Who are Cathay General Bancorp's competitors, and what are the alternatives?
Cathay's 2025 10-K, filed March 2, 2026, is unusually specific about its rivals. In California 'one larger Chinese-American bank competes for loans and deposits' with Cathay and 'at least two super-regional banks' compete for deposits; many other banks target the Chinese-American communities of New York and Northern and Southern California; and banks from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China keep opening branches in Los Angeles. The larger bank fits East West: its own 10-K calls it a leader of banking market share in the Asian American community and the largest independent bank headquartered in Southern California, with 96 US branches in seven states that overlap Cathay's. Bank of Hope, rooted in Korean-American banking, runs 24 California branches and nine in New York and New Jersey. Cathay also names savings institutions, brokerages, mortgage companies, credit unions and credit card companies, and says larger competitors offer trust services it does not. In SBA lending, where Cathay is a preferred lender, Live Oak runs an AI origination program for small 7(a) loans. The non-bank rivals are in cross-border money: Wise's 20-F calls traditional banks its primary competitors, and Remitly's 10-K says digital-first firms are gaining share from banks. Cathay's 64 branches in nine states and Hong Kong leave much of the country to national banks.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Data as of Oct 20, 2026 · Cathay Bank profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · computed tables recalculate from the 140 bank profiles on this site · Markdown
What does Cathay Bank say about its competition?
"We face substantial competition for deposits, loans and other banking services, as well as for acquisition opportunities from the numerous banks and financial institutions that operate in our market areas. We also compete for loans and deposits, as well as other banking services, such as payment services, with savings and loan associations, savings banks, brokerage houses, insurance companies, mortgage companies, credit unions, credit card companies and other financial and non-financial institutions and entities."[1]
"In California, one larger Chinese-American bank competes for loans and deposits with the Bank and at least two super-regional banks compete with the Bank for deposits. In addition, there are many other banks that target the Chinese-American communities in New York and in both Southern and Northern California. Banks from the Pacific Rim countries, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, also continue to open branches in the Los Angeles area, thus increasing competition in the Bank's primary markets."[1]
"To compete with other financial institutions in our primary service areas, the Bank relies principally upon personal contacts by our officers, directors, employees, and stockholders, our long established relationships with the Chinese-American communities, the Bank's responsiveness to client needs, local promotional activities, availability and pricing of loan and deposit products, extended hours on weekdays, Saturday banking in certain locations, Internet banking, an Internet website (www.cathaybank.com), and other specialized services."[1]
From the risk factors: "These banks and financial institutions, including those with foreign ownership, may have greater resources than we do, including the ability to finance advertising campaigns and allocate their investment assets to regions of higher yield and demand and make acquisitions and invest in new banking technology. By virtue of their larger capital bases, our larger competitors have substantially greater lending limits than we do and perform certain functions, including trust services, which are not presently offered by us." And: "Some of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements than we currently have." (2025 Form 10-K, filed March 2, 2026.)[1]
Who competes with Cathay Bank in each of its businesses?
