As we close out 2025, banks and financial institutions are navigating a rapidly shifting operational landscape driven by heightened verification standards, increased fraud activity, and rising customer expectations for speed and accuracy. Year-end regulatory communications from the OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve signal clear priorities for 2026: stronger check validation controls, improved lockbox oversight, and more responsive customer support infrastructure.
Banking
The role of the Chief Financial Officer and their finance teams has evolved dramatically. No longer confined to traditional financial stewardship, today’s finance leaders are expected to be drivers of transformation, risk managers, and providers of real-time insights across the enterprise. This expanded mandate, however, often clashes with the reality that a significant portion of a finance team’s time is consumed by repeatable, non-strategic, yet essential tasks—the “operational trade-off” that can hinder agility and innovation. In an environment marked by talent scarcity and rising operational costs, empowering finance teams to focus on strategic initiatives is no longer a luxury but a critical business imperative.
A significant realignment is underway in the financial sector as hedge funds increasingly overshadow private equity firms in their influence over investment banks. This shift is reshaping client priorities, capital flows, and deal-making strategies across Wall Street.
The Secured Finance Network (SFNet) has released its Year-End Factoring Survey, providing a comprehensive overview of the factoring industry’s performance in 2024 and projections for 2025. The survey highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities that are shaping the sector.
Global financial markets are grappling with heightened volatility as a confluence of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties, and policy shifts reshape the investment landscape in 2025.
Today’s CFO is facing a high-stakes balancing act: reduce costs, improve efficiency, and deliver on strategic goals—all while navigating an uncertain economic landscape. With finance departments pulled in multiple directions, many leaders are looking beyond the spreadsheet for solutions.
Debt settlement has long been a last resort for financially distressed borrowers—but it’s increasingly becoming a challenge for lenders, too. With more consumers defaulting and entering settlement arrangements, the recovery environment is shifting fast. Lenders now face a balancing act: managing losses while maintaining reputational trust.
Business banking is often described as the backbone of financial services for small and mid-sized businesses. Yet, despite its importance, it consistently underperforms in customer loyalty. According to Secured Research, business banking has the lowest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among B2B financial services, lagging behind even insurance and tax services.