The Georgia company increased its target for annual expense cuts and new revenue to $175 million from $100 million. But executives warned that low interest rates and weaker mortgage volume, along with a need to invest in technology, will delay some of the bottom-line benefits.

The companies are reacting to an ongoing shift in customer preferences to digital channels.

The digital bank for students, which recently merged with a blank-check company, can tap its new source of capital to diversify and pursue more white-label partnerships.

The investments, part of a post-merger effort to wring out more profits, include new commercial and mortgage lending platforms.

Sandy Spring Bancorp also plans to shrink its network as more customers move to digital channels.

The company, poised to complete its purchase of Radius Bank, will enjoy new cross-selling opportunities, gain additional sources of fee income and capital as well as benefit from greater regulatory clarity, CEO Scott Sanborn says.

Todder Moning and Valerie Lancelle, who work in the bank’s innovation group, said they were especially impressed by demos of immersive technology, 5G and ambient computing.

Sigal Zarmi, who took on broader duties this fall, is modernizing the company's technological infrastructure and using reverse mentoring to combat bias in the workplace.

The online lender founded by Renaud Laplanche is now a full-fledged challenger bank that can offer generous checking terms because, it says, it can count on its loans for profits.

Robert Kafafian says he's hearing more MOE chatter now than at any time in his decades-long career as a consultant. He cited smaller banks' need to cut costs, improve tech offerings and compete with bigger lenders.

BBVA’s acquisition of Simple, the first neobank, was closely watched as a possible model for others in the industry. But the shutdown last week of Simple has again stirred a debate about whether upstarts and traditional players can ever fit together.

Revolut Ltd., one of Europe’s largest startups, has asked U.K. regulators for a full banking license to fuel expansion beyond its fintech roots.

Felix Todd, formerly of Regions Financial, says "the excitement is authentic" at the New York community development bank, which has a reputation for being both innovative and purpose-driven.

Silvergate and Avanti are among the banks pioneering the incorporation of smart contracts, cryptocurrencies and other cutting-edge instruments into mainstream financial services.

Several consumer advocacy organizations have urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to deny the online lender's application for a national bank charter, citing concerns about its lending and debt-collection practices.

Many consumers started using digital payments out of necessity once the pandemic struck. They may continue as it recedes because they like the convenience.

Join Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square as he offers his insights into where the Fintech industry is headed next year. Will a Biden administration insist on greater regulation? What will happen in the cryptocurrency markets? What will be the big IPOs in the sector? Will GooglePlex make a big splash? What new technologies or applications should we be expecting?

The pandemic and social unrest made 2020 one of the most challenging years in recent memory, but there is much the industry can learn from the past 12 months.

There’s an alarming gap between how small and large banks view the importance of digital engagement, according to a recent survey by Celent and Arizent.

Moore led development of Bank of America's virtual assistant, Erica, and was American Banker's Digital Banker of the Year in 2017.