Kentucky Bankers Association

What Kentucky Bankers Association does

Kentucky Bankers Association (KBA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1891 and headquartered at 600 W. Main Street, Suite 400, Louisville, Kentucky. It provides legislative, legal, compliance, and educational services to Kentucky's banking industry, and reports that nearly 100% of banks chartered in Kentucky are members. Its operating model is membership-based: Institution Membership is offered to Kentucky-chartered banks, Associate Membership to vendors and service providers, and a separate Bank Counsel Division to attorneys serving banking clients. The association is led by a member-bank board of directors (Chair Lee Scheben of Heritage Bank; Vice Chair J. Jason Hawkins of First United Bank and Trust; Treasurer Alex Cook of Hearthside Bank) and a small staff of approximately 15, including President & CEO Ballard W. Cassady, Jr. (departing after 40 years of service), CFO Matt Vance, and General Counsel Timothy A. Schenk.

KBA's core product surface is organized around four pillars: government relations and legislative advocacy (including operation of KBPAC), an Education Alliance (seminars, schools, online training, Fraud Academy, Foundations of Banking School, Commercial Lending School, Women in Banking, and facilitation of Graduate School of Banking – Colorado and Wisconsin programs), compliance and legal support (including the Bank Counsel Division), and an endorsed products and services portfolio delivered through wholly-owned subsidiaries — KenBanc Insurance, KBA Benefit Solutions, KBA Retirement Solutions, and HOPE of the Midwest (CRA lending). KBA also publishes the bi-monthly Kentucky Banker Magazine and runs 50-75 training/educational events per year.

The commercial model relies on annual membership dues (subscription recurring), event and seminar registration fees, professional services revenue from education programs, and licensing/royalty-style revenue from endorsed vendor programs and insurance/benefits solutions. The association has no parent company, no external shareholders, and no disclosed financials; it is governed mutually by its member institutions. Strategic partnerships include the American Bankers Association (KBA serves as local training delivery partner), ProBank Education Services/Forvis Mazars (compliance training), Indiana Bankers Association (Midwest Agricultural Banking School), and the Graduate Schools of Banking. In 2025, the association achieved a significant federal-court victory when a U.S. District Court in Kentucky enjoined enforcement of the CFPB Open Banking rule, demonstrating the regulatory value delivered to member institutions.

Name

Kentucky Bankers Association

Legal name

Kentucky Bankers Association

Website

https://kybanks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Kentucky Bankers Association is a Louisville-based nonprofit trade association, founded in 1891, that provides legislative advocacy, compliance support, education programs, and endorsed products and services to nearly all banks chartered in Kentucky.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Banking Industry Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Banking trade association
• Financial industry advocacy
• Banking education services
• Compliance and legal support
• Bank member services

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from financial institutions chartered in Kentucky. Almost one hundred percent of banks chartered in Kentucky are members.
2. Education and Training Programs: Revenue from seminars, schools, online training, graduate schools, and bookstore sales. KBA sponsors 50-75 training and educational events each year.
3. Event Registration and Conferences: Fees from annual convention, spring conference, fraud academy, women in banking conference, and other marquee events.
4. Products and Services: Revenue from endorsed vendor programs, insurance solutions through KenBanc, and KBA Benefit Solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kentucky Bankers Association (KBA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1891 that represents and serves Kentucky-chartered banks through legislative advocacy, government relations, compliance and legal services, professional education, and endorsed product/service programs. KBA provides member banks with industry representation, training schools, conferences, publications, and access to insurance, retirement, and benefit solutions designed for the banking sector.