| Business line | Competitor | Type | Why it competes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | East West Bank | Bank | East West's 10-K calls it 'a leader of banking market share in the Asian American community' and the largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Southern California; its 96 US branches are in California, Texas, New York, Washington, Georgia, Massachusetts and Nevada, all but one of them states where Cathay has branches. It fits Cathay's 'one larger Chinese-American bank'.[2][1] |
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | Bank of Hope | Bank | A Los Angeles bank 'from our roots as a Korean-American focused bank' that serves a multi-ethnic customer base, with 24 branches in California, nine in New York and New Jersey, four in Washington, three in Illinois and three in Texas at December 31, 2025, overlapping Cathay's branch states; both sit in Cathay's 2026 proxy peer group.[3][8] |
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | Royal Business Bank (RBB Bancorp) | Bank | A Los Angeles bank 'founded by and market[ed] primarily to Chinese-Americans' whose 2025 10-K describes an Asian-centric banking market of publicly traded banks, locally based banks and subsidiaries of Taiwanese or Chinese banks; its branches are in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, Las Vegas, the New York City area, Chicago and Edison, New Jersey, all markets where Cathay has branches.[9][1] |
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | Hanmi Bank | Bank | Hanmi's 2025 10-K says its primary market is the Korean-American and other multi-ethnic communities across California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, and that its primary competitors are community banks marketing to Korean-American and other multi-ethnic businesses; RBB's 10-K notes the overlap between Chinese-American, Korean-American and other Asian-American banks.[10][9] |
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | Pacific Rim banks' Los Angeles branches | Bank | Cathay's 10-K says banks from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China 'continue to open branches in the Los Angeles area, thus increasing competition in the Bank's primary markets', and that competitors with foreign ownership may have greater resources.[1] |
| Home markets: Chinese-American and Asian-American communities | Other banks serving Chinese-American communities in New York and California | Bank | The 10-K says 'there are many other banks that target the Chinese-American communities in New York and in both Southern and Northern California'; Cathay has 24 Southern California, 17 Northern California and nine New York branches.[1] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Super-regional banks in California | Bank | Cathay's 10-K says 'at least two super-regional banks compete with the Bank for deposits' in California and that larger competitors may be able to fund advertising campaigns and invest in new banking technology Cathay cannot match.[1] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Credit unions | Credit union | Named in Cathay's competition section among the institutions it competes with for loans, deposits and payment services.[1] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Chime | Fintech | A branchless account provider of the kind Cathay's 10-K calls 'other financial and non-financial institutions and entities'; Chime's 10-K claims a significant cost advantage over traditional banks, and it had 10.4 million active members at June 30, 2026.[1][11][12] |
| Payments and cross-border money movement | Wise | Fintech | Wise's FY26 20-F says 'our primary competitors are traditional banks' in cross-border payments; it had 18.9 million active customers and $243.5 billion of cross-border volume in the year to March 31, 2026. Cathay's 10-K names payment services among the lines where it competes with non-bank entities.[5][13][1] |
| Payments and cross-border money movement | Remitly | Fintech | Remitly's 2025 10-K lists 'traditional banks and global financial institutions' among its competitors and says digital-first companies are 'increasingly gaining market share from legacy providers and traditional banks'; it had 10.2 million quarterly active customers in Q2 2026.[6][14] |
| Payments and cross-border money movement | East West Bank | Bank | East West's 10-K describes a differentiated presence providing cross-border commercial banking expertise to customers operating in the US and Asia, with branches in China and Hong Kong; Cathay runs a Hong Kong branch and representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei.[2][1] |
| Small business and SBA lending | Live Oak Bank | Bank | Cathay originates SBA 7(a) and 504 loans as a national preferred lender; Live Oak's Live Oak Express program for SBA 7(a) loans below $350,000 runs on an AI origination platform and originated $82 million in Q2 2026, up 63%.[1][4][15] |
| Small business and SBA lending | Square (Block) | Payments company | Block's 10-K lists 'banks that provide payment processing, checking, savings, loans, and payroll' among Square's competitors; Cathay sells merchant services and payment processing to its business clients.[16][1] |
| Commercial and commercial real estate lending | Banc of California | Bank | A Los Angeles-based member of Cathay's 2026 proxy peer group with about $24 billion of total loans (April 2026), competing for the same Southern California commercial and real estate borrowers that make up Cathay's core book.[8][17][1] |
| Commercial and commercial real estate lending | CVB Financial (Citizens Business Bank) | Bank | A Southern California business bank in Cathay's 2026 proxy peer group, which completed its Heritage Bank of Commerce acquisition in April 2026 and converted those customers to its systems in June 2026.[8][18][19] |
| Wealth management and brokerage | Charles Schwab | Broker or asset manager | Cathay's 10-K names brokerage houses among its competitors and says larger competitors perform trust services it does not offer; Cathay Wealth Management's securities are offered through Cetera. Schwab reported $120 billion of core net new assets in Q2 2026.[1][20] |
How do the AI and digital offerings of Cathay Bank's competitors compare?
