The Latest Trends at FinovateFall 2025 May Not Be the Ones You Think

The Latest Trends at FinovateFall 2025 May Not Be the Ones You Think

We’ll have 60+ demos on stage at this year’s FinovateFall conference, taking place September 8 through 10 at the Marriott Marquis in New York. As always, the lineup blends first-time startups with established players, with all demos running on a single track. That concentrated view makes it easy to spot the patterns shaping bank roadmaps for the next 12 to 18 months.

To get a pulse on what trends lie ahead, we distilled common threads across this year’s demo companies. Below are the big themes to watch.

Agentic AI moves from pilots to production

If 2024 was about AI leveraging LLMs, 2025 is about agents that actually do the work. At FinovateFall 2025, we can expect live demos of AI agents that triage alerts, auto-draft responses, and fetch context across systems, with guardrails for compliance and trust. Look for Lyzr AI’s autonomous agents, WNSTN’s human-in-the-loop agents, Castellum.AI’s agents that clear L1 AML alerts, LemonadeLXP’s InsightAI for training and knowledge at scale, and Clarista’s productivity push.

Identity, authentication, and scam defense sharpen

Identity verification and step-up authentication continue to improve, especially now that they are paired with real-time scam and dispute tooling. Watch for ID-Pal, which combines identity verification and AML; Keyless, which offers passwordless biometrics replacing legacy OTP MFA; and LexisNexis Risk Solutions that will be showcasing IDVerse. AirKey leverages card rails to secure high-value transactions, while Charm Security and Quavo spotlight dynamic risk profiling and faster, more transparent dispute resolution.

Personalization and customer experience now come with measurable ROI

Technology to improve the customer experience is getting more predictive and robust. Vertice AI translates data into next-best-product recommendations, Mall IQ uses location intent for hyper-personalized engagement, WaveCX brings AI-powered support and documentation flows, and CollaborationRoom.ai re-creates the contact center virtually. Expect demos to quantify the increase in acquisition and retention.

Product launch without rip-and-replace

Banks want speed without having to completely take out their core. FintechOS will show how to create products and modernize experiences without swapping their core, ebankIT focuses on omni-channel orchestration, Chimney aligns data and automation to loan growth and digital engagement, and Appli adds AI-driven approvals and payment estimates.

Small business lending, portfolio growth, and risk ops

Small business lending remains a battleground in today’s post-COVID environment. Kaaj AI helps institutions deeply understand small-business needs and grow portfolios; Abacus unlocks the power of enterprise search to offer lenders valuable time savings and loan asset growth; and Conductiv uses data combined with AI to detect fraud, predict charge-offs, and safely increase approvals without lowering standards.

From wellness to wealth: deposits, planning, and advice

The wealthtech industry has accelerated from PFM technologies into engagement engines that grow not only balances, but also trust. Eko helps banks bring digital investing to everyone, BankingON’s Boucoup funnels parents and teens into new accounts, Gentreo meets families where they are with estate planning, and Zeplyn streamlines advisor workflows to help reduce manual tasks and surface growth opportunities.

What’s missing?

Two once-hot categories feel comparatively quieter on the demo stage this year:

  • Standalone AI as a theme
    Companies are no longer touting AI as a feature. This is not because the technology is absent, but because it’s everywhere. It’s baked into identity, customer experience, lending, operations, and training. This year, it is assumed that most solutions out there use AI. Companies now need to differentiate themselves by how outcomes are measured.
  • Consumer BNPL
    While BNPL is still growing, it is no longer cutting edge. These point-of-sale installments aren’t front-and-center like they were a few years ago.

FinovateFall isn’t just demos, but the demos offer a good preview of the storylines you’ll hear on stage: cybersecurity and financial crime, data-driven personalization, agentic AI in production, faster product launch without core swaps, and practical growth plays in deposits and SMB. We’ll see you in New York!


Photo by Alexandr Borecky

FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 2

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%.

LemonadeLXP

LemonadeLXP is an all-in-one learning and knowledge platform built specifically for banks and credit unions.

Features

  • Automates training from existing resources
  • Delivers instant answers to staff
  • Cuts costs by streamlining content creation and knowledge sharing so that teams work smarter, faster

Who’s it for?

Banks and credit unions.

LendAPI

LendAPI is a venture-backed fintech infrastructure empowering banks and fintechs to launch products in minutes.

Features

LendAPI’s all-in-one platform—featuring Product Studio, Rules Studio, Pricing Engine, and Integrated Partners—makes banking and lending innovation seamless.

