Loyalty Becomes Key to Relationship Management in 2026

CORA Loyalty guides financial institutions to move beyond product rewards to enterprise-level relationship loyalty

WARMINSTER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CORA Loyalty, the loyalty portfolio arm of CORA Group (“CORA”), advises financial institutions to move beyond product-based rewards and adopt enterprise loyalty strategies that recognize and reward the full banking relationship in 2026.

Rewards are getting more competitive and harder to fund. Loyalty programs have traditionally relied on interchange revenue to support the benefits, but this funding model is under increasing pressure globally. At the same time, singular product rewards, like debit card-based programs, don’t always deliver sustainable returns for financial institutions, and they will have an increasingly hard time providing top of wallet benefits.

Loyalty leaders are shifting from card-centric to relationship-focused campaigns. The approach rewards customers for activities across the institution: maintaining checking accounts, paying account fees, using credit and debit cards, transacting regularly, and long-term relationships. This applies to retail clients, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and commercial customers alike. The goal isn’t card spend, but broader and longer lasting outcomes like growing deposits, encouraging treasury management adoption, and strengthening the full banking relationship. And loyalty shouldn’t stop with customers. Employees and strategic vendors should also be recognized, incentivized and brought into the program to create a larger impact.

Financial institutions may struggle to sustain competitive levels of point issuance, so partner-funded rewards are key to drive a deeper ROI and extend new loyalty ties. Partners like airlines, retailers, grocery chains, gas stations, and food delivery services are subsidizing rewards today, bringing relevance and frequency into everyday purchases, while making points feel tangible and timelier.

Beth McCoy, CEO of CORA Loyalty, said, “Enterprise loyalty is about recognizing the whole relationship, not just rewarding a single transaction. This year, the financial institutions that win will be the ones that see themselves in a uniquely central position across a large ecosystem, rewarding not just customers, but also employees and vendors, and leveraging partner-funded rewards to sustain engagement. Loyalty becomes the catalyst to deepen deposits, expand services, and strengthen long-term relationships.”

About CORA Group

CORA Group is a collective organization redefining advancement through the acquisition, strengthening, and growth of over 30 independent software brands worldwide. Our roots in construction and food service have expanded to include debt collection & recovery, wine/spirits, moving/storage, loyalty, legal, and long-term care verticals. Today, we are proud to serve over 50,000 customers in 10+ markets with industry-leading enterprise software and related services. CORA Group operates as one of the primary operating groups under Jonas Software, a subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. This relationship reinforces CORA’s commitment to delivering industry-leading solutions and benefiting from the extensive resources and support provided by Jonas Software and Constellation Software Inc.