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New Federal Reserve Papers on CBDC: Key Takeaways for Community Banks
The Federal Reserve Board recently released its long-anticipated report on how the U.S. might advance towards an “age of digital transformation” with a future central bank digital currency (CBDC).
ThinkTECH Accelerator Showcase: Taking Innovation to the Profitable Next Level
“There is only one threat, and it’s inaction,” said The Venture Center’s Wayne Miller in his opening remarks at the ThinkTECH Accelerator Showcase. That set the tone for the session, where each...
Stablecoin Expansion Raises Policy Questions in Washington and on Main Street
The volume of stablecoins in circulation has grown rapidly in recent months, drawing increased attention from policymakers and the media. Here’s a breakdown of where this increasingly significant...
As Washington targets overdraft, community banks remain customer-focused
Officials in Washington have in recent months increased their focus on overdraft programs and policies. With community banks already subject to strict overdraft regulations, ICBA and community...
The Year of Hiking Cautiously: What a New Cycle of Interest Rate Hikes Mean for Community Banks
The Federal Reserve recently took a major step toward curbing inflation by raising the effective federal funds rate by 25 basis points. Here’s a look at what this means for community banks and...
Three Post-Pandemic Payments Trends and What They Mean for Community Banks
The pandemic has clearly had a lasting impact on customers’ payment behaviors, marked by an unprecedented rise in ecommerce transactions. Amidst this sea of change, community banks are asking,...
As Payments Grows in Importance, ICBA Actively Engages Key Policymakers
The importance of experienced advocacy of community banks’ payments needs has never been greater, which is why the ICBA Payments and Technology Policy team has imbedded resources into...
How to Avoid the Repercussions of “Friendly Fraud”
Friendly fraud is on the rise, now accounting for up to 75% of all chargebacks. From kids using their parents’ cards to purchase items to flat-out falsification, friendly fraud occurs when a...
A Decade in the Making, FedNow Pushes Faster Payments Forward
The FedNow Service’s launch is a milestone in the Fed’s payments improvement journey, but it does not mark the end of the path. In the near term, ICBA urges community banks to focus on faster...
FedNow is Live. Now What?
FedNow launched on July 20—with eager anticipation from the payments industry. But in the past month, we’ve not heard much about transaction volume, use cases, or user experiences.
Crypto Collapses and Security Concerns Renew Debate Over Digital Assets Policy
Remaining aware of developments in the digital assets industry is critical as crypto entities seek greater access to the traditional financial system and policymakers in Congress deliberate paths...
Community Banking Month: Celebrating Servant Leadership
Paying it forward — or repaying a kindness received with a good deed to someone else — is more than a concept, it’s put into practice every day at the nation’s community banks.
Unpacking the Path to Today’s Instant Payments
When it comes to digital payments, we’ve come a long way. Global mobile payment transactions are valued at over $2 trillion, and more than three-quarters of consumers cite their preference for...
Community Banks Flock to ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator as Program Reaches Peak Capacity
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...
How community banks can combat the rise of check fraud
In recent years, community banks across the nation have seen a drastic rise in check fraud. To compound the issue, many community banks are faced with challenges getting funds reimbursed from the...
What You Need to Know about the Reg II Update
July 1 is the compliance date for the clarification to Regulation II, which the Board of the Federal Reserve System approved in October. While this requirement has applied to card-present...
Support for FDIC Special Assessment Exemplifies ICBA’s One Mission: Community Banks
We urged the FDIC to finalize the rule as proposed and applauded the agency for using an assessment base that will result in no special assessments for any community bank with less than $5 billion...
ICBA Community Launches with Nearly 1,000 Members in First Week
It’s been an exciting week at ICBA. After months of behind-the-scenes work to fulfill our vision of building an online national professional network exclusively for community bankers, our ICBA...
After 15 Years, the Federal Government Should End its Conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
A lot has changed in the 15 years that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been in federal conservatorship, including a restoration of the health of the mortgage market and the financial strength of...
ICBA ThinkTECH Solutions Forum: A Pitch and Probe Approach to FedNow Solutions
Innovation, like time, is constantly moving forward, which is why even before we wrapped up our 2023 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, plans were well underway for the first of three ICBA...
