Today's Banking Pulse
Mortgage refinance demand plunges 18% as rates climb to 6.65%
Refinance applications fell 18% week‑over‑week, dropping to 38% of total mortgage filings—the lowest share since June 2025. The average 30‑year fixed rate rose to 6.65%, while purchase‑loan volume edged down 0.4% and the average loan size hit $473,600.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OakNorth acquires Monite to boost business banking
FIS Doubles Down on Issuing While Riding an AI Wave
FIS is pivoting to its core card‑issuing business after selling Worldpay, aiming at banks that grow faster than the market. The company has launched its first agentic‑commerce platform, enabling AI‑driven purchases on behalf of consumers while bolstering fraud defenses. A $13.5 billion acquisition of Global’s issuing solutions unit expands its global footprint, giving it the largest credit‑card portfolio in North America. For 2025, revenue rose 5.8% to $10.5 billion, with Q4 up 7.4% and EPS up 20%.
Mortgage Rates Dip to Lowest Since August 2022
Actual LOCKED mortgage rates hit the lowest point since August 2022, per Optimal Blue real-time data. The 30-year fixed fell to 5.945% yesterday for a conforming loan backed by Fannie/Freddie. FHA was 5.859% and VA an even lower 5.608%. Decent.
Autonomous Crypto Entities Will Outpace Regulators and Humans
The SEC doesn't know how to regulate a company with no CEO The IRS doesn't know how to tax an entity with no address Banks don't know how to serve a business with no humans But crypto doesn't care Zero human companies will emerge...
Your AI Is Getting a Bank Account: MoonPay Just Gave Bots the Power to Spend Money
MoonPay introduced MoonPay Agents, a non‑custodial, permissionless financial layer that lets AI agents control funded crypto wallets. Users complete a one‑time KYC and link a payment method, after which the AI can autonomously trade, swap and move funds. The service...
AI Robots Set to Outnumber Human Workers Within Decades
AI robots could outnumber human workers within a few decades, according to a former Citi executive. Humanoids are already on the market with a payback period of under 10 weeks compared to human labor. McKinsey expects its own workforce to reach parity...
How Camunda’s Skyflow Connector Helps Regulated Organizations Orchestrate Sensitive Data Safely
Camunda introduced a Skyflow connector that tokenizes and de‑identifies PII/PHI within BPMN workflows. The connector forwards selected fields to Skyflow’s vault, replaces them with tokens, and permits controlled re‑identification only at approved steps. This approach shrinks the cleartext data footprint...
Chinese Banks Pivot From US Treasuries to Diversified Reserves
Last week, we published a report titled “How Is China Rewiring Its Trillion-Dollar Surplus?” in response to media reports that Chinese authorities have urged banks to curb their exposure to the US Treasury market. This regulatory signal is highly investment-relevant,...
Canton Advances Cross-Border Repo to Free up $300 Trillion Assets via Tokenization
A consortium of leading financial institutions executed the first cross‑border, intraday repurchase agreement using tokenized U.K. government bonds on the Canton Network. The trade featured the inaugural cross‑currency swap of tokenized gilts for tokenized deposits, with smart contracts encoding interest...
The New Rules of Ecommerce with Alex Dewison, Global Payments | Episode 469
In this episode, Alex Dewison, Director of Digital Solutions at Global Payments, explains how e‑commerce payments have shifted from basic checkout pages to seamless, invisible experiences driven by speed, security, and digital wallets. He outlines the hallmarks of a best‑in‑class...
Citizens’ CIO on the Ethos that Led the Bank Into the Cloud and Beyond
Citizens Bank’s Chief Information Officer Michael Ruttledge outlines how the institution’s "Next Gen Technology" initiative has driven a full migration of its legacy mainframe workloads to public cloud platforms Azure and AWS. Since joining in 2019, Ruttledge has overseen a...
Mobile Handset Is Now the Front Door to the Future of Banking in Africa
The Africa Digital Banking Experience report shows mobile handsets have become the primary gateway to banking across the continent. With mobile penetration rising and smartphones becoming affordable, banks are shifting to mobile‑first strategies and redesigning products for handset users. While...
