“Pig butchering” scams — in which victims invest increasing sums in supposedly legitimate virtual currency enterprises before being conned out of their money — depend on cryptocurrencies to function. But the connections between crypto and this skyrocketing scam run much deeper than the fake investments that ensnare consumers.
A new form of investment scam has skyrocketed in recent years as criminal syndicates target consumers through online channels. Called “pig butchering,” this new scam is increasingly relevant, including among the consumers and communities that community banks serve.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way, advancing from single-use tools to sophisticated systems that can analyze mountains of data and even drive cars (albeit with some drawbacks).
As AI continues to expand and be used in more organizations and more applications, remember the associated risks, and need for guardrails.
Federal banking regulators so far have approached regulating the use of artificial intelligence through the lens of existing regulations, rather than creating a new set of guidelines. But based on various regulatory announcements, there are some salient risks community banks should consider when using the technology.
To help separate fact from fiction, let’s start with a working definition of AI and related terms, before discussing a few notable use cases for community banks.
Whether offering solutions that automatically track and analyze customers’ spending habits, utilizing time-saving cloud technologies, deftly refinancing agricultural loans that help farm customers invest in drones, or supporting one-of-a-kind businesses that serve unique market segments, community banks are critical partners to their customer’s success.
With traditional backup and recovery systems at risk of compromise in the event of a malware attack on IT systems, ICBA helped found the Sheltered Harbor initiative to protect against cybercrime.
They say, "success begets success" and in the case of the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program this timeless belief holds true. Before we even hit the halfway point on our fifth accelerator program, which kicked off on April 24, we found out that we’d reached capacity for both in-person and virtual bank visits.
As news outlets continue to report on the demise of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the broader implications for the industry, it bears repeating that not all banks are equal. Community banks are relationship lenders first and foremost and this distinction makes all the difference in times of uncertainty.
When it comes to innovation, big picture ideas formulate and crystalize into concrete plans. Having the vision and enthusiasm for fresh solutions is just the start and drives the community bank journey to unearth specific, relevant and actionable opportunities.
Digital customer engagement has risen as a top priority for financial institutions in 2023, according to new research from Anna Kooi, financial services industry leader at Wipfli LLP, a top advisory firm in this space.
ICBA has launched an enhanced version of our Solutions Directory, which in addition to providing useful fintech-related company information, serves as a one-stop shop for community bank enabling technology. The new and improved directory is based on extensive community bank feedback, to create a better user experience.
In 2022, ICBA and community bankers stood together against a steady stream of efforts to impose harmful policies while working tirelessly to advance initiatives benefiting local communities—proving once again the importance of making our voice heard in the nation’s capital.
We have previously called 2021 a year of innovation, but there’s no doubt that ICBA doubled down on its position throughout 2022 to ensure that innovation is accessible, affordable, and attainable to all community bankers.
Just shy of a year ago, ICBA announced its role as one of the general partners and investment committee members in a strategic investment fund designed to accelerate technology opportunities and adoption at community banks. Today, BankTech Ventures, has raised more than $115 million in committed capital in its first fund and has backed eight different companies working to provide community bank technology solutions.
Bob Dylan once said, “There is nothing so stable as change,” and I have found that to be true, particularly as we look to embrace modern technologies and the companies that enable them.
When I attended FinovateFall in September, I was struck by its palpable energy. Not only was it the most well attended Finovate to date with roughly 1,800 attendees and 64 participating companies, it was a widely collaborative conference, converting what had once felt like a competitive environment into one of enablement.
In the first half of 2022, there were 817 data breaches in the U.S., and combined with data leaks and data exposure, they impacted more than 53 million individuals. These are alarming numbers, but they could have been much worse without the use of some form of multifactor authentication.
The Venture Center, ICBA’s leadership bankers, and our ThinkTECH Accelerator cohorts demonstrated the importance of community bank-fintech collaborations at last month’s VenCent Summit. It was an opportunity to showcase the evolution of our Accelerator alumni and reiterate the value of our ThinkTECH initiatives.
Relationship banking has entered a new, digital era as confirmed by recent research from Cornerstone Advisors that concluded, “There is a human element to mobile banking.” In fact, this Cornerstone study revealed that 60 percent of Gen Z and almost two-thirds of Millennials expect to connect with customer support directly from their mobile banking app.
