The news: Bank of America (BofA) retained the top spot in Keynova Group's 2026 Small Business Digital Banker Scorecard as banks accelerate investments in payments, invoicing, and cash-flow tools for small businesses.

Zooming in: Keynova evaluated banks on more than 400 criteria spanning functionality, usability, security, and customer support. That breadth suggests BofA has maintained a consistently strong digital experience even as competitors introduce standout features like U.S. Bank’s treasury-style payments and Chase’s expansion into integrated invoicing.

Why it matters: The scorecard shows that banks are competing to become digital operating systems for small businesses rather than simply places to manage accounts. As a result, customers will increasingly expect payments, receivables, invoicing, and cash-flow reporting as core banking features.

Bundling these functions into a single experience gives banks another avenue to strengthen customer retention beyond pricing or interest rates, as businesses that run daily financial operations through one platform may be less inclined to move accounts.

What’s more, recent research from PYMNTS and Mastercard found that over 40% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are willing to pay for payment tools that improve speed, flexibility and security, while nearly half want to reduce their reliance on cash. Keynova’s scorecard suggests banks are aligning their investments with those priorities. 

Implications for banks: As SMBs look for faster payments, greater cash-flow visibility, and fewer manual processes, banks have an opportunity to evolve into full-service business platforms. The winners won't necessarily be those with the most features but those that make everyday financial workflows the easiest to complete.

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