Welcome to the first edition of Bank Notes, our monthly newsletter dedicated to Unit news and product updates most relevant to bank partnerships, delivered straight to your inbox.

Despite the overall slowdown in tech, 2023 has gotten off to a fast start at Unit as we continue working to make our platform the most complete, safe, and secure solution for our partner banks and shared customers. 

Below are some updates on how we’re continuing to grow and strengthen Unit. 

Partnerships:

Unit and Thread Bank Partner Story. We recently published our first partnership story about Thread Bank, our fourth partner bank. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a forward-thinking team and are excited about the opportunities for our relationship and our shared clients in the years ahead.

Announcing our Partnership with the Financial Solutions Lab. We also announced a new partnership with the Financial Solutions Lab, an initiative of the Financial Health Network, as part of our ongoing mission to improve financial inclusion and create an impact through our platform. The Financial Solutions Lab supports startups that work to improve the financial health of Americans by identifying, testing, and scaling digital products and services that address the needs of low- to moderate-income and historically underserved communities. 

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Compliance & Oversight:

Kevin Carr joined us as our VP of Financial Crimes Compliance and Intelligence following senior policymaking roles on BSA/AML and sanctions compliance at the Treasury Department and a variety of private sector roles with banks and fintechs. Kevin will lead our BSA team and be responsible for Unit’s BSA/AML program.

Shahar Blumer joined us as Head of Risk & Fraud after leading risk data analytics at BlueVine. Shahar is leading our efforts to enhance fraud operations and further build out our fraud detection capabilities.

Anne Moore joined as our Director of Compliance Oversight. She is a subject matter expert in the areas of compliance management systems (CMS), consumer lending and deposit regulations, compliance and business operations, BSA/AML laws and regulations, marketing compliance, complaint management programs, and fair and responsible banking programs.  Anne will lead our monitoring and testing efforts internally as well as coordinating the compliance oversight efforts of our partner banks.

Product Updates:

Announcing White-Label UIs. We recently introduced new white-label UI features (including application forms, statements, bank verification letters, and more) that will allow programs to launch with a repeatable, consistent, secure set of components that our banks can easily review. You can explore the white-label UI guide here.

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Unit in the News:

Unit on the FDIC Podcast. Our Chief Compliance Officer, Amanda Swoverland, was featured on an FDIC podcast about embedded banking and the future of bank-fintech relationships. You can listen here and read the transcript here.

Unit named to the Embedded Fintech 50. Unit was named to the Embedded Fintech 50. We’re honored to be named to GGV Capital’s inaugural Embedded Fintech 50 list, which highlights rising stars in the field of embedded finance. 

Upcoming Events:

[Webinar] BaaS: Using Compliance as a Competitive Advantage: Join Unit on Wednesday, March 1st at 1 PM ET for a discussion with PerformLine and FedFis as we discuss the current state of the industry, predictions and thoughts about the regulatory environment, and tips on how to be proactive when it comes to compliance. Sign up here.

Meet with us at Fintech Meetup! We’ll be attending Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas this year (March 19-22) and we’d love to get together in person if you’ll be there too. Find time with us here.

NY Fintech Week: What’s Next For BaaS? Join us on April 26 for hors d’oeuvres and a lively conversation about the future of banking-as-a-service. Amanda Swoverland, our Chief Compliance Officer, will speak on a panel alongside other industry leaders in partnership with Fintech Business Weekly and RISE, created by Barclays. RSVP here.

National Bankers Association: Unit’s Chief Legal Officer Alex Acree will be speaking to the National Bankers Association’s Innovation Committee on March 17th about technology innovation and bank partnerships for Minority-Owned Depository Institutions (MDIs).

Interested in learning more? 

Email us at banks@unit.co or request a demo of our platform. 

You can also visit our features page to learn about existing capabilities, and explore our future releases using our public roadmap. To keep up with the most recent company and platform updates, subscribe to our updates.