Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Passion For Banking Innovation Fueled By Fintech, Big Tech Disruptors
The Financial Brand | By Jim Marous | October 2018
The Innovation in Retail Banking 2018 report provides a look back over the past decade with a view toward the future of innovation in financial services. While the commitment to innovation has increased, there are still many investment gaps, such as with advanced data analytics.
Over the last decade, banks and credit unions have needed to respond to the impact of the financial crisis, the digitalization of the industry and mobilization of the consumer, an influx of traditional and non-traditional competitors, new regulations, and continued pressures on margins. Despite these challenges — or maybe because of them — we have seen an increase in the commitment to innovation from institutions small and large. Innovation has also driven the fintech sector, with new entrants offering competitive alternatives focused on digital delivery and improved customer experience.
This increased commitment to innovation in response to consumer expectations and increased fear of non-traditional players are two of the primary findings of the 10th annual Innovation in Retail Banking report, sponsored by Efma and Infosys Finacle and published by the Digital Banking Report. The report includes a review of the previous nine years of the publication, providing a snapshot of the marketplace and innovation trends through the years. During this period, there was increasing investment in innovation, a shift from efficiency to experientially focused breakthroughs, evidence of continued strength of Eastern European and developing financial marketplace banks as innovators, and the integration of new technologies.
See: Join us at 4th VanFUNDING 2018: CONVERGE and hear the latest on Innovation in Financial services
The key findings from this global survey of more than 300 financial institutions include:
- While fewer than half the organizations surveyed have a chief innovation officer, the presence of an innovation strategy increased by 6% since least year.
- 50% of organizations state that their primary area of innovation in the next four years is in product delivery channels.
- 74% of institutions increased innovation investment in technology, 73% increased investment in channels, and 69% increased investment for customer experience in the past year.
- The primary ways organizations are driving innovation is by partnering with business partners, large tech firms and start-ups.
- Open Banking APIs (5.68 on a 7-point scale) and advanced analytics (5.66) were the technologies thought to have the greatest impact over the next 12 months.
- In 2018, there was a significant shift to a longer-term perspective of ROI for innovation.
- Bankers surveyed believed big-tech firms, digital commerce platforms and fintech start-ups will be the most innovative competition in 2022.
2018 Innovation Trends
Digital Banking Report research found that the proportion of institutions with a defined innovation strategy rose 6% from 2017 — to 49%. In 2017, the percentage of firms with an innovation strategy was 43%, compared to only 37% in 2009 (when only larger firms were included in the study).
In the past, the vast majority of organizations surveyed were larger financial institutions. In 2017, the scope of the research expanded significantly, including smaller firms that are less likely to have a mature innovation process. When a delineation of respondents was done by asset size, it was found that larger financial organizations are more likely to have a clear innovation strategy than smaller firms.
See: Congressional Hearing on The Future of Money & Crypto: “These Innovations Should be Fostered Not Smothered”
Presence of Innovation Officer. The primary driver of innovation, beyond budget and personnel, is the presence of an “innovation culture” and a focus on making innovation an integral part of the way an organization views itself. However, slightly fewer than 50% of organizations have a dedicated innovation officer within the organization according to the report.
The good news is that the presence of an innovation officer increased significantly over the past year — by six percentage points. In 2017, only 37% of the organizations surveyed had a dedicated person to lead the innovation process. This increase is one of the largest changes in this year’s survey.
When the report dug deeper into the responses, it was found that there was a definite delineation based on the size of organization. As expected, the presence of an executive for the innovation process is correlated with the size of the bank or credit union. It is assumed that as the size of the organization gets smaller, innovation becomes part of a broader role within the organization.
Areas of Innovation Investment. The percentage of firms increasing investment in innovation increased by only 3% this year, it is interesting to note that the number was relatively the same across all geographies and sizes of organizations. Supporting the focus on improving the digital delivery of financial services for the improvement of the customer experience, investment in channel innovation and customer experience were two of the top three areas of increased investment in 2018.
Not surprisingly, the top area of increased investment is in the area of “technology enhancement.” Based on other research done by Digital Banking Report, this focus is most likely to reduce costs, as opposed to improving the customer experience.
