Huntington Bank launches fintech venture studio

• Key Insight: Huntington Bank is launching a venture studio to co-create fintech startups.
• Expert Quote: Huntington’s Igor Cerc: “It’s not just about keeping pace, it’s about setting the pace.”
• Forward Look: Huntington is expanding its technology strategy amid a series of acquisitions.

As Huntington Bank looks to reach financial goals in emerging technology such as generative AI, the bank is launching a fintech venture studio through a partnership with Alloy Partners.

The Columbus, Ohio-based regional bank will focus on co-creating new fintech and payments ventures from scratch alongside both entrepreneurs and bankers.

“We’re inviting founders, technologists and visionaries to co-create with us, especially in high-impact areas like payments and wealth management,” said Alice Liu, head of the newly created Huntington Venture Studio.

Huntington is expanding its technology strategy amid a series of acquisitions as the Ohio bank expands its footprint in Texas and other parts of the south.

The $223 billion-asset Huntington Bank will use its new venture studio to evaluate and develop ideas for new areas of growth for the company, build partnerships with entrepreneurs and launch new startup ventures for consumer and commercial customers.

Huntington is joining many other banks in expanding its use of AI beyond older machine learning tools. The bank is focusing initially on software development and is seeing an improvement in productivity as of September of this year.

“Huntington is doubling down on our technology and innovation investments because it’s not just about keeping pace, it’s about setting the pace,” said Huntington Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer Igor Cerc. “This studio is another way we’re making our work more successful. We’re acting more like a tech company, attracting the best talent and building solutions that truly move the needle for our customers.”

The new studio builds on a partnership between Alloy Partners and Huntington Bank that began in 2024.

“This venture studio is not just about launching new businesses, it’s about embedding innovation deep into the DNA of Huntington’s growth story,” said Alloy Partners CEO Elliott Parker. “Together, we’re creating a repeatable engine to turn bold ideas into real-world outcomes.”

Alloy Partners, formerly known as High Alpha Innovation, works with banks and other corporations to co-create venture startups. The self-described “venture builder” firm rebranded in early 2025, and has no relation to the bank technology consortium Alloy Labs.