Travillian Next

As with the Alamo, the opposition is coming from all angles these days for community banks: fintech’s, Mega Banks, Wall Street, Walmart, Big Tech, etc.…Innovation, BaaS, Fintech Partnerships & Technology will help community banks compete in a rapidly changing industry where mega banks have the advantage of investing billions into new products and tech.

Matthew Smith is a community banker at heart, having spent his entire career working in various high-level roles at community banks including Happy State Bank and First United Bank. Matthew is also a big fan of digital transformation, BaaS, Data Analytics, Embedded Finance,  and advanced technology, so when the opportunity came along for his “dream job” of working with Initiatives for Independent Banks Association of Texas (IBAT) to assist community banks evolve in the digital era, he jumped at the chance.

Through partnerships with FedFis, Bankers helping Bankers, and other channels, Matthew is helping educate and advise community banks not only in Texas but across the nation. Keith Daly, Director – Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian sits down with Matthew to discuss his dedication to community banks and what’s next for IBAT as we quickly head towards 2023.

Risk and Compliance has always been a critical function for community banks, especially so today when tech-forward banks are involved in complicated BaaS and embedded finance partnerships with fintechs and other vendors. An integral part of this foundation is recruiting and retaining top talent for the team.

Keith Daly, Director – Banking & Fintech at Travillian is joined by Coastal Financial Corporation’s President, Curt Queyrouze and Chief Risk Officer, Andrew Stines. As a leader & pioneer in BaaS with over 30 fintech partnerships, Coastal is at the forefront of innovation and technology advancements. With this success comes more scrutiny from the regulators, so it is essential to have top talent in the risk, audit, and compliance departments. Curt and Andrew discuss the critical attributes and skill sets for members of the team to succeed in a fast-changing industry.

Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, and Jeff Cardone, Partner at Luse Gorman, chat primarily about how community banks should be thinking about their succession planning.  Still an extraordinarily hot button issue, Cardone explains how the lack of succession is a key driver of M&A.

Topics discussed:

Tune into our latest video where The Fintech Cowboys, Dave Mayo and Tanner Mayo, are lassoed into a compelling discussion with Travillian’s Keith Daly and Brian Love.  They discussed:

On Thursday, July 7th, Travillian had the opportunity to speak with a trio of bank executives, each at different stages of their tech-forward journey. In a nod to their innovation accomplishments, Communities First Financial Corporation and Central Payments are also members of the Travillian NEXT Tech Forward Bank Index. And spoiler alert, it’s very likely First Fed will also join this select group in the near future.

Hosts Brian Love, Travillian’s Head of Banking & Fintech, and Joe Fenech, Chief Investment Officer at GenOpp Capital Management, led a stimulating discussion with First Fed President and CEO Matt Deines, Communities First Financial Corporation President and CEO Steven Miller, and Central Payments President and Founder Trent Sorbe on the evolution of becoming a tech-forward bank and what it means for the bottom line.

John Allison, Chairman and CEO of Home Bancshares, is one of the great value creators in the bank sector over the past 3+ decades. Through the lens of his experience, Mr. Allison speaks to the issues confronting the banking sector today and discusses with our moderators the key attributes that have driven the success of Home Bancshares, one of the nation’s top-performing and highest valued publicly traded banks. See below for an index, outlining the topics discussed by our moderators, Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, and Joe Fenech, Chief Investment Officer at GenOpp Capital Management, and our guest, Mr. John Allison.

Start to 3:15: Introduction

3:15 – 9:00: The Makings of a Successful M&A Transaction

9:00 – 13:17: Growing Geographic Markets Through M&A

13:17 – 16:33: The Merits of Private vs. Public M&A Transactions

16:33 – 20:04: The Makings of a Successful M&A Transaction

20:04 – 25:00: Is The Current Macro Backdrop An Opportunity Or A Time To Be Cautious?

25:00 – 28:55: The Changing Banking Landscape

28:55 – 33:04: The Importance of Culture

33:04 – 35:36: M&A Transactions In Challenging Market Environments

35:36 – 40:17: Are Credit Fears For Banks Overblown?

40:17 – 43:17: What Are The Opportunities From Here?

43:17 – 47:16: Building In A Strong Market

47:16 – End: Who Do You Admire?

Horicon Bank, a 125-year-old bank based in Wisconsin, made a unique decision to acquire a fintech, Monotto, thereby acquiring its’ founder, Christian Ruppe, to become the bank’s innovation lightning rod. Travillian's Head of Banking & Fintech, spoke with Christian, now the VP of Digital Banking at Horicon Bank, to discuss the importance of fostering innovation and diversity within organizations and laying the foundation for success as a young entrepreneur.

Fintech has only scratched the surface in terms of its capabilities, so it’s not surprising that the number of startups dedicated to this burgeoning space is growing. Travillian's Keith Daly, Director – Banking & Fintech Search, spent some time with Cameron Peake, Partner at Financial Venture Studio, to discuss how she is helping entrepreneurs to navigate the fintech startup terrain.

As the co-founder of digital banking app Azlo before making the leap to VC, Peake is uniquely suited for the task. She possesses an uncanny ability to approach a fintech startup from both sides of the industry fence.

Fintech is a tricky beast, and if entrepreneurs are not careful, they can spend their time worrying about vendor stats and regulations instead of focusing on building. This is where Financial Venture Studio comes in, starting with a $250K check and lending their operational expertise to help their portfolio companies launch and grow more quickly.

If it ever did, fintech no longer fits into a box. Crypto and Web3 are hot to trot, comprising 10% of the pitches Financial Venture Studio was intentional about in Q1. And with the emergence of new verticals getting into fintech, no vertical, including education, is off-limits. Keith and Cameron discuss the three most requested roles in fintech (here’s a hint: blockchain) as well as the role that community banks play in putting the “financial” in fintech. You do not want to miss this one!

Scott Hildenbrand, Managing Director and Chief Balance Sheet Strategist at Piper Sandler, discusses the economic moment and what it means for community banks and their balance sheets. Scott gives his thoughts on better-run ALCO meetings, how to think through a high loan-to-deposit ratio, and the transformation of the CFO position over time.

Banking-as-a-Service has exploded over the past few years and will continue to grow at a rapid pace going forward. In honor of International Women's Day, Keith Daly, Director of Banking and Fintech Search at Travillian, sat down with Kate Drew, Director of Research for CCG Catalyst and one of the Top 100 Women in Fintech in 2021, for a dynamic chat on the current trends and future needs for community banks as they embark on their BaaS journey.

From talent to technology, community banks offering BaaS services will benefit greatly from investing in the future. Currently, there are less than 70 banks providing the infrastructure and platform for fintech’s to provide their services to customers. However, with the demand only increasing for BaaS partners, projections see close to 300 banks entering the arena by 2026 with potential revenue close to $25B. Enjoy the chat!