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 entering a new era: they can start faster, operate leaner, and scale with AI-enabled tools that were once available only to larger companies. But abundant information does not eliminate the need for trusted guidance, and it raises the bar for banks.
 
In this keynote, Claudia will explore how owners’ needs are changing, why banks must move from transactions to expertise, and how the industry can build deeper relationships across the full client continuum from starting and operating to funding, protecting, and scaling a business. 
 
Small business banking sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, capital, and human expertise. The institutions that thrive in the years ahead will be those that use innovation to deepen relationships, not replace them, and help business owners navigate every stage of growth with confidence. As entrepreneurs redefine what’s possible, banks have an opportunity to redefine the value they deliver. The future of banking is being written through the small business experience, and there has never been a more exciting time to be part of that journey.

The next wave of artificial intelligence goes beyond better tools—it gives them autonomous agents. This session explores what agentic AI means for the future of relationship managers, and how institutions are deploying AI systems to proactively identify cross-sell opportunities, flag at-risk relationships, prepare call briefs, and automate follow-up at scale. Industry leaders will debate where autonomous AI delivers the greatest competitive advantage, where human judgment remains irreplaceable, and how banks are building the governance frameworks needed to deploy agentic systems responsibly. The discussion will examine what the institutions moving first are learning—and what everyone else risks by waiting.

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.

America is a nation full of Entrepreneurs. Based off extensive research we have done, we have found that small and medium sized businesses often struggle to grow because they don’t have access to a modern CFO team. That’s why we built Arena! We are here to serve these businesses to ensure they can be financially sound for the long-term. We offer: Fractional CFO services- that includes modern financial planning capabilities, KPI tracking and regular support with an expertise that can cater to specific industries and needs. We also off a number of additional services like; Bookkeeping, Invoicing and bill pay, Loan preparation, Industry benchmarking, Vendor contract review, Competitive landscape analysis, Scenario planning, Capital planning & raises, Investor and board reporting, Exit planning, Acquisition evaluation, Expansion analysis. We partner with banks, credit unions and other business providers to compliment your product or services.

Nancy Schneier is the Chief Revenue Officer and Founder of Vikar Technologies, a Fintech company streamlining client and loan lifecycle management through digital automation. With over 35 years of experience in banking and financial technology, Nancy has built a career around delivering results and driving product innovation. Her path spans top firms like KPMG, Broadridge, Wolters Kluwer, SS&C, and Accenture—grounded by a degree in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Amruta Dongre has over 15 years of experience in product and software development. In her current position as CTO and Founder of Vikar Technologies, she leads the overall product strategy and oversees product development and engineering. Amruta designs and develops solutions in line with the overall vision for Vikar resulting in innovative solutions and technology to Vikar clients.  In her previous roles, Amruta has led the design, implementation, and delivery to over 15 major financial institutions in digitizing and improving their account opening and lending processes. Amruta holds a Master’s Degree in Information Management from Syracuse University.