Who’s it for?

Banks, credit unions, e-commerce companies, and fintechs.

Quavo Fraud & Disputes

Quavo Fraud & Disputes’s QFD® platform delivers real-time fraud decisioning and automation, empowering issuers to stop friendly fraud and resolve disputes within the first 48 hours.

Features

  • Deflects friendly fraud instantly with enriched merchant data
  • Flags abuse and resolves cases with AI trained on 20M+ disputes
  • Provides real-time decisioning using Investigation AI’s 18-point framework

Who’s it for?

Issuing banks, fintechs, processors, and credit unions of all sizes and anyone subject to Regulation E/Z dispute requirements or serving institutions subject to it.

TurmaFinTech

TurmaFinTech is an AI-driven fintech company. TFT’s product RedBee is an AI platform that empowers banks to enhance client engagement, improve retention, prevent defaults, and promote growth.

Features

  • Provides AI-powered insights for smarter client engagement – upsell and cross-sell
  • Offers early risk detection to reduce loan defaults
  • Delivers real-time hyper personalization to boost retention and growth

Who’s it for?

Community banks, regional banks, and credit unions.

WNSTN AI

With Compliant, an AI-driven investment assistant, WNSTN AI delivers a superior user experience through personalized engagement—boosting retention and increasing LTV for investment platforms and brokers.

Features

  • Offers a multi-AI-agent system for personalization at scale
  • Provides a back-office intelligence tool for actionable insights
  • Includes a built-in compliance module aligned with global regulations

Who’s it for?

Online brokerages, trading platforms, wealth managers, advisors, institutional investors, financial information platforms, and publishers.

Fab Five: FinovateFall Scholarship Program Showcases Female-Led Fintechs

Fab Five: FinovateFall Scholarship Program Showcases Female-Led Fintechs

This year at FinovateFall 2025, our Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship program will bring five female-led fintechs to the Finovate stage. Designed to help expand the Finovate demo line-up to feature more voices, more perspectives, and more cutting-edge innovation within fintech, our Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship program helps shine a light on the next generation of fintech founders and startups.

Below are five companies, all female-founded and/or owned, that earned Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarships for this year’s autumn conference in the “Female Owned/Founded” category. Be sure to check them out live on stage next month at FinovateFall in New York, September 8 through 10.


Gentreo

Headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, and founded in 2018, Gentreo meets customers where they are and helps them get to where they want to be to create non-balance sheet recurring revenue. The company offers comprehensive life and estate planning to help families plan for life’s inflection points with accessible, affordable digital life and estate planning solutions. Renee Fry is Founder and CEO. LinkedIn.

Kaaj AI

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Kaaj AI empowers banks and credit unions to deeply understand small business needs, serve them faster, grow their loan portfolio, and manage risk more effectively. The company provides an AI-powered platform to help lenders and brokers close more small business loans. Shivi Sharma is Co-Founder and President. LinkedIn.

Krida

Based in New York and founded in 2024, Krida reduces cycle times, manual tasks, and borrower drop-off, thereby giving banks a faster path to funded loans, higher throughput, and stronger community relationships. Krida automates application data intake, insights, and document generation to enable bankers to focus on building their businesses. Shivangi Khannais is Co-Founder.

MoneyPlanned

Launched in 2021, MoneyPlanned is headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The company empowers institutions to offer intelligent, automated financial planning—boosting advisor efficiency, reducing cost-to-serve, and delivering personalized client experiences at scale. MoneyPlanned’s end-to-end system uses automation, behavioral modeling, and machine learning to provide personalized financial planning in real time. Nikhila Putcha is Co-Founder. LinkedIn.

Warrant

Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, and founded in 2024, Warrant accelerates compliant marketing, reducing review cycles from days to minutes. The company helps financial institutions see 3x gains in marketing revenue opportunities and reduce churn with faster customer communications. Austin Carroll is Founder and CEO. LinkedIn.

FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 1

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%.

CollaborationRoom.ai

CollaborationRoom.ai helps financial service companies enhance customer experience by making remote work seamless for their contact centers.

Features

  • Increases productivity through supervisor and agent engagement
  • Enhances security and compliance through AI
  • Enhances agent education through embedded training and production rooms

Who’s it for?

Banks, credit unions, lenders (general), healthcare systems, insurance companies, BPOs, and collection agencies.

Eko

Eko, an investing solution for FIs, powers digital investing directly inside online banking, enabling banks and credit unions to offer modern investment tools to all clients—starting from $10.

