GUEST
C O M M E N TA R Y
Fintech Accelerators and the Future of Financial Innovation Wayne Miller
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Executive Director
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A
lmost every conversation we have these days includes some aspect of Covid-19, from checking on each other’s safety to marveling at how much we can accomplish from home. The
great news is that today, the conversation is shifting to how to return to “normal” - particularly as currently sparse offices start filling in with co-workers and customers. The world has changed immensely since March of 2020, which means everyday life has evolved for our current and future customers and colleagues. Add in the emergence of 5G, and there is a wealth of opportunity for those who take the time for innovation. Forward thinkers will harness these changes’ potential, and one smart way to get started is through financial technology, or fintech, accelerator programs. Fintech accelerators take the most promising emerging technologies created by tech visionaries and puts them at bankers’ fingertips, allowing bankers to
10
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SPRING 2021
The Venture Center
“Fintech accelerators take the most promising emerging technologies created by tech visionaries and puts them at bankers’ fingertips, allowing bankers to play a significant role in shaping the future of banking. ”
play a significant role in shaping the future of banking. Gone are the days when a bank team needed to wade through a sea of thousands of fintech companies or spend exorbitant fees developing technology to address a particular challenge.
Banking-fintech partnerships are becoming the norm, and fintech accelerator programs speed efforts to advance banking. Simply put, these programs spark cultural shifts that help banks and financial institutions survive economic downturns and
