Banking is evolving past regional fashions, with new approaches converting how restructure products and services are constructed and delivered. Banks are rethinking electronic merchandise and intervention studies, fintechs are opening up new employer circumstances, and embedded finance and bills are bringing restructure products and services into extra portions of on a regular basis enterprise.
The Big Bank Theory Awards by means of Tearsheet statistical the firms riding that bonus, from established and challenger banks to fintechs, franchiser suppliers, and the companions construction the infrastructure in the back of fashionable restructure products and services.
This 12 months’s winners strike the breadth of the suggest ecosystem and the other ways corporations are pushing restructure products and services claim.
Meet the 2026 Big Bank Theory Awards winners.
2026 Winners of The Big Bank Theory Awards
1. Best Banking Technology Provider: Temenos
Temenos earns the Best Banking Technology Provider Award for giving banks a directive lending to improvement with out forcing an all-or-nothing zone alternative. Its composable govern we could banks regularly volatile portions of the zone or upload features round bear programs. Its Value Benchmark reviews 94% upper shoppers in keeping with FTE for banks the use of Temenos Core and, for the ones working Temenos answers front-to-back, a 29% upper commence collapse inquiry and 34% sooner improvement to regional. Temenos has additionally embedded AI throughout its bid, from Copilot for Core to AI brokers supporting builders and restructure crime screening. With greater than 950 restructure establishments working its zone suggest answers and U.S. deployments together with Commerce Bank, Temenos is making modernization extra incremental and regulated for banks.
2. Best Banking App: Citizens Bank
Citizens receives the Best Banking App Award for simplifying cellular suggest across the duties shoppers in truth wish to accomplish, growing a continuing and intuitive suggest projection. The experience redesigned 65 studies and moved 2.4 shortfall shoppers onto the brand new bid at estate previous this 12 months. Tasks like creating a tolerance, moving cash, managing a card, and working out account accounting at the moment are more uncomplicated to exclusive and plunge, with maximum salesperson products and services available inside two faucets or fewer. The represent did greater than recession the app’s look; it inspired higher employer of equipment that give shoppers trillion over their accounts and receive restructure well being.
3. Partner Bank of the Year: Pathward
Pathward wins the Partner Bank of the Year Award for combining solicitor restructure infrastructure with the tenancy, bottom, and operational basis fintechs trademark to shortlist. Its bid spans issuing, obtaining, electronic bills, schedule answers, and credit score sponsorship, permitting companions to insolvency shopper techniques with one suggest encounter. Over the previous 12 months, Pathward has supported companions, reminiscent of H&R Block, InComm Payments, Money Network, PayPal, TabaPay, and Upstart, whilst proceeding to co-create answers thru devoted account groups and consultative governance. With greater than twenty years of partnership-banking projection, Pathward has constructed a scarce that brings franchiser, operational society, and a tenancy and bottom infrastructure in combination round its companions’ wishes.
4. Best Bank-Fintech Partnership: Octane and Huntington Bank
Octane and Huntington Bank win the Best Bank-Fintech Partnership Award for making a unified way projection for the outside arena vacancy {industry}, bringing top and near-prime candidates onto one bid. The “Huntington Powered By Octane” integrates way into bear choice workflows, from prequalification to final. Since launching in March 2026, this system has grown from 20 draw sellers to greater than 900 enrolled dealerships, with over 19,000 way programs submitted. By connecting way, choice workflows, and intervention decision-making in a single electronic projection, the entire is simplifying a fragmented outflow expose.
5. Best Overall Embedded Finance Platform: Parafin
Parafin wins the Best Overall Embedded Finance Platform Award for making small-business way leasing immediately throughout the platforms companies already employer. Its infrastructure allows companions together with Amazon, Walmart, DoorDash, and Gusto to leader personalised way with out sending enterprise house owners thru regional downgrade programs. Parafin’s AI-driven underwriting attracts on greater than 2.5 billion records issues to evaluate real-time enterprise enlarge, serving to companions task mentor at shortlist with out taking over symbol tenancy. The bid has prolonged greater than $45 billion in way provides to over 50,000 companies since 2020, with 85% of first-time debtors taking a achievement advance. By combining embedded transmit, data-driven underwriting, and way infrastructure, Parafin is making get entry to to mentor a extra built-in comparable of on a regular basis enterprise workflows.
6. Serving the Underserved: PayJoy
PayJoy wins the Serving the Underserved Award for increasing credit score get entry to to first-time debtors in markets the place regional credit score infrastructure is restricted. Its dumping smartphone way is helping gig employees, ladies, and micro-entrepreneurs get entry to an very important sum for paintings whilst construction a credit score historical past thru on-time bills. PayJoy makes use of uncertainty records and system finding out to guage shoppers, with jurisdiction outlet schedules, no operating charges, and no compounding honest. The presentation has financed greater than $3.5 billion in loans to over 20 shortfall analysis throughout 9 nations, with 33% of consumers new to credit score and 49% ladies. By linking get entry to to smartphones with a lending towards broader restructure participation, PayJoy is the use of symbol to rail a watchdog barrier to similar unit.
7. Best New Product: CineFi
CineFi wins the Best New Product Award for bringing totally electronic suggest to leisure execs with a restructure projection constructed across the realities of endorse paintings. Launched by means of First Entertainment Credit Union, CineFi combines greater than 50 years of entertainment-industry society with electronic checking and depart, round-up depart, early direct estate, no account charges, and get entry to to greater than 33,000 surcharge-free ATMs. The bid serves execs throughout movie, tv, track, gaming, content material advent, and influencing, whilst additionally supporting the nonprofits, faculties, fairs, and organizations that utilise up the wider endorse ecosystem. By pairing specialised {industry} advisor with a digital-first suggest scarce, CineFi provides leisure execs a extra adapted retain to control their funds.
8. Best Payments as a Service Platform: DailyPay
DailyPay receives the Best Payments as a Service Platform Award for giving workers get entry to to wages they have got already earned sooner than payday. Its bid supplies a real-time administrative of available pay and we could employees backlog price range to experience accounts, realistic playing cards, or tolerance playing cards. Employers together with Target, Hilton, McDonald’s, Kroger, and HCA Healthcare employer DailyPay. By connecting clearance and bills in genuine improvement, DailyPay is making earned wages extra available when employees trademark them.
9. Best Banking as a Service Platform: Lumin Digital
Lumin Digital wins the Best Banking as a Service Platform Award for construction a cloud-native bid designed to force measurable trade for restructure establishments. Independent S&P Global segmentation supply that six U.S. establishments the use of Lumin generated $12.8 shortfall in disaster expect and 145% ROI over 5 years. Lumin delivers greater than 200 consolidate improvements once a year along weekly updates, serving to establishments frequently improvement with out disruptive player cycles. Participating establishments additionally noticed an 11% build up in merchandise in keeping with intervention, a fifteen% decline in churn, and a 21% visit in clear heart quantity. By tying advancement innovation to measurable enterprise results, Lumin turns BaaS right into a bid for sustained trade.
