Next Monday and Tuesday Livestreams: ABA’s Nichols, OCC’s Gould, N.C. Gov. Stein, Sen. Tedd Budd, First Citizens Bank’s Holding, Kelley Earnhardt Miller to Headline ABA’s Annual Convention

ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols, Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould, N.C. Gov. Josh Stein, N.C. Sen. Tedd Budd, First Citizens Bank Chairman and CEO Frank B. Holding, Jr., and JR Motorsports CEO Kelly Earnhardt Miller are among the speakers who will headline the American Bankers Association’s 2025 Annual Convention Oct. 20 and 21 in Charlotte, N.C. before an audience of bank leaders from across the country. ABA will livestream convention general sessions on its X handle @ABABankers. Additional speakers are expected for the event.

Monday General Sessions
On Monday morning, Oct. 20, the convention will open with remarks from ABA president and CEO Rob Nichols, followed by a welcome from North Carolina Bankers Association President and CEO Peter Gwaltney. Next, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein will welcome attendees and discuss the important role banks play in the state‘s economy before Nichols sits down with Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould to discuss the OCC’s priorities under his leadership. The morning continues with Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) delivering remarks before joining ABA Executive Vice President of Congressional Relations and Legislative Affairs Kirsten Sutton to discuss the latest news from Congress, the outlook for legislation affecting the banking sector and rebuilding efforts in Western North Carolina. 

Monday afternoon’s general session will include First Citizens Bank Chairman and CEO Frank B. Holding, Jr., who led the bank’s acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023, discussing bank M&A and other issues with ABA’s Nichols, as well as a panel of chief risk officers who will explore how financial institutions are navigating enterprise-wide risk amid economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts and cyber threats. The day will conclude with an address from outgoing ABA Chair John Asbury, recognition of emerging leaders and a conversation on the intersection of NASCAR and banking with JR Motorsports CEO and Blue Harbor Bank Chairman Kelley Earnhardt Miller.

Tuesday General Sessions
On Tuesday morning, Oct. 21, ABA will hold its Annual Business Meeting featuring remarks from the newly elected ABA Chair followed by the presentation of the ABA Foundation’s Community Commitment Awards. The morning continues with a deep dive session on banks and stablecoins, followed by look at the success Australia is having in fighting fraud and scams with insights from Paul Benda, executive vice president, risk, fraud and cybersecurity at ABA, and Chris Taylor, chief policy officer of the Australian Banking Association.

The lineup for Tuesday afternoon’s livestream will be announced closer to the event date.

• 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.: Opening Remarks: Rob Nichols, president and CEO, ABA
• 8:15 a.m. – 8:20 a.m.: Welcome to Charlotte: Peter Gwaltney, president and CEO, North Carolina Bankers Association
• 8:20 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: Welcome to The Tar Heel State: Gov. Josh Stein, governor of North Carolina
• 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Outlook for the OCC, Jonathan Gould, comptroller of the currency with Rob Nichols, president and CEO, ABA
• 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.:  Capitol Hill Update from Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) with Kirsten Sutton, executive vice president, congressional relations and legislative affairs, ABA
• 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Perspectives on growth and M&A: Frank B. Holding, Jr., chairman and CEO, First Citizens BancShares, Inc. and First Citizens Bank with Rob Nichols, president and CEO, ABA
• 2:00 p.m.– 2:30 p.m.: Policy and advocacy outlook featuring ABA’s senior policy team
• 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Navigating risk in Uncertain Times: Strategic insights for the C-suite: Brad Bender, senior executive vice president and chief risk officer, Truist Financial Corporation; Emily Nachlas, chief risk officer, Western Alliance Bancorporation; Kristina M. Schaefer, senior vice president, associate general counsel and director of government relations, Dacotah Bank; Moderator: Ryan Rasske, senior vice president, risk and customer markets, ABA
• 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.: ABA Chair Address: John Asbury, ABA chair and CEO, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation
• 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Emerging Leader Awards
• 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: The business of NASCAR and banking: Kelley Earnhardt Miller, co-owner and CEO, JR Motorsports and Chairman, Blue Harbor Bank, with Peter Cook, ABA Chief Communications Officer

Tuesday, October 21

• 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: Annual Business Meeting, ABA Chair Address, and Community Commitment Awards
• 8:30a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Stablecoins: Parsing the hype, panic, and opportunity, Brooke Ybarra, senior vice president, innovation and strategy, ABA, Jess Sharp, executive vice president, advocacy and innovation, ABA
• 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: Fraud and scams round up in the U.S. and worldwide, Chris Taylor, chief policy officer, Australian Banking Association, Paul Benda, executive vice president, risk, fraud and cybersecurity, ABA
• 1:30 p.m. – 2:00p.m.: Speakers to be announced.

* All times are approximate and subject to change. 

Press Registration
Note to editors: Convention general sessions will be livestreamed on X at @ABABankers. In-person registration is available to news media for the general sessions on Monday, Oct. 20 and Tuesday, Oct. 21. Press credentials and pre-registration are required for in-person registration. To pre-register for in-person registration, please contact Morgan Kumi at [email protected]. Only the general sessions on Monday, Oct. 20 (beginning at 8:00a.m., 1:30p.m. and 3:30p.m.) and Tuesday, Oct. 21 (beginning at 8:00a.m. and 1:30p.m.), are open press; all other convention sessions (including all Knowledge Sessions) and convention events are closed press.