Today’s dynamic payments landscape comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. From deploying instant payments to enhancing the customer experience to competing with Bigtech, community banks face complex decisions about priorities amidst current fiscal realities.

That’s where ICBA Payments comes into play. Our mission is to deliver payments solutions exclusively for community banks to support their customers and communities. Whether that means offering strategic counsel, negotiating better package deals for technological solutions, introducing new products, or building relationships with fintechs to support your needs, we are here to open windows of opportunity for you.

And we were founded with that same philosophy in mind. Launched in 1985 to support community banks’ credit card programs, ICBA Bancard was a pioneer in identifying ways to simplify the card process, offering attractive package options, limiting liabilities, and keeping community banks in the credit card game. With offerings geared toward the varying needs of community banks and the customers they serve, ICBA Bancard leveraged the power of the collective to provide benefits that wouldn’t be available on a singular bank level.

Today, we are building on that solid foundation as ICBA Payments to help bankers understand, navigate, and capitalize on the evolving payments landscape.

As we forge this new path forward, we do so by tackling industry developments—from FedNow® to fintech solutions to payments trends—with knowledge and know how. We are committed to conveying the unique payments needs of community banks in industry forums, introducing new products and services, providing education on the latest payments developments, and innovating to meet emerging needs.

And while we are expanding our scope to address payments more holistically, we are remaining true to our spirit of service that includes the continuation of flexible payment options and instituting economies of scale to reflect the diverse needs of our community bank clients. We will introduce new products, but we also will provide strategic consultation, an industry voice, and vendor support for community banks. Our ultimate goal is to help community banks retain their best customers, earn profitable returns, and garner continued respect as leading payments providers.

We are excited to announce this renewed focus delivering payments-forward solutions to help community banks retain and win business in today's competitive environment while keeping our focus on impeccable customer service.

As you think about your plans for 2024, I hope you will consider how your payments strategy fits into your priorities and how ICBA Payments can help you achieve your business objectives. Because if our history has taught us anything, it’s that there’s power in coming together as a community of community bankers.