The Fintech Assist: What Community Banks Can Expect Next in Fintech Payments
Sixty percent of all fintech startups are intersecting with the payments space in some manner. Increasingly, they’re partnering with banks or targeting their offerings directly to support community...
Sheltered Harbor Continues Expansion to Protect Against Rise of Malware
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.
Domestic Regulatory Environment for Digital Assets Continues to Evolve
The significant upheaval in the crypto markets has accelerated Washington’s attention to digital assets policy.
The Howey Test, Crypto, and Community Banks: How the Debate between the SEC and CFTC Impacts Community Banks
What is the true nature of cryptoassets? Are they securities or commodities? This question, perhaps more than any other, has propelled policy debates over the past few years.
ICBA’s Rebrand: Writing the Next Chapter for Community Banking
Our mission is central to everything we do, and the pride that comes from that every day is nothing short of inspiring. Much like the community banks we serve, ICBA is continuously evolving,...
Beyond Cards: ICBA Payments Launches to Help Community Banks Meet Their “Why”
As payments has evolved, so has ICBA Bancard, and with that came the opportunity to rebrand who we are in light of our why. I’m proud to introduce ICBA Payments.
ICBA: Accelerating Community Bank Innovation
This time of year, we take stock of our accomplishments and look ahead to the possibilities and opportunities awaiting us in the coming year. Certainly, when it comes to blazing ICBA’s innovation...
Six Payment Trends Shaping Community Bank Priorities in 2024
To ease the regulatory and economic forces pressuring margins and embrace new payments opportunities, community banks should focus on six key trends this year to drive their payments plans and...
Artificial Intelligence: Hype vs. Reality and What it Means for Community Banks
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.
Regulatory Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence and What They Mean for Community Banks
Federal banking regulators so far have approached regulating the use of artificial intelligence through the lens of existing regulation. But based on various regulatory announcements, there are...
Why Shifts in Payments Behavior Are Driving Community Bank Innovation
We have been experiencing an acceleration in innovation since the start of the pandemic. MuleSoft reported that in 2022, 72 percent of customer interactions occurred over digital channels proof...
Unlocking Potential: Community Banker University is now ICBA Education
As ICBA and our industry continues to differentiate and evolve, we are excited to announce the next stage of our journey as we rebrand from Community Banker University to ICBA Education.
ICBA’s Community Bank Mission Critical to 2023 Successes
At a time when consequential failures at large, risky banks led to major media outlets erroneously directing blame to Main Street community banks, ICBA was there defending and promoting the...
Community Banks are Fighting Check Fraud on the Front Lines
Banks and their customers continue to be challenged by a rise in fraud and scams across payment types. Most significantly, check fraud has emerged over the past several years as a leading concern.
‘Pig butchering’ crypto scams a growing concern
A new form of 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...
‘Pig butchering’ links to crypto demand policy response
“Pig butchering” scams — in which victims invest in supposedly legitimate virtual currency enterprises before being conned out of their money — depend on cryptocurrencies to function. But the...
Entering the New Era of ICBA Payments
As an entrepreneur at heart, I truly like to build businesses. When I look at ICBA Payments, I see a fantastic opportunity to take a solid 40-year history and write our own story of innovation and...
Introducing the ICBA Marketing Resource Center: Powering Your Community Bank’s Marketing Potential
In today’s competitive landscape, it’s more important than ever for community banks to share their stories. Through conversations with members like you, we’ve seen firsthand how your stories carry...
Community Banks Elevate Industry in 2024 with Major Opportunities Ahead
ICBA and community bankers focused much of our attention in 2023 on differentiating our industry in the wake of failures at larger institutions, while 2024 was all about elevating our positions on...
Latest Banking Agency Review Demands Meaningful Impact on Expanding Regulatory Burdens
The propensity of federal banking regulators to enact new regulatory burdens on community banks in response to the risky behavior of the largest institutions—a decades-long problem for local...
Preparing Your Debit Card Program for What’s Next
The regulatory landscape hurls new challenges, and community banks pivot, adjust, and act to ensure that, no matter the outcome, the best interests of their communities and customers remain the top...
Amplify Your Bank's Rhythm at ICBA LIVE
Leading a community bank means balancing countless responsibilities, managing your team, serving your customers, and keeping pace with the tempo of innovation in an ever-changing financial landscape.
