Cohort focused on deposit gathering/retention and real-time payments
Washington, D.C. (April 18, 2023) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced the selection of six companies for the fifth ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, which kicks off April 24, 2023, in Atlanta. The selected companies provide community bank-focused offerings primed to support deposit gathering and retention and real-time payments needs. This is the first of two planned accelerators for 2023 as part of ICBA’s previously announced shift to year-round programing and increased investment in ThinkTECH initiatives to support continuous development and advancement of community bank innovation.
“Innovation is about reimagining what is possible today to create a bigger and better future,” ICBA Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Charles E. Potts said. “At ICBA we are bringing visionaries and industry leaders together to redefine banking as we know it for an improved experience that strengthens the all-important customer relationship. We are proud to introduce this year’s candidates—vetted by our ThinkTECH Selection Committee—and are excited to get to ensure these market-tested solutions are optimized and primed for maximum impact.”
ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program deposit-centric solutions:
CNote – helps institutions invest capital into underserved communities at scale.
Micronotes – a cloud-based marketing automation solution allowing banks to execute on loan, deposit, and retention opportunities using data.
Spiral – an Impact-as-a-Service platform to help banks improve customer engagement and retention through social conscious spending.
ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program instant/real-time payments centric solutions:
Finli – a digital back-office solution for invoicing, payment collection, CRM and communications to help banks support small businesses.
Neural Payments – a payment engine that moves money over traditional debit rails, peer-to-peer payments, and real-time payment systems.
Pidgin – a platform supporting faster payments via an administration portal, user-centric front-end applications, and developer-friendly application programming interfaces.
Since its inception in 2018, the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator has connected the most innovative fintech companies with more than 1,000 community bankers and industry leaders — designing workable solutions that solve for today’s modern banking needs. Participants receive mentorship from a distinguished network of industry stakeholders through an immersive 10-week bootcamp and present their refined offerings to community bank executives during a demo day in Atlanta—host city for the ThinkTECH Accelerator.
“In today’s evolving banking landscape, it’s imperative that community banks not only respond to market demands, but anticipate the needs of our customers,” said ICBA Chairman Derek Williams, president and CEO of Century Bank & Trust in Milledgeville, Ga. “That’s why the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator is so important. In helping to source and cultivate promising fintechs through this interactive experience, ICBA is creating a forum for meaningful collaboration where we can shape the future of community banking together."
For more information about the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator, visit www.icba.org/accelerator.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America creates and promotes an environment where community banks flourish. ICBA is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education, and high-quality products and services.
With nearly 50,000 locations nationwide, community banks employ more than 700,000 Americans and are the only physical banking presence in one in three U.S. counties. Holding $5.8 trillion in assets, $4.8 trillion in deposits, and $3.8 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community, community banks channel local deposits into the Main Streets and neighborhoods they serve, spurring job creation, fostering innovation and fueling their customers’ dreams in communities throughout America. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.
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