Banking News and Headlines
Banking News and Headlines
Banking Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
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EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Visa has launched its Intelligent Authorization platform for merchant acquirers across the Asia‑Pacific region. The solution offers a single‑API pathway that leverages Visa’s card‑network infrastructure, allowing banks to forego building dedicated processing stacks. Integrated AI routing selects the most cost‑effective, fastest payment rail, supporting digital wallets, crypto and real‑time rails. By streamlining connectivity, the platform promises operational efficiencies and reduced transaction declines for acquirers of all sizes.
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has unveiled a Fast‑Track framework designed to streamline approvals for new banking and bank‑like activities in Canada. The new rules clarify capital, liquidity and supervisory expectations for deposit‑taking, credit‑card issuance, mortgages...
Payments infrastructure has moved from a back‑office function to a strategic growth lever, as platforms relying on legacy systems face higher friction, cost, and slower revenue realization. TSG and Payforge’s new whitepaper argues that modernizing payment stacks is essential to...
Loandepot announced its return to the wholesale mortgage origination channel, a move it had abandoned in August 2022 after a $224 million Q2 loss. CEO Anthony Hsieh, now acting CEO, says the comeback leverages the joint‑venture shared‑services platform to drive profitable...
Ready Capital posted a $232 million loss for the fourth quarter, an improvement from a $314 million loss a quarter earlier, as it restructures a $1.5 billion commercial‑real‑estate loan portfolio. Non‑accrual loans surged to 25% of the book, roughly $1.3 billion, driven by a...
Amina, a Swiss‑regulated crypto bank, became the first fully regulated bank to join 21X, the EU’s pilot blockchain‑based securities trading and settlement venue. The partnership with Tokeny enables Amina to sponsor listings of tokenized securities on the platform, tackling interoperability...
Consumer credit expanded at a 1.9% annualized rate in January, with revolving balances rising 4.3% despite a modest slowdown. Premium‑fee cards, many charging over $600 annually, are witnessing heightened competition as fintechs like Robinhood and Revolut join incumbents. Research shows...
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a public warning about Elite Option Experts, operating at eliteoptionexperts.com, for offering unauthorised investment services. The regulator flagged the site as non‑compliant, highlighting that it is not authorised to provide financial advice...
Lisbon‑based Bison Bank has partnered with blockchain analytics leader Elliptic to embed the firm’s AI‑powered “copilot” into its digital‑asset subsidiary, Bison Digital Assets. The integration enables real‑time monitoring of more than 1,000 crypto tokens and automates data collection, fund‑flow analysis,...
Mortgage applications rose 1.5% month‑over‑month as the 30‑year fixed rate slipped to a three‑year low of 6.14%, driven by a decline in the 10‑year Treasury yield. Refinancing activity surged 11.3%, while purchase applications fell 12.3% amid tight inventory and winter...
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong warned that proposed UK stablecoin caps could erode the country’s fintech edge, while the United States has moved ahead with the GENIUS Act, establishing the first federal framework for payment stablecoins. The legislation mandates 100% reserve...
Jack Henry & Associates’ anti‑fraud solution, Financial Crimes Defender, has been added to the Independent Community Bankers of America’s Preferred Service Provider program. Affiniti Finance secured a financing agreement with Column N.A. to accelerate its corporate‑card and banking services for...
EQB Inc. received Competition Bureau clearance to acquire President’s Choice Bank and related PC Financial assets from Loblaw, moving the deal closer to completion. The transaction still requires sign‑off from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the...
Pakistan's parliament approved the Virtual Assets Act 2026, creating the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) to license and supervise cryptocurrency service providers. The authority, initially formed by a 2025 presidential ordinance, now has permanent legal standing. PVARA will enforce...
CRC Credit Bureau launched an upgraded mobile app that streamlines access to credit data, financial services, and digital transactions for Nigerians. The new version adds biometric authentication, a built‑in wallet, and direct enrollment in CRC’s financial education programmes. The bureau...
Filippo Chiricozzi, DLT & Digital Identity Lead at Banca Sella, is steering the bank’s push into Web3, cryptocurrencies, and the metaverse while focusing on digital identity solutions. The bank is aligning with European initiatives such as the Digital Identity Wallet...
Nigeria’s first Payment Service Bank, 9PSB, has unveiled a new cross‑border feature called Send to Ghana on its Bank9ja app. The service, built on Onafriq’s technology and the Pan‑African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), is regulated by the Central Bank...
Florida’s rapid population growth is straining highways, schools, and water systems while driving an acute affordable‑housing crisis. Out‑of‑state and branchless banks are harvesting more than $200 billion in deposits from Floridians but reinvest only a fraction locally, exacerbating the shortage of...
The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), representing major lenders such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, is weighing a lawsuit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) over its new national trust charter framework for crypto, payment and fintech...
