American Banker Announces 10 Innovation of the Year 2025 Honorees

Groundbreaking AI, embedded-finance and payments solutions will be celebrated at an award recognition dinner during the DIGITAL BANKING Conference on June 2, where one overall winner will be revealed

NEW YORK, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — American Banker, the leading information resource for banking and financial-services executives, today unveiled the 10 innovations that make up its inaugural Innovation of the Year 2025 honorees. Selected by the publication's editorial team for their measurable business impact and customer value, the solutions span disciplines from generative AI to faster payments and will be celebrated at a recognition dinner during American Banker's Digital Banking Conference in Boca Raton, Fla., on June 2, 2025. One of these honorees will be crowned the overall Innovation of the Year live on stage.

"Transformation happens when someone with a great idea collaborates with people who can execute on that idea, whether those people are inside the organization or working for a tech partner," said Penny Crosman, Executive Editor, Technology, at American Banker. "This year's honorees are teams who worked together to do something new — from deploying a large-language-model suite that saves employees thousands of hours of time to creating a real-time payments rail for community banks — and delivered tangible results for customers and the industry."

2025 Innovation of the Year Honorees

Category: Generative AI

Innovation: LLM Suite
Financial Institution: JPMorganChase

Category: AI + Analytics

Innovation: Truist Client Pulse
Financial Institution: Truist

Category: Cybersecurity + Fraud

Innovation: Triangle of Fraud Protection
Financial Institution: Western Alliance
Supporting Partners: Digital Disbursements; ClaimScore

Category: Digital + Mobile-First Banking

Innovation: Under 18 Financial Empowerment
Financial Institution: Nubank

Category: Embedded Finance

Innovation: Delivering Embedded Finance to Contract Workers
Financial Institution: Starion Bank
Supporting Partners: Fiserv; Central Payments

Category: Open Banking + Open Finance

Innovation: Citizens Open Banking API
Financial Institution: Citizens

Category: On-Chain Finance (Crypto + Blockchain)

Innovation: Citi Token Services
Financial Institution: Citi

Category: Payments

Innovation: High-Fidelity ACH
Financial Institution: First Internet Bank
Supporting Partners: Increase

Category: Regulation + Compliance + Risk Management

Innovation: Regulatory Inquiries Compliance Platform Automation
Financial Institution: Morgan Stanley

Category: Other Innovation

Innovation: Faster Payments for a Network of Community Banks
Financial Institution: United Bankers Bank
Supporting Partner: Pidgin

Each honoree project launched in 2024 and demonstrated clear gains in revenue growth, operational efficiency, customer acquisition or broader market influence. The judging panel evaluated ROI, scalability, and the degree to which each offering creates a new paradigm for financial services. 

"These projects exemplify the collaborative spirit that powers modern finance," said Jeff Mancini, CEO of Arizent, parent company of American Banker. "We're proud to showcase innovations where financial institutions, fintechs and technology vendors join forces to solve real-world problems and accelerate the industry's digital future."

Celebration at DIGITAL BANKING 2025

The 10 honorees—together with the teams and partner firms that brought each innovation to market—will be celebrated at an exclusive recognition reception and dinner on June 2 during American Banker's DIGITAL BANKING Conference taking place at The Boca Raton.  The evening will conclude with the live reveal of the overall Innovation of the Year before an audience of senior executives from banks, credit unions, fintechs and the investment community.

DIGITAL BANKING is one of American Banker's premier events, convening executives from banks, neobanks, fintechs and crypto firms for strategic discussions on open banking, artificial intelligence, decentralized finance and Web3. Through headline keynotes, strategy sessions, in‑depth panels and live product demos, the conference equips attendees with concrete insight into the technologies and partnerships shaping the future of finance.

Media, sponsorship and editorial coverage

Winning innovations and team profiles are available on the American Banker's website americanbanker.com/news/innovation-of-the-year-2025-meet-the-honorees, and social channels.

About American Banker

American Banker is the essential resource for senior executives in banking and financial services, keeping its members updated on vital developments and focusing on their most important concerns—innovation, transformation and disruption; technology, regulation and reform. Financial industry professionals turn to American Banker every day and throughout the day to stay informed—drilling down on complex issues, keeping up with breaking news and downloading research and data.

About Arizent

Arizent is a business information company that advances professional communities by providing insights and analysis and convening industry leaders. The company uses deep industry expertise and a data-driven platform to deliver its services, which include subscriptions, marketing services, live events, and access to Leaders, a digital content platform featuring livestream and on-demand formats. Arizent connects business communities through leading financial services brands like American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning, and National Mortgage News, as well as professional services brands like Accounting Today, Employee Benefit News, and Digital Insurance. For more information, visit www.arizent.com.

SOURCE Arizent