NPTN by LMS Joins Bank of England Synchronisation Lab to Tackle Remortgage Friction
LMS, through its NPTN network, has entered the Bank of England’s Synchronisation Lab to pilot a synchronized settlement model for remortgages. The eight‑week test will run in a simulated Real‑Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) environment, splitting payments into earmark and settle...
When AI Shops on Your Behalf, Who Owns the Transaction?
AI‑driven “agentic commerce” is allowing autonomous systems to purchase goods and services on behalf of consumers. This shift challenges the long‑standing reliance on a consumer’s click as proof of intent, prompting Visa and Mastercard to test pilot programs for machine‑initiated...
We Tested M-PESA’s Latest Feature Shiriki Pay. Here’s How It Works.
Safaricom is piloting Shiriki Pay, a mini‑app inside the M‑PESA super app that lets a sponsor delegate up to two beneficiaries a monthly spending allowance drawn directly from the sponsor’s wallet. The feature caps usage, supports Buy Goods, Paybill, Pochi...
Here's Why Mortgage Renewals May Be the Banks' Biggest Rip-Off
Big Canadian banks often send mortgage renewal forms just weeks before the due date, offering rates that can be two percentage points higher than competing offers. In a recent example, a borrower faced a 6.09% fixed rate versus a 4.04%...
Permissibility Is the Real Prize for Banks in Crypto Bill
The U.S. market‑structure bill’s permissibility section would formally allow banks and their holding companies to own and transact in digital assets, effectively expanding the range of activities deemed permissible under the National Bank Act. Critics argue that simply placing an...
Buffers for Greater China, US Exposures ‘More than Adequate’ as Bad-Debt Formation Slows in Q4: UOB
UOB's CFO Leong Yung Chee said the bank's provisions for commercial‑real‑estate exposures in Greater China and the United States are more than adequate as bad‑debt formation slowed in Q4 2025. Problematic US CRE loans represent about 1% of the local...
Partnerships Key to Unlocking Value in Payments Space: KPMG International
KPMG International’s new report warns that banks and retailers must forge strategic partnerships to keep pace with rapid payment‑technology change. Survey data from 500 banks and 500 retailers shows 54 % of retailers consider payment modernization essential, yet only 45 % say...
Fintechs May Finally Get Regulatory Clarity as Kenya’s Central Bank Reviews Laws
Kenya’s Central Bank announced a consultancy to review the Central Bank Act and the Banking Act. The overhaul targets ambiguous provisions affecting digital banking, fintech regulation, consumer protection and cybersecurity. The current legal grey zone has delayed operating licences for...
BlackRock Silently Powers Governments, Markets, and Wall Street
The U.S. Government can’t operate without it. Global economy can’t function without it. And Wall Street can’t trade without it. Yet most people have no idea what BlackRock actually does. Here’s how BlackRock built a $10 trillion empire that quietly controls everything:
Meta's Stablecoin RFPs Target 3 Billion Users
🤯 WOW Meta just sent stablecoin RFPs to crypto infrastructure firms. Are 3 billion users are about to get stablecoin wallets? https://t.co/VVOC3pQp06
Asia Pacific CFOs Push Banks to Rethink Working Capital, Study Finds
A Visa‑PYMNTS Working Capital Index shows nearly 50% of Asia‑Pacific growth‑stage firms (revenues $50 M‑$1 B) lack usable working‑capital tools, citing mismatched product design. CFOs demand flexible, sector‑specific digital financing, especially virtual and commercial cards that act as short‑term funding sources. High‑performing...
AI-Driven Fintech: Robot Money and Humanless Companies
Really enjoyed this conversation on robot money, zero human companies, and what will happen to Fintech in the AI era
Speed Transforms From Convenience to Competitive Edge
If I walk into a traditional branch, it’s days for an application, days for adjudication, days for approval. Speed is no longer convenience. Speed is competitive advantage. And today, the advantage is shifting. https://t.co/qZdm6aFQq4
Where Did the Overdraft Go?
