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Matt Bucklin is the founder of ExchangiFi, a capital markets platform that enables ETF issuers to raise seed capital through Section 351 tax-deferred exchanges. Previously, he founded Valley Cove Capital, a search fund focused on small business acquisition and growth. He is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Emily Portney is the global head of asset servicing at BNY.

The bank's Kinexys blockchain unit processes a fraction of the institution's overall payment volume. It's betting that an appetite for the technology's promise of speedy processing and liquidity will make that larger.

Just a handful of de novo banks opened in 2025. But there are signs of renewed activity, with eight banks currently actively in formation and more than 10 charter applications on file with the FDIC.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on CNBC that both sides of the central bank's dual mandate show signs of imbalance, with the labor market appearing more vulnerable.

The real value of stablecoins lies in their ability to provide instant and secure transfers of value. But, in a world where every company has a bespoke stablecoin, that promise begins to break down quickly.

Bank investors are typically wary of mergers of equals. Kevin Blair, CEO of the newly combined Synovus and Pinnacle, maintains that this deal is different, but also acknowledges that it's now time to prove it.

Kevin Gaut is Chief Technology Officer at INSTANDA, a cloud-native intelligent policy administration platform that enables carriers and MGAs to build, manage, and distribute products with exceptional agility.

Mike Dargan, former chief operations and technology officer for UBS, stepped down at the end of 2025 and will become the CEO of neobank N26 this spring.