NXTSTAGE Financial Technology Pilot Competition Announces Nine Finalists
Photo from the 2024 Financial Technology Pilot Competition Innovation Showcase. Photo courtesy of Fernando Salazar.
Wichita, Kan. – December 10, 2025 – NXTUS, Inc. today announced nine finalists for the 2025 NXTSTAGE Financial Technology Pilot Competition, which connects high-potential FinTech startups with Kansas community financial institutions.
The finalists, who are from the United States and the United Kingdom, emerged from a pool of 210 applicants from 37 countries and 27 states. They offer deployment-ready solutions to improve the operations and digital offerings of community banks, focused on cyber security, risk management and access control, Office 365 compliance, and AI automation.
NXTUS operates the competition in partnership with the Kansas Bankers Association (KBA), American Bankers Association (ABA) and core banking systems provider DCI. This unique program offers global FinTech startups the chance to showcase their solutions directly to financial institutions who are seeking breakthrough tools to improve operations and enhance services for both consumer and business clients.
For the sixth year of this competition, NXTUS and KBA assembled a task force of five community banks to help evaluate competitors: Bank of Commerce, First Heritage Bank, Legacy Bank, Silver Lake Bank, and United Bank & Trust. In addition, ABA’s Office of Innovation helped select the finalists, whose solutions address the high-priority innovation hopes and needs of community banks.
The finalists will pitch their technology tools to banks from around the United States at an online Innovation Showcase, scheduled for January 15. To register or learn more about the Innovation Showcase, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nxtstage-financial-technology-innovation-showcase-tickets.
“The Kansas Bankers Association is honored to partner with NXTUS for the third year in a row to bring the latest technology to our member banks and communities around the state. Our Technology Conference will feature four of the top finalists at our February 2026 showcase, and we look forward to giving these FinTech startups a platform to share their innovations,” said Brenda L. Unruh, EVP – Director of Education, Communications, and Strategic Partnerships at KBA.
“At ABA, we believe collaboration is key to driving meaningful innovation in banking,” said Ryan Jackson, VP Innovation Strategy at ABA. “Programs like NXTSTAGE create vital connections between community banks and fintech innovators, ensuring these institutions have access to the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. By fostering these partnerships, we’re helping shape a future where community banks can deliver exceptional experiences and remain strong competitors.”
The 2025 Finalists:
ASA Technologies (Provo, UT): ASA offers Financial Institutions (FIs) superior digital extension and rapid innovation through its embedded fintech platform.
eFrontiers (Genève, Switzerland): Empowers financial institutions to scale acquisition and gather deep customer insights through gamified, white-label financial education.
Illuma Labs Inc. (Plano, TX): Provides banking call centers and financial institutions with frictionless AI-powered voice security solutions that shorten calls and reduce fraud losses.
Monit (Boston, MA): An award-winning platform built by bankers, helps FIs win the SMB segment, delivering real ROI via tailored insights and fraud protection.
Multimodal (New York City, NY): Serves banks, credit unions, and financial services institutions by building end-to-end agentic AI workflows for lending, account opening and customer onboarding, compliance and regulatory reporting, and more.
Posh AI (Boston, MA): Posh powers smarter customer and employee experiences with AI that automates service, improves efficiency, and adapts to each financial institution’s needs.
SixMap (Columbia, MO): Delivers the most complete and accurate external view of your organization, enabling better visibility and faster cyber risk mitigation.
Spheros (Clifton, NJ): Accelerates client and vendor onboarding for financial institutions by up to 80% through secure data vaults.
V2verify (Omaha, NE): Password-free, 5-factor, deepfake-resistant authentication that secures banking and treasury approvals in seconds and blocks AI voice clones and fraud.