The North Fulton startup secured state and federal authorization to open as organizers move to complete a capital raise, marking a noteworthy step in an era when new bank charters have become exceedingly uncommon.

In a rare development for the U.S. banking landscape, Georgia Skyline Bank, a de novo institution planned for North Fulton, has received conditional approval from both the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to launch as a fully chartered, FDIC-insured community bank.

The approvals, granted just five months after the organizers filed their charter application, move the bank significantly closer to opening its doors. The final hurdle is completing a capital raise of between $25 million and $35 million, now entering its final weeks.

Expected to open in early 2026, the bank will be headquartered at 1190 Old Roswell Road and will focus on serving small and midsize businesses across the Alpharetta–Roswell corridor and the broader North Fulton market. With more than 52,000 small businesses in the region and a limited number of community banks catering specifically to them, organizers say demand for rapid lending decisions and personalized service remains strong.

“What truly sets us apart is world-class service backed by local decision-making,” said Ryan C. Floyd, the bank’s president and co-founder. “Our leadership team has spent decades serving this market. We know the businesses, the people, and the pace at which decisions must be made. That kind of relationship banking delivers results big banks simply can’t match.”

Georgia Skyline Bank is being organized by a leadership team with more than a century of combined experience in community banking and finance.

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The institution will initially focus on commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate financing, business and working-capital lines of credit, letters of credit and other tailored financial services for closely held companies, entrepreneurs and professional services firms. A digital banking strategy is being developed to enhance the customer experience within the bank’s first 18 months of operation.

The stock offering, launched last month, has drawn what organizers describe as significant community interest, though a limited number of shares remain available. Prospective investors are encouraged to contact Phil Resch, the bank’s chief financial officer.

The formation of a new community bank is increasingly unusual in the U.S. Acting FDIC Chair Travis Hill noted earlier this year that bank formation has “fallen off a cliff” in recent decades. While 412 new banks were created in 1984 alone, he said, the lowest year between 1995 and 2007 still saw 93 new charters. By contrast, only 86 new banks have been formed nationwide since 2010, and more than half of those appeared between 2019 and 2022.

For Georgia Skyline Bank, the approvals mark a significant milestone — and for the region’s business community, an incoming lender offering something increasingly scarce: a locally controlled bank focused on relationship-driven commercial lending.