See: FCA: Regulating innovation: a global enterprise
Measurement of Innovation Success. In a major shift from previous reports, far fewer organizations are taking a short-term view of innovation returns. In 2017, 31% of firms had a ROI perspective of one year, compared to only 17% this year. That said, while 54% of firms looked for an ROI in 1-3 years in 2017, this number increased to 63% this year.
This extended view of returns from investment in innovation is definitely welcome, since this indicates a separation between innovation and quarterly financial reports. This was considered a significant cultural change in the industry overall.
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Download the Retail Banking Report --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Aug 28, 2026 Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way individual investors interact with financial markets. Tasks that once required hours of reading reports, comparing charts, or building spreadsheets can now be compressed into a few prompts or clicks. Modern AI investing tools can summarize market news, screen thousands of securities, identify unusual price movements, compare financial metrics, analyze sentiment, and even help investors test trading ideas. That convenience is valuable. But it also creates a new problem: when sophisticated analysis appears instantly on a screen, it is easy to confuse speed with reliability. For investors, the real opportunity is therefore not simply finding the most advanced AI. It is learning where AI adds value, where it can fail, and which decisions should always remain subject to independent due diligence. What Are AI Investing Tools? The term covers a surprisingly broad range of financial technologies. Some tools use machine learning to identify patterns in historical market data. Others apply natural language processing to earnings reports, central-bank announcements, news stories, or social-media discussions. Generative AI assistants can explain financial concepts, summarize research, compare investment ideas, or help users create screening criteria. In practice, retail investors are likely to encounter AI across ...
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August 26, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Banking And Credit, Competition And Market Structure Shared infrastructure targets tokenized deposits and payments On August 25, 2026, 39 U.S. state bankers associations formed BankChain Alliance to build a shared blockchain network for financial institutions. The planned infrastructure would support smart payment tools, tokenized deposits, stablecoins and automated settlement, with participating banks able to take an ownership role. Together, the associations represent thousands of financial institutions serving millions of consumers, businesses and communities. BankChain is selecting a technology partner and targeting a 2027 launch. It says the network will interoperate with other networks and that banks across the country will be invited to take ownership. The technology platform, ownership terms for individual banks, operating rules and settlement design haven’t been disclosed, so BankChain remains infrastructure under development rather than a live payment rail. Smaller Banks Could Share the Cost of Tokenized Money Building tokenized payment infrastructure involves more than choosing a blockchain. Banks need core system integration, compliance controls, security, operating rules and connections to other financial networks. Those costs are easier for a large institution to absorb than for a community ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Community Announcement | Fintech And Innovation, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Capital Markets And Funding Elevate 2026 Innovation AI Capital And Company Building Elevate is less than a month away! Checkout the latest Elevate 2026 agenda giving founders, investors and technology operators a closer look at the conversations coming to Toronto from September 22–24. For Canada's fintech community, the mix is worth watching. Elevate's 2026 programming spans fintech, artificial intelligence, capital, commercialization and other technologies competing for investment, customers and talent. NCFA is a Community Partner for this year's festival at Meridian Hall. Fintech Connects With AI And Commercialization Canadian fintech has a direct place in the program. Eva Wong, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Borrowell, is among the announced speakers, bringing experience from one of Canada's established consumer fintech companies to discussions about product, fintech and the development of Canada's digital finance market. The latest agenda announcement also highlights Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder and CEO of ElevenLabs; Adam Collins, Chief Communications Officer at Reddit; and Jessica Chalk, Founder and CEO of myStoria. Those adjacent technology perspectives are relevant to financial innovators. AI is entering customer service, fraud detection, compliance, product development and internal operations, while ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Regulation And Policy, Risk Compliance And Regtech, Payments And Money Movement Nine Registration Violations, $0 Penalties And New PSP Obligations As of August 26, 2026, the Bank of Canada's RPAA enforcement decisions show nine published notices of violation involving payment service providers. Every listed notice cites section 23 of the Retail Payment Activities Act for performing retail payment activities without being registered. Every one also carries a $0 administrative monetary penalty. Operating without registration is classified as a very serious violation. A zero dollar penalty doesn't make the violation informal or erase it. The decisions remain public for five years, and violations are also reflected on provider registry entries. The transition period is over. Payment firms applying after