Competition from fintechs and consumer brands is compelling leading banks and technology providers to revise their strategies. These fintechs and brands are scaling and evolving rapidly on top of banking as a service (BaaS) and open banking infrastructure. We’ve spoken with executives at financial institutions, fintechs, and vendors about how to thrive in an ecosystem that’s reshaping financial services.

Green Dot strikes open banking deal with Plaid: Green Dot’s neobank customers gain data-sharing capabilities for 6,000-plus outside apps. Are its banking as a service (BaaS) clients next?

SoFi aims to become the AWS of banking services: The US neobank plans to acquire cloud-based core-banking provider Technisys and pair it up with banking-as-a-service (BaaS) subsidiary Galileo.

Available to fintechs and consumer brands, the solution lets Q2 tap into a market with great potential and add to its breadth in banking-as-as-service (BaaS).

M&T is turning select locations into “multicultural banking centers” while TD’s new flagship can be physically customized based on services required.

The UK-based neobank’s founder and CEO Anne Boden outlined plans to offer banking as a service globally in 2022, giving Starling a potential opening into embedded finance.

Former UK P2P giant Zopa closed this part of its business to focus purely on banking services

Customer-friendly services—like switching current accounts and data sharing through open banking—helped almost one in three UK consumers form new banking relationships.

Zelle’s large reach and seamless integration means it’s often perceived as a banking feature rather than a standalone service, especially since banks’ disparate policies on fees, delivery times, and transaction limits can cause confusion.

Just three years ago, less than 1 in 3 (32%) US paid video subscribers paid for three or more services, per Nielsen. Now, that figure is 58%. Consumers feeling the pinch from inflation are likely to take a hard look at which services they will stick with. Netflix is set to include advertising.

An overview: US-based Cross River is a small banking player with a New Jersey state banking license and assets of only about $9.1 billion as of December 31, 2021, per FDIC data. But its mix of business lines—including a banking as a service (BaaS) offering—have proved lucrative:. It has turned profits since 2010, TechCrunch notes.

APIs take off among banks: They’re critical for “as a service” innovations, but APIs raise the challenge of working with legacy tech stacks and finding developers during a talent shortage.

Seven major US incumbents are partnering to roll out a service that lets consumers share financial data with participating businesses.

Spurred by shifts in customer expectations, incumbents will race to personalize services and enhance distribution strategies. Fintechs will focus their attention on tapping opportunities that first emerged in 2021.

US-based Mana’s perks like debit card points and special offers on subscriptions for gaming services are tailored toward its target affinity group.

Green Dot’s Temenos cloud deal could enhance consumer ties: Features the partnership enables in Green Dot’s direct bank and its banking as a service (BaaS) business could strengthen its bonds with low- to-moderate-income consumers.