“Can a 19th-century New England community bank modernize commercial payments and digital banking fast enough to retain SME clients against fintech challengers?”
Brookline Bank is a 150+ year-old Massachusetts community bank that has gradually layered in modern commercial-banking capabilities — partnering with Currencycloud in 2017 to scale FX for SME customers, building out a Commercial Markets Payments Group in 2024, and elevating digital leadership with a Chief Digital Officer role. The bank has now become a division of Beacon Bank & Trust, signaling a consolidation-driven evolution rather than a fintech pivot.