Who’s it for?

Banks and credit unions.

Gentreo

Gentreo offers businesses an award-winning life and estate planning solution, empowering customers with tools for life’s inflection points through secure, affordable, and easy-to-use digital services.

Features

  • Life Pathways: Delivers personalized guidance through key milestones
  • Smart Vault: Offers secure storage, plus connections to trusted providers
  • Action-Oriented: Empowers users to plan, act, and stay protected

Who’s it for?

Credit unions, banks, employers, and financial institutions.

Spiral

Spiral helps financial institutions grow deposits and retention with award-winning digital experiences, making them the primary choice for savings, loans, cards, giving, and more.

Features

  • Increases deposits and retention through personalized savings tools
  • Expands wallet share and card transactions
  • Boosts accounts and loans while deepening relationships

Who’s it for?

Banks and credit unions.

Swaystack

Swaystack helps banks and credit unions drive early engagement with gamified experiences that activate primacy, reduce dormancy, and turn new accounts into lasting relationships.

Features

  • Gamifies onboarding that drives funding and early account usage
  • Delivers omnichannel engagement across email, SMS, widgets, and ads
  • Automates segmentation for smarter targeting and retargeting

Who’s it for?

Banks and credit unions.

Vesuvio Pay

Vesuvio Pay is a patented payment and marketing SaaS platform for text-based commerce. Buy via text.

Features

  • Provides text message payments across platforms
  • Sends convertible carts with every text message marketing campaign
  • Provides RCS, mobile wallet, and merge cart features

Who’s it for?

Small, medium, and large e-commerce businesses and individuals.

Winnow

Winnow is an award-winning regulatory change management platform that allows customers to build customized state and federal compliance surveys.

Features

  • Pay-As-You-Go Surveys: Generate a-la-carte compliance surveys
  • Exports: Save Winnow content to Excel, PDF, or Word
  • Historical Surveys: Build compliance surveys based on past dates

Who’s it for?

Banks, credit unions, fintechs, lenders, and law firms.

Strength in Numbers: FinovateFall’s Power Panelists Talk AI, CX, and the Fight for Deposits

Strength in Numbers: FinovateFall’s Power Panelists Talk AI, CX, and the Fight for Deposits

There’s strength in numbers; at least that’s our theory when it comes to engaging with some of fintech’s thorniest challenges—from harnessing enabling technologies like AI to winning the battle for deposits at a time of economic and interest rate uncertainty.

As such, we’ve enlisted a cadre of fintech and financial services veterans who will team up to tackle these and other critical topics in our industry. FinovateFall’s Power Panels provide not only deep insights into the trends driving fintech today, but also offer a diverse range of experiences to help us understand how those same trends impact real businesses, real communities, and real people.

Here’s a sneak peek at what our FinovateFall Power Panels have in store next month.

FinovateFall comes to New York, September 8 through 10. Get your tickets. Book your room. And we’ll see you there!


Getting beyond the hype—how can financial services providers harness AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI to make money or save money?

Moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs, this Power Panel will explore the true use cases for AI in financial services and investigate where the biggest opportunities are for banks, credit unions, and other financial services providers to leverage this technology to enhance personalization, make processes more efficient, and more.

Featuring Sam Kilmer, Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors; Fred Campbell, General Partner, TRAC.vc; Sathish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Data, and Digital Officer, Ally Financial; Inwha Huh, Head of Innovation, Corporate & Investment Bank, Wells Fargo; and Assaf Baciu, President & Co-Founder, Persado.

Monday, September 8 at 4:35pm


As fraud threats continue to evolve & become a number one issue for the financial services industry, how can all the players collaborate to safeguard their customers’ assets & their company’s reputation? What role can RegTech, GenAI & digital identity play?

Moderated by Robin Weiss, Senior Technology Advisor, RLW Advisory LLC, this Power Panel will look at the ways that technology has empowered fraudsters and will discuss what new tools and technologies are available to help financial institutions protect themselves and their customers and members from financial crime. The panel will also consider the role of digital identity technology and innovations in biometric authentication in the fight against fraud.

Featuring Myrto Koimtzoglou, Chief Operations Officer, Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union; Sadeque Ahmed, Executive Director, Product Management, JP Morgan; and Jas Randhawa, CEO & Managing Partner, StrategyBRIX.

Tuesday, September 9 at 4:40pm – General Session


As embedded finance expands beyond banking, making financial services available everywhere, how can financial institutions capture the opportunity which could generate over $100 billion in revenue?

