The Next Crypto Battleground Isn’t Silicon Valley, It’s Capitol Hill
By Hyunsu Jung For most of the past decade, the future of digital assets was framed as a technology race. New blockchains promised faster settlement. Crypto exchanges competed on liquidity. Startups raised millions selling the narrative that their protocol would ultimately power the financial infrastructure of the internet. The assumption was that innovation would determine…
Closing the Data Readiness Gap: Building the Foundation for Effective AI
By Ajay John Artificial intelligence is quickly transforming financial services. For community banks, this shift brings both opportunity and challenge. It can strengthen fraud prevention, improve efficiency, and deliver deeper customer insight. At the same time, it is accelerating AI-driven fraud and social engineering threats. Adopting AI isn’t just about adding new tools. To truly…
Capital Markets Are Scaling Faster Than the Systems That Support Them
By Trevor Vick There is a fundamental contradiction at the heart of today’s capital markets. Trillions of dollars are flowing into AI infrastructure, data centers, and public works at a pace that would have seemed extraordinary just a few years ago. Transaction volumes are breaking records. Securitization structures are growing more complex and more creative….
Bankers’ Top Five Strategic Priorities for 2026
By Tara Schultz As banking leaders navigate through 2026, they are focused on five key strategic priorities, including customer support, market expansion, operational efficiency and more. These efforts are all aimed at staying competitive and meeting rising customer expectations. CSI’s 2026 Banking Priorities survey highlights how institutions are putting these priorities into action, by investing in modern…
Suspicious Activity Report Filings Hit Record in 2025
By Mark W. Dever Last year saw a record number of SAR filings. According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), banks and savings associations alone filed more than 2.193 million SARs in 2025, an increase of 7.66% over SAR filings in 2024. Seven groups in total file SARs, and during 2025, all seven groups…
2026’s Industry Outlook: Community Bankers’ Top Challenges, Investments and Opportunities
By Jason Young Rising competition and consumer expectations mean community financial institutions must operate more efficiently while delivering modern, personalized services. Meanwhile, advances in AI, open banking, cybersecurity and regulatory change are reshaping the industry and creating new opportunities for those who adapt. CSI recently surveyed banking leaders nationwide about how they are preparing for…
What Capping Credit Card Interest Rates Would Mean for Small Businesses
By Brian Aagaard When policymakers talk about capping credit card interest rates, it’s almost always about the average American. That makes sense. High interest rates are painful for households. But there is a group that rarely gets mentioned in these conversations and would feel the effects just as quickly: small business owners. For many small…
How Commercial Business Account Opening Drives Deposit Growth
By Nancy Schneier Modernizing commercial account opening can drive deposit growth by accelerating onboarding, improving client experience, and deepening relationships through integrated services. When banks talk about deposit growth, the conversation often centers around consumer banking, rate strategy, and marketing spend. But in today’s competitive environment, unlocking meaningful and sustained deposit growth requires looking beyond…
Smart Strategies for Leaving Assets to Your Grandchildren
By David R. de Reyna, Esq. and Jeffrey S. Sternberg, Esq. Many grandparents want to help their grandchildren financially, whether during their lifetime or through estate planning. While many people know about the $19,000 annual gift tax exclusion and the ability to pay tuition or medical expenses directly without tax consequences, there are several other…
Why Community Banks Should Write the Rules on Innovation, Not Follow Them
By Tara Schultz Community banks have more innovation paths available to them than ever before. The challenge isn’t just finding options—it’s making strategic choices that actually serve their markets. There’s no one-size-fits-all innovation strategy for community banks, yet too often the industry conversation pushes toward universal ideologies: Build everything in-house, overhaul entire foundational systems or…