KC has the financial base and technology components needed for a thriving Fintech ecosystem. Fintech is a highly entrepreneurial industry where success is amplified by collaboration. There are 68 banks chartered in the Kansas City region alone – that’s more than the entire state of Arizona. Whether that support comes from those banks or established private sector companies, non-profits, education, government or the connectedness that comes from the density of an innovation hub, KC has it.
Strategic partnership and recognition of a changing banking industry was behind nbkc bank’s funding of startup eSmartloan.com in the mid-2000s. The opportunity paid off when eSmartloan.com sold to Capital One for more than $145 million five years later. In 2017, CommunityAmerica Credit Union started utilizing a teen advisory board made up of 20 local high school students focused on digital innovation in addition to the creation of their Innovation Lab that uses principles from startups and lean methodology to create new products and services.
In 2018, nbkc bank launched a joint venture with LaunchKC—Fountain City Fintech—one of very few accelerators uniquely focused on technology-driven innovation in the financial services industry. To date, 10 companies have received capital, mentorship and access to a forward-thinking bank partner, plus a curriculum of invaluable content from the nation’s top subject matter experts.
As the first Gigabit connected region, a host of digital entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to make KC ground zero for innovation. From this community emerged several successful companies including blooom, a financial services company now worth $1B; ZOLOZ, a digital security firm that recently exited from startup status to become part of the AliBaba family; and Machine Halo, a national leader in public safety technology development. Kansas City is also home to C2FO who’s a two-time Forbes Fintech 50 company.
Another local asset includes KC's own Polsinelli—a top 30 U.S. law firm that also has a top five fintech unit—who specializes in a full suite of legal services for large investment banks and early stage companies developing and embracing new technologies in the financial industry. Members of the Polsinelli Fintech and Regulation Practice are industry leaders and participate heavily in national fintech organizations.
KC has a very deep insurance market with an abundant workforce to foster more growth. In 2010, Spring Venture Group, a direct-to-consumer distributor of Medicare supplement insurance, had just 24 employees. Fast forward to 2019, when the company had 772 employees at its KC headquarters and announced plans to add 1,000 during the next six years. They are well on their way to obtaining that goal as currently in 2021 they employ 946. Growing quickly in KC is made easier by the availability and concentration of skilled labor.
| Occupation |
Employed in KC |
KC Concentration
Compared to
National Average |
| Insurance Underwriters |
960 |
120% |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners & Investigators |
2,570 |
123% |
| Insurance Claims & Policy Processing Clerks |
1,600 |
93% |
| Insurance Sales Agents |
5,680 |
175% |
| Compliance Officers |
3,270 |
120% |
| Actuaries |
310 |
172% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment, Kansas City MO-KS MSA, May 2023.
Other select insurance operations in KC include:
Headquartered in KC with over 1,700 employees, Lockton Companies is the world’s largest privately owned, independent insurance brokerage firm.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by insurance regulators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. This organization’s central office is in KC with close to 600 employees.
Kansas City serves as the hub of State Street’s insurance servicing operation, providing investment administration for insurance portfolios.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and Kansas City are the largest providers of health plans in Kansas and the 32-county area serving Greater Kansas City and northwest Missouri.
Farmers Insurance Group employs over 2,000 workers in KC, with offices housing three different divisions including the company’s national property claims division.
Technological advances have allowed for the decentralization of financial information and made it less important to be in one of the major money centers of the U.S. to succeed in wealth management. Though KC isn’t New York or Chicago, the support of innovation and an entrepreneur-friendly culture attracts world class money managers. Most notably, these select companies have a major presence in KC: American Century Investments (HQ), Mariner Holdings (HQ), State Street and SS&C Technologies.
Midwestern ethics of good, solid planning and treating the customer right are the core fundamentals that make both the KC economy and wealth managers successful here. Founded and headquartered in KC, American Century Investments embodies why wealth management companies thrive in KC with their motto of “Prosper with a Purpose.” In addition to helping individuals and businesses with their financial goals through high-yielding mutual funds, American Century founder Jim Stowers and his wife Virginia built and endowed the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
With an initial endowment of $2 billion—99% of Jim and Virginia’s amassed wealth—the Stowers Institute is now recognized as a world-class biomedical research organization. Stowers Institute owns more than 40% of American Century and dividend payments have provided $1.4 billion of ongoing financial support for the Institute’s important work since 2000. Their core focus is to eliminate devastating diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. With $150 billion in assets under management, the potential to impact lives positively, beyond money, will live on with the partnership between American Century Investments and Stowers Institute.