This Travillian Next Trailblazers episode dives into the future of international payments for community banks and why getting this right could make or break their relevance over the next decade.
Host Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, sits down with Damon Magnuski (CEO), Andrew Dillard (Chief Business Officer), and Sarah Beth Felix (Chief AML Officer) — the founding team behind Acceleron Bank (In Formation) — to explore new ways community banks can win back high-margin foreign payments, modernize compliance, and stay ahead of fintechs, stablecoins, and shifting regulation. It’s a candid look at innovation, startups, and the mission to keep community banking strong.
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0:00 – 3:57 | Why International Payments Matter for Community Banks
Acceleron’s founders explain their mission: community banks handle most U.S. mortgages and small-business loans, but are shut out of profitable international payments. Large banks and fintechs capture the FX margin, leaving community institutions behind. Acceleron aims to shift that revenue back downstream with technology that improves pricing, compliance, and customer experience.
3:57 – 7:14 | Backgrounds Built for the Problem
Andrew shares his FX trading experience and how big banks historically kept spreads to themselves. Sarah Beth breaks down compliance pain points: sanction screening, and foreign wire data stuck in core systems create massive risk for smaller banks. Damon reveals his path from nuclear robotics to fintech entrepreneurship and how that engineering mindset now serves community finance.
7:14 – 13:01 | The Origin Story: Three Perspectives, One Mission
The trio recounts the early days of brainstorming through regulatory shifts, identifying how international payments create operational strain, and realizing community banks globally face the same barriers. Their goal became clear: build a modern correspondent banking model that is borderless, efficient, and built for community institutions, not against them.
13:01 – 17:23 | The Entrepreneur Risk and Why They Took It
Damon describes the reality of launching a bank-focused startup: missed paychecks, regulatory scrutiny, and capital stress. What keeps them going is the mission of protecting community banking. All three founders agree: if they quit, the only winners are megabanks and fintechs that siphon deposits and international business away.
17:23 – 23:24 | Partnerships that Change the Game: Fiserv + Braid
Acceleron quickly learned that selling tools into banks requires seamless core integration. Today, they’re fully embedded in Fiserv Payments Exchange, already connected to 1,000+ financial institutions, and powering fintech-sourced payment flows through Braid. Banks can activate new international payments revenue without ripping out infrastructure.
23:24 – 30:02 | Stablecoins: Risk, Revenue, and Reality
Community banks are nervous, but stablecoins are coming whether they participate or not. Sarah Beth highlights AML exposure. Andrew warns deposits could drain from banks if customers move to tokenized money. Damon explains their approach: support stablecoin rails so banks don’t lose clients who demand them. Innovation is only a threat if community banks ignore it.
30:02 – End | What’s Next: A New Correspondent Model for a New Era
As they finalize their charter in Vermont and scale capital, Acceleron plans to open as a regulated correspondent bank with automation-first international payments. More partnerships are on the way. Their pitch is simple: when a customer asks for something new (FX, global wires, tokenized payments), community banks should be able to say yes.