September 8, 2025 must be registered before they begin regulated activity. A firm already operating without having applied is violating the Act. The requirement can also reach foreign providers serving Canadian users, so regulatory status in another country isn't a substitute for Canadian registration. For firms still assessing scope, the Bank of Canada PSP registration guide covers the payment functions, Canadian market activity and operating models that can bring a business under the regime. Nine ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Regulation And Policy, Risk Compliance And Regtech When Creators Can Influence The Market Outcome On August 19, 2026, CRSHMARKET promoted a wider vision for its livestream prediction market, where people can put money on events while a stream is still unfolding. Its campaign showed markets around dates, public interactions and creator content, while the live product currently remains concentrated in video games such as Rocket League and Among Us. The format is built around speed. Users enter dollar amounts on short yes-or-no outcomes and some markets can settle within minutes. When checked on August 26, CRSHMARKET on-chain volume showed about US$7.79 million in cumulative USDC entry volume across current and earlier contracts. DefiLlama says each entry is counted once and treasury seed liquidity is excluded. What happens if the product expands beyond esports into creator-led livestreams where the person on screen can affect what traders are betting on? Creator Markets Need Different Controls Prediction markets already have to manage insider information. Creator-led markets add another problem because someone close to the content may be able to influence the result itself. A market on whether a streamer gets ...
August 25, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Treasury Liquidity And Cash Management, Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Cross Border Payments And FX Open Banking And Real-Time Payments Raise The Stakes On August 25, 2026, Royal Bank of Canada created a RBC Global Transaction Banking business spanning Commercial Banking in Canada and the United States and RBC Capital Markets. Payments, cash and liquidity management, working capital, trade finance and foreign exchange will operate under shared leadership and one strategy. Most of the products already existed. RBC is changing how it organizes, develops and sells them. RBC Edge serves Canadian cash management clients and RBC Clear serves the U.S. market. The bank hasn't said the two platforms will become one system. When a business collects money, makes payments, holds cash, converts currencies and borrows through the same bank, that relationship can produce payment fees, operating deposits and more financing opportunities. RBC is trying to make more of those services work as one relationship across borders. Corporate Deposits Raise The Value Of The Relationship RBC explicitly links transaction banking to deposit growth. By the end of fiscal 2025, RBC Clear U.S. transaction banking had attracted US$23 billion in deposits from more than 180 ...
Aug 28, 2026 Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way individual investors interact with financial markets. Tasks that once required hours of reading reports, comparing charts, or building spreadsheets can now be compressed into a few prompts or clicks. Modern AI investing tools can summarize market news, screen thousands of securities, identify unusual price movements, compare financial metrics, analyze sentiment, and even help investors test trading ideas. That convenience is valuable. But it also creates a new problem: when sophisticated analysis appears instantly on a screen, it is easy to confuse speed with reliability. For investors, the real opportunity is therefore not simply finding the most advanced AI. It is learning where AI adds value, where it can fail, and which decisions should always remain subject to independent due diligence. What Are AI Investing Tools? The term covers a surprisingly broad range of financial technologies. Some tools use machine learning to identify patterns in historical market data. Others apply natural language processing to earnings reports, central-bank announcements, news stories, or social-media discussions. Generative AI assistants can explain financial concepts, summarize research, compare investment ideas, or help users create screening criteria. In practice, retail investors are likely to encounter AI across ...
Aug 22, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Whisperer | Capital Markets Infrastructure And Funding, Cross Border Payments And FX, Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Cybersecurity Fraud And Financial Crime, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Lending Consumer Credit And BNPL, Treasury Liquidity And Cash Management, Sustainable Finance ESG And Financial Inclusion, Digital Banking And BaaS, Wealthtech Investing And Trading, Regulation And Policy, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization This live weekly NCFA intelligence page tracks financial technology developments that significantly affect how fintechs build, sell, raise capital, and operate under scrutiny. Coverage prioritizes Canada and includes global events that directly influence competitive conditions, market access, and execution realities across fintech sectors. This page will be updated throughout the week with market movers in a live format and then each week we'll close the prior week's contents in prep for the upcoming week, and continue on a rolling basis. (Missed prior week's Fintech Whisperer? (December 6-12, 2025, December 13-19, 2025, January 1-9, 2026, January 10-16, 2026, January 17-23, 2026, January 24-30, 2026, January 31-February 6, 2026, February 7-13, 2026, February 14-20, 2026, February 21-27, 2026, February 28-March 6, 2026, March 7-13, 2026, March 14-20, 2026, March 21-27, 2026, March 28-April 3, 2026, April 4-10, 2026, April 11-17, ...
