Banking

Irvine, Calif. – September 25, 2026 -- Sunwest Bank has acquired Nano Banc of Irvine, California, in an FDIC-assisted transaction that transfers approximately $605 million in deposits and $227 million in loans to the Sandy, Utah-based lender.

Regulators shut Nano Banc on September 25 before handing control to Sunwest

California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation closed Nano Banc on Friday, September 25, placing it into FDIC receivership. The FDIC then entered an agreement with Sunwest Bank to acquire substantially all of Nano Banc's deposits and a portion of its assets, including the $605 million deposit book and $227 million loan portfolio.

Cary, N.C. – September 25, 2026 -- Small financial institutions rank ahead of similarly sized insurers, government bodies, health care providers and life sciences firms on AI adoption, with 64% of small banks and credit unions using AI in IT operations, according to a new SAS and IDC study.

The report, "AI for SMBs: Closing the Readiness-Reality Gap," surveyed 1,600 small and midsized business leaders across 28 countries in five regions. SMBs were defined as organizations with 100 to 999 employees in the U.S. and 100 to 499 employees elsewhere.

AI adoption in small banks concentrates heavily in IT functions

Among small financial institutions, 64% report AI use in IT, compared with 47% in finance and risk, 44% in marketing, 42% in customer service and 39% in product development.

Indiana, Pa. – September 24, 2026 -- S&T Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of S&T Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: STBA), has won a Marketing Excellence Award from the American Bankers Association in the brand awareness category for its "S&T Bank Draft Headquarters" campaign.

Bank turned Pittsburgh's NFL Draft week into a three-day brand activation

The immersive marketing experience ran during Pittsburgh's NFL Draft week in April, combining customer engagement, strategic media partnerships and regional outreach to boost visibility for S&T's expanding footprint across Western Pennsylvania.

Draft-themed events with iHeartRadio generated a $50,000 donation

Ticket proceeds from draft-themed events hosted in partnership with iHeartRadio funded a $50,000 donation to Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, Inc.

Paris – September 24, 2026 -- BNP Paribas has signed a five-year partnership with Google Cloud to expand its access to AI-optimized infrastructure, Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise, the companies announced.

BNP Paribas will integrate Gemini models into its internal AI assistant used by 65,000 employees

The bank's Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) division plans to fold Gemini models into LLM@CIB, its generative AI assistant, and deploy agentic AI across sales, trading, research and structuring workflows, including the preparation of corporate credit memos.

Gemini already powers customer support for 200 advisers at Nickel

Google Cloud and Gemini technologies are already live at Nickel, BNP Paribas' payment account business within its Commercial, Personal Banking & Services division, where Gemini underpins Nickel Assist, a tool helping 200 customer advisers resolve client requests based on operating procedures.

Austin, Texas – September 24, 2026 -- Oracle has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Trade Finance Systems 2026 Vendor Assessment, a report that evaluated 12 vendors serving corporate banks. The recognition cites Oracle Banking Trade and Supply Chain Finance for running five documented AI agents in live production across letter-of-credit workability, guarantee validation, corporate advisory, supply chain finance program creation, and management functions.

Amman and Abu Dhabi – September 24, 2026 -- Bank al Etihad, one of Jordan's largest banks, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi-based Ethmar International Holding (EIH) and other UAE investors to establish a new bank in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), marking the Jordanian lender's first entry into the United Arab Emirates.

New ADGM entity to operate under a Category 1 banking license

The proposed bank will hold a Category 1 banking license within ADGM and fall under the supervision of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), while also complying with regulatory requirements in both the UAE and Jordan. The launch remains subject to obtaining all necessary official approvals.

Jakarta – September 24, 2026 -- PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (IDX: BBRI) reported net profit of IDR 31.2 trillion for the second quarter of 2026, up 17.5% year on year, driven by double-digit growth in assets, loans and financing.

BRI net profit climbs 17.5% as loans surge past IDR 1.6 quadrillion

On a consolidated basis, BRI's assets reached IDR 2,352 trillion, an 11.7% year-on-year increase, while loans and financing rose 16.2% to IDR 1,646 trillion. Third-party funds grew 6.7% to IDR 1,581 trillion, net interest income increased 9.9% to IDR 80.5 trillion, and pre-provision operating profit rose 12.8% to IDR 65.7 trillion.

BRI President Director Hery Gunardi said the results show the bank's transformation program is starting to deliver returns, with growth increasingly built on stronger fundamentals rather than volume alone.

Oakland, Md. – – September 23, 2026 -- First United Corporation (NASDAQ: FUNC) will pay a cash dividend of $0.28 per share on November 2, 2026, its Board of Directors confirmed.

Board approves quarterly payout tied to October record date

Shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 19, 2026, will be eligible to receive the $0.28-per-share distribution. First United Corporation is the parent of First United Bank & Trust, a Maryland-chartered trust company with commercial banking powers.

Grand Rapids, Mich. – September 23, 2026 -- Mercantile Bank is deploying $150,000 in matching grants to eight Michigan nonprofit organizations through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis Community Multiplier Member Match Program, targeting affordable housing gaps statewide.

Mercantile Bank channels $150,000 through FHLBank Indianapolis matching program

The Community Multiplier program allows member financial institutions to support affordable housing nonprofits via matching grants. Mercantile's funding will back initiatives spanning housing stability, housing counseling and education, organizational capacity building, and affordable housing development and preservation.

Wilmington – September 22, 2026 -- U.S. Bank ranked first overall among 17 leading U.S. retail banks in Keynova Group's Q3 2026 Mobile Banker Scorecard, topping both mobile app and mobile web experience categories.

U.S. Bank and Bank of America lead the only banks offering native voice-enabled virtual assistants

Keynova found that only U.S. Bank's Smart Assistant and Bank of America's Erica currently support native in-app voice interactions for tasks including bill payment scheduling, transfers, card controls and credit score display. Erica additionally handles Zelle transaction display and P2P payment initiation via vocal commands. Across the broader panel, 35% of Scorecard banks now offer advanced text-based virtual assistants using natural language processing, though voice capability remains rare.