Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, Industry Executives Address CBA LIVE 2026

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) today continued retail banking's premier annual event - CBA LIVE - with over 1,800 bankers, industry leaders, and policymakers, including:

• Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman;
• U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.);
• SoFi CEO Anthony Noto; and
• Circle President Heath Tarbert.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman reiterated the economic importance of small businesses:

"Supporting credit for small businesses is critical to our economy. As we evaluate the Basel proposals, we must ask whether these regulations support or restrict lending to the small businesses that drive US growth and create jobs. Our regulatory framework must provide access to capital for these businesses to ensure our rules support the economy. When small businesses succeed, so do American workers and our economy."

U.S. House Financial Services Committee French Hill previewed forthcoming pieces of legislation to reform the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB):

"There are questions many of you have in your board room about how the Trump Administration will reform the CFPB [...] and many of its regulations like Section 1033 [...] I think you will see [the House Financial Services Committee] this year bring out a series of reforms in the House and we will see the Trump Administration make progress on a new [Section] 1071 rule, a new [Section] 1033 rule, both of which are policies that CBA has advocated for."

SoFi CEO Anthony Noto emphasized the importance of financial institutions holding a national bank charter to offer interest:

"People shouldn't be able to give interest on stored values or deposits unless they're an IDI, and that's to ensure safety and soundness. If you're going to take someone's assets and use it for anything else, you should reach the highest standard, which is a national bank charter, not a national trust. National trust, they get to accept and hold, but they don't get to leverage it for other things. It's just that simple."

Circle President Heath Talbert also joined CBA President and CEO Lindsey Johnson for a forward-looking discussion on the evolving intersection of traditional banking and digital assets. Tarbert highlighted the growing role of trusted financial institutions in enabling secure, compliant digital money movement, underscoring the importance of clear regulatory frameworks to unlock innovation while maintaining consumer protection.

Background

In its 17th year, CBA LIVE is the must-attend annual event for the retail banking industry. Nearly 2,000 senior bankers and industry leaders gather from across the country to experience this premier event, which offers 80+ hours of top-notch programming, delivered by 230 speakers, tailored toward professionals motivated to learn new trends and share ideas with the most influential decision makers in the business.