Plaid won the Data Innovation Award at Tearsheet's 2026 AI Innovation Awards.
Suddu Seshadri, Plaid's Head of Data & AI, discusses the firm's move from connectivity to intelligence and its bet on finance-specific AI foundation models.
If AI is changing the economics of how businesses operate, where do we see its payoff?
Block’s Q2’26 results suggest AI’s payoff may start showing up in familiar financial metrics. Whether the usual metrics are enough remains an open question.
For small business owners, banks still have a long way to go: just 7% view their bank as a true strategic partner, according to Grasshopper Bank’s recent survey.
A major problem, says Grasshopper's Danielle Kane, is that many banks still see small-business banking as a product category rather than an operating environment with distinct needs.
For fintechs seeking U.S. bank charters, the OCC is asking: Do the management, capital, risk, and compliance infrastructure hold up? And is the institution ready to operate as a bank, not just alongside one?
The OCC may be widening the path to a charter, but it’s also raising the bar for proving readiness.
