Emprise Bank Rebuilds Core Banking with AI Agents to Target 10x Growth

Emprise Bank is rebuilding its core banking infrastructure from the ground up to integrate AI agents directly into its processing environment. By partnering with fintech startup Maximum, the Wichita-based sponsor bank aims to bypass the limitations of legacy systems, signaling a shift toward AI-native operations that could redefine the scalability and speed of community banking.

What was announced

Emprise Bank has initiated a comprehensive overhaul of its core banking system, moving away from the industry standard of layering artificial intelligence on top of aging legacy technology. Instead, the bank is embedding AI agents directly into its core processing environment. This project is being developed in collaboration with Maximum, a fintech company that recently emerged from stealth with $30 million in funding.

The new platform is designed to provide the bank with significantly higher operational velocity while maintaining strict governance and auditability for all core functions. Emprise expects this infrastructure shift to support a tenfold increase in its customer base over the next 24 months. The timeline for the project targets the end of 2026 for the first live transactions to be processed on the new system.

By rebuilding the core rather than patching existing software, the partnership aims to challenge the dominance of established core banking providers. The infrastructure is specifically built for the AI era, allowing the bank to automate complex workflows and data processing at the architectural level rather than through external integrations or wrappers.

The companies involved

Emprise Bank is a Wichita-based community and sponsor bank that has increasingly positioned itself as a key player in the fintech ecosystem. As a sponsor bank, it provides the underlying regulated infrastructure for various financial technology products and services. The institution has recently focused on modernizing its leadership and technological capabilities to better serve the evolving needs of the digital finance market.

Maximum is a fintech newcomer that provides next-generation infrastructure designed to replace traditional core banking systems. The company recently secured $30 million in funding to develop what it describes as an AI-native operating system for global banking. Maximum positions itself as a direct challenger to the "core banking cabal"—the small group of legacy providers that have historically dominated the market. By offering a system where AI is an intrinsic part of the core rather than an add-on, Maximum aims to provide financial institutions with the flexibility and speed required to compete with modern digital-first competitors.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the development of both entities as they move toward this collaboration. In August 2026, we reported that Maximum Secures $30 Million to Develop AI-Native Operating System for Global Banking, highlighting the company’s mission to overhaul traditional ledger systems. Earlier that year, in March, we covered a key leadership move when Emprise Bank Adds Fintech Entrepreneur Randy Fernando to Board of Directors, a move that signaled the bank's intent to deepen its fintech expertise. Additionally, Emprise’s presence in the broader fintech market was noted in our coverage of AffiniPay Releases MyCase Smart Spend, Powered by the LawPay Visa Business Card, First Business Credit Card and Spend Management Offering for SMB Law Firms, which detailed new credit offerings within the bank's ecosystem.

What this means

This move places significant pressure on legacy core providers who have long relied on the sticky nature of their outdated systems. While many banks have experimented with AI for customer service or fraud detection, Emprise’s decision to bake AI into the ledger itself is a high-stakes bet on operational efficiency. It raises a critical question for the sector: can a community bank successfully migrate its entire core without the service disruptions that often plague such transitions? If Emprise achieves its 10x growth target, it will provide a blueprint for other mid-tier banks to bypass traditional vendors in favor of AI-native alternatives.