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Community Bank Demand for Innovative Solutions Surging: ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator 2021 Records Three-Fold Increase in Bank Participation
Community Bank Demand for Innovative Solutions Surging: ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator 2021 Records Three-Fold Increase in Bank Participation After 12 fully immersive weeks and hundreds of meetings...
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Primer
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Primer As you know, there are currently two forms of central bank money in America: paper currency and money held by institutions on deposit at the Federal...
Policymakers Share Plans to Support Community Bank Innovation at ThinkTECH Summit
Policymakers Share Plans to Support Community Bank Innovation at ThinkTECH Summit In a time of ambiguity, you take notice when there’s unilateral consensus, as was the case at last month’s...
How My Bank’s Team Delivered and Received Value from the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Experience
How My Bank’s Team Delivered and Received Value from the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Experience Last year I flew to Little Rock, Ark. to participate in the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program and...
A Fresh Focus on Innovative Solutions for Community Bank Back-Office Operations
A Fresh Focus on Innovative Solutions for Community Bank Back-Office Operations ICBA and The Venture Center gave particular attention to identifying innovative back-office solution providers for...
Digital Dollar Digest: What Is a CBDC?
Digital Dollar Digest: What Is a CBDC? Countries are racing to create central bank digital currencies, or so it appears from the constant stream of reports, articles, and speeches by officials....
Crypto Chronicles: What is a stablecoin and what do community bankers need to know?
Crypto Chronicles: What is a stablecoin and what do community bankers need to know? Since its debut, Bitcoin has experienced spectacular fluctuations in value. While some accept the risks that come...
Employing Financial Literacy as a Tool to Attract Gen Z Bank Customers
Employing Financial Literacy as a Tool to Attract Gen Z Bank Customers Generation Z already outnumbers millennials and baby boomers and in a matter of years they’ll become the most financially...
Regulators Discuss the Future of Community Bank Innovation at Fintech Symposium
Regulators Discuss the Future of Community Bank Innovation at Fintech Symposium Community banks’ focus on next-generation digital solutions was on full display during a recent symposium hosted by...
Operational risk resources to help community banks stay secure amid cyberattacks
Operational risk resources to help community banks stay secure amid cyberattacks In the wake of the high-profile cyberattacks on SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline affecting national security and the...
How Community Banks Can Continue to Fight Elder Financial Exploitation and Abuse
How Community Banks Can Continue to Fight Elder Financial Exploitation and Abuse The past year has been a trying time for our nation, particularly for America’s elderly population who were...
Crypto Chronicles: Agencies Coordinate Crypto Approach Amid Ransomware Escalation
Crypto Chronicles: Agencies Coordinate Crypto Approach Amid Ransomware Escalation In the past several months, bad actors have escalated their attacks against critical infrastructure and industries....
Digital Dollar Digest: Catalysts for Exploring a Central Bank Digital Currency
Digital Dollar Digest: Catalysts for Exploring a Central Bank Digital Currency What is galvanizing the world market to pursue central bank digital currencies? The factors are varied. In this...
Community Bank Guide to Managing Core Processor Relationships
Community Bank Guide to Managing Core Processor Relationships For community banks looking to strike a balance between high-touch services and high-tech capabilities, selecting the right technology...
Enhancements Community Banks Can Make To Improve Email Deliverability and Defend Against Phishing
Enhancements Community Banks Can Make To Improve Email Deliverability and Defend Against Phishing To better protect their institutions and customers from email scams, community banks can make...
The Problem with Public Banking
The Problem with Public Banking While community banks have again proven their importance to local communities as Paycheck Protection Program leaders, public banking proponents in some states and...
Crypto Chronicles: Bitcoin 101 for Community Bankers
Crypto Chronicles: Bitcoin 101 for Community Bankers The payments industry is abuzz with excitement as one topic continues capturing headlines, with profound implications for community banks:...
Three Ways Community Bankers Can Increase Their Innovative Thinking
Three Ways Community Bankers Can Increase Their Innovative Thinking According to the 2020 Global Innovation Barometer from GE, COVID-19 had a significant downward influence on innovation. However,...
