EXCLUSIVE (SAN FRANCISCO) — Welcome back to the fintech boom.

At this time last year, fintech was in a downturn. Fintech venture funding was down more than 9% year-over-year; valuations seemed stuck.

But the fintech market has rebounded. In 2017, in the United States, overall VC funding — a barometer of startup activity and appeal — climbed 17% to close to $72 billion, according to PwC. But investments in financial technology rose 47% to $448 million. You can look at that investment number in two ways: 1) it is not even 1% of the total funding, it’s tiny; or 2) it is not even 1% of the total funding, there’s so much room for growth.

I prefer Option No. 2.

And there was ample evidence of the pursuit of that growth at this week’s Bank Innovation conference here. Of the dozen or so companies that were invited to demo, four were offering artificial intelligence-driven chatbot services. To me, that’s a sign that the startup environment is healthy, even if not all four of those startups will survive.

There was also just a great vibe of innovation. Mark Jamison, senior vice president and global head of innovation at Mastercard, proclaimed that “We will soon be living a post-plastic world,” and he said this without lamenting a possible contraction for MC as a result, but as an exciting opportunity for the card networks.

There was also significant opportunity proclaimed for traditional banks, and it wasn’t hallow. Lindsay Holden, co-founder and chief executive officer at Long Game, a fintech startup offering a savings application, said that banks have a rich opportunity.

“Banks have so much data,” Holden said. “They just don’t utilize it to the fullest.”

She added that banks can make banking “a joyful experience.”

A “joyful experience”? Such exuberance was not at last year’s Bank Innovation. Credit a rejuvenated fintech sector. Let’s hope it continues.