Episode Details

There were 31 total bank charter applications filed in 2025 but most of those applications came from nonbank digital asset-focused companies. Meanwhile, the number of De Novo bank applications for 2025 was only 3. Furthermore, there were 5 US bank IPOs in 2025, the highest number in four years. Finally, Bankers see a lot of potential activity and fee income in the M&A market for 2026. This episode reviewed four articles. Three from S&P Global Market Intelligence (subscription required) titled “Nonbanks dominate 2025 bank charter application surge,” “Number of new US banks reaches lowest level in at least 7 years,” and “US bank IPO activity reaches highest level in 4 years.” One from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) titled “Bankers are gearing up for another onslaught of Monster Deals in 2026.”