1. Modernizing Your Technology Stack
2. Competing for and Keeping Small Business Members
3. Scaling Small Business Lending to Compete With Banks and Alternative Lenders
4. Managing Fraud, Risk and Regulatory Complexity
5. Reaching Underserved Small Business Members Profitably

1. AI and the Reinvention of Small Business Banking
2. Cash Flow, Credit, and the Future of Lending
3. Payments, Deposits, and Treasury as Growth Engines
4. Fraud and Cybersecurity in the AI Era
5. On-Chain Finance, Stablecoins, and the Next Financial Infrastructure

While the SBA has expanded capital access for high-growth businesses, its recent rule changes could present challenges for banks. While SBA borrowers can now combine 7(a) and 504 loan limits for up to $10 million—double the previous limit—banks must now meet more rigorous SBA-specific loan guidelines, reducing underwriting flexibility. 

This session explores the specific implications of the SBA’s rule changes and how they will affect national and community banks. Industry practitioners will examine what has changed in underwriting standards, program eligibility, and compliance requirements—and what banks need to do to stay out in front of the wide-ranging implications of the new rules in place. The discussion will address how the most forward-looking lenders are turning regulatory change into a competitive advantage, and what their new small business lending playbook looks like.

Small businesses are turning away from financial institutions and seeking better, more affordable services from rival fintechs and neobanks. This session explores how banks can regain competitive advantage in the new battleground for the SMB relationship. At issue: how banks bring accounting, payroll, and e-commerce services to small business clients who are eager to manage cash flow more effectively. Industry leaders will debate where the embedded finance opportunity is greatest, where the threat of disintermediation is most acute, and what a winning app or platform strategy looks like for large and small banks and credit unions. The discussion will examine how banks are deciding whether to build or partner, and how to stay at the center of the small business banking relationship.

Small business owners are done waiting on their bank. They want a partner who already knows what’s coming—a cash gap before it hits, a financing offer before they apply, advice before a problem becomes urgent. This keynote traces what research says small businesses want most and what they expect from their bank over the next 3-5 years. The data is consistent: trust remains the top driver of satisfaction, but trust alone is no longer enough. Small business owners want speed, transparency, and a banking experience built around how they actually run their businesses. 

Nearly half of businesses that sought financing last year reported gaps between what they needed and what they received. They want their banker to understand their industry, benchmark their performance, and tell them what their financial data actually means—not just process it. The customers of the future are not hypothetical. They are the customers banks have today, whose expectations are already shifting. This session explores what that shift means for the loan experience, onboarding, and what ongoing relationships need to look like if institutions want to stay ahead of the ask.

Small businesses represent one of the largest underdeveloped growth opportunities for financial institutions — yet many still rely on fintechs and disconnected platforms to manage critical operations. This session explores how financial institutions can position themselves as trusted financial and technology partners for entrepreneurs and growing businesses. Drawing on industry research, executive benchmarks, and real-world examples, attendees will gain insight into emerging small business trends, evolving owner expectations, and the growing role of payments, embedded fintech, and AI in shaping banking relationships. Participants will learn how to identify hidden business relationships within their existing customer base, overcome common pain points, segment small business clients effectively, and develop a scalable strategy that drives deposits, engagement, and loyalty — while preparing for the competitive landscape ahead.

Small business deposits are among the most valuable assets in banking—low-cost and relationship-anchoring. They are also increasingly under siege. Neobanks and platform-native financial services are targeting small business owners with digital-first experiences and seamlessly integrated tools that many traditional institutions still cannot match. The banks and credit unions winning the deposit battle in 2026 are competing not just on rate, but on speed, simplicity, and the genuine sense that their institution is invested in the success of the businesses they serve. This session delivers a practical, immediately applicable toolkit for winning new small business deposits and—more importantly—retaining the relationships you already have, including what is working right now, what has failed, and what every institution needs to do differently to stop losing ground.

Women-owned businesses represent 42% of all U.S. businesses yet receive just 4% of small business loan dollars. This session explores the largely untapped market opportunity represented by underserved entrepreneurs—and the specific tools, data sources, and underwriting models allowing institutions to say yes to more small businesses profitably and at scale. Industry leaders will examine how AI-powered underwriting is making it possible to evaluate non-traditional data, reduce decision-making subjectivity, and extend credit to businesses traditional models have historically passed over. The discussion will address what it actually takes to build or expand a lending program that reaches minority-, women-, and rural-owned businesses without expanding risk—and how the institutions doing it right are turning inclusive lending into a genuine competitive advantage.