structure. 

Gen X is in its peak earning years while also helping aging parents, supporting children, and in some cases already taking on responsibilities that extend to grandchildren. Wetherington calls it “the sandwich generation,” while King points to the way wealth, caregiving, and financial decision-making increasingly flow through that middle layer. For banks, that creates both pressure and opportunity. 

Several points stand out: 

Gen X is more influential than its size suggests. Wetherington says Gen X may be a smaller cohort than boomers or millennials, but its role is outsized. “They are the entree,” he says, especially for institutions trying to strengthen ties to their aging parents and to their Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids. If banks can stay relevant to Gen X, they may be in a stronger position to retain family relationships and compete for wealth that might otherwise leave the institution. 

The real issue is relevancy, not just products. King says deposits, loan rates, and other traditional offerings are “commoditized.” The differentiator is whether an institution solves real problems for people in this stage of life. That could mean tools that help protect an elderly parent from fraud, make it easier to manage bills, or support younger family members with youth banking and co-managed accounts. The broader point: Gen X often makes decisions inside a family ecosystem, not as an isolated customer. 

Family banking may be the practical opening. Wetherington says banks should start thinking in terms of “family banking structures.” In his view, that means building services that help Gen X “take care of mom and dad and also take care of the kids,” whether through fraud protection, financial support, or teaching younger family members about money. King makes a similar point: fintechs have grown by solving specific problems, and banks need to think the same way. “If you are not solving a problem, you’re wasting your time,” he says. 

The takeaway: Gen X may be easy to overlook, but it sits at the center of some of the most important financial relationships in banking today. Institutions that help this group manage family responsibilities and financial stress more effectively may earn more than a single customer—they may earn the surrounding household too.