ICBA Polling on Strong Community Bank Favorability Fuels Successful Capital Summit
To support community banker meetings with policymakers on top industry issues, ICBA released new polling data affirming the industry’s strong public favorability at the state and national levels.
Expanding Interchange Price Controls Would Put Fraud Protections at Risk
Maintaining strong risk-mitigation technologies has never been more important for the banking industry, but “big box” merchant lobbyists are attempting to disrupt advances in card fraud mitigation...
How Four Community Banks Recognize and Celebrate Juneteenth
While Juneteenth is the youngest U.S. federal holiday after it became formally recognized in a law enacted last year, it has decades of significance—with June 19, 1865, recognized as the end...
How Community Bankers Association of Illinois Partnered with ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator to Further Community Bank Innovation
Community Bankers Association of Illinois (CBAI) is no stranger to fintech collaborations, but the idea of helping shape fintech offerings tailored to community banks was too intriguing an idea to...
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Creating Mutually Beneficial Relationships with Community Banks and Fintechs
Engaging community bankers to think about innovation in new ways continues to be my driving force, but I’m not doing it alone. This year I’m bringing along ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator alumni
The Rise of the Super App… and What Community Banks Can Do About It
Everyone, including big tech and social media players, want a super app. That’s according to a 2022 report, which underscores that the threat is real.
How Agility Bank and Rockland Trust are Leveraging Digital Services to Cultivate Personal Relationships
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.”
Why ICBA opposes flawed Marshall-Durbin Amendment expansion legislation
Despite ICBA’s persistent communications on the negative impact of Durbin Amendment interventions on payment card systems, its latest iteration furthers the misguided policies of the past that will...
How community banks can use cultural-driven engagement and continuous learning to combat the Great Resignation
Talent recruitment and professional development has always been a critical issue for community banks, but today’s job market is different. The impact of the “Great Resignation” has placed the...
ICBAs Reimagined ThinkTECH Accelerator to Support Year-Round Programming
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.
Community Bankers Prepare for Cyber Risks with CISA/ICBA Tabletop Exercises
It comes as no surprise that cybersecurity tops community bankers’ list of risk concerns. In fact, cybersecurity ranks higher than government regulation, the cost and availability of labor, and...
Innovating on Customer Behaviors: The Case for Credit and Debit Rewards Programs
The first half of 2022 has pointed to a return to pre-pandemic behaviors. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that in the first quarter of 2022 credit card balances have risen...
Striking the Right Balance: Innovation in Ag Banking
As the leading providers of agricultural loans, community banks make up 80 percent of all financing to agriculture, and opportunities exist to extend that support.
Is professional development the key to recruiting and retention in today's tight labor market?
The current worker shortage is creating real economic impacts across all industries. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are 3.4 million fewer Americans working today compared to...
Three Take-Aways for Community Banks from the VenCent Summit
The Venture Center, ICBA’s leadership bankers, and our ThinkTECH Accelerator cohorts demonstrated the importance of community bank-fintech collaborations at the VenCent Summit. It was an...
How Federal Regulators Can Avoid Penalizing Community Banks for Economic Measures Taken During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The consequences of uncoordinated regulatory standards at the federal level are creating an artificial problem at the local level, potentially endangering many community banks’ ability to lend to...
How Community Banks Can Leverage Strong Multifactor Authentication to Fend off Hackers
In the first half of 2022, there were 817 data breaches in the U.S., and combined with data leaks, they impacted more than 53 million people. These are alarming numbers, but they could have been...
Three Financial Technology Trends Community Banks Should Consider for 2023
When I attended FinovateFall in September, I was struck by its palpable energy. Not only was it the most attended Finovate to date, it was a collaborative conference, converting what had once felt...
How ICBA’s Investments in Innovation Are Paying Off for Community Banks
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...
Ten ICBA Innovation Milestones for 2022
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...
From the CEO: ICBA and Community Bankers Stand Together in 2022
As we near the waning days of another thrilling and unforgettable year, I remain awed by the endless energy and devotion community bankers dedicate to serving as effective advocates in Washington.
