Day 1 Agenda
September 9th, 2026
This year, certain cannabis banking related panels note whether the content is geared more towards cannabis banking beginners (PBC Level I) or advanced experts (PBC Certified Professionals). Earning the specific PBC certification is not a requirement to attend the panel session, but helps attendees determine content level. If you haven’t yet earned your PBC certificates, you can Enroll Now.
Additionally, panel sessions are now shorter (30 minutes long), with Q&A from the audience, to provide a more engaging environment. So come prepared with your questions!
Registration
Stop by the registration desk to get your complimentary swag bag, conference lanyard, and badge.
Morning Coffee
Grab a cup of coffee and chat with your fellow attendees before our morning keynote.
09:15am - 10:00Am
Presidential Ballroom
Welcome address by PBC CEO Joshua Radbod.
Keynote: to be announced
Exhibit Area Open
Meet our exhibitors to network and explore solutions across the Cannabis Banking Ecosystem!
10:00Am - 5:00pm
senate & congressional
Coffee & Networking Break in the Exhibit Area
Grab a cup of coffee and chat with your fellow attendees and exhibitors before our morning panel sessions begin.
10:30am - 11:00am
Federal AB
Banking Track
What Banks Wish Operators Knew (and Vice Versa) - PBC Level I
This session brings together cannabis operators and financial institutions to share perspectives on what matters most when starting or growing a cannabis banking relationship. Panelists discuss priorities such as choosing partners, establishing banking and legal support, and how collaboration and education help build successful, sustainable programs.
10:30am - 11:00Am
South American AB
Business Solutions Track
From Drawer to Deposit: How Cash Really Moves in Cannabis Banking
This session provides an end-to-end look at how physical cash moves through the cannabis ecosystem, from the point of sale to final deposit at a financial institution. Panelists examine where custody, liability, and risk shift during vendor handoffs; how accountability and data integrity are maintained across retail, transport, and vaulting; and where breakdowns most often occur. The discussion highlights the controls regulators and examiners expect to see at each stage of the cash lifecycle.
11:00m - 11:30Am
Senate & Congressional
Break
Stretch your legs or grab a quick meeting between sessions.
11:30am - 12:00Pm
Federal AB
Compliance Track
Concentration Risk in Cannabis Banking - PBC Level II
As more banks and credit unions expand cannabis banking programs, concentration risk is a central concern for boards, regulators, and risk committees. Explore how institutions define, measure, and manage cannabis exposure across deposits, payments, lending, and third-party relationships. When does growth trigger de-risking conversations? How do regulators view portfolio concentration? How do financial institutions balance expansion with safety, soundness, and long-term program sustainability.
Payment Provider Shutdowns and the Future of Cannabis Payments
As cannabis operators continue searching for frictionless payment experiences, the industry has increasingly relied on workarounds and miscoded payment processing to bridge the gap created by federal prohibition. However, as card networks, international banks and regulators intensify scrutiny, many operators are discovering that these “solutions” are creating more instability. Hear from experts on what compliant payment infrastructure looks like now and in the future.
Lunch
Join your fellow attendees for lunch and networking.
Scaling Cannabis Banking Programs: Operational Models That Work
As more financial institutions evaluate cannabis banking opportunities, the challenge is no longer whether demand exists. The focus is now on how to build and scale a program that aligns with the institution’s compliance expectations, operational capacity, staffing resources, risk appetite, and long-term profitability goals. This session explores how financial institutions are structuring cannabis banking programs today, including considerations around staffing, onboarding, compliance oversight, technology, operational workflows, scalability, program economics, and long-term sustainability.
Receivership in Cannabis: Managing Distressed Operators in a Regulated Market
Receivership presents unique challenges in cannabis due to licensing requirements, regulatory oversight, and ongoing operational obligations. This panel explores how receiverships are structured for cannabis operators, how regulators oversee continuity and compliance, and what stakeholders should understand about asset control, licensing, and wind-down or transition outcomes.
Coffee & Networking Break in the Exhibit Area
Thirsty? Need a quick burst of energy? Grab a refreshment and get in a quick meeting before our next round of panel sessions begin.
2:00Pm - 2:30Pm
Federal AB
Accounting Track
Cannabis Financials After 280E: What Banks Need to Re-Learn
As cannabis accounting moves beyond IRC §280E, banks and credit unions must reassess how margins, cash flow, tax liabilities, and debt capacity will appear on paper. This session focuses on how financial institutions interpret cannabis financials today, what will meaningfully change post-280E, and which risk assumptions will not.
2:00Pm - 2:30Pm
South American AB
Policy & Legislation Track
This session examines what the rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III would meaningfully change—and what would not—across cannabis banking, state regulatory programs, and the broader ecosystem, separating real operational impact from assumption and speculation.
2:30pm - 3:00pm
Senate & Congressional
Break
Stretch your legs or grab a quick meeting between sessions.
3:00pm - 3:30pm
Federal AB
Debt, Equity, and Growth in a Maturing Cannabis Market
As consolidation and restructurings continue to shape the cannabis industry, capital strategies are evolving. Hear from lenders and other industry experts on how they approach cannabis in 2026, where capital is being deployed, and how risk appetite has shifted after recent market cycles.
3:00pm - 3:30pm
South American AB
Cannabis Banking from a Licensed Operator Perspective
This fireside chat brings a ground-level perspective to cannabis banking, featuring the General Counsel of a New York retail operator in conversation with Peter Su of First Central Savings Bank. The discussion will examine the practical challenges of securing and maintaining banking relationships, managing compliance expectations, and accessing capital in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment. Expect candid insights into operational risk, regulatory ambiguity, and what financial institutions often misunderstand about the day-to-day realities of licensed operators.
3:30pm - 3:45pm
Senate & Congressional
Break
Stretch your legs or grab a quick meeting between sessions.
3:45PM - 4:00PM
Presidential Ballroom
PBC 2026 Awards Ceremony & Raffle Winner Announcement
Who will take home our annual PBC Conference Awards?
Raffle winner to be announced! Details to be announced soon. Must be present to win.
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Senate & Congressional
Happy Hour
Happy Hour & Networking in the Exhibit Area
Join other industry leaders for networking and drinks.