FIS wants to help community banks launch a DTC offering in less than 90 days

Banking as a service, Business of Fintech

The infrastructure layer is still up for grabs as firms compete to establish its architecture

• Fintechs are moving from partners to principals — applying for charters, building proprietary rails, and underwriting from their own data
• The sponsor bank model isn't dead, but it's under pressure as firms like Affirm and SoFi bet that owning the infrastructure beats renting it

Banking, Banking as a service, Member Exclusive

How Thread Bank is turning a century-old charter into a modern distribution engine

• What it takes for a bank to scale in the US today – and still stand out – in a market where innovation is easy to claim but regulatory credibility is far harder to earn.
• Thread Bank offers a useful lens into this reality. It operates through a partnership-led embedded banking model to expand its distribution and reach new clients.

Banking, Banking as a service

Affirm’s move to become a bank signals a reconfiguration for the BaaS industry and beyond

• Affirm and major fintechs are applying for bank charters to eliminate sponsor dependencies and improve economics.
• The shift from fintech-bank partnerships to direct competition calls into question legacy institutions' longtime market dominance.

Banking, Banking as a service

Pathward’s Anthony Sharett on why sponsor banking’s future is about evolution, not revolution

• After 20 years in sponsor banking, Pathward president Anthony Sharett argues that successful bank-fintech partnerships require the right people, multi-threaded opportunities, and true co-creation.
• While over 100 banks now call themselves sponsor banks, Suro believes the next frontier lies in AI, embedded finance, and educating all stakeholders about what's possible.

Banking as a service, Embedded Finance

A closer look at Citi’s strategy for growing its TTS business in the 2025 BaaS landscape

• Citi continues to build infrastructure through API-driven solutions and deeply integrated partnerships — a strategy that has proven to be a reliable growth engine and a core pillar of the bank’s long-term vision.
• We look at how its Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) division is playing a central role in expanding the bank’s footprint in Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).