The UK overdraft market has collapsed from £18 bn to £2.7 bn, leaving a £15 bn funding gap for SMEs. With high‑street banks pulling back, many small firms now finance day‑to‑day cash flow through personal credit cards and director reimbursements – a practice...
Legacy Bank Servers Can't Match Cloud‑first Finance
Traditional banks running core systems in basement servers cannot compete in a world built for autonomous, cloud-first finance. https://t.co/ygYrjWtotP
The Clearing House: Trust Is the Gatekeeper for What’s Next in Payments
The Clearing House’s chief strategy officer, Sal Karakaplan, declared “trust” the 2026 word of the year for payments, arguing it is the functional prerequisite for new players, technologies, and flows to gain lasting adoption. He highlighted the RTP® network’s expansion—now reaching...
Nearly Half of Shoppers Used Mobile for Their Latest Retail Purchase
The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that 48% of shoppers used a mobile device for their most recent retail purchase, with usage exceeding 60% in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Mobile browsing frequency is...
TRM Labs, Finray Technologies Partner for Crypto and Fiat Monitoring
TRM Labs and Finray Technologies have integrated Finray’s XZiel compliance engine with TRM’s blockchain intelligence, creating a unified system for monitoring crypto and fiat transactions. The platform delivers real‑time risk alerts, automated case management and a detailed audit trail across...
Marriott Bonvoy Taps Indonesia’s Growing Travel Market with New Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy and Indonesia’s state‑owned Bank Mandiri have launched the Marriott Bonvoy Mandiri credit card, the hospitality brand’s first co‑branded card in Southeast Asia and its 35th worldwide. The product targets Indonesia’s fast‑growing travel segment, leveraging Mandiri’s digital reach and...
CBA Cuts 300 Jobs as It Prepares Workers for an AI-Driven ‘Shift’
Commonwealth Bank of Australia announced the elimination of 300 positions, primarily within its technology division, as part of a broader workforce reshaping. The cuts coincide with a $90 million, three‑year upskilling initiative designed to ready staff for an AI‑driven shift over...
Stablecoins Are Taking Over and Most Banks Are Already Behind
In this episode of FinTech Confidential, host Ted Huff chats with Nick Milanovic, founder of This Week in FinTech and creator of StableCon, about the rapid adoption of stablecoins by banks and the broader fintech ecosystem. They trace the evolution...
Mashreq Launches First-of-Its-Kind Digital Cross-Border Accounts for Non-Resident Pakistanis in the UAE
Mashreq Bank has introduced a fully digital cross‑border account service that lets UAE‑based Pakistani expatriates open a Mashreq Pakistan account through the UAE mobile app. The offering replaces manual paperwork with a seamless, end‑to‑end digital experience and integrates a unified...
Jamie Dimon on the Loan Rush: 'I See a Couple of People Doing some Dumb Things'
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned that today’s aggressive loan‑making resembles the pre‑2008 buildup that led to the financial crisis. He said some rivals are taking “dumb” actions to inflate net interest income, while JPMorgan remains disciplined even if it means...
Cautious Holiday Spending Softens Typical January Credit Card Delinquency Spike: Equifax Canada
Equifax Canada’s Q4 2025 credit report shows total consumer debt rose to $2.65 trillion, up 3.1% year‑over‑year, driven by higher mortgage balances and a 4.5% jump in non‑mortgage debt. Non‑mortgage delinquency peaked at 1.73%, with the 26‑35 age group posting the highest...
Malaysia Allows Brokers to Offer Digital Asset Trading Under Securities Rules
Malaysia’s Securities Commission issued a practice note allowing licensed stockbrokers with Capital Markets Services licences to provide broking services for approved digital assets under existing securities rules. Brokers must obtain regulator concurrence, use locally registered exchanges or vetted foreign platforms,...