Morgan Stanley launched coverage of Brazil’s digital lender Agibank, assigning an overweight rating and a $21 price target that suggests roughly 100% upside from its recent IPO price of $12. The analyst team highlighted the bank’s deep discount to peers...
Financial crime risk assessments are positioned as the cornerstone of a bank’s AML and CTF framework, providing both diagnostic insight and a roadmap for control enhancements. Regulators treat them as the structural foundation of compliance, while board members rely on...
The European Commission has reached a provisional agreement on the Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3) and the accompanying Payment Services Regulation (PSR), setting a roadmap toward full implementation by 2026. The new rules broaden the definition of payment service providers, tighten...
Capitec has launched an in‑branch Smart ID service in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, deploying self‑service terminals that let clients apply for a Smart ID in under five minutes. The pilot has moved to a phased national rollout, targeting...
A new Federal Reserve study of U.S. bank failures from the Civil War through 1934 finds that bank runs are typically the final trigger for already insolvent institutions, while well‑capitalized banks can weather runs. Meanwhile, the latest macro data show...
Navi Technologies posted an Rs 126 crore loss for FY25, a marked improvement from the Rs 358.5 crore loss a year earlier, despite an 18% jump in revenue to Rs 2,565 crore. Interest income, which makes up 85% of total revenue, rose 21% while other income...
Home equity line of credit (HELOC) rates average 7.20% and fixed home‑equity loan rates 7.47% for borrowers with 780+ credit scores and CLTV under 70%. Rates vary widely, with some lenders offering introductory HELOC rates as low as 5.99% for...
Money‑market accounts are still delivering double‑digit yields, with TotalBank Online topping the list at 4.01% APY for balances of $2,500 or more. Several online banks and credit unions, including Quontic, Brilliant Bank and Northern Bank Direct, offer 4% APY, while...
High‑yield savings accounts are offering up to 4 % APY as of March 9, 2026, with SoFi and Valley Bank Direct leading the market. The Federal Reserve’s three rate cuts in 2025 have pushed overall deposit rates lower, making premium yields increasingly scarce....
Mortgage rates rose on March 9, with the average 30‑year fixed climbing to 5.98% and the 15‑year fixed to 5.50%, driven by bond market anxiety from Middle East tensions and a weak jobs report. Refinance rates are higher, with the 30‑year...
A new NBER study of over 4,000 bank runs from 1863‑1934 finds that insolvency, not liquidity, is the primary driver of bank failures. Solvent institutions rarely collapsed even when faced with massive withdrawals, while loss‑making banks turned runs into terminal...
Financial institutions are turning to AML and identity verification APIs to meet escalating regulatory demands and combat sophisticated fraud. In 2025, FBI reports over 5,100 account‑takeover complaints costing more than $262 million, underscoring the urgency. Providers such as AiPrise, ComplyAdvantage, Sumsub,...
PAY360 2026, the premier global payments conference, will be held on 24–25 March 2026 at ExCeL London. The event expects more than 6,000 innovators, thought leaders and industry stakeholders, with over 200 speakers covering topics such as crypto, open payments,...
The Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa confirmed a ransomware attack on 12 January 2026 that encrypted parts of its server environment and several laptops. The breach entered through a vulnerable internet‑facing server, but the bank’s core banking, ERP and...
Novobanco has entered a multi‑year partnership with Feedzai to overhaul its anti‑money‑laundering (AML) and fraud defenses using Feedzai’s AI‑native platform. The initiative consolidates fragmented compliance tools into a single, intelligence‑driven system that merges KYC, AML and fraud functions. Advanced watchlist...
Ringkjøbing Landbobank reported its week‑10 share buyback results, repurchasing 127,500 shares at an average price of DKK 1,642, amounting to DKK 209.4 million. The cumulative buyback now totals 1,235,647 shares, representing 4.87% of the bank’s share capital. The programme, approved on 30 January 2026, allows...
Robinhood announced a new premium credit card priced at $695 annually, crafted from real platinum. The card is aimed at the platform's affluent clientele and bundles higher rewards, concierge assistance, and travel protections. By introducing a tangible luxury product, Robinhood...
Broadridge Financial Solutions reported that its Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) platform processed an average of $362 billion in daily repo transactions in February 2026, amounting to $6.9 trillion for the month. This represents a 457% year‑over‑year increase, underscoring rapid institutional adoption of...
Swiggy and HDFC Bank introduced two co‑branded credit cards—the Swiggy BLCK and Swiggy Ornge—on March 7, expanding a partnership that began in 2023. The BLCK card targets premium spenders with 10% cashback on Swiggy orders and up to 5% on entertainment,...
Banc of California is accelerating its payments strategy by hiring industry veteran Chris Healy to lead its merchant acquiring platform, BancEdge. The bank aims to broaden the platform across existing and new commercial clients, emphasizing real‑time, AI‑driven payment capabilities. Healy’s...
Morningstