PLEASANTON, Calif.–Javelin Strategy & Research’s new 2025 Small Business Digital Banking Vendor Scorecard, which evaluates vendors on more than 350 criteria, has found digital feature gaps are narrowing as vendors face “more pressure than ever to integrate smartly and deliver reliably.”
According to the report, Q2 earned the Best-in-Class ranking thanks to an online and mobile platform that “emphasizes contextual insights and business owner actionability, banker-facing tools that enable FIs to personalize the digital experience for business clients, and a consistent record of delivering on an ambitious roadmap.”
Apiture ranked as a close runner up, according to Javelin, with “standout offerings in real-time payments UX and cutting-edge AI tools for bankers.”
The report further states that Candescent introduced a refreshed mobile-first UX and improved administrative tools, while core providers including FIS, Fiserv, Jack Henry, and CSIsharpened their small business focus with recent acquisitions and major product rollouts.
Industry ‘Upped Its Game’
“The whole industry has upped its game,” Ian Benton, head of Small Business Banking at Javelin, said in a statement. “No longer is small business digital banking an afterthought to consumer and commercial offerings. We are seeing updated platforms with refreshed payments UX, integrated invoicing tools, fully digital account opening flows, and actionable cash-flow insights—all designed to position a bank at the center of small business customers’ day-to-day operations.”
Key Findings
According to Javelin, key findings in the report include:
- Payments take center stage. Vendors are consolidating money movement into unified hubs spanning ACH, wires, real-time payments, Zelle, and even tax payments, shifting toward a “tell us the recipient, we’ll figure out the rails” model.
- Personalization gains traction. Widget-based dashboards, API-first design, third-party marketplaces, and industry-specific payments tools are enabling tailored digital experiences for small business clients.
- Functionality alone is no longer a differentiator. Javelin said most vendors now offer a baseline of account management, entitlements, customer service, payments, cash-flow analysis, and AI insights. Leaders stand out by how intelligently these features are integrated into the broader experience.
For info: 2025 Small Business Digital Banking Vendor Scorecard