Cathay Bank first, then each competitor. Use-case counts, index scores and latest moves are computed from our profiles of each company; "No profile" means this site has no page on it yet.
| Company | AI or digital offering | On the record (our profiles) | Latest dated AI move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay General Bancorp (this page) | Not disclosed | Index 2.6 (#110); 10 use cases, 9 in production | Q2 2026 10-Q: still no AI reference (Aug 7, 2026)[21] |
| East West Bank | AI built into email and documents; AI treated as a cost inside 2026 expense guidance[22][23] | Index 49.2 (#59); 10 use cases, 8 in production | Barclays conference: CFO describes everyday AI use (Sep 14, 2026)[22] |
| Bank of Hope | Board AI acceptable-use policy; no AI use case disclosed[24] | Index 2.1 (#114); 8 use cases, 6 in production | SMBC MANUBANK commercial banking unit acquisition completed (Oct 1, 2026)[25][26] |
| Royal Business Bank (RBB Bancorp) | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Hanmi Bank | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Pacific Rim banks' Los Angeles branches | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Other banks serving Chinese-American communities in New York and California | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Super-regional banks in California | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Credit unions | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Chime | Jade, an in-app AI financial partner available to some members[27] | 8 use cases, 6 in production | Agreement to acquire Stride Bank (Sep 8, 2026)[28] |
| Wise | Machine-learning algorithms complete 99% of compliance checks in under one second[5] | 7 use cases, 7 in production | Study: AI chatbots recommend Wise over traditional banks (Sep 24, 2026)[29] |
| Remitly | AI virtual support assistant: issues resolved four times faster[30] | 8 use cases, 6 in production | Q2 call: speed, trust, cost (Aug 5, 2026)[31] |
| Live Oak Bank | Casca AI loan origination platform for Live Oak Express[4] | Index 53.1 (#54); 10 use cases, 6 in production | Glia names Live Oak a Catalyst Awards Pacesetter (Oct 8, 2026)[32] |
| Square (Block) | Managerbot, an AI business agent for Square sellers[33] | 7 use cases, 6 in production | Q2 2026: Moneybot passes 1 million weekly engaged accounts (Aug 5, 2026)[34] |
| Banc of California | More than 80% of developers using AI daily; AI in BSA review support and customer service[17] | Index 34.7 (#82); 14 use cases, 10 in production | Q2 2026 10-Q lists AI among competing technologies (Aug 7, 2026)[35] |
| CVB Financial (Citizens Business Bank) | Not disclosed | Index 16.8 (#99); 8 use cases, 8 in production | Q2 2026 10-Q: computer software expense up 39.14% (Aug 7, 2026)[36] |
| Charles Schwab | Portfolio Insights generative-AI summaries for all self-directed US retail clients (May 2026)[37] | Index 80.7 (#19); 19 use cases, 15 in production | How Charley was built: employee testing, confirmation before any change (Oct 8, 2026)[38] |
Who should look beyond Cathay Bank, and where?
| If you are | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clients who need trust services from their bank | East West, Bank of Hawaii or First Hawaiian | Cathay's 10-K says larger competitors perform certain functions, 'including trust services, which are not presently offered by us'. Bank of Hawaii runs trust and private banking groups, and First Hawaiian offers trust products through the bank and Bishop Street Capital Management.[1][39][40] |
| People who want branches across the US | A national bank such as JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America | Cathay's 64 branches are in nine states and Hong Kong, most of them in California and New York. Chase reported 5,083 branches in 2025, and Bank of America runs 3,500 financial centers.[7][1][41][42] |
| Customers who want an AI assistant in the banking app | Bank of America (Erica) or Wells Fargo (Fargo) | Cathay discloses no customer AI; its 10-K lists Internet banking and its website among the tools it competes with. Bank of America says Erica helps more than 24.6 million clients, and Wells Fargo's Fargo passed 1 billion interactions in March 2026.[1][42][43] |
| Individuals sending money abroad from an app | Wise or Remitly | Both are built for cross-border transfers and name banks as their main competitors: Wise moved $243.5 billion cross-border in the year to March 2026, and Remitly had 10.2 million active customers in Q2 2026, with an AI support assistant that resolves issues four times faster.[5][13][6][14][30] |
| Small businesses that want a fast, AI-assisted SBA loan | Live Oak Bank (Live Oak Express) | Live Oak Express handles SBA 7(a) loans below $350,000 on an AI origination platform, with underwriting in about two weeks once documents are uploaded and a 7-10 day target from application to funding (April 2026). Cathay is an SBA preferred lender but discloses no AI in lending.[4][1] |
How do Cathay's closest rivals describe the Asian-American banking market?
