Banking News and Headlines
Banking News and Headlines
Banking Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
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EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Global Citizen Solutions released a briefing titled "Crypto Secure Jurisdictions: Where Crypto Actually Works" that evaluates how 22 countries are embedding digital assets into tax, licensing and banking systems. The report shifts investor focus from asset selection to the legal and fiscal environment of crypto activity. It groups jurisdictions by functional role, highlighting benchmarks such as Switzerland, Singapore, Germany and the UK, mobility hubs like Portugal, Malta, Estonia, the UAE and Puerto Rico, and liquidity powerhouses including the United States and Hong Kong. Emerging markets and Caribbean CBI nations are also examined for their evolving crypto frameworks.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is deepening its fact‑finding on the highly concentrated core banking‑software market, where three vendors serve more than 70% of banks. Comptroller Jonathan Gould said the agency is engaging both banks and...
Glia’s 2026 Banking AI Benchmarks Report finds that 95% of generic generative‑AI pilots never reach production, urging banks to switch to industry‑specific tools. The study of 400 financial institutions shows purpose‑built AI delivers a 92%+ understanding rate, up to 94.8%...
Citigroup evacuated three office buildings in the United Arab Emirates after Iranian military leaders warned of attacks on regional banks. The bank moved all UAE staff to a fully remote work model, ensuring employee safety while maintaining client services. The...
At the Inclusive Finance Forum in Kigali, leaders argued that Africa’s financial future hinges on digital public infrastructure rather than traditional banking apps. They emphasized a shift from mere inclusion toward wealth creation, calling for citizen‑owned digital wallets and interoperable...
Mortgage broker Andrew Russell emphasizes that strong lender partnerships hinge on three pillars: product quality, speed, and service. He highlights that while rates matter, rapid turnaround and accessible, knowledgeable account executives are equally critical for client satisfaction. Russell points to...
Damon Germanides explains how bank‑statement loans are becoming a mainstream tool for mortgage brokers serving self‑employed and non‑traditional borrowers. By validating income through deposit analysis rather than tax returns, these non‑QM products expand qualifying capacity and offset pressure on conventional...
Avant’s cash‑back credit card targets consumers who are building or rebuilding credit without requiring a security deposit. Applicants can pre‑qualify online, which does not impact their credit score, and the card reports to all three major bureaus. Rewards and the...
Milwaukee‑based Landmark Credit Union announced it will acquire American National Bank‑Fox Cities, adding $419 million in assets and two branches to its $7 billion portfolio. The transaction, the fifth credit‑union‑bank deal this year and the third full‑bank purchase, is slated to close...
Bilt’s original rent‑rewards credit card, co‑branded with Wells Fargo, failed to generate sustainable revenue and was discontinued. The replacement, Bilt 2.0, partners with tiny fintech bank Column, NA, whose assets are under $1 billion and interest earnings are negligible. Early user reports describe...
On 11 March 2026 the EU published Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/519, amending the technical standards of Regulation 2021/622 that govern MREL reporting. The amendment revises the frequency and content of data that resolution authorities must transmit to the European...
Brazilian energy giant Raízen SA is seeking to restructure roughly $12.6 billion of debt out of court. Major European and Latin American banks—BNP Paribas, Banco Bradesco and Rabobank—have been identified as some of the company’s largest creditors. The restructuring plan is expected...
ZendWallet has launched Zend Business, a platform that merges international payments and internal operations for African companies. At its core is ZendFX, a stablecoin‑based engine that moves funds in USDT and USDC across more than 140 countries, supporting transactions from...
Payments Canada’s February update shows the real‑time rail (RTR) system moving into Q1 2026 with a strong emphasis on resilience, security and anti‑fraud testing. The organization has completed system integration testing in Q4 2025 and is now deepening user acceptance testing while...
Airlines can now offer travelers a split‑payment option through a new partnership between UATP and Hands In. The integration embeds Hands In’s split‑payment code into UATP’s Ceptor platform, letting customers combine multiple cards, debit accounts, or payors at checkout while...
HSBC announced it mobilised $102 billion in sustainable finance during 2025, surpassing the $100 billion mark for the first time. The total cumulative facilitation since 2020 now stands at $495.6 billion, keeping the bank on track for its 2030 goal of $750 billion to...
