Middesk

From the COVID-19 boom to the SVB collapse to the FinCEN BOI pause, every peak and dip tells a story about the U.S. business landscape. In our inaugural Middesk Index, we draw on proprietary data to break down: 📊 Entity formation trends across all 50 states 🗂️ Shifts in registration types and structures 🔍 The trends and events shaping how and where businesses are formed This quarterly snapshot helps anyone working in onboarding, compliance, credit, or strategy stay ahead of the shifting identity landscape. Download the full Middesk Index report here: https://lnkd.in/gaPJcYmv

At #FinovateFall, one theme stood out: trust has to scale as fast as innovation. Jackie Wylie, our Head of Marketing and Sales Development, captured it best — the future of financial services isn’t just about building faster or adding features. It’s about proving you can grow without losing security, compliance, or customer confidence along the way. Get Jackie’s recap of FinovateFall: https://lnkd.in/gNumAM9g

“Personalize or Perish.” That was the theme of today’s American Banker webinar. And it’s not just a catchy title. There is no doubt about it: it's the reality banks are facing today. I joined David Park, President at Axos Bank, and Quinn Evans, my colleague at Middesk, for a fun conversation about how personalization is reshaping the future of banking. Here are a few gems that really stuck with me: 💎 Generic banking is dead. David said this early on, and it was a spicy way to open the conversation. Banks that treat all customers the same are creating friction they can’t afford. Personalization isn’t just about making experiences “nicer”; it’s about removing pain points that cost time, money, and trust. 💎 Personalization is the new trust signal. When a business customer goes online to fill out a form and half the information is already there, that’s a moment of trust built. It's a way to say: “I know you.” Verified data and thoughtful automation build that feeling at scale, especially during onboarding, which I like to think of as the first opportunity to build (or lose) trust. 💎 Data is a growth enabler, not just a control mechanism. The teams that win are the ones that treat data as something that empowers faster, smarter decisions across risk, product, and marketing. Data is not just something to be used to fuel your compliance policy. When used strategically, we know that it drives significant business growth. Our customer have proven that. 💎 Relationship depth over volume. David talked about customer retention being the leading indicator for success, and I couldn’t agree more. For years, GTM teams chased volume: leads, conversions, and MQLs. But what really moves the needle and drives growth is relationship depth: multi-product adoption, time-to-value, and loyalty. That’s how you measure whether you have built valuable relationships and maximized value for your customers. 💎 AI should scale what’s human, not replace it. We’re all seeing the rise of AI “content slop,” and in financial services, that’s a brand risk. The real opportunity is to use AI to amplify human connection, not automate it away. Similarly, the best banks will pair verified data with real human judgment. The throughline in all of this is that speed means nothing without trust. And trust doesn’t start later in the relationship. It’s established (or lost) in the very first interaction you have with that prospect. So show them that you already know them from the very first time they engage with your team or product. Big thanks to David and Quinn for such a sharp discussion. It’s rare to have a conversation that’s both tactical and human, and this one was both! I’d love to hear how others in banking and fintech are thinking about this. Where do you see the biggest opportunities (or challenges) for hyper-personalization right now?

Trust isn’t static. It shifts with every transaction. It evolves with every regulation. And it demands constant attention from the people building the infrastructure that makes business possible. But too often, those people are solving the same problems in silos, each creating their own version of trust without shared visibility or best practices. We’ve captured our perspective in The Trust Thesis — and we’re bringing it to life at Money20/20 through The Trust Club Store, an immersive experience where business identity meets culture, design, and data. Explore both here → middesktrustclub.com If you’re heading to Vegas, stop by Booth #14055, book time with our team, and grab exclusive Trust Club merch while you’re there. Preview the collection below 👇

Some paperwork builds businesses. Other paperwork builds trust. If you need to find a company’s Articles of Incorporation, here’s how to turn a static filing into a living proof of legitimacy: 1. Start with the Secretary of State. Every U.S. state keeps its own registry. That’s where you’ll find the formation filings — though access and formats can vary. 2. Request what’s missing. Some states require a formal request or a small fee for certified copies. 3. Check the details twice. Businesses often operate under multiple names. Make sure the legal entity, registration number, and standing all align. 4. Go beyond formation. Articles tell you when a business was born — not whether it’s still healthy. Verify good standing to see if it’s active and compliant. 5. Scale trust with data. Third-party providers can pull filings across states, normalize formats, and help you verify faster — without sacrificing confidence. Because finding a business’s Articles of Incorporation isn’t the hard part. Trusting what you’ve found is.

Some risks don’t live in business filings. They live in headlines. Adverse media and enhanced screenings give risk teams visibility into what basic KYB can’t catch — uncovering signs of fraud, corruption, or litigation that surface long before an official record does. They reveal sanctions or watchlist hits tied to owners and affiliates. They expose links to high-risk industries or regions. Because trust isn’t just about what a business files. It’s about what the world knows. Read “Identify high-risk entities with adverse media and enhanced screenings” here: https://lnkd.in/eD2Jacqw

AI’s next chapter in finance is being written by five banks. According to Banking Dive, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, RBC, Wells Fargo, and TD account for nearly two-thirds of all AI research in the sector. Key signals: 📑 JPMorgan leads with 37% of total research publications 📈 AI use cases doubled in early 2025 compared to late 2024 ⚡ Deployments now include coding copilots, customer chatbots, and internal knowledge tools From labs to live production — AI is scaling in financial services faster than anyone expected. Read Banking Dive’s piece on how global banks are scaling AI research and adoption: https://lnkd.in/gQGyEyyN

Building partnerships is like building products. It takes curiosity, clarity, and trust at every stage. In Tearsheet’s recent feature on how financial services leaders navigate partnership messaging, Jackie Wylie, Middesk’s Head of Marketing, shared how her team builds co-marketing frameworks that balance structure and creativity: “Because Middesk often serves as infrastructure behind our partners’ platforms, we don’t force-fit a single message. Instead, we start by aligning on what success looks like for our partners, their customers, and us.” When collaboration is built on structure and trust, it creates room for creativity and partnerships that actually work. Read the full article from Tearsheet: https://lnkd.in/gSbUyxdT

Great products aren’t built in isolation. They’re built by people who stay curious, move fast, and ship with purpose. Meet Clay Tondreau, one of the engineers helping shape the systems behind Middesk’s growth. From hackathon ideas turned into core infrastructure to building a team that learns and scales together, Clay’s story captures what makes engineering here different: real ownership, real impact, and real collaboration. As Clay puts it: “Engineers here aren’t just closing tickets. They’re expected to think like product owners.” Read Clay’s full interview on how our engineering team is building trust — one line of code at a time: https://lnkd.in/gGSVez-E

Generic banking is dead. Business owners are moving deposits to the institutions that know them, not just serve them. Join Axos Bank's David Park and Middesk’s Jackie Wylie on October 15 at 2 p.m. ET to hear how leading banks are using identity data and purpose-built software to: - Personalize onboarding that builds real trust - Turn data into relationships that last - Keep deposits growing even in a competitive market Seats are limited — save yours now: https://lnkd.in/dY-qNr8J