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Innovation never stops, but regulatory considerations can impede progress if not properly accounted for and managed. That’s why it’s crucial to create dedicated spaces where innovators, regulators, and policymakers can form a brain trust to address technology adoption challenges in the financial industry. To help us better understand what’s needed to ensure compliance, while advancing new ideas and strengthening the financial system.
ICBA’s recent Regulator Day was created with this goal in mind and has become a key event where major regulatory agencies engage directly with our ThinkTECH Accelerator cohort . This hands-on exposure allows regulators to see emerging technologies in action while giving fintechs valuable insight into regulatory expectations.
Regulator Day focuses on four core objectives:
Encouraging Collaboration – Fostering dialogue among regulatory agencies, community banks, and fintechs to build a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities.
Raising Awareness of Innovation – Exploring how emerging technologies fit within the regulatory framework and their transformative impact on financial services.
Facilitating Agency Connections – Providing a forum for regulatory professionals to exchange ideas, build relationships, and enhance coordination.
Driving Meaningful Discussions – Addressing regulatory developments, compliance considerations, and strategies for enabling responsible innovation.
This year’s event featured participation from the Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, and OCC, alongside thought leaders from the American Fintech Council, the Financial Technology Association, and the Center for Financial Ecosystem Standards.
A highlight of the event was the fireside chat moderated by ICBA Senior Executive Vice President Anne Balcer, featuring FDIC Acting Chairman Travis Hill and Conference of State Bank Supervisors President Brandon Milhorn. Discussions covered agency initiatives to promote bank-enabling innovation, the role of standard-setting organizations in compliance benchmarking, and ways to expand regulatory oversight of fintech operations through the Bank Service Company Act.
Additionally, a regulatory panel moderated by Fiserv, a ThinkTECH sponsor and featuring panelists from the Federal Reserve, the OCC and NContracts, also a ThinkTECH sponsor, explored community bank concerns and available resources to strengthen fintech partnerships.
Regulator Day is just one part of ICBA’s broader innovation programming, including CORE Day, where core providers engage in similar discussions aimed at advancing the industry. These initiatives reflect ICBA’s commitment to fostering collaboration that drives meaningful progress in community banking.
Join us at ICBA LIVE and our ThinkTECH Showcase to witness the next wave of fintech innovation tailored for community banks. After seeing the results of collaborative learning between community bank leaders, fintechs, and industry partners, we hope you’ll agree: the future of financial technology isn’t about replacing relationship banking—it’s about enhancing it.