Deregulation Doesn’t Mean Do Less: A Data-First Strategy for 2025

When banks talk about modernization, they often focus on apps, customer experience, and product offerings. But there's data at the foundation of every conversation about growth, compliance, or partners' oversight. And for most banks, that data is stuck in silos. At the 2025 DCI Bankers Conference in Kansas City, our President, Lee, took the opportunity to engage with community bank leaders, DCI executives, and longtime operators in the space. The event wasn't about selling or speaking—it was about learning.

Consider This: a customer applies for a mortgage, and you're an underwriter pulling their account history. You see their FICO score but can't see their debit card behaviors or even their primary deposit account. You'll eventually be able to see it when gathering a report, as the data points exist, but they're stored in different datasets. You're left with an incomplete process at the will of your CORE and reconciliation process. Without a complete on-demand view of the customer's financial story, compliance teams utilize workarounds, and underwriters have partial profiles. And the customer? They wait longer for a decision. What's the real issue here? Data Silos in Banking. Hidden behind tiered pricing through on-premise systems and buried in outdated reports, legacy architecture wasn't built for the complexities of modern banking.

Modern banking has improved drastically with advancements to cloud-based infrastructure, embedded finance, and AI-driven insights. However, while the banking industry migrates to modern technology, one thing remains true- the data that drives these banking improvements remains siloed and challenging to manage. At Fintech Meetup 2025, industry leaders and emerging FinTechs came together at one of the biggest conferences of the year to discuss modern challenges and current trends. During three days of meetings, keynotes, and networking, one theme stood out to us the most: the banks that unify their data will be the ones that scale and stay ahead of regulatory changes.

Most banks are playing defense regarding compliance-- checking boxes, reactively responding to regulatory changes, and simply hoping for the best. With the FDIC issuing consent orders in the last few years - completely derailing fintech programs- we should see past the survival mindset for sponsor banking and look deeper at how we can prevent failing fintech programs. Being negligent in compliance can ultimately lead to hefty fines, exposing sensitive customer data, and overall reputation loss, and there are ways to be proactive moving forward. These questions are all acknowledged and discussed at the events hosted by the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) as our team member Ed attended their TechSprint.

The Acquire or Be Acquired (AOBA) 2025 Event, hosted by Bank Director in Phoenix, Arizona, started this year's conferences. The attendees included banking executives, industry leaders, and fintech companies. This was a key conference for iDENTIFY, as our President, Lee Easton, was also in attendance to represent the iDENTIFY brand and how our mission to unify bank data remains consistent. Engaging with other industry leaders, this event was a solid networking opportunity to engage and re-engage with our banking clients and potential prospects.

Traditional batch systems - while robust, are legacy systems that have been relied on for decades in the banking industry. While designed for older systems, these systems were created when real-time data wasn't feasible and the technological demand for consumers hadn't progressed to today's standards. Modern consumers expect real-time data, seamless experiences, and enhanced security. With iDENTIFY being a Snowflake Select Partner, our expertise with Snowflake's data lake has shown that the solution to modern banking lies within the cloud. As banks migrate their CORE data to Snowflake, here are 5 tips for a successful cloud migration.

Data management has proven to be as necessary as it is intricate. During a recent interview on FinWise's Eye On Podcast, Lee shared some insights on some common data issues we've encountered with our banking clients and the origins of the iDENTIFY brand. Alongside Sarah Grotta, Deputy Chief Fintech Officer at FinWise, Lee highlighted how we at iDENTIFY have identified data solutions we're implementing for our clients.

The American Fintech Council held its annual policy summit on November 19 at the Westin in Washington, DC. With a sizeable amount of attendees, the panel discussed some interesting topics, such as consumer protection, regulatory modernization, and technological innovation. Packed with extensive discussion, iDENTIFY's attendance at this event was considerable as we've made many strides this year with our mission to unify bank data. The importance of the panels lays a testament to our core values at iDENTIFY and how we're staying on top of regulations and industry changes for our clients.

Sponsor banking and embedded finance have shown significant improvements and will continue to be a viable business model for fintech. While considerable challenges are posed to a fintech looking for a sponsor bank, the core concept of data governance will always be one of the highest priorities. For our core services at iDENTIFY, as banks migrate their CORE data to Snowflake, staying compliant is highly prioritized as banks transition their CORE data. Recently featured on the Finance Webinar Series: Mastering Compliance and Data Governance in Bank Transitions, hosted by the American Fintech Council, the panel made some excellent points as they discussed data governance for banks transitioning to modern fintech. This article lists some of the key takeaways from the discussion.

Partnering with iLEX, we've accumulated some great insights that will help Fintechs mitigate risk and alleviate some uncertainty regarding overall risk. This cornerstone article encompasses short descriptions of our latest risk series with iLEX and our additional takes on developing a solid risk management and mitigation framework.

Known for its bright lights and casinos, Las Vegas, Nevada, held its annual Money20/20 event-- as iDENTIFY was represented with Lee's attendance. Building connections, sharing insights, and exploring innovative ideas in Fintech, this year's conference was exceptional in finding ideas and potential partnerships that align with iDENTIFY's vision to unify bank data.

Fintechs and Banks - do you have what it takes?

CORE data - alongside third-party data, must be handled accurately, reliably, and compliant with regulations such as AML and KYC standards. iDENTIFY's core mission is to unify bank data and to address these problems with our tools, such as the data validation platform, thereby keeping you informed and aware of the importance of data validation in FinTech.

Now that we've covered the topics of risk and operations, it's time to explore the world of data. In today's data-driven world, accessing and transforming the correct data into usable information is crucial for businesses across all industries, especially Fintech. Data collection, analysis, and utilization can make or break a company's success. Here's why leveraging data is essential and how Fintech companies and Partner Banks can properly harness its potential.

Having explored risk from both an internal and external perspective, we are now turning to the topic of internal operations. The key operational categories explored below are key to helping Fintechs and their Issuing Bank Partners stay on the right side of regulators and making the Fintech Program a success. These operations are also part of what the Fintech’s Issuing Bank Partner assesses through continuous communication and audits.