Promoting an inclusive and transparent financial system

Discover how we are working together to foster responsible innovation in financial technology.

“Wanting a well-tailored regulatory approach that enables community banks to thrive is a critical goal. There is a history of regulators speaking a lot about the importance of community banks, but at the same time continuing to layer more and more regulatory expectations on them that make them increasingly unviable… Both from a policy perspective in D.C. and from an examination perspective on the ground, I think trying to be as clear as possible in terms of what our standards are, what our expectations are, and then supervising based on the expectations that we've communicated – that’s the goal.”

Acting FDIC Chairman Travis Hill at the 2025 American Fintech Council Policy Summit

“You're seeing more and more technology coming into the banking sector, and it's the fintechs that particularly help our community and smaller banks,” said Congressman Bryan Steil, Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Fintech, and AI, at the American Fintech Council Policy Summit today. “What the fintech community does is give a huge opportunity and advantage to some of our community banks to be able to provide the technology that consumers are demanding. And because of that, it is essential that we're partnering the fintech community… with banking at large to create efficiencies in the marketplace.”

Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI) at the 2025 American Fintech Council Policy Summit

“All throughout history, there's been no greater catalyst for human prosperity and human progress than technology – and I see it not only as a great disruptor of the status quo, but as a great equalizer of opportunity,” said Congressman Ritchie Torres, member of the House Financial Services Committee, speaking at the American Fintech Council Policy Summit this morning. “The greatest value of fintech, when done properly, is affordability. We should be harnessing the power of fintech to make financing more abundant, more affordable, to those who have been left behind by the legacy financial system.”

Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) at the 2025 American Fintech Council Policy Summit

“Innovation is fundamentally linked to remaining relevant – and increasingly, it's important for banks to remain innovative” said Jonathan Gould, Comptroller of the Currency, at the American Fintech Council Policy Summit today. “When we think about new technologies or potentially banks engaging in new forms of traditional financial intermediation activities, we as supervisors are looking for ways to facilitate their engagement in those activities and their embrace of new technology... I think we're trying to take a different approach this time: working with folks in this room and others together to find a path forward to do it in a safe and sound manner.”

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould at the 2025 American Fintech Council Policy Summit

“We need to have a healthy and vibrant financial system,” said Jonathan McKernan, Undersecretary of Domestic Finance for the U.S. Department of Treasury, speaking at the American Fintech Council Annual Policy Summit this morning. “If we're going to have a financial system that not only funds, but embraces and adopts innovation, the bigger picture questions there are ensuring that our regulatory capital framework is tailored to the underlying risks so we can have a financial system that's driven by the fundamentals, by the technologies, by consumer demand, and not by regulatory arbitrage.”

Jonathan McKernan, Undersecretary of Domestic Finance for the U.S. Department of Treasury, at the 2025 American Fintech Council Policy Summit

Mission & Approach

Fostering responsible innovation and sound public policy in financial technology

Standards Based Approach

Our members include emerging financial industries that adhere to product-specific standards in order to promote responsible innovation without compromising on consumer protection.

Inclusive Innovation

Our members develop cutting-edge technology and products to drive financial inclusion and success, ensuring consumers and businesses have the resources they need to succeed.

Pragmatic Collaboration

We facilitate meaningful partnerships and dialogue, creating an ecosystem where diverse perspectives can address shared challenges and opportunities.

Featured news

See the latest news and press releases highlighting the industry and our impact.

IN THE NEWS

Seven state AGs demand more information from BNPL lenders

IN THE NEWS

American Fintech Council, Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards Respond to FinCEN on AML/CFT Compliance Cost

IN THE NEWS

Will Trump be good for payments innovation?

Press Release

Statement from American Fintech Council (AFC) CEO Phil Goldfeder on State Attorneys General Inquiry into Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Products

December 2, 2025

Press Release

American Fintech Council (AFC) and the Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards Highlight Rising AML/CFT Compliance Costs and Operational Challenges in Response to FinCEN Survey

December 2, 2025