August 28, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Regulation And Policy, Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Wealthtech Investing And Trading, Risk Compliance And Regtech CIRO Dealers Cannot Offer Sports And Entertainment Contracts On August 27, 2026, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) issued new guidance on sports and entertainment event contracts. The CSA says those contracts belong outside securities and derivatives regulation, and CIRO will not approve dealer members to trade them. The decision closes the securities-dealer route without banning every sports prediction market category under every Canadian law. Gaming and other applicable rules can still determine what is permitted elsewhere, but Canadian investment dealers now know sports and entertainment will not join the event contracts they can distribute through CIRO. CIRO currently allows two investment dealers, Wealthsimple Investments Inc. and Interactive Brokers Canada Inc., to facilitate a limited set of contracts tied to economic forecasts, environmental outcomes and financial indicators. Permitted contracts generally need at least 30 days to maturity, clients cannot use leverage, and elections, referendums, political nominations and other political events remain prohibited. Without Sports, Canada Has to Prove Demand Elsewhere In the U.S., sports category helped prediction markets reach a much larger ...
August 28, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing, Digital Identity And Trust, Risk Compliance And Regtech, Cybersecurity And Fraud Five Privacy Changes Could Affect Access, Consent And Fintech Costs On August 26, 2026, Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) called for five changes to Canada’s proposed Consumer-Driven Banking Regulations including what financial data can be shared, what firms must prove before accreditation, when public data can be reused without consent, how security keeps pace with new threats, and how the Bank of Canada and Privacy Commissioner coordinate oversight. The submission arrived on the last day of the government's 60-day consultation, which closed August 26. Finance Canada now has to decide which recommendations make it into the final regulations before Canada's open banking system starts moving from rulemaking into accreditation and implementation. The Commissioner supports consumer-directed data sharing, multi-factor authentication and mandatory breach reporting to the Bank of Canada. The five requested changes go further and could affect compliance costs, product design, consumer trust and which fintechs can afford to participate. 1. OPC Wants Canada to Define Exactly What Data Can Be Shared The proposed regulations cover identity information, account identifiers, fees and terms, ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Regulation And Policy, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Risk Compliance And Regtech, Competition And Market Structure Time limits, age checks and feed controls for teen users On August 26, 2026, U.S. attorneys general announced a settlement with Meta worth up to US$17.1 billion over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to keep children and teens engaged despite risks to their health and well-being. If the court approves the agreement, Meta also has to limit how long minors can use its apps, restrict overnight access and school-hour notifications, strengthen age checks and give families more control over what young users see. Meta isn't required to admit it did anything wrong under the settlement. It does expect to record an approximately US$10 billion legal expense in Q3 2026. Governments aren't only extracting billions from Meta. They're putting enforceable limits on features that help determine how often young people open Facebook and Instagram, how long they stay and what keeps them scrolling. Meta Has to Change How It Competes for Teen Attention Users under 18 will start with a combined two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram. Parents can approve more time, but teens can't simply ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Banking And Credit, Competition And Market Structure Shared infrastructure targets tokenized deposits and payments On August 25, 2026, 39 U.S. state bankers associations formed BankChain Alliance to build a shared blockchain network for financial institutions. The planned infrastructure would support smart payment tools, tokenized deposits, stablecoins and automated settlement, with participating banks able to take an ownership role. Together, the associations represent thousands of financial institutions serving millions of consumers, businesses and communities. BankChain is selecting a technology partner and targeting a 2027 launch. It says the network will interoperate with other networks and that banks across the country will be invited to take ownership. The technology platform, ownership terms for individual banks, operating rules and settlement design haven’t been disclosed, so BankChain remains infrastructure under development rather than a live payment rail. Smaller Banks Could Share the Cost of Tokenized Money Building tokenized payment infrastructure involves more than choosing a blockchain. Banks need core system integration, compliance controls, security, operating rules and connections to other financial networks. Those costs are easier for a large institution to absorb than for a community ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Community