Today's Banking Pulse
Mortgage refinance demand falls 18% as rates climb to 6.65%
Refinance applications dropped 18% week-over-week, with the average 30-year fixed rate rising to 6.65%, the highest since August 2025. Refinance filings now represent just 38% of total mortgage applications, the lowest share since June 2025, while purchase‑loan volume edged down 0.4% and average loan size hit $473,600.
Paysafe Unveils Strategic Partnership with Spreedly to Boost Global Open Payments
Paysafe announced a strategic partnership with payment‑orchestration provider Spreedly, integrating its gateway as an acquirer on Spreedly’s Open Payment Platform. The collaboration instantly enables card‑present and card‑not‑present transactions for merchants in Europe, North America and other regions, leveraging Spreedly’s connections to over 140 gateways and 40 payment methods. Initial rollout already supports several online trading and financial services firms, with additional merchants slated to join before the end of 2026. Future phases will add Skrill, Neteller and PaysafeCard alternatives, expanding payment choice for high‑volume verticals.
3S Money Expands European Footprint with French IBANs and New Paris Office
3S Money announced the launch of French‑issued IBAN accounts, allowing European customers to hold and transact in euros locally. The fintech also opened a new office in Paris, staffed with a team focused on regulatory compliance and business development. These...
FedNow Pushes FEMA Disaster Aid From Days to Seconds
The Federal Reserve’s FedNow service now powers FEMA’s disaster‑relief payouts, moving funds from days or weeks to seconds. Transaction limits have been raised to $10 million, enabling large‑scale disbursements directly to states, municipalities and households. This capability is part of a...
Mobile Payments Transforming the Retail Checkout Experience
Mobile payments are rapidly reshaping retail checkout, driven by consumer demand for speed and the pandemic‑induced shift to contactless transactions. Retailers report higher customer satisfaction, shorter transaction times, and lower processing costs as they adopt smartphone‑based wallets and biometric authentication....
Beyond the PIN: How Biometric Authentication Is Redefining UPI Payments
PhonePe has launched biometric authentication for UPI payments, allowing users to approve transactions up to Rs 5,000 with a fingerprint or facial scan. The feature leverages the smartphone’s Secure Enclave, keeping biometric data on‑device and adding a hardware‑grade security layer. A...
Network International Seals Deals to Streamline Digital Payments in Egypt, Libya
Network International announced two strategic deals to deepen its footprint in North Africa. In Libya, it partnered with Al Seraj Islamic Bank to deliver an end‑to‑end digital payments platform, Visa sponsorship and prepaid issuing capabilities. In Egypt, the firm enabled...
Sensex Slides over 600 Points to 79,412, Nifty Falls 168 Points to 24,597 as Banks Drag; Energy Stocks Buck the...
India's benchmark indices deepened losses on Friday, with the BSE Sensex slipping 603 points to 79,412 and the Nifty 50 dropping 168 points to 24,597. Banking and financial‑services stocks led the decline, as the Nifty Bank fell 763 points, testing...
Why Somalia's Banks Must Consolidate
Somalia’s banking sector has rebounded over the past decade, quadrupling assets to $1.8 billion and expanding deposits to $1.43 billion, yet it remains highly fragmented with 13 small, under‑capitalised banks. Most institutions are privately owned, Sharia‑compliant and concentrated in urban centres, leaving...
The Intelligence Revolution
Chris Skinner’s webinar frames finance’s evolution as three technology revolutions: mainframe‑driven automation (Finance 1.0), digital transformation driven by cloud, APIs and platforms (Finance 2.0), and today’s shift to intelligent ecosystems powered by AI, generative models, and emerging quantum and blockchain capabilities. He...
Webinar | 15 April 2026 | Agentic AI in Banking: Exploring Key Applications and Best Practices for Implementation
An upcoming webinar on 15 April 2026 will examine how agentic AI is reshaping banking. It will showcase use cases such as real‑time fraud prevention, predictive credit‑risk analytics, and back‑office automation, while addressing ethical, privacy, and regulatory concerns. Speakers will...
