M&T Bank joins Mass Fintech Hub

by James · April 3, 2023

An M&T Bank branch in Boston's financial district

Bankers and traders file picture

Buffalo-based M&T Bank has joined the Mass Fintech Hub, a public-private partnership supporting the financial technology industry in Massachusetts.

Launched in 2021, the Mass Fintech Hub offers programs to bring investment, employees and collaboration to the fintech ecosystem. Members include financial institutions, fintech firms and community colleges. The organization announced last week a recent expansion of its membership.

Other banks participating in the Mass Fintech Hub include Citizens, Eastern Bank and Reading Cooperative Bank.

The Mass Fintech Hub said in a statement last week that M&T Bank has a strategy that includes building partnerships that “help its customers achieve their financial goals and align with the values of a community-first organization.”

“Massachusetts offers a rich ecosystem of peers, startups and academic institutions to engage with key trends, technological developments and market forces that are likely to impact banking in the future,” Claire Verville, senior vice president and head of venture development at M&T Bank, said in the statement . “We know we are in good company in Massachusetts to learn from others and position our bank for the future. We also see great potential for having access to talent and new technologies that help shape the banking business of the future.”

Babson College, Stonehill College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst are also joining the Mass Fintech Hub. Mass Fintech Hub said these institutions will be involved in programs such as career fairs, mentorships and bootcamps that will help students build skills and make connections in fintech. The schools will also give the fintech and finance industry access to college graduates to build their companies, the statement says.

“Mass Fintech Hub drives collaboration around issues critical to the sector, from workforce development, training, investment, to research,” said Pat Larkin, director of the Innovation Institute at MassTech, a public economic development agency for Massachusetts. “The new members include a leading national bank, three of our top universities from across the state, and several global startups, demonstrating the scope of interest in this work. The strength of the hub’s mission is to grow an inclusive, collaborative and cutting-edge fintech sector across the country.”