Relationship Building: Insights from the ICBA Preferred Service Provider Engagement Forum
Ninety-two percent of ICBA member banks rely on at least one ICBA Preferred Service Provider (PSP), and 52% of ICBA members say they would not be able to provide some services without ICBA,...
A fresh perspective: FOMC’s 2025 roster has some new voters
While we in the financial services sector start thinking about monetary policy in the coming year, there’s a new wrinkle to consider. Many Fed-watchers, rate prognosticators, economists and...
As New Administration Comes to Washington, Ending the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Conservatorship Is Urgent
With a new Congress and administration descending on Washington, now is the time for policymakers to act decisively to free the government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs, from government control to...
With Historic Opportunity, ICBA Pushing for Meaningful Policy Change
With a new Congress and administration arriving in Washington, ICBA and the nation’s community banks face a momentous opportunity to make significant changes to a regulatory system that is flat-out...
Concepts and facts - ChatGPT gets it mostly right on yield curve shapes
The Treasury yield curve is a critical financial indicator that depicts the relationship between interest rates and the maturity dates of U.S. government debt. Typically, the yield curve slopes...
Navigating Employee Retention: Staying Competitive in a Changing Market
In today’s challenging labor market, competitive compensation and benefits packages are crucial to securing and retaining top performers.
“Baby Stepping” Got Coastal Community Bank to BaaS - A Conversation with Eric Sprink, CEO
Host Charles Potts, CIO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, sits down with Eric Sprink to discuss his storied career and passion for community banking. This episode is brought to you...
Community Banking and Cryptocurrency – A Conversation with Quontic Bank’s Steve Schnall and ICBA’s Brian Laverdure
Host Charles Potts, Chief Innovation Officer of the Independent Community Bankers of America, talks with Steve Schnall, CEO of Quontic Bank about how the bank launched a cryptocurrency rewards...
Taking Bold and Brave Action for Community Banks – with Rebeca Romero Rainey, President and CEO of ICBA
Rebeca Romero Rainey, President and CEO of ICBA, talks with host Charles Potts, Chief Innovation Officer, about how and why ICBA made the decision to stand alone in public opposition to the...
Look Back, Look Ahead: ICBA’s Innovation Journey
This year we’ve redoubled our commitment to innovation—with the opening of our Center for Innovation, the rollout of two ThinkTECH Accelerators, and a host of specialized forums and showcases— to...
Standing Up for Community Banking: A Call for Fairness in Credit Union Policies
As the number of acquisitions of community banks by credit unions skyrocketed at a shocking rate in 2024, ICBA has rightfully sounded the alarm to legislators and regulators.
Yield enhancer, or gimmick? Callable securities present risk and reward.
Most representatives of the broker-dealer industry have been suggesting to their customers, especially community banks, that their collection of bonds could be situated to perform pretty well in 2025.
Countdown to ISO 20022: Key Steps for Community Banks to Ensure a Smooth Fedwire Transition
With the Federal Reserve scheduled to convert the Fedwire Funds Service to the ISO 20022 message format on March 10, community banks have a few remaining weeks to ensure they are ready.
ICBA’s Regulator Day: Fostering Community Bank Innovation Through Industry Collaboration
Innovation never stops, but regulatory considerations can impede progress if not properly managed. That’s why it’s crucial to create dedicated spaces where innovators, regulators, and policymakers...
Vigilante justice?
While it will possibly take months and even the rest of the year to see the full shakeout, April 2025 was a laboratory for market efficiency. Some might contend there was an element of ruthlessness...
Community Banks and the Power of Leveraging X (Formerly Twitter)
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing and customer engagement, community banks often find themselves facing unique challenges. Traditional marketing methods are no longer as...
Building Bridges: How Community Bankers Can Leverage Instagram for Growth
Instagram, primarily known for its visual appeal, can be a powerful tool for community bankers to engage with existing customers, attract new clients, and showcase the human side of banking.
Building Stronger Community Connections: Leveraging LinkedIn for Community Bankers
LinkedIn, with its professional focus, offers a unique opportunity for community bankers to engage with their community on a personal and professional level. Here are a few tips to help you take...