Visa Taps Veteran Leonardo Collado to Lead Pismo’s Global Growth
Visa has appointed senior vice president Leonardo J. Collado as general manager of Pismo, effective April 1. Collado, who oversees value‑added services for Latin America and the Caribbean, brings 25 years of payments experience to the role. The move follows...
From Player to Coach: Team Accelerates Product Delivery
It's hard for me to describe how different things are than they were a week ago. I'm moving into more of a player coach role, and in the last 7 days, my team of PMs have been: - creating a "Cash...
Interoperability Ensures Uniform Rights for Digital Assets
Same asset, same rights, same outcome: The complex undertaking of interoperability in transacting and settling with #DigitalAssets across distributed ledgers. 🆕White Paper by @The_DTCC, @Clearstream, @EuroclearGroup, @BCG: https://t.co/WMoLfjd8GT #DLT #blockchain #securities https://t.co/94oTorfiKP
GCC Banks Show Resilience Amid Regional Conflict
GCC banks have shown resilience as the region endures fresh hostilities between Israel, the United States and Iran. Central Bank of the UAE reported banking assets above AED 5.42 trillion with a 17 % capital adequacy ratio and 146.6 % liquidity coverage ratio, both...
Tokenisation Is Finally Reshaping Markets as Predicted
#FlashbackFriday In 2020, I argued that tokenisation would remake markets, with public and private money becoming digital assets on shared rails. We seem to be edging that way. https://t.co/Hx9fOy0aBT Yesterday’s future. Progress optional.
Swedish Central Bank Urges Cash Hoarding Amid Payment Risks
Swedish central bank urges public to horde cash in case of payments disruption https://t.co/ckNfNUQsve "The Riskbank is currently working on improving the possibility of making offline payments by card to strengthen resilience." https://t.co/yLYmWsDoh0
Agency Market Phones It In, Rate Refis Slow in February
Agency mortgage market showed tepid activity in February, with rate‑refinance volumes remaining sluggish. GSE credit‑risk‑transfer (CRT) issuance fell to its lowest level since 2013, while overall loan originations modestly increased across most product lines. Delinquency rates at large servicers rose...
Fed
Update on the Fed’s Balance Sheet and its Reserve Management Purchases. Adding T-bills, shedding MBS, Treasury note & bond balances on ice, SRF unused https://t.co/M947SfSoUP https://t.co/c3uHc5VmGA
Rising PITI Costs Shatter 2020‑24 Sales Threshold
Total PITI costs surged for housing and in a QM lending environment that was set to crush sales. I had a price model limit for 2020-2024: if we didn't surpass 23% during those five years, we would be okay; we...
A Community-Bank Director Quits with a Parting Blast
Glen Herrick, a senior advisor and former CFO, resigned from MVB Financial’s board after just 14 months, publicly criticizing the bank’s executive‑compensation structure and lack of focus on recurring earnings. His departure is one of only four outspoken director resignations...
Fannie Mae Predicts Steady 6% Mortgage Rates Through 2027
Fannie Mae: Get use to these mortgage rates Fannie Mae's forecast for the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate: Q3 2026 --> 6.0% Q4 2026 --> 6.0% Q1 2027 --> 6.0% Q2 2027 --> 6.0% Q3 2027 --> 6.0% Q4 2027 --> 6.0%
Prediction Markets Threaten Security Like Bloomberg Terminal
A ‘Bloomberg Terminal’ for espionage? In this episode of DEX in the City, hosts @TuongvyLe12, @kkirkbos & Jessi Brooks discuss: ⚠️ Whether prediction markets are becoming a national security concern 👀 Whether alleged programmatic Bitcoin sales by Jane Street qualify as market manipulation ❕️...
Why the Fed’s Proposed New Rules Likely Won’t See Mortgage Borrowers Flock Back to Banks
The Federal Reserve is considering rule changes that would remove the requirement for banks to deduct mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) from regulatory capital and tie mortgage risk weights to loan‑to‑value ratios. The aim is to make mortgage lending more attractive...