Announcement | Fintech And Innovation, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Capital Markets And Funding Elevate 2026 Innovation AI Capital And Company Building Elevate is less than a month away! Checkout the latest Elevate 2026 agenda giving founders, investors and technology operators a closer look at the conversations coming to Toronto from September 22–24. For Canada's fintech community, the mix is worth watching. Elevate's 2026 programming spans fintech, artificial intelligence, capital, commercialization and other technologies competing for investment, customers and talent. NCFA is a Community Partner for this year's festival at Meridian Hall. Fintech Connects With AI And Commercialization Canadian fintech has a direct place in the program. Eva Wong, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Borrowell, is among the announced speakers, bringing experience from one of Canada's established consumer fintech companies to discussions about product, fintech and the development of Canada's digital finance market. The latest agenda announcement also highlights Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder and CEO of ElevenLabs; Adam Collins, Chief Communications Officer at Reddit; and Jessica Chalk, Founder and CEO of myStoria. Those adjacent technology perspectives are relevant to financial innovators. AI is entering customer service, fraud detection, compliance, product development and internal operations, while ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Regulation And Policy, Risk Compliance And Regtech, Payments And Money Movement Nine Registration Violations, $0 Penalties And New PSP Obligations As of August 26, 2026, the Bank of Canada's RPAA enforcement decisions show nine published notices of violation involving payment service providers. Every listed notice cites section 23 of the Retail Payment Activities Act for performing retail payment activities without being registered. Every one also carries a $0 administrative monetary penalty. Operating without registration is classified as a very serious violation. A zero dollar penalty doesn't make the violation informal or erase it. The decisions remain public for five years, and violations are also reflected on provider registry entries. The transition period is over. Payment firms applying after September 8, 2025 must be registered before they begin regulated activity. A firm already operating without having applied is violating the Act. The requirement can also reach foreign providers serving Canadian users, so regulatory status in another country isn't a substitute for Canadian registration. For firms still assessing scope, the Bank of Canada PSP registration guide covers the payment functions, Canadian market activity and operating models that can bring a business under the regime. Nine ...
August 26, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Regulation And Policy, Risk Compliance And Regtech When Creators Can Influence The Market Outcome On August 19, 2026, CRSHMARKET promoted a wider vision for its livestream prediction market, where people can put money on events while a stream is still unfolding. Its campaign showed markets around dates, public interactions and creator content, while the live product currently remains concentrated in video games such as Rocket League and Among Us. The format is built around speed. Users enter dollar amounts on short yes-or-no outcomes and some markets can settle within minutes. When checked on August 26, CRSHMARKET on-chain volume showed about US$7.79 million in cumulative USDC entry volume across current and earlier contracts. DefiLlama says each entry is counted once and treasury seed liquidity is excluded. What happens if the product expands beyond esports into creator-led livestreams where the person on screen can affect what traders are betting on? Creator Markets Need Different Controls Prediction markets already have to manage insider information. Creator-led markets add another problem because someone close to the content may be able to influence the result itself. A market on whether a streamer gets ...
August 25, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Treasury Liquidity And Cash Management, Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Cross Border Payments And FX Open Banking And Real-Time Payments Raise The Stakes On August 25, 2026, Royal Bank of Canada created a RBC Global Transaction Banking business spanning Commercial Banking in Canada and the United States and RBC Capital Markets. Payments, cash and liquidity management, working capital, trade finance and foreign exchange will operate under shared leadership and one strategy. Most of the products already existed. RBC is changing how it organizes, develops and sells them. RBC Edge serves Canadian cash management clients and RBC Clear serves the U.S. market. The bank hasn't said the two platforms will become one system. When a business collects money, makes payments, holds cash, converts currencies and borrows through the same bank, that relationship can produce payment fees, operating deposits and more financing opportunities. RBC is trying to make more of those services work as one relationship across borders. Corporate Deposits Raise The Value Of The Relationship RBC explicitly links transaction banking to deposit growth. By the end of fiscal 2025, RBC Clear U.S. transaction banking had attracted US$23 billion in deposits from more than 180 ...
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