Each bank's own words from its FY2025 10-K, filed between February and March 2026.
| Bank | Roots and market | How it describes the competition |
|---|---|---|
| Cathay | Long-established relationships with Chinese-American communities; 64 branches in nine states and Hong Kong | One larger Chinese-American bank and at least two super-regionals in California; many banks targeting Chinese-American communities; Pacific Rim banks opening Los Angeles branches[1][7] |
| East West | Largest independent bank in the US focused on clients operating in the US and Asia, with a strong focus on the Asian American community | 'A leader of banking market share in the Asian American community'; intense competition from domestic and foreign lenders and technology-driven products[2] |
| Bank of Hope | Roots as a Korean-American focused bank; 74 US branches, mostly in multi-ethnic communities | Strong competition among community, regional and national banks, plus marketplace finance platforms and credit unions[3] |
| RBB (Royal Business Bank) | Founded by and marketed primarily to Chinese-Americans, now all Asian-American communities | An Asian-centric market of publicly traded banks, locally based banks and subsidiaries of Taiwanese or Chinese banks, with overlap between Chinese-American, Korean-American and other Asian-American banks[9] |
| Hanmi | Korean-American and other multi-ethnic communities in nine states | A market dominated by a few nationwide banks, but primary competitors are community banks marketing to Korean-American and multi-ethnic businesses[10] |
Where do Cathay's branches overlap with East West's and Bank of Hope's?
Branch counts by state from each bank's FY2025 10-K (December 31, 2025).
| Market | Cathay | East West | Bank of Hope |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 41 (24 Southern, 17 Northern) | Headquarters and branches (state count not given) | 24[1][2][3] |
| New York and New Jersey | 10 (9 New York, 1 New Jersey) | Branches in New York | 9[1][2][3] |
| Washington | 4 | Branches | 4[1][2][3] |
| Texas | 2 | Branches | 3[1][2][3] |
| Illinois | 2 | None listed | 3[1][2][3] |
| Asia | Hong Kong branch; representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei | Branches in China and Hong Kong; representative offices in China and Singapore | Representative office in Seoul[1][2][3] |
Who are Cathay Bank's biggest competitors?
Cathay's 10-K points to one larger Chinese-American bank in California, which fits East West, a leader in Asian American banking market share by its own 10-K, plus at least two super-regional banks competing for deposits and banks from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China opening Los Angeles branches. Bank of Hope, Banc of California and CVB sit in its proxy peer group.[1][2][8]
Is East West a competitor of Cathay?
Yes, most directly. Both are Los Angeles-area banks focused on Asian-American and US-Asia clients; East West's 96 US branches are in seven states, all but Georgia also Cathay states, and both run branches in Hong Kong. East West is larger, with $84.8 billion of assets at June 30, 2026 against Cathay's about $24 billion.[2][44][1][7]
Is Wise a competitor of Cathay?
In cross-border payments, by category. Wise's FY26 20-F names traditional banks as its primary competitors, and Cathay's 10-K lists payment services among the lines where it competes with non-bank entities. Cathay serves US-Asia clients through a Hong Kong branch and representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei. Neither names the other.[5][1]
What are alternatives to Cathay for small business banking?
