Founder
CFES
Sima J. Gandhi is a tech executive and serial entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience building at the intersection of banking and tech. As President and founder of Alton Strategies, she invests in and advises tech companies on regulatory, policy, and business strategies. She recently co-founded the Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards (CFES), a standard-setting organization for fintechs partnering with banks. As the first business executive at Plaid, she led global bank partnerships and architected US Open Banking regulation. Previously, Sima co-founded Creative Juice (acquired 2023) and held senior roles at American Express and the US Treasury. She holds an engineering degree from Stanford University and JD / LLM from NYU. She lives in Washington DC with her husband and son.
The tidal wave of fintech innovation that is transforming financial services shows no signs of retreating, as open banking, emerging technologies and customer expectations continue to evolve the industry at an accelerated pace. Bank-fintech partnerships have been instrumental in shaping the future of global digital finance, delivering seamless, mobile-first solutions, but operational risks and regulatory compliance must be managed and met by models that foster collaboration and ensure safety and soundness. Industry participants and experts weigh in on how these innovation-based partnerships are expanding access to banking services, optimizing the customer experience, speeding product development, and increasing operational efficiency—all with an eye on establishing a framework for bank-fintech partnership that manages risks and compliance without compromising innovation.