John Pitts, head of industry relations and digital trust at Plaid, and Jaime Lopez, principal developer advocate at Jack Henry, discussed the transformative role of Open Banking beyond the nation’s top financial institutions during a Fireside Chat at Open Banking Expo USA. They highlighted that while 114 million accounts in the US are now connected via API, only 10 to 15 of the country’s largest banks account for the bulk of those accounts. However, nearly 9,000 small and mid-sized banks and credit unions are increasingly API-enabled, largely due to partnerships with core providers like Jack Henry. Lopez highlighted that many of these institutions may not even realize their systems are already API-capable, thanks to their core and digital banking providers. The conversation also touched on disruptive factors reshaping financial services, such as Open Banking, faster payments, digital wallets, stablecoins, and generative AI. Lopez called these “huge technology shocks” that smaller institutions must navigate without the resources of large banks. The amazing power of technology is its ability to scale at effectively zero marginal cost. Infrastructure-led partnerships, like the one between Jack Henry and Plaid, are ushering in a digital era where even the smallest institution can deliver big-bank experiences.