Evolving the digital banking platform beyond self-service to fuel expansion

Kicking Off the Year With MANTL

In February 2025, Alkami made a defining move: the company agreed to acquire MANTL, combining its industry-leading digital banking and data and marketing capabilities with a premier omnichannel account opening engine.

MANTL brings a core-agnostic, multi-tenant platform that lets financial institutions open deposit accounts — retail or business — through any channel (digital, in-branch, or call-center), in minutes. That means much faster onboarding times: under five minutes for consumer accounts and under ten minutes for business accounts — far ahead of industry norms.

Anticipatory Banking Becomes the New Standard

Every year in financial services brings its own set of headwinds. 2025 was a turning point, one where regional and community institutions proved, once again, that being committed to their local communities and the economies they serve is their greatest advantage.

This was the year that started the shift from reactive to predictive. Bank and credit union leaders saw the vision of Anticipatory Banking, and wanted to be a part of it. They wanted to know their account holders, understand their intent, and anticipate their needs before they were expressed. With that came the need for a partner who could help them do that with the kind of speed and intelligence once reserved for megabanks.

What made 2025 extraordinary is that financial institutions leaned in to transform how they plan to compete as consumer and business expectations for their digital banking experience (and the primary banking relationship) evolve.

Powering the Vision of Anticipatory Banking

Following the acquisition of MANTL, Alkami formally introduced The Digital Sales & Service Platform, designed to empower financial institutions to onboard, engage, and grow account holders across every channel. It brought together three best-in-class solutions — Onboarding & Account Opening, Digital Banking, and Data & Marketing — on one, secure platform. Layering that unified experience with Positive Pay & ACH Reporting, ushers in a new chapter for digital banking; rooted in self-service, data-driven growth, and an improved user experience for both end users and employees.

At Alkami, we are focused on the creation of a new category in the market. One that will set our customers apart from neobank and megabank competitors. With that came a new champion: the data-informed banker, a knowledge worker who uses data to drive growth, deepen relationships, and set the pace for their financial institution.

Alkami Co:lab 2025: Where Innovation & Collaboration Converge 

When over 1000 industry leaders came together in Nashville, Tennessee for Alkami Co:lab 2025, the vibe was electric. As Alkami Co:lab spotlighted best-in-class solutions, Alkami entered the event with a major recognition — being certified by J.D. Power for providing “An Outstanding Mobile Banking Platform Experience” for a second year in a row. Across three days, the event brought together executives, practitioners, technologists, and innovators who believe regional and community institutions are moving the needle for the account holders they serve. For the first time, that competitive advantage came into sharp focus through the unveiling of Alkami’s Digital Sales & Service Platform.

Co:lab showcased what makes these institutions powerful: their closeness to the communities they serve, their hunger to compete, and their instinct to lead with both heart and intelligence. Everywhere you looked, industry leaders were swapping ideas, sharing results, and trading playbooks — building a community as valuable as the content itself.

Technology Breakthroughs at the Hackathon

One of the most energizing moments of 2025 came from inside Alkami headquarters, the Hackathon. Over two days, developers came together to push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and turn raw ideas into functioning prototypes. What emerged was a preview of what could be. From real-time risk intelligence to conversational goal-setting and fresh approaches to onboarding and digital vault, teams built solutions that reflected one shared belief: when creativity and collaboration collide, innovation moves fast.

The Hackathon was centered on the theme, Building Beyond Limits. Participants rethought everyday friction points, crafting concepts designed to help financial institutions see around corners and meet account holder needs before they arise, as well as improve the employee user experience. The winning prototypes demonstrated how quickly bold ideas can become practical capabilities. In a year defined by momentum, the Hackathon served as a reminder that the future of digital banking is shaped by those who are willing to dream bigger and build.

Banking Leaders in Action

Across the country, financial institutions of all sizes proved what’s possible when determination meets the right digital strategy. Towpath Credit Union exemplified this spirit, completing a full-stack transformation to future-proof their systems with their sights set on growth. Quontic demonstrated what Alkami’s latest investment, MANTL, could do for a financial institution’s digital account opening experience; shining a light on why streamlined onboarding is essential.

Belco Community Credit Union tapped into the power of partnership by working closely with their Alkami team to align their strategic goals with platform capabilities, deepen knowledge, and achieve their business outcomes. First Fidelity Bank gave commercial clients greater control over fraud protection while reducing manual review work for staff, strengthening security, and freeing teams to focus on higher-value relationships.

These stories only begin to scratch the surface. Together, these leaders show how they are shaping communities nationwide. Discover the full library of Alkami’s customer success stories.

The Research That Shaped Strategy in 2025

Over the years, research has become a discipline at Alkami. A steady drum beat to help our customers keep a finger on the pulse and cut through the noise; equipping leaders with critical insights to drive their digital strategy forward.

The Top 5 Business Banking Trends Shaping 2025

These trends reveal how evolving client expectations around speed, personalization, and digital self-service are redefining the business banking experience and retention strategies.

The 2025 Digital Banking Performance Metrics Report

This report, created with Cornerstone Advisors, offered a comprehensive view of digital adoption, engagement, channel performance, and performance benchmarks.

Retail Banking Digital Sales & Service Maturity Model Report

The 2025 Update to Alkami’s Digital Sales & Service Maturity Model revealed that the most mature institutions report up to 5× the average annual revenue growth than less mature peers. Take the assessment to benchmark your retail strategy.

Business Banking Digital Maturity Model Assessment

This assessment builds on the findings from the 2024 Business Banking Digital Maturity Model and enables financial institution leaders to benchmark their business banking platform against industry peers to determine the next step in their growth journey.

The Generational Trends in Digital Banking Study, 2025

Created in partnership with The Center for Generational Kinetics, the data revealed that younger generations crave intuitive, personalized digital experiences, and don’t believe traditional institutions deliver them — yet.

First Beneficiaries: How Financial Institutions Can Serve Women Through Inherited Wealth

This landmark study unveiled what women expect from their primary financial institution’s digital banking experience; creating a blueprint for product design, marketing, and relationship building during the Great Wealth Transfer.

Fostering Community Year Round 

To keep the conversations going, our team has focused on building opportunities for connection. Our Women in Banking initiative has resulted in a calendar of events and content centered around three central pillars: engage, network, and grow. That spirit has taken shape in regional events for the Pacific Northwest, Washington D.C., and a virtual wellness session.

While the Alkami Community serves as an always-available resource hub and online forum for Alkami customers, many users met up outside the walls of their branch to get together at regional user groups, client appreciation events, and innovation lunches.

Charting a Path to Reach Your Goals 

While implementing the latest technology is exciting. At the end of the day, financial institution leaders care more about how these investments will impact their operations, what outcomes it will achieve, and how to build a business case that is rooted in strategy.

Discover how Alkami’s solutions can empower you to achieve your objectives.

There are enough considerations when navigating technology decisions, and the buying cycle does not come around all that often. When it does, leaders need resources, best practices, and insights that make evaluations easier.

Explore Alkami’s Digital Banking Conversion Toolkit. 

Looking ahead, market leaders will be those who think holistically — those who go beyond prioritizing technology upgrades to thoughtfully consider strategic alignment, operational readiness, and the long-term experiences they want to create. The opportunity: a digital journey that grows relationships, strengthens productivity, and sharpens your competitive edge.

The Future Belongs to the Bold

The question at the start of 2025 was straightforward: Can regional and community institutions compete at the level expected by today’s account holders?

If there’s one theme that ties regional and community financial institutions together is that they will rise to the challenge — and they’re already doing it. 

And we’re only getting started.