Visa Expands Latin America Footprint: To Acquire Argentina’s Prisma Medios De Pago and Newpay
Visa announced the acquisition of Argentina’s Prisma Medios de Pago and the fintech platform Newpay, marking a strategic push into Latin America’s payments ecosystem. The combined deal, valued at over $200 million, will be funded largely with cash. By integrating Prisma’s...
Home Loan Dealbreaker: Credit Score Red Flags Lenders Won’t Ignore
A strong credit score remains the linchpin for securing a home loan, especially as interest rates climb and property price growth slows. Lenders assess borrowers through the five C's—character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions—using the credit report as a proxy...
People's Bank of China Sets 1 and 5 Year Loan Prime Rates (LPRs) Unchanged
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, announced that both the 1‑year and 5‑year Loan Prime Rates (LPR) remain unchanged for the ninth consecutive month. The 1‑year LPR held at 3.45% while the 5‑year LPR stayed at 4.20%, reflecting...
Widening Spreads Signal Potential Prolonged Market Shakeout
Truth: “If spreads keep widening and banks keep lagging, this is more than a one day shakeout. If they stabilize, this was the market resetting positioning and rotating and not the start of a whole new regime.”
Citigroup Strikes Banamex Stake Sales with Blackstone, BTG
Citigroup announced the sale of an additional 24% stake in its Mexican retail bank, Grupo Financiero Banamex, for roughly $2.5 billion. The shares were bought by a consortium that includes Blackstone, General Atlantic, Brazil's BTG Pactual and Mexico's Afore Sura, among others. The...
What Do Community Bankers Want? What Do Community Banks Need?
The 2025 CSBS Annual Survey reveals community banks are feeling heightened pressure from non‑bank competitors, especially in payments and wealth‑management services, while deposit‑rate volatility forces more aggressive pricing. Cybercrime emerges as the top internal risk, with card and identity fraud...
Box Spreads: Low‑cost Synthetic Loans Explained
In recent years, a new form of 'synthetic' lending has emerged as a potential alternative to margin loans or SBLOCs for short- and medium-term borrowing: The "box spread". https://t.co/xmNXcFkoUQ Kitces Nerd Ben Henry-Moreland shares the mechanics of box spreads, why the...
AI Ambition Outpaces Governance, Threatening Shareholder Value
74% of firms will deploy agentic AI by 2028. Only 21% have mature governance. A 53-point gap between ambition and readiness. That is a ticking time bomb for shareholder value. https://t.co/TsiQpfm0tL
State Bill Could End Tax Break for Large Digital Lenders
Washington State’s House Bill 2089 seeks to restore dwindling wildfire‑prevention funding by revoking a tax deduction that currently benefits large digital mortgage lenders. The deduction, originally crafted for community banks, generated $91.6 million in savings in 2024, with 65 % captured by...
JPM Beats NII Forecast, Anticipates Deposit Growth in 2026
$JPM just raised NII to $104.5B vs $102.9B expectation. Expenses in line. Expects retail deposit growth to resume in 2026 from underlying customer growth and a reduction in yield seeking behavior.
Servicers Offer Support as Nonagency Gets More Competitive
Traditional lenders are eyeing the expanding non‑agency mortgage market as originations have roughly tripled in recent years, driven by growing appetite for non‑owner‑occupied and non‑QM loans. Securitization activity surged 78% in 2025, while delinquencies on non‑QM assets have risen above...
Stablecoin Rewards Undermine Community Bank Growth
Our savings yield for @bankonroger is 3.61 APY. I’m not worried about competition with stablecoin yields, I’m concerned how it robs community growth. Stablecoin funds gov’t debt while community banks fund community growth.
Other News in Brief
Bank holdings of residential mortgage‑backed securities dropped in Q4, while investor appetite for GSE‑eligible non‑agency loans surged. The CFPB reported a lower share of complaints receiving relief, and fintech Better turned to stablecoins for warehouse funding. M&A activity is reshaping...
Agents Likely Use Any API, Not Specific Rails
I sometimes get asked whether I expect agents paying each other to use stablecoins. I certainly expect them to call a remote API backed by a database, but wonder why they would have strong preferences on which payment rail to use.