For SBA loans, Live Oak's AI-assisted Live Oak Express program for 7(a) loans below $350,000; for card acceptance and point of sale, Square, which lists banks among its competitors. Cathay itself is an SBA preferred lender using the 504 and 7(a) programs and sells merchant services and treasury management.[4][16][1]
Does Cathay compete with Bank of Hope?
Yes. Both are Los Angeles banks with roots in Asian-American communities, Chinese-American for Cathay and Korean-American for Bank of Hope, and both have branches in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois and Texas. Bank of Hope is in Cathay's 2026 proxy peer group and had 74 US branches at December 31, 2025.[3][1][8]
Who are the other Chinese-American banks Cathay competes with?
Cathay's 10-K does not name them, but East West describes itself as a leader in Asian American banking market share, and RBB Bancorp, parent of Royal Business Bank, says it was founded by and markets primarily to Chinese-Americans in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Honolulu. Cathay's 10-K adds banks from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China that keep opening Los Angeles branches.[1][2][9]
What does Cathay say it competes on?
Relationships rather than technology: its 10-K lists personal contacts, 'long established relationships with the Chinese-American communities', responsiveness, local promotion, loan and deposit pricing, extended weekday hours, Saturday banking in some locations, Internet banking and its website. Many employees speak English and one or more Chinese dialects or Vietnamese.[1]
Who competes with Cathay in wealth management?
Brokerage houses and larger banks: Cathay's 10-K names brokerages among its competitors and says larger rivals offer trust services Cathay does not. Its Cathay Wealth Management unit offers stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance, annuities and advisory services through Cetera Investment Services. Schwab reported $120 billion of core net new assets in Q2 2026.[1][20]
- Cathay General Bancorp Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- East West Bancorp Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Hope Bancorp, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- How AI is quickly overhauling one segment of SBA lending
- Wise Group plc Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026
- Remitly Global, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report
- Cathay General Bancorp 2026 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A)
- RBB Bancorp Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Hanmi Financial Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Chime Financial, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Chime Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Wise Group plc reports Full Year 2026 Financial Results (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 6-K)
- Remitly Reports Record Second Quarter Results and Raises Full Year 2026 Outlook
- Live Oak Bancshares Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
- Block, Inc. Annual Report 2025 (Form 10-K)
- Banc of California (BANC) Q1 2026 Transcript
- CVB Financial Corp. Form 8-K: Completion of acquisition of Heritage Commerce Corp
- Heritage Bank of Commerce Conversion Center (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-14)
- Schwab Reports Record Quarterly Revenue and Earnings
- Cathay General Bancorp Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- East West Bank at Barclays conference: growth, fees and capital (transcript)
- East West (EWBC) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- Hope Bancorp, Inc. 2026 Proxy Statement (Schedule 14A)
- Bank of Hope Completes Acquisition of the Commercial Banking Unit of SMBC MANUBANK
- Hope Bancorp, Inc. Form 8-K: completion of the SMBC MANUBANK unit acquisition
- What is Jade Financial Partner? (help centre, retrieved 2026-09-23)
- Chime Announces Agreement to Acquire Stride Bank
- Why AI models favor fintechs over traditional banks
- Remitly's AI-Powered Support Slashes Response Times by 75%
- Remitly (RELY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- 4 Banks and Credit Unions Recognized for AI Innovation
- Square Brings Managerbot to More Sellers, Giving Main Street an Intelligent Business Agent
- Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K)
- Banc of California, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- CVB Financial Corp. Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2026
- Charles Schwab Launches AI-Powered Capability That Helps Investors Understand Portfolio Performance and Market Activity
- Charles Schwab's Amy Ruegg: AI Can Make Investing Easier, but Human Expertise Remains Key
- Bank of Hawaii Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- First Hawaiian, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025
- Bank of America Fast Facts (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-19)
- Wells Fargo Reaches Major Digital Milestones
- East West Bancorp Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
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