BBVA

In his first extensive interview since taking the job this year, Javier Rodriguez Soler talks about banking as a service, how to keep customers happy and where he sees AI and other tech innovations heading.

In the months ahead, the Birmingham, Ala., bank will drop Compass from its name across all of its branches and digital properties. It’s part of a broader plan by its Spanish parent Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to unify its brand worldwide.

Shamir Karkal’s startup, Sila, is launching an API platform that gives developers a way to connect traditional bank systems to distributed ledgers like Ethereum.

Thanks to big tech companies, the business world is moving to third-party platforms, or online marketplaces where sellers pull buyers' products off digital shelves. A growing number of financial institutions — including BBVA, Citi and community banks like Eastern — say they can't afford to sit out the trend.

Several banks saw significant changes in leadership as the year comes to a close.