Bank of Prairie Village in Kansas went through a core conversion last year. Its chairman hopes that his sons, who are set to take over the bank eventually, won't be afraid to embrace new technology since they've experienced the scariest of all bank IT projects.

Banks' in-house venture funds tend to favor mature fintech companies, but BBVA's establishment of an outside fund should help the bank get in on the ground floor with early-stage companies.

Inspired by marketplace lenders, Live Oak Bancshares created a largely digital product that can make a credit decision on a small-business loan within 48 hours. The product, which combines human decision-making and automated credit scoring, could go national as early as next year.

The Madrid-based bank announced Thursday that it will invest $250 million in Propel Venture Partners.

Frandsen Financial took the industry's plan to allow faster payments as a call to action. It invested in automation software, which allowed employees previously bogged down with manual tasks to focus on more meaningful duties.

Banks are coming up short in trying to keep pace with other more advanced app providers, but emulating these five steps taken by nonbanks can help drive mobile engagement.

Several big banks have promised their customers cardless ATMs this year, but customers of the $1.2 billion-asset Avidia have been able to get cash without taking out their cards since last summer.

Orrstown Bank launched several innovative Web initiatives in 2015, including a SMS two-way texting platform and a Zillow-like feature that displays housing listings on its Web presence.

Financial institutions that are considering technology to power digital and mobile payments have an unconventional choice—the underlying blockchain structure that enables bitcoin to hasten execution and cut costs.

Eastern Bank turned to YouTube videos as a way to connect with customers it picked up in a recent acquisition in New Hampshire. It even got a little help from Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.