FIS is capitalizing on three simultaneous forces reshaping banking infrastructure: a surge in de novo charters, accelerating M&A consolidation, and large-bank modernization demand [1][1][1]. The company signed five new bank charters in 1H 2026, secured core banking for a newly formed $100 billion-plus institution, and completed proofs of value with two top-fifteen U.S. banks [1][1][1]. Enterprise software market tailwinds, projected to grow from $379B in 2025 to $762B by 2031 at a 12.2% CAGR, reinforce the durability of FIS's platform investment thesis [2].
What is Covered in this Article
- De novo charter resurgence and FIS's new bank wins [1][1]
- M&A consolidation driving core banking platform decisions [1][1]
- Progressive modernization strategy for large institutions [1]
- Enterprise software market growth as platform investment tailwind [2][3]
The News: FIS announced on September 15, 2026 that its core banking technology will power a newly formed $100 billion-plus U.S. bank created through merger and acquisition [1]. The company also signed five de novo banks in 1H 2026, including Mercury, which received conditional OCC approval for a national bank charter and FDIC deposit insurance approval [1]. The FDIC approved 14 deposit insurance applications in the 12 months through April 2026, double calendar year 2025, with FIS capturing a significant share [1]. Two top-fifteen U.S. banks have completed proofs of value with FIS's enterprise platform strategy for progressive modernization [1]. FIS also recorded a significant commercial digital banking win with a leading global financial institution and several large account origination wins [1].
FIS Targets Banking's Biggest Infrastructure Cycle in Decades
Analyst Take: Banking is experiencing its most consequential infrastructure decision cycle in over a decade, and FIS is positioned at the intersection of all three forces driving it [1][1][1]. The company's wins across de novo charters, merger-driven consolidation, and large-bank modernization are not coincidental, they reflect a deliberate platform strategy aligned with how institutions of every size want to consume technology today [3][1].
De Novo Momentum Signals a Structural Shift, Not a Blip
The regulatory environment for new bank formation has shifted meaningfully. The FDIC approved 14 deposit insurance applications in the 12 months through April 2026, double the number approved in calendar year 2025 [1]. FIS captured a significant share of that activity, signing five de novo banks in 1H 2026 [1]. The Mercury win is particularly notable: Mercury serves over 300,000 startups and entrepreneurs and received conditional OCC approval for a national bank charter alongside FDIC deposit insurance approval [1]. New institutions require modern, scalable, and highly regulated infrastructure from day one, and FIS's ability to win this cohort demonstrates that its platform competes on both technical modernity and regulatory credibility. Co-President of Banking Peter Boyer framed it directly: FIS is delivering a flexible, modern technology stack without sacrificing the resilience and regulatory rigor expected from a banking platform.
Consolidation Creates Platform Selection Moments FIS Is Winning
U.S. bank M&A activity strengthened through 2025, with July 2025 posting the highest monthly deal count since 2021 and median closing timelines falling to 131 days from 185 days in 2024 [1]. Each merger creates a high-stakes platform selection decision for the combined institution. FIS secured the core banking relationship for a newly formed institution with more than $100 billion in assets [1]. That win reflects a competitive reality: when banks consolidate, they gravitate toward infrastructure proven at scale. FIS's installed franchise across large and complex institutions gives it a credibility advantage in these evaluations that newer entrants cannot easily replicate. Market analysts expect consolidation trends to continue into 2026, sustaining this pipeline of displacement opportunities.
Progressive Modernization Addresses the Largest Untapped Opportunity
The largest banks represent the most significant long-term opportunity, and historically the hardest to convert. FIS's enterprise platform strategy changes the calculus by enabling incremental adoption of modern capabilities, including AI, without disruptive rip-and-replace transformations [1]. Two top-fifteen U.S. banks have completed proofs of value with this approach [1]. The strategy resonates with enterprise buyer priorities: 55.2% of decision makers cite improved integration capabilities and 55.1% cite faster time to value realization as top budget confidence drivers, per the Futurum Group Enterprise Software Decision Maker Survey (n=830) [3]. A prior survey wave reinforced these as persistent priorities, with 72.4% citing improved integration capabilities and 60.3% citing faster time to value [4]. AI readiness compounds the urgency: among enterprise decision makers (n=830), generative AI ranked as a high priority for 90.4% of respondents, while data integration and application management ranked similarly high at 88.8% [3]. FIS's component-based, AI-ready platform directly addresses this stack of buyer requirements.
Market Tailwinds Validate the Platform Investment Thesis
The broader enterprise software market provides a durable growth backdrop for FIS's platform investments. The market is projected to grow from a 2025 base of $379,408M to $762,081M by 2031 at a base CAGR of 12.2% [2]. For FIS, this trajectory matters because it signals sustained enterprise willingness to invest in core infrastructure modernization. The company's momentum extends beyond core banking: a significant commercial digital banking win with a leading global financial institution and several large account origination wins demonstrate that successful core relationships expand into adjacent solutions across digital, payments, lending, and data [1]. CEO Stephanie Ferris summarized the positioning: FIS's core banking franchise, scale, and enterprise platform strategy position it to help institutions launch, consolidate, and modernize with the infrastructure they need to move faster and compete with confidence.
What to Watch
- De novo conversion rate: whether Mercury and other conditional charter approvals complete full licensing and activate FIS's core platform on schedule [1]
- M&A pipeline conversion: how many of the mergers expected to close in Q4 2026 and Q1 2027 result in competitive core banking evaluations that FIS enters [1]
- Top-fifteen bank progression: whether the two proof-of-value completions convert to full enterprise platform commitments in the next two quarters [1]
- Wallet-share expansion: how quickly commercial digital banking and account origination wins follow new core relationships secured in 2026 [1]
- Regulatory charter activity: whether FDIC approval volumes sustain above the doubled 2026 pace into early 2027, extending the de novo opportunity window [1]
Sources
1. FIS Builds Core Banking Momentum Across New $100 …, Fisglobal, September 2026
2. 2H 2026 Enterprise Applications Market Sizing & Five-Year Forecast, Futurum Research, August 2026
3. 2H 2026 Enterprise Applications Decision Maker Survey Report, Futurum Research, August 2026
4. 1H 2026 Enterprise Software Decision Maker Survey Report, Futurum Research, February 2026
Disclosure: Futurum is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
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