The Decisions That Will Shape Finance in 2026

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2026--

Biz2X, a global SaaS platform that enables financial institutions to deliver AI-powered small business lending, today announced Biz2X Frontiers 2026: What’s Next, its ninth annual convening to be held January 28–29, 2026, in Miami.

The convening comes as financial institutions worldwide move from experimentation to decision-making on AI deployment, regulatory alignment, capital allocation, and risk management amid a more fragmented and geopolitically complex financial landscape.

“Financial institutions are entering a year where decisions on AI deployment, regulation, and capital structure will have lasting consequences,” said Rohit Arora, CEO and Co-founder of Biz2X. “Biz2X Frontiers brings senior leaders together to examine how those choices are reshaping lending, risk, and the broader financial system.”

According to International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates, small businesses globally face a multi-trillion-dollar financing gap, with Latin America and the Middle East among the most underserved regions.

As banks enter a reset year marked by AI deployment at scale, renewed consolidation, and tighter regulatory scrutiny, Boston Consulting Group, the knowledge partner for Biz2X Frontiers 2026, has identified 2026 as a turning point for how financial institutions allocate capital and manage risk.

“Decisions on AI deployment, regulation and operating models are already reshaping the economics of lending,” said Bharat Pddar, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group. “BCG research shows that AI-driven digitization delivers 2-5x faster credit decisions (e.g., 45% faster underwriting and same-day approvals vs a week) and 20% - 40% cost reductions across underwriting, monitoring, risk and compliance, creating a clear, quantifiable performance gap between AI leaders and laggards.”

The ninth annual Biz2X Frontiers convenes January 28–29, 2026, in Miami, bringing together more than 300 senior executives, policymakers, investors, and technology leaders from global financial institutions.

Selected Confirmed Participants

Economics, Policy, and Regulation:

• Arthur B. Laffer, Economist and Chairman, Laffer Associates
• Steve Moore, Co-founder, Unleash Prosperity
• Madhu Gottumukkala, Acting Director and Deputy Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
• Vittorio Di Bello, Director, Financial Institutions Group for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, International Finance Corporation
• Jessica Reiner, Managing Director, Digital Finance, Institute of International Finance
• Juan Reyes, General Counsel, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House

Banking and Financial Institutions:

• Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD
• Jagdeep Dayal, Chief Credit Officer, Optum Bank
• David McGown, Managing Director, Barclays

Investment, Capital, and Markets:

• Gaurav Hind, Managing Director and Global Head of Infrastructure, Data and AI, KKR
• Daniel Williams, Managing Director, Kilgour Williams Capital
• Michael Blaugrund, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Intercontinental Exchange
• Dane Skillrud , Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Systematic Equities & FICC, Citadel Securities

Technology, Payments, and Platforms:

• Rohit Bhatt , General Manager & Managing Director, Google Global Financial Services
• Chiro Aikat, Co-president, U.S., Mastercard
• Ginger Siegel, North America Small and Medium Business Lead, Mastercard
• Brodie Oldham, Vice President, U.S. Commercial Data Sciences, Applied Sciences and Consulting, Experian
• Charith Mandis , Head of Worldwide Banking, Amazon Web Services

Advisory and Professional Services:

• Bharat Poddar, Managing Director and Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group
• Ryan Curley, Global Head of Business Banking, Boston Consulting Group
• Keith M. Townsend, Partner, Corporate, Finance and Investments, King & Spalding

Regional and Emerging Market Finance:

• Nandan Mer, Chief Executive Officer, Dgpays
• Chris Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Deem Finance

Biz2X Frontiers 2026 is an invite-only event. For more information, please visit: https://www.biz2xfrontiers.com/

About Biz2X

Biz2X is a global SaaS platform enabling financial institutions to deliver scalable, efficient, and AI-powered small business lending. Built by the team behind Biz2Credit, Biz2X provides modern digital tools including automated workflows, configurable decision engines, credit analytics and risk management, and a fully white labeled cloud native architecture to help businesses streamline operations and grow their SMB portfolios. The company has more than 550 team members worldwide operating across multiple international offices and has processed billions in small business financing through its platform. For more information visit www.biz2x.com.

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KEYWORD: FLORIDA NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY FINANCE BANKING OTHER TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SMALL BUSINESS SOFTWARE OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SOURCE: Biz2X

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PUB: 01/07/2026 08:15 AM/DISC: 01/07/2026 08:15 AM

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