Engine introduced the Visa‑branded Engine X charge card aimed at small and midsized businesses, a segment that often lacks corporate payment solutions. The card delivers 10% cash back on travel booked through Engine and 1.5% on other spend, while offering spend...
Embedded finance platform AAZZUR announced a partnership with electronic money institution Wallester, integrating Wallester’s Visa‑principal card issuing infrastructure into AAZZUR’s regulated partner ecosystem. The collaboration enables AAZZUR’s clients across Europe to launch compliant card programs through a single integration, complementing...
Global Payments warned that the Middle East conflict is creating a modest headwind as flights for 12 of its largest regional airline clients are grounded, potentially affecting Q1 and Q2 results. CEO Cameron Bready said the impact on earnings and...
A JPMorgan Chase Institute study of 4.5 million homeowners shows that cash‑strained borrowers increasingly turn to buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) as a liquidity valve, especially when mortgage payments tighten budgets. BNPL spending spikes 34‑38% in the year before a first‑time home purchase, while...
Wells Fargo filed a trademark application for the ticker “WFUSD,” covering cryptocurrency exchange services, blockchain payment verification, hardware wallets and NFT software. The naming aligns with conventional stablecoin tickers, suggesting the bank may be preparing a dollar‑pegged digital token. The move...
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Chikwama Pay, a South‑African neobank, has teamed up with global issuer processor Paymentology to broaden its WhatsApp‑based banking suite across the Southern African Development Community. The partnership will bring cloud‑first debit‑card issuing, real‑time transaction controls and multi‑market compliance to a...
Crypto gateways are evolving from simple "Pay with Crypto" buttons into full‑stack payment orchestration platforms that route, settle, and ensure compliance for digital assets. They enable merchants to accept cryptocurrencies directly or indirectly, with hybrid solutions allowing stablecoin usage while...
Mizuho Financial Group has chosen FIS Balance Sheet Manager to meet Japan’s upcoming IFRS 9 reporting requirements. The platform automates expected credit loss calculations, scenario modeling and balance‑sheet analytics, reducing manual effort and error risk. By integrating these capabilities, Mizuho aims...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with banks, fintechs and public‑sector agencies to improve access to basic transaction accounts. The consultation attracted 50 submissions, with 98% of respondents urging action on financial exclusion....
UK's Financial Conduct Authority has placed stringent restrictions on Sendsii Ltd, prohibiting the firm from engaging in any regulated activity. The action follows a First Supervisory Notice issued after HM Revenue and Customs suspended the company's registration on October 9,...
The article outlines how anti‑money laundering (AML) risk assessment has become a cornerstone of compliance, detailing its methodology, regulatory mandates, and core elements such as customer, geographic, product and transaction risk factors. It explains the BSA/AML framework, the role of...
Fintech unicorn CRED has received the Reserve Bank of India's final payment aggregator licence, allowing it to onboard merchants, collect payments and manage settlements directly. The approval builds on its in‑principle nod from April 2024 and adds to its suite...
First National Bank (FNB) has added WhatsApp integration to its eWallet service, allowing users to register and manage a digital wallet directly through a chat interface. The upgrade lets new customers create an eWallet without an existing FNB account, expanding...
Blackcat rebranded from Blackcatcard and launched a unified multi‑wallet app that merges a personal EUR IBAN, SEPA transfers, card payments and regulated crypto services. The new architecture lets users manage separate fiat and crypto wallets within a single interface, reducing...
The Eurosystem unveiled the Appia roadmap, a two‑year plan to build a European tokenised wholesale finance ecosystem while keeping central‑bank money as the system’s anchor. Appia will work alongside the Pontes DLT settlement platform, with a detailed blueprint slated for...
EBAday returns for its 21st edition on 16‑17 June 2026 in Copenhagen, drawing over 1,400 senior European payments executives. The two‑day conference will map the 2030 payments playbook, covering upcoming regulations such as PSD3, PSR and FIDA, as well as emerging technologies...
White‑label payment gateways let PSPs and fintechs launch branded payment products without building a full gateway stack. The article evaluates five providers—Corefy, SDK.finance, Gr4vy, Spell and Decta—against criteria such as multi‑provider connectivity, routing control, tenant isolation and global scalability. Each...
