Banking's fast-paced future.(the possible future of banking)

Already racing to keep up with evolving technology and global economic forces, the Canadian banking industry will change even faster over the next decade or two, providing consumers with unprecedented choice and access to the worldwide financial system.

The year is 2015. In the comfort of their living room in a Vancouver suburb, a middle-aged couple review their investment plans through an audiovisual link to their personal advisor with Yahoo Schwab in San Francisco. In Gander, Nfld., a homemaker updates the household financial accounts with the family's bank - an alliance of Canadian, German and Asian institutions - using the microwave. And in Chicoutimi, Que., a young couple, having found their new dream home, use a mobile phone screen to auction their mortgage application through eBay Financial Services to the winning lender in India.

With some trepidation and considerable interest, we have accepted Canadian Banker's request to describe what banking will be like for Canadian consumers in the next 10 to 25 years. If we assume that change will take place at Internet speed, or even faster, then we can expect to see at least as much …