SmartBank taps Kobalt for risk and compliance overhaul

SmartBank has selected Kobalt Labs to modernize risk and compliance across third-party risk management, marketing compliance, and enterprise risk as the bank expands across four states. The rollout is Kobalt’s broadest initial community bank deployment to date and includes one of the first marketing compliance implementations of its kind for a community bank.

Why it matters: - SmartBank is using Kobalt to centralize risk and compliance work as the bank scales across Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. - The deployment is designed to cut manual work in vendor oversight, marketing review, and enterprise risk management. - The rollout is Kobalt’s broadest initial deployment with a community bank.

What happened: - SmartBank selected Kobalt Labs to support third-party risk management, marketing compliance, and enterprise risk management. - SmartBank has more than $6 billion in assets and 42 branches. - SmartBank is one of only two community banks in the U.S. to appear twice on Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list. - The announcement was made Sept. 21, 2026.

The details: - SmartBank is launching Kobalt across three operational areas from day one. - The third-party risk management deployment includes automated vendor due diligence and third-party control assessment. - The marketing compliance use case screens marketing collateral and internal policies against regulatory requirements and internal guidelines. - The enterprise risk management workflows are meant to consolidate oversight across SmartBank’s four-state footprint. - The marketing compliance deployment is among the first of its kind for a community bank. - SmartBank was founded in 2007 and describes itself as a full-service commercial bank. - SmartBank also provides investment and mortgage financial services. - SmartBank has financial centers in Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida, plus loan production offices in Columbus, Georgia, and Brentwood, Tennessee.

Between the lines: - SmartBank’s move signals that community banks are starting to treat technology investment in compliance as a growth tool, not just a back-office upgrade. - Billy Carroll’s background as former Tennessee Bankers Association chairman and a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta board member suggests the bank is positioning itself for evolving supervisory expectations. - Kobalt is expanding beyond smaller community banks, with customers that range from $1 billion institutions to $100 billion national platforms.

What’s next: - SmartBank will roll out Kobalt across its compliance and risk operations as the bank continues to expand. - Kobalt is likely to use the SmartBank deployment as a reference point for additional community bank adoption. - Both companies are framing the partnership as infrastructure for scale, not a one-off software purchase.

The bottom line: - SmartBank is betting that automating compliance and risk can help it grow faster without loosening control.