October 21, 2026 — Datos Insights announced the gold and silver medalists of its 2026 Impact Awards in Commercial Banking & Payments yesterday at its Commercial and Small Business Banking Forum in New York. The 20 honorees represent the banks and technology providers setting the pace for the entire industry, rewiring how businesses pay, get paid, borrow, and manage their cash. Innovations recognized this year include AI that acts before clients ask, banking that lives inside clients’ own software, and payment platforms built for every rail — all of which are live and in production today.
“The pace of development and innovation in commercial banking and payments is accelerating, and the caliber of nominations we received this year surprised us. These winners are the best of the best of what’s happening now.”
Erika Baumann, Managing Director, Banking & Payments, Datos Insights
2026 Commercial Banking & Payments Impact Award Winners
For full category descriptions, visit the Datos Impact Awards in Commercial Banking page.
Financial Institution Awards
Best Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and/or Automation
Gold: Scotiabank
Silver: Banca AideXa
Best Innovation in Customer Experience
Gold: SouthState Bank
Silver: TD Embedded Banking
Best Innovation in Digital Channel Capabilities
Gold: JPMorgan
Silver: Raiffeisen Bank
Best Innovation in Operational Efficiency
Gold: First Fidelity Bank
Silver: Truist One View Connect
Best Innovation in Product Development
Gold: Intesa Sanpaolo
Silver: Citizens
Solution Provider Awards
Best Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and/or Automation
Gold: Backbase
Silver: Intellect Design Arena
Best Innovation in Customer Experience
Gold: Zafin
Silver: Superior
Best Innovation in Operational Efficiency
Gold: Onsetto
Silver: Prolific Banking
Best Innovation in Product Development
Gold: SAP Fioneer
Silver: Alacriti
Best Innovation in Technology and Integration
Gold: Ninth Wave Inc.
Silver: FIS
Selection Process and Criteria
Datos Insights solicited nominations from April to July 2026, and its advisors narrowed the field to the top three or four in each category. A panel of external judges representing leading financial institutions, industry thought leaders, and consultants and implementers, along with Datos Insights advisors, then chose the winners. Judges evaluated each nomination on eight attributes, covering level of innovation and competitive advantage, ability to meet market needs, impact on customer experience, impact on customer operational efficiency, new revenue opportunity for the bank, impact on customer retention and new customer attraction, scalability across the customer base, and future roadmap.
About the Impact Awards Program
Any vendor, financial institution, or fintech firm may submit a nomination, with no restrictions on size or location. Nominated innovations must be in production and must have been developed and implemented after January 1, 2024. Submissions fall into two groups, Financial Institutions and Solution Providers, and a solution provider may partner with a financial institution and submit under the Financial Institution category. The identification of winners and silver medalists is not an endorsement by Datos Insights of any vendor, product, or service.
About Datos Insights
Datos Insights is the leading research and advisory partner to the banking, insurance, and securities industries — both the financial services firms and the technology providers that serve them.
In an era of rapid change, Datos Insights empowers firms across the financial services ecosystem to make high-stakes decisions with confidence and speed. Its distinctive combination of proprietary data, analytics, and deep practitioner expertise provides actionable insights that enable clients to accelerate critical initiatives, inspire decisive action, and de-risk strategic investments to achieve faster, bolder transformation.