Moderated by Phil Goldfeder, CEO, American Fintech Council (AFC), this Power Panel will discuss the booming embedded finance market and explore how it is expanding financial services beyond traditional banks. The panelists will talk about the challenge this represents for financial institutions and how they can leverage embedded finance themselves to better compete with rivals in and outside of the traditional financial services industry.

Featuring Rodrigo Suarez, Chief Banking Officer, Piermont Bank; Norah Coelho, Managing Director, Embedded Finance, JP Morgan; and Lauren McCollom, SVP, Head of Embedded Finance, Grasshopper Bank.

Wednesday, September 10 at 9:20am – General Session


The customer experience revolution—how can financial services providers compete in a hyper personalized world & meet customers at their point of need? What are the key lessons to learn from other industry verticals & from big tech companies about building customer trust?

Moderated by Rutger Van Faassen, CEO, Informationbanker, our customer experience Power Panel will examine what the contemporary banking customer wants out of their financial service experience and how AI is providing institutions with tools to bolster engagement, deepen personalization, and build loyalty and trust with their customers and members.

Featuring Shruti Patel, Chief Product Officer, Business Banking, US Bank; Sherry Graziano, Head of Digital and Care Center Banking, Truist Financial Corporation; and Terry O’Neil, Head of Connected Commerce, Retail Services, Citi.

Wednesday, September 10 at 10:15am – General Session


Balancing the balance sheet—with clients keeping their money in various pots, falling interest rates & a booming stock market, how can banks & credit unions win the battle for deposits especially as challenger banks now have deposits firmly in their sights?

Moderated by Penny Crosman, Executive Editor, Technology, American Banker, this panel gets down to the brass tacks of the banking and credit union business with a discussion on the importance of deposits. This conversation will feature insights on how banks and credit unions can do more to attract deposits, and how partnering with fintechs can be part of an effective strategy to grow deposits in the current environment.

Featuring Patricia Montesi, Founder & CEO, Qolo; Josh Williams, CBO & Head of Partnerships, Seattle Bank; Christopher Hollins, Head of Treasury Management, Sales, & Delivery, SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank; and Mary Miklethum, Senior Vice President, US Bank.

Wednesday, September 10 at 2:00pm – General Session


From competition to collaboration—why now more than ever banks need to build strategic partnerships. How can banks measure the ROI & what do they need to know about the lifecycle of partnerships? What new partnership plays tell us about the unbundling & reassembling of financial services?

Moderated by Jason Mikula, Publisher, Fintech Business Weekly, our Power Panel on partnerships offers a new twist on the competition vs collaboration debate in fintech and financial services. The panelists will talk about the build, buy, or partner conundrum; the inherent risks in partnering; and their thoughts on what makes a partnership successful for both the fintech and the financial institution involved.

Featuring Ami Iceman, Chief Research and Digital Experience Officer, MSU Federal Credit Union; and Zakie Twainy, Digital Partnerships & Enterprise Innovation, BNY Mellon.

Wednesday, September 10 at 2:45pm – General Session


Coming to New York for FinovateFall next month, but haven’t decided where to stay? Have we got a deal for you!

Book your room at the New York Marriott Marquis today and take advantage of exclusive rates and rooms available only to FinovateFall attendees. Want an epic Times Square view? How about a corner room with king-sized accommodations? Maybe just a nice standard guest room to retreat to at the end of a long conference day? Rooms are going fast, so visit our FinovateFall hub and guarantee your stay now!

Meet the Headliners at FinovateFall 2025

Meet the Headliners at FinovateFall 2025

As summer winds down, it’s a good time to start looking ahead to FinovateFall. This year’s conference returns to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York, from September 8 through 10 (register early to save!). With the event just over a month away, now is the time to lock in your travel plans and start mapping out your agenda.

Financial services continues to evolve rapidly, and this year’s keynote lineup reflects that urgency. From AI and customer experience to stablecoins and lending, these speakers will offer insights into where the industry is headed and how to stay ahead. Here’s a look at some of the voices you’ll hear on stage.

General session

Beth Haddock, Board Member and Global Policy Lead, Stablecoin Standard

Beth Haddock will take the stage at 4:20 PM on Monday, September 8 to explore how stablecoins are moving from the regulatory fringe to the strategic foundation of modern banking. With the GENIUS Act poised to redefine digital dollar issuance, Haddock will break down the operational, compliance, and competitive pressures facing banks and trust companies. From payments and custody to customer expectations, this session will spotlight what leaders need to know now as stablecoins become embedded in the financial ecosystem.