Product overview

Kentucky Bankers Association (KBA) is a nonprofit trade association serving member banks since 1891. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of services organized around four core areas: government relations and industry advocacy, information interchange, education, and products and services. The education portfolio includes the Education Alliance offering seminars, schools (Foundations of Banking School, Commercial Lending School), graduate programs, online training, Fraud Academy, and Women in Banking Conference. Compliance services include bank counsel network, compliance resources, and regulatory guidance. Endorsed products include KenBanc Insurance, HOPE of the Midwest CRA lending, KBA Benefit Solutions, and KBA Retirement Solutions. The association also publishes the Kentucky Banker Magazine and hosts marquee events including the 135th Annual Convention. Nearly 100 percent of banks chartered in Kentucky are KBA members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Education Alliance: KBA's comprehensive education and training division offering seminars, schools, online training, and professional development for Kentucky bankers.
• KBA Leadership Division (KLD)
• Fraud Academy
• Women in Banking
• KBA Bank Counsel Division

Products and services

• Institution Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100% of Kentucky-chartered banks are KBA members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• KenBanc InsurancecoreOthersInsurance solutions provider specifically serving banks, offering property, casualty, and employee benefits insurance. Part of KBA's products and services portfolio.
• HOPE of the MidwestsupportingOthersProvides Tax Credit CRA Lending Projects for member banks. Helps banks meet Community Reinvestment Act requirements through lending initiatives.
• KBA Benefit SolutionscoreOthersEmployee benefits program for member banks including health insurance and retirement solutions. Provides competitive group rates for KBA members.
• KBPAC (Kentucky Bankers Political Action Committee)supportingOthersPolitical action committee for the Kentucky banking industry. Supports candidates who understand banking issues and advocate for the industry.
• American Bankers Association (ABA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerABA provides training programs, certifications, and educational materials through KBA as the local delivery partner. KBA serves as the ABA training provider for Kentucky bankers.
• Graduate School of Banking - ColoradosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate banking education program; KBA promotes and facilitates participation for Kentucky bankers in this multi-year professional development program.
• Graduate School of Banking - WisconsinsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate banking education program; KBA facilitates Kentucky banker participation in this professional development program.
• ProBank Education Services (Forvis Mazars)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime and trusted education partner providing compliance seminars, webinars, and in-house training. Trains more than 10,000 financial industry professionals annually.
• SBS InstitutesupportingTechnology or IntegrationCybersecurity education provider offering certifications tailored for specific roles in financial institutions.
• Indiana Bankers AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Midwest Agricultural Banking School. Regional partnership for agricultural banking education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bankers Association: National trade association for the U.S. banking industry. Directly comparable as KBA's national counterpart and primary content/training partner, with overlapping advocacy, education, and compliance services for member banks.
• Independent Community Bankers of America: National trade association focused on community banks. Comparable to KBA as a higher-level advocacy and education body serving a member subset that overlaps heavily with KBA's Kentucky community bank membership.

Direct peers

• Indiana Bankers Association: State-level banking trade association serving Indiana-chartered banks. Closest structural peer — same nonprofit trade-association model, similar advocacy/education/compliance portfolio, and an existing co-marketing partnership with KBA on the Midwest Agricultural Banking School.
• Ohio Bankers League: Ohio's state banking trade association offering advocacy, education, and member services. Operates the same business model and member-driven value proposition as KBA, serving as a directly comparable regional peer.
• Tennessee Bankers Association: State banking trade association serving Tennessee-chartered banks. Near-identical service mix (government relations, education, compliance, endorsed products) and member profile, making it a strong direct comparator for KBA's operating economics.
• Illinois Bankers Association: Illinois state banking trade association providing advocacy, education, compliance support, and member products. Functions as a scaled-up version of KBA's model, useful for benchmarking KBA's revenue and program breadth.

Emerging players

• Compliance Alliance: Compliance resource network for community banks offering outsourced compliance services. KBA references Compliance Alliance as an endorsed partner; functionally comparable to KBA's in-house compliance and Bank Counsel offerings.

Others

• Conference of State Bank Supervisors: National organization of state banking regulators. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but KBA engages CSBS counterparts (e.g., the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions) on regulatory matters, making it a key ecosystem counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2uob6WHFP_6qXNvpM7e69Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/kybankers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kentucky-bankers-association-kba-?trk=top_nav_home
• Xx.com/kybankers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kentucky Bankers Association