By definition, the term ‘void’ means “empty, vacant, blank; lacking contents which should be present; a complete absence.”

Based on this definition, I’ve been perplexed when ‘void’ is used to describe the availability of banking services for the innovation economy since March 2023, and particularly baffled when used to describe a gap that Silicon Valley Bank no longer fills. What am I missing?

Admittedly, it made some sense in March 2023. At that time, there was well-placed concern that Silicon Valley Bank’s failure would create a gap in service to the innovation economy. While we understood the sentiment deeply at the time, we worked hard to ensure that a ‘void’ never actually materialized. And it didn’t, in large part, because the client service and experience we provide has not changed. That has always been a hallmark of Silicon Valley Bank, and it remains the case now as a division of First Citizens Bank.

Silicon Valley Bank closed for one day on Friday, March 10th and re-opened as a “bridge bank” on Monday, March 13th providing the same products, solutions and services as we had the week before. Two weeks later, First Citizens Bank stepped up and acquired Silicon Valley Bank, asking just one thing of us: please keep doing all the things you did before that were so deeply appreciated by your innovation economy clients. We happily obliged, with the point being Silicon Valley Bank did not stop operating and, by extension, did not stop serving our clients.

To the contrary, and with the support of First Citizens Bank, our ability to serve the innovation economy has only gotten better:

  • First Citizens is a well-capitalized, top 20 U.S. bank with $230B in assets, $162B in total deposits, $87B in total liquidity, and investment grade credit ratings. Total liquidity covers uninsured deposits by 140%, and together, our combined client base is more diverse, reducing concentration risk and creating a stronger platform for our clients (as of year-end 2025).
  • We’ve seen steady growth in total client funds and loans across the Silicon Valley Bank division. In 2025 alone, total client funds increased by $10.4B to $108B, marking an 11% increase, while total loans increased by $6.7B to $44B, marking an 18% increase, driven in part by the nearly 4,000 new clients we have onboarded in the last two years.
  • We bank the companies that are powering the future of the innovation economy - 50% of the Forbes 2026 Fintech 50 and 40% of the Forbes 2025 AI 50 are Silicon Valley Bank clients and we have more than 500 relationships with crypto companies and venture firms in the sector, for example.
  • We continue to invest in new solutions in order to provide our clients with the best service, including our award winning, best in class online banking platform and our venture debt lending relationship with Pinegrove Venture Partners.
  • First Citizens continues to demonstrate commitment to the innovation economy and is actively investing in key markets for our business, including purchasing new, large scale office buildings in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Monica and Boston in 2025.

To me, this is irrefutable evidence that we are still serving the needs of the innovation economy, and while others try to replicate what we do, we know that what we provide is hard to match. Our business – from solutions and technology to credit approach and beyond – was purpose-built for investors and operators in the innovation sector and perfected over decades.

What founders and investors need in a banking partner isn’t missing; it’s right here at Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank.