Insights and Innovation in BNPL 2026 Prepares Financial Institutions for a Competitive Holiday Season

equipifi, the leading provider of bank-native Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) infrastructure, today announced the agenda for Insights and Innovation in BNPL 2026, its annual summit for financial institutions. The fully virtual three-day event runs October 14-16.

This year's theme, Expansion: BNPL & Beyond, reflects BNPL's position as a mainstream payment method and its growing importance to consumers in their everyday financial decisions. 

This year, bank-led BNPL usage has grown over 73 percent since the beginning of the year, according to equipifi's BNPL Index, with the upcoming holidays being a major driver of anticipated activity. The same data found that 46 percent of all BNPL purchases financed on equipifi's platform during 2025's Cyber Week were from first-time users, a sign that this is the window for financial institutions to build lasting habits with account holders. In response, equipifi has expanded this year's summit to include a third day dedicated to holiday readiness, giving financial institutions a clear path to activate or optimize their BNPL programs ahead of peak shopping season.

"Consumers deserve access to purchasing power from the financial institution they trust, and it's our mission to make this a reality," said Bryce Deeney, Founder and CEO of equipifi. "Insights and Innovation in BNPL is how we show up for this industry each year. The event brings together the latest research on usage behavior and product innovation to keep financial institutions ahead of where consumer demand is heading, and give them everything they need to launch and succeed."

Joining the summit as guest speakers are two of the industry's most closely watched thought leaders in banking and payments.

"There's an availability and visibility gap for financial institutions when it comes to BNPL," said Jim Marous, co-publisher of The Financial Brand and keynote speaker at this year's event. "Financial institutions have better BNPL experiences than most people realize, but if they're not meeting consumers at the point of decision, fintechs will keep winning the transaction and the deposit relationship that follows."

Tony DeSanctis, Senior Director at Cornerstone Advisors, sees the same dynamic playing out at the deposit level.

"People don't recognize how important payments are to the deposit relationship, especially low-cost deposits. Fintechs have figured this out and are winning with a specific niche and a specific value proposition. Financial institutions need to be just as intentional about owning that transaction. That's the conversation I'm looking forward to having at Insights and Innovation this year," said DeSanctis.

Summit Agenda

• Day 1 — Insights: Where BNPL stands in 2026, with researchers and industry leaders on the trends shaping the market, plus panels of banking leaders running in-house programs of their own.
• Day 2 — Innovation: What account holders want from BNPL, and the technology and innovation financial institutions can put to work in their own products.
• Day 3 — Holiday Strategy Sessions: [New for 2026] A dedicated day to help financial institutions activate or fine-tune their BNPL programs ahead of the holiday season.
  (Day 3 content is tailored for financial institutions already running a BNPL program, though the day is open to all attendees.)

Registration is open now at https://www.equipifi.com/bnpl-and-beyond-insights-innovation-2026.

About equipifi

equipifi is the leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform built for financial institutions in the United States. Its white-label solution integrates with core banking and digital platforms, aligning BNPL offerings with consumers' financial goals and banking preferences. equipifi enables institutions to boost engagement, grow market share, and deliver transparent, manageable installment options directly through their own apps. Learn more at equipifi.com.

About Insights and Innovation in BNPL

Since 2023, Insights and Innovation in BNPL has served as an annual forum to keep financial institutions updated on the latest developments in Pay Later usage, research, and product growth. Hosted by equipifi and attended by hundreds of banking, payments, and digital innovation leaders, this event features the latest research, best practices from financial institutions, and equipifi's proprietary insights. Guest speaker participation in Insights and Innovation in BNPL does not represent an endorsement of equipifi or its products by the speaker or their respective organization.