Five New Sessions to Advance Your Digital Transformation - ICBA ThinkTECH Innovation Series: Digital Transformation Demystified
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...
National Campaign Videos Connect with Target Audience
Video assets were one of the most significant production investments ICBA made for the ICBA National Campaign — an effort to elevate community banking in the hearts and minds of America’s...
Digital Dollar Design Specifics Community Bankers Should Know
Digital Dollar Design Specifics Community Bankers Should Know As the globe focuses on the rise of digital assets, the Federal Reserve is cautiously weighing whether to build a central bank digital...
ICBA Launches New Solutions Directory to Better Support Community Bank Innovation Needs
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...
Why Community Banks Should Urge the CFPB to Update TRID Mortgage Disclosures
After several years of community banker engagement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the bureau has released for public comment an ICBA proposal to improve mortgage disclosures...
ThinkTECH Accelerator: Evolving to Address Market Pressures and Community Bank Needs
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...
How Community Banks Can Prepare for the End of Microsoft Internet Explorer
How Community Banks Can Prepare for the End of Microsoft Internet Explorer Microsoft is discontinuing its Internet Explorer browser in less than a year, requiring community banks and vendors to...
LIBOR Transition Heats Up for Community Banks as Deadline Nears
LIBOR Transition Heats Up for Community Banks as Deadline Nears With the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, set to be largely discontinued in a few months, federal regulators are increasingly...
Community Banks Leading with an Innovation Mindset
In a recent interview, the Luray, Va.-based community bank quickly pointed out that innovation is not as much about the technology investment as it is about the cultural one.
Reaching out to Unbanked and Underbanked Hispanic Customers
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, community bankers continue to discuss new ways of reaching out to the Hispanic community in their local areas and offer tips to connect with this diverse...
Key Take-Aways from Federal Reserve Report on Community Bank Innovation
High-tech, high touch. That phrase has been a rallying cry for community banks for years, emphasizing the blending of the relationship banking model with the technology fueling today’s digital era....
Continuing Your Community Bank’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journey
A new educational webinar series hosted by ICBA and Jackson Lewis starts tomorrow. This series will provide greater insights into both the why and how behind diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
4 Ways to Increase the Impact of Your Customer Feedback
4 Ways to Increase the Impact of Your Customer Feedback Testimonials have long been a crux of an effective communications effort in helping to articulate and demonstrate a community bank’s value...
What Decentralized Finance Means for Community Banks
What Decentralized Finance Means for Community Banks As discussed in ICBA’s first Crypto Chronicles blog post, cryptocurrency emerged from Satoshi Nakamoto’s desire to create a “purely peer-to-peer...
Why Community Banks Should Play an Important Intermediary Role with a CBDC
Why Community Banks Should Play an Important Intermediary Role with a CBDC While policy and technology questions continue to be debated around the digital dollar, the vital role that community...
Stablecoin Surge Raises Consumer and Systemic Risks
In the months since our Crypto Chronicles series began, stablecoins have become a hot topic due to an incredible surge in activity—and affiliated risk.
ICBA campaign opposing new bank IRS reporting generates passionate consumer response
ICBA has for months strongly objected to a Washington proposal that would require financial institutions to report information on customer bank accounts to the IRS, which Congress could soon pass...
Community Bank Resources to Help Customers Bounce Back from Natural Disasters
As National Crisis Preparedness Month draws to a close, ICBA continues to reinforce the importance of proper preparedness to combat unforeseen natural disasters and keep local banks and communities...
Where Does the U.S. Stack Up in the Race for a Central Bank Digital Currency?
As more people chase the unregulated crypto market of rising stablecoins, an emerging shadow bank ecosystem threatens community banks’ business models.
ICBA Research Reveals Characteristics of Today’s Community Bank Customers
he actions and activities of customers you have known have evolved, and potential new customers are now seeking different products and services than they would have just two years ago.
Three Proven Factors in Fintech Success with Community Banks
In this latest blog, ICBA senior vice president and chief innovation officer Charles Potts, writes about the key factors that lead fintechs to success in the community banking space.