2026 Community Bankers Conference Media Advisory

WASHINGTON —

ABA president and CEO Rob Nichols and Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman will address community bankers from across the country at the American Bankers Association’s Conference for Community Bankers next Monday, Feb. 16 in Orlando, Florida.

ABA will livestream Monday’s opening general session on X at @ABABankers beginning at approximately 8:05 a.m. ET. The Monday livestream will feature Nichols’ opening remarks outlining key ABA policy priorities and community banking issues, as well as remarks from Vice Chair Bowman on issues facing the banking sector. Following her remarks, Bowman will join Nichols for a fireside chat.

ABA will also livestream the event’s Tuesday, Feb. 17 morning session on how digital assets like stablecoin and tokenized deposits are reshaping the financial landscape, and what it means for community banks. That session, which will also air live on X at @ABABankers, begins at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday. It will feature Kenneth Kelly, ABA chair and chairman and CEO, First Independence Bank in Detroit, Michigan; Brooke Ybarra, SVP, innovation and strategy at ABA; Joaquin Cook, president and CEO, Bank of Guam; and Shawn Main, EVP and chief business architect officer, Vantage Bank. The full streaming schedule is below.

Full Streaming Schedule

All livestreams will be available on X at @ABABankers.

The full schedule for the stream is as follows:

Monday, February 16

8:05 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.: Welcome, Jon Sisk, Chair, CBC and regional president and chief banking officer, West Coast Community Bank
8:10 a.m. – 8:25 a.m.: Welcome and Leading the way: A view from Washington, Rob Nichols, president and CEO, ABA
8:25 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.: The View from the Fed: Michelle Bowman, vice chair for supervision, Federal Reserve
8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.: Fireside chat with Vice Chair Bowman and ABA’s Rob Nichols

Tuesday, February 17

9:30 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.: Money in Motion: What Digital Innovation Means for Community Banks, Kenneth Kelly, ABA Chair, chairman and CEO, First Independence Bank, Brooke Ybarra, SVP, innovation and strategy, ABA, Joaquin Cook, president and CEO, Bank of Guam, Shawn Main, EVP and Chief business architect officer, Vantage Bank

*All times are Eastern, approximate and subject to change. Additional streaming content may be added.

This annual gathering of community bankers provides attendees with an opportunity to discuss important issues facing the nation’s smaller banks, as well as the chance to forge and grow valuable connections with peers across the industry. The full conference program is available on the ABA website.

Press Registration

Note to editors: Portions of the Conference for Community Bankers general sessions will be livestreamed on X at @ABABankers. In-person registration is available to news media for the general sessions on Monday and Tuesday. Press credentials and pre-registration are required for in-person attendance. To pre-register for in-person registration, please contact Morgan Kumi at [email protected]. Only the general sessions on Monday Feb. 16 at 8 a.m. and Tuesday Feb. 17 at 8 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. are open press; all other conference sessions (including all Education Sessions) and conference events are closed press.

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About the American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $25.3 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ over 2 million people, safeguard $20.1 trillion in deposits and extend $13.5 trillion in loans.

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Jeff Sigmund

(202) 663-5439

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