Fintech's Future Lies in Infrastructure, Not Consumer Hype
European fintech is entering a phase where the underlying structure matters more than the story. For most of the past decade, consumer challengers defined the category. Neobanks like Monzo and Revolut proved that better interfaces could acquire millions of users quickly. But...
AI Agents Need Locked, Capped Cards—Lithic Leads
giving ai agents specific cards that can be locked per merchant and have spending caps is an obvious payment solution. probably more obvious than stablecoins which have a ton of payment adoptions. @lithic is probably the only fintech platform company...
![[Ending Soon] Chase IHG Rewards Premier Card 175,000 Points Signup Bonus](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chase123.webp)
[Ending Soon] Chase IHG Rewards Premier Card 175,000 Points Signup Bonus
Chase is promoting a limited‑time 175,000‑point sign‑up bonus for the IHG Rewards Premier Card, triggered by $5,000 of spend within the first three months. The card carries a $99 annual fee and delivers 26x points on IHG hotel purchases, 5x...
OpenAI Trails Anthropic, Mistral in Finance AI Race
OpenAI is eons behind here, esp for financial modeling. Think they were in early on Rogo which may help (probably good acquisition opportunity tbh) but Anthropic has been crushing and Mistral is doing well with EU banks (mainly because of...
Homeowners Cling to Low Rates, yet Many Still Move
Given this situation, millions of Americans could afford and even need to move, but they stay in homes they no longer want because they do not want to lose their low mortgage rates. Yet each quarter, people have given up...
Best Student Loan Refinance Rates for March 5, 2026: Credible Leads At 3.67%
Student loan refinance rates slipped further this week, with variable APRs as low as 3.67% and fixed APRs starting at 3.71% as of March 5, 2026. Credible leads the market on variable rates, while Earnest offers the cheapest fixed rate. The rate...
Early Draft Review Uncovers Fresh Views
Complex Systems this week is a tiny experiment: I did a read of a work-in-progress essay rather than the finished version with author's commentary. It's about secondary authentication/authorization, particularly for payments.
Government Pressure Drives Most Debanking Cases
"I found that the majority of #debanking cases stem from governmental pressure." @EconWithNick Yep. That's how it works
Tyfone Unveils New Loan Servicing Solution Loanovia for Credit Unions
Tyfone has launched Loanovia, a dedicated loan‑servicing and payments unit aimed at credit unions. Its three core tools—Skip‑A‑Pay, Quick Pay and Collect—are already live in more than 80 credit‑union applications across the United States. The suite automates payment handling, reduces operational...
Institutions Rarely Ask About Solana, Focus on Ethereum
“I have had hundreds of conversations with institutions. Only once I’ve been asked about Solana” @dannyryan
Global USD Demand Fuels Stablecoin Profits, Threatens Banks
One of reasons banks are freaking out about stablecoins, even though stablecoins don't pay yield, is bc there is more demand for USD outside the US than there is inside the US. And that means billions (no...trillions) of profits going...
Citi AAdvantage Business 75,000 American Airlines Miles Signup Bonus Offer
Citi’s Business American Airlines Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is offering a 75,000 AAdvantage mile sign‑up bonus after cardholders spend $5,000 within the first five months. The annual fee of $99 is waived for the first year, and the bonus...
Morgan Stanley's Crypto Shift: Competition, Not Risk, Drives Change
The irony: Morgan Stanley spent years keeping advisors away from crypto to "protect clients" Now they're racing to capture allocation before Merrill, UBS, and Wells Fargo eat their lunch Risk management was never the issue Competition always was
Digital Features Aren’t Transformation; Culture and Process Matter
The industry has confused adding digital features with true transformation. Having a mobile app and digital account opening doesn’t make you digitally mature. Real transformation changes culture, processes, and mindset. Download the free report now: https://t.co/gNGFxphUMy https://t.co/bz0SeOWTSW
Revolut, Zerohash Pursue US National Banking Charters
Revolut, the UK‑based neobank, has filed for a U.S. national bank charter and FDIC insurance as part of a strategic expansion, appointing Cetin Duransoy as its new U.S. CEO. Crypto‑infrastructure firm Zerohash has applied for an OCC national trust bank...
