There was slight movement in this year's FinTech Top 10 — with Lender Processing Services gaining ground on the strength of its mortgage software and Nomura Research Institute making the list for the first time.

IDC Financial Insights relied on a number of sources to gather the data used in the seventh edition of the FinTech 100 and Enterprise 25 surveys.

A massive technology overhaul by American Savings Bank in Honolulu is evidence that the buying spree many core systems vendors went on in recent years to bulk up their product suites is paying off.

Two years ago, Hudson Valley Credit Union had little chance of competing for customers with the national chains. But that was before it began opening for personal service 24 hours a day using ATM kiosks that connect customers to bank representatives using video-conferencing.

SapientNitro calls itself the first ever customer experience company, and in a report written with other industry players, it is pushing "engagement banking," remaking retail to maintain its relevance.

Will the mobile device be looked at from a historical standpoint as another major technological leap that changes history?

The financial challenge for both financial institutions and FinTech vendors is how to drive stakeholder value in this type of environment.