Episode Details

What strategies are most important to community bank CEOs going into 2026? 72% of community bankers surveyed believe that their greatest opportunity lies in differentiating their bank from other financial institutions in their market. Approximately 15% are exploring new lines of business, fintech partnerships, digitization, and wealth management / financial planning as other strategies. 50% of bankers surveyed believe they need to focus on marketing in 2026, specifically digital marketing. 59% of bankers surveyed believe that growing deposits will be their #1 challenge in 2026. Of the bankers focusing on a new line of business, 17% are focusing on Treasury management services. 47% of bankers surveyed believe that commercial real estate lending was going to be their primary driver of revenue in 2026. Finally, 65% of bankers surveyed see another community bank or a credit union as their primary competitor. This episode reviews an article from Independent Banker Magazine titled “Community Bank CEO Outlook 2026: Your Peers’ Plans.” A link to the article is included below.    

Link: Community Bank CEO Outlook 2026: Challenges & Opportunities - Independent Banker - ICBA.org