Chief Payments Officer
First Bank of the Lake
Ana Liza Grandner is an Executive Vice President, Chief Payments Officer at First Bank of the Lake. Grandner is an internationally recognized leader in the Fintech banking space, bringing over 17 years of experience in the digital payments ecosystem and Private Label Banking. As the Chief Payments Officer, she drives the bank’s payments strategy and oversee the development of its Private Label Banking product, aimed at supporting the evolving needs of Fintech partners.
With a distinguished career across both banks and FinTechs, Grandner has been a driving force in building and optimizing financial systems that shape the future of digital banking for industry leaders such as Google Wallet, Chime, Varo, Simple, Seed, Walgreens, Bento and many others, guiding them through critical build, financial enhancements and product innovations. Her development of a cutting-edge Third-Party Risk Framework and Compliance Management System has been widely adopted as a best practice, underscoring her pivotal role in advancing financial strategies and setting new benchmarks in the digital finance sector.
Prior to First Bank of the Lake, Grandner served as Vice President, Head of Fintech Banking and Head of the Payroll Protection Program, where she led efforts that made the bank the top community bank for issuing and supporting Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loans. Her strategic vision has been recognized by numerous global financial institutions and conferences, including the Most Influential Women in Payments Summit at Card Forum, where she delivered the keynote address and the International Payments Group, where she delivered the keynote address in the Croatia.
Grandner comes from some of the most influential institutions in the space, including Cross River Bank, Bancorp Bank, Bank of America, Citibank and The Vanguard Group.
Grandner holds a TRIUM Global Executive MBA, jointly issued by NYU Stern School of Business, London School of Economics, and HEC Paris. She also earned a BA in Psychology from Yale University. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Grandner's global perspective has been a key asset throughout her career.
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.