Firms Use Repo‑Like Loans to Hide Debt
“The firms are using repo-like loans from one particular investment bank to mask debt, the letter says.” https://t.co/YLQH5cPi6f
Brighty Launches Banking AI Agents for Corporate Clients
Brighty, a European crypto‑native digital finance platform, unveiled a Banking API that lets AI agents perform full‑cycle business banking functions such as balance queries, payments, currency exchange, payroll, and reconciliation. The developer‑ready infrastructure enables autonomous invoice processing, approvals, and fund...
CashApp's Credit Risk Management Highlights Intentional Crime Controls Lapses
Still thinking about @AlexH_Johnson & my pod convo about @CashApp's plan to sell its internal credit scores to third parties That the company seems to be able to manage *credit risk* reasonably effectively makes its financial crime control failures look even...
Today’s Podcast Episode: Credit Card Rate Caps and the Credit Card Competition Act: The Right Problem, the Wrong Tools?
The Consumer Finance Monitor podcast examined two Trump‑era proposals: a temporary 10 % cap on credit‑card APRs and the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) that would force large issuers to route transactions through at least two unaffiliated networks. Both initiatives are...
The Top 50 Originators Account for 91% of Total ACH Commercial Payments Volume, Nacha Says
Nacha reports that the top 50 ACH originators processed 30.7 billion payments in 2025, representing 91.4% of commercial ACH volume, while the top 50 receivers handled 23 billion payments, accounting for 65.1% of total flow. Wells Fargo led originations with 8.7 billion payments, and...
Pilot Turns to NCR Voyix in a POS Modernization Move
Pilot Travel Centers, operating over 900 locations across North America, has signed a five‑year exclusive agreement to deploy NCR Voyix’s point‑of‑sale and fuel technology at every site. The move expands an existing partnership and aims to modernize Pilot’s tech stack,...
Agentic Commerce Starts with Cards, Moves to Stablecoins
Agentic commerce will use cards first, then stablecoins. The "stablecoins agentic payments" discourse is missing so much nuance. @nlevine19 did a great job starting the conversation. I think we can go much further. Here's my thesis: https://t.co/yNzQdwx3hS
CreditOneBank Actually Serves Underserved Consumers, Others Don't
Almost all financial institutions say they want to support underserved consumers, but few actually ‘walk the walk’ like @CreditOneBank. #creditaccess #financialwellness #ad https://t.co/FvCz5e7Jnp
Inside a Startup Building Tools for AI Agents
Circuit & Chisel, a New York startup founded by former Stripe crypto executives, raised $19.2 million to launch ATXP, an agent transaction protocol that enables AI agents to navigate and execute payments autonomously. The company’s backers include Stripe, Polygon Labs, and Samsung Next, signaling strong...
Zero‑Human Companies Are Already Redefining Work with Crypto
The first zero human companies are already using crypto DAO treasuries managing themselves AI agents settling in stablecoins Smart contracts as the entire org chart We're not ready for what this means for employment Or equity Or anything, really
Behind the Idea: Cumbuca
Cumbuca, founded by Daniel Ruhman, acts as a regulatory proxy that grants international fintechs direct access to Brazil’s Central Bank payment infrastructure. By holding its own payment‑institution licence, the company lets clients launch in weeks instead of the years typically required...
Revolut Names US CEO as It Seeks New Banking Licence
Revolut has appointed former Raisin chief executive Cetin Duransoy as its U.S. CEO, coinciding with the fintech’s application for a national bank charter from the OCC and FDIC. The company aims to operate as Revolut Bank US, giving it direct...