Jon Lakefish, Founder of the Lakefish Group

On Wednesday, September 10 at 9:45 AM, Jon Lakefish will examine how financial institutions can use AI to build customer trust and loyalty. In a world where technology drives personalization, Lakefish will share how banks can design AI-powered customer experiences that feel authentic and deliver long-term value.

Ben Feller, Partner at the Maslansky Partners

Also on Wednesday at 3:10 PM, Ben Feller, Partner at Maslansky + Partners and former Chief White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, will share his front-row view of presidential leadership and media. Drawing on six years covering Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Feller will offer a candid, behind-the-scenes look at high-stakes decision-making, communication strategy, and the power of narrative in moments that shaped history.

Industry Stage sessions

Yury Pukha, CEO of Intelligent Edge Consulting

At 10:50 AM on Wednesday, September 10, Yury Pukha will lead the AI industry stage with a deep dive into the current landscape of artificial intelligence in financial services. Drawing on insights from large-scale implementations, Pukha will explore what’s working, what’s not, and the critical lessons financial institutions must understand to scale AI successfully.

Stephanie Miracle, FedNow Client Specialist, Federal Reserve Financial Services

Also at 10:50 AM on Wednesday, September 10, on the Payments stage, Stephanie Miracle will tackle the evolution of real-time payments. As RTP and FedNow gain momentum, Miracle will discuss whether faster is always better and will also consider the challenges institutions face when building products on top of these instant payment rails.

Jason Mikula, Publisher, Fintech Business Weekly

On the Lending industry stage at 10:50 AM on Wednesday, September 10, Jason Mikula will share his perspective on the growing opportunity in small business lending. With demand for capital on the rise, Mikula will outline how financial institutions can effectively tap this market and deliver products that resonate with small business owners.

Nick Fok, Managing Partner, Erez Capital

At 12:05 PM on Wednesday, September 10, on the AI stage, Nick Fok will explore the rise of agentic AI and its potential to reshape financial services. As models become more autonomous and capable of making decisions, Fok will discuss what this shift means for innovation, risk, and the future of financial institutions.

Sarah Welch, Managing Director at Curinos

Also at 12:05 PM on Wednesday, September 10, Sarah Welch will join the Customer Experience industry stage to examine the power of brand distinctiveness. In a crowded marketplace, Welch will highlight how bold, differentiated branding is becoming a key driver of customer growth, and what it takes to stand out.

Ryan Miller, Vice President and Senior Counsel at the American Bankers Association

Rounding off the list, Ryan Miller will speak on the Open Banking stage at 12:05 PM on Wednesday, September 10. Miller will explore how open data could reshape the US banking landscape, what regulatory and strategic shifts are on the horizon, and why early movers stand to benefit the most.

These keynote and industry stage sessions offer timely insights from leaders at the forefront of innovation. Whether you’re focused on AI, payments, customer experience, or regulation, FinovateFall’s agenda is packed with ideas to inform your strategy and spark new thinking. Registration is now open! We look forward to seeing you in New York this September.

Breaking News: First Wave of Demos Announced for FinovateFall 2025

Breaking News: First Wave of Demos Announced for FinovateFall 2025

FinovateFall returns returns to New York this September with a best-in-class demo lineup. 

Over 60 companies will have just 7 minutes to show why they’re industry leaders and disruptors. And then you’ll decide who takes home the coveted Best of Show award. Make sure you’re there to see it!

Curated to reflect fintech’s state of play, this year’s demo lineup hits all the high notes for emerging tech. Here’s why to tune in: 

  • First impressions matter: Delight new customers with a personalized onboarding switch kit
  • Plant seeds early: Supercharge teens’ digital banking experience and deposit growth
  • Break the scam spell: Disrupt high-risk situations with AI trained on human vulnerabilities and exploit techniques 
  • Strike (more) gold: Automate 90% of client interactions to manage (and build) even more wealth
  • Mine your data: Transform scattered data into an intelligent ecosystem with more opportunities for growth and automation 
  • Raise your shields: Combat the rising tide of deepfakes and synthetic identities without customer inconvenience
  • Help them nest: Nurture first-time homebuyers from curiosity to closing with a personalized journey

And here’s who you’ll meet:

Are you a fintech or tech company? Demo applications are still open—if you’re working on something new and groundbreaking in fintech, apply now.

Are you a financial institution, venture capitalist, or another leader in the finserv space? Early-bird delegate passes expire THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 13. Register today!