Company Announcements

Prestigious annual awards program celebrates a decade of recognizing the world’s most innovative financial technology (“fintech”) companies

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 7, 2026-- Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH) through its subsidiary, Pathward^®, N.A. (“Pathward” or “The Company”) announced that it has been selected as “Banking-as-a-Service Platform of the Year” in the 10th annual FinTech Breakthrough Awards program. FinTech Breakthrough is an independent market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global fintech market today.

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Pathward has been selected as “Banking-as-a-Service Platform of the Year” in the 10th annual FinTech Breakthrough Awards program.

Pathward, a nationally chartered bank, is expanding financial access and opportunity through its endeavor to be the trusted platform that enables its partners to thrive and deliver banking products that meet customer demands. With sponsorship capabilities ranging from prepaid cards and deposit accounts to money movement, merchant acquiring, and credit solutions, Pathward empowers partners to deliver programs that shape the future landscape of payments.

“At Pathward, we offer decades of payments experience with a deep bench of talent, operational excellence, a broad suite of product offerings, and a commitment to serving fintechs to support their unique business models – all of which pave the way for our partners’ success,” said Pathward Chief Customer Officer, Will Sowell. “Thank you to FinTech Breakthrough for this acknowledgment. Over the course of the past year, we have continued to leverage our experience in partnership banking to help partners in payments, issuing, acquiring, money movement and credit solutions.”

As a leading sponsor bank in the payments ecosystem, Pathward enables fintech partners to launch, operate and scale with confidence. The Company provides secure, reliable access to core banking infrastructure and a strong compliance foundation, allowing partners such as Clair and BluePenguin to focus on innovation while operating on a resilient platform. Pathward’s broad and flexible capabilities support a wide range of fintech business models, helping partners grow sustainably and responsibly at scale.

“Market gaps exist that disproportionately affect individuals and small–midsized businesses. Finding and then offering the right fintech can help them to address their complex financial needs for broad market impact,” said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, FinTech Breakthrough. “With a BaaS platform that includes people, processes and technology with a regulatory overlay, Pathward delivers true partnership through the co-creation of solutions to deliver on their partners’ innovations. We’re pleased to name Pathward ‘BaaS Platform of the Year!’”

The FinTech Breakthrough Awards is a premier awards program founded to recognize fintech innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the world in a wide range of categories, including Digital Banking, Personal Finance, Cryptocurrencies, Lending, Payments, Investments, RegTech, InsurTech and more. The 2026 program represents a milestone year, reflecting a decade of spotlighting the companies driving measurable innovation across the global fintech ecosystem. Read Fintech Breakthrough’s news release announcing this year’s winners.

Visit Pathward.com to learn more about how Pathward’s forward-thinking banking expertise empowers high growth payment innovators.

About Pathward Financial, Inc.
Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH) is a U.S.-based financial holding company driven by its purpose to power financial inclusion. Through our subsidiary, Pathward®, N.A., we strive to increase financial availability, choice and opportunity across our Partner Solutions and Commercial Finance business lines. These strategic business lines provide support to individuals and businesses. Learn more at PathwardFinancial.com.

About FinTech Breakthrough
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for technology innovation and leadership around the globe, the FinTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring breakthrough innovation in Financial Technologies and Services companies and products. The FinTech Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the standout achievements of FinTech companies and products in categories that include Payments, Personal Finance, Cryptocurrency, Wealth Management, Fraud Protection, Banking, Lending, RegTech, InsurTech and more. For more information visit FinTechBreakthrough.com.

Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Media contact:
Courtney Heidelberg
605.291.7044
mediarelations@pathward.com

Investor Relations contact:
Darby Schoenfeld, CPA
SVP, Chief of Staff & Investor Relations
877.497.7497
investorrelations@pathward.com

Source: Pathward Financial, Inc.