Pub. 11 2021 Issue 1

19 PUB. 10 2020 ISSUE 4 “Under Governor Ducey’s leadership, Arizona was the first state in the nation to establish a fintech sandbox program, demonstrating our commitment to embrac- ing the emerging technologies that will shape our future,” said Sandra Watson, Ar- izona Commerce Authority President & CEO. “The Arizona Fintech Council will further advance our state’s reputation as a hub for innovation in the financial services industry, and the ACA is proud to participate in the effort alongside part- ners statewide. Arizona State University (ASU) will also partner with the Council to make con- nections for its students interested in the financial services industry. Ranked No. 1 in innovation by U.S. News & World Re - port for the sixth year running, ASU offers a strong talent pool and will be an asset for new and emerging fintechs looking for further growth and expansion. “At Arizona State University, we are always looking at data that informs us about what is ahead in workforce devel- opment and preparing students for jobs that may not even yet exist,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “The plans for advancement and the work that will be done through the Arizona Fintech Council is exciting because of what it can do to help companies prepare, and new companies emerge, to meet the opportunities ahead and the kind of talent and skills needed to drive successful outcomes. Cultivating a mindset of transformation helps growing ar- eas of our economy, such as fintech, prosper, and we look forward to working together.” The Council will facilitate connections through regular summits, where fintechs selected with CCG’s Catalyst recom- mendation will showcase their ideas to member financial institutions. If a member institution seeks to partner with one of the presenting startups on a PoC, the Council will refer an application to the Arizona attorney general for approval and inclusion in the sandbox program. As a leading bank and fintech consulting firm, CCG Catalyst advises our clients on strategy related to financial services and the fusion of banking and fintech. Bringing this partnership together with AzBA and enlisting the support of numerous financial institutions, regulatory agencies, and pub- lic innovators such as ASU, ACA, GPEC, SCI and AZTC will bring new opportuni - ties to the financial services community locally and across the nation, said Paul Schaus, president and CEO of CCG Cata- lyst. Scarlett Sieber, CCG Catalyst’s chief strategy and innovation officer, will lead About CCG Catalyst Consulting CCG Catalyst is a global management consulting firm specialized across the financial services industry. We advise our banking and fintech clients on the direc - tion and future of the industry. Leaning on our wealth of experience and proven track record of delivery, we bring continuous innovation to support our clients, improve their performance and create lasting value across organizations. For more information, visit www.ccgcatalyst.com and follow us on Twitter @CCGCatalyst and LinkedIn. About the Arizona Bankers Association AzBA is the 117-year-old trade associa - tion for Arizona’s community banks and financial services industry. The associ - ation represents banks taking deposits statewide, from Yuma to Tuba City and all points in between. For more information, visit https://azbankers.org/ and follow us on Twitter @azbankers and LinkedIn. the fintech effort. Miranda Jenkins, the firm’s chief operating officer, will manage the fintech program. The combination of banking and fintech is a natural progres - sion within the industry, and CCG Catalyst is excited to be part of this evolution. w