Africa’s digital banking and insurance sectors are rapidly evolving as mobile‑first consumers demand seamless, personalized services. South Africa leads with scalable platforms and embedded finance models that integrate lending and insurance into everyday digital interactions. Artificial intelligence is becoming central,...
Borrowers face a likely interest‑rate increase as the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to lift the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points at its March 26 meeting, taking it to 4.1%. Westpac and National Australia Bank have revised forecasts...
Indonesia’s parliamentary financial commission is set to vet ten candidates for five top posts at the Financial Services Authority (OJK) after an equity‑market rout in January forced the agency’s chair, deputy chair and capital‑market supervisors to resign. The rout, sparked...
The article outlines the essential components of anti‑money laundering (AML) risk assessment, from risk categories and key risk indicators to regulatory expectations and the role of technology. It explains how risk models score customers as low, medium, or high, and...
Bank lending in the Philippines slowed to its weakest pace in nearly two years in January 2026, expanding only 9.3% year‑on‑year to P14.2 trillion. The dip follows a high‑profile corruption scandal that dented business confidence despite the central bank’s aggressive rate...
The Bank of England reports UK residential mortgage stock reached a record £1.734 trn in Q4 2025, up 0.8% from the previous quarter and 3% year‑on‑year. New mortgage advances slipped 1.3% to £79.4 bn and commitments fell 11.9%, indicating a slowdown in...
LoanDepot reported a 23% quarter‑over‑quarter increase in loan origination volume, reaching $8.04 billion—the highest since 2022. The surge lifted its market share to 1.4%, up 19% from the prior quarter. Company executives attributed the growth to recent technology investments, including AI...
Grab Finance is offering short‑term in‑app loans to Philippine ride‑hailing partners with an effective annual interest rate exceeding 230%, reaching about 277% for a typical PHP 11,000 loan. The loans are repaid through daily deductions from the riders' e‑wallets, a model...
BBVA has integrated ChatGPT Enterprise across its 120,000‑employee workforce, including a custom GPT for its internal audit function. The AI assistant automates data‑analysis tasks, reducing manual programming and documentation while maintaining auditor oversight. BBVA estimates a 10 % productivity gain for...
Velocity Financial reported a 66.5% jump in pretax earnings, setting a new company record for Q3 2025. Loan production reached $739 million, with new applications exceeding $1.4 billion, driving a 32% year‑over‑year portfolio expansion. Management highlighted a landmark single‑counterparty securitization that broadens...
Global Payments reported third‑quarter 2020 results that far exceeded expectations, driven by a technology‑enabled strategy. Adjusted net revenue reached $1.75 billion, a 64% increase year‑over‑year, while adjusted operating margin rose 250 basis points to 41.1%. The company highlighted strong omnichannel volume...
OppFi reported a record Q3 2025 with revenue of $155 million, up 14% year‑over‑year, and adjusted net income of $41 million, a 41% increase. Net originations grew 12.5%, driven by nearly half of new loan volume from fresh customers and an auto‑approval...
At the MoneyLIVE Summit 2026, FCA executive David Geale outlined the planned consolidation of the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA, promising a single, coordinated payments oversight body. He highlighted recent pro‑growth reforms, including the removal of the £100 contactless...
The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts dismissed Chapter 93A fraud claims against Bank of America after plaintiffs failed to meet Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading requirements. Plaintiffs alleged $48,000 was transferred via Zelle without authorization and that the bank misrepresented Zelle’s safety and...
Elon Musk announced that X Money, the financial services arm of the X platform, will enter early public access in April 2026. The rollout follows a multi‑year push to turn X into a super‑app, with a Visa Direct partnership enabling...
Comptroller Jonathan Gould reaffirmed the OCC's commitment to federal preemption of state banking rules, citing the agency’s Lincoln‑era origins. He announced an aggressive filing strategy of amicus briefs and court filings to solidify the OCC’s legal position. Gould dismissed criticism...
Zions Bancorp has restructured its technology leadership after longtime CTO Jennifer Smith departed, assigning CIO Margaret Mayer and chief transformation officer Ken Collins to jointly run the enterprise technology unit. The bank completed a decade‑long core systems modernization in 2024,...
