Valley National Bancorp : Bank Welcomes Rodrigo Suarez as Head of Partner Banking

About this update from Valley National Bancorp

Press Release | 1/26/2026 Valley Bank Welcomes Rodrigo Suarez as Head of Partner Banking Morristown, NJ - Valley National Bank, a subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ: VLY), today announced that Rodrigo Suarez has joined the Bank as Senior Vice President, Head of Partner Banking. In this role, Suarez will lead Valley's partner banking strategy, overseeing fintech partnerships, embedded banking solutions, and payment platforms designed to support innovation-driven companies and scale new sources of growth for the Bank. Partner Banking is a key component of Valley's long-term growth strategy, enabling the Bank to collaborate with fintechs, technology platforms, and financial services innovators to deliver integrated banking solutions. Under Suarez's leadership, Valley will continue to expand its partner banking capabilities, focusing on scalable infrastructure, compliant innovation, and durable partnerships that align with Valley's relationship-driven approach. Suarez brings deep experience building and scaling partner banking platforms. Most recently, he served as Chief Banking Officer at Piermont Bank, where he built the bank's payments, fintech partnerships, and embedded banking business from inception into a platform generating hundreds of millions of dollars in deposits and billions in payment volume. He also led product development, technology applications, and business development, establishing a diversified portfolio of clients across the innovation ecosystem. Prior to Piermont, Suarez led a startup accelerator in partnership with Fiserv and more than 20 financial institutions. He began his career as a management consultant advising financial institutions across the U.S. and Latin America. He is a frequent speaker on innovation, embedded finance, and digital transformation in banking. "Valley has a strong foundation, a clear strategy, and a culture that values both innovation and accountability," said Suarez. "I'm excited to join the team and build a partner banking platform that helps our partners scale responsibly while creating long-term value for Valley. There's a real opportunity here to combine modern technology with a relationship-first mindset, and I'm looking forward to what we can build and scale." Russell Barrett, Chief Operating Officer of Valley, added, "Rodrigo is a proven innovator with a rare combination of strategic vision, operational discipline, and deep knowledge of partner banking and embedded finance. We're excited to welcome him to Valley and confident that his leadership will accelerate the evolution of our partner banking business, expand our capabilities, and position us for sustainable growth in this rapidly changing space." About Valley As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with $63 Billion in total assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois, and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley's corporate citizenship philosophy. To learn more about Valley, go to https://www.valley.com or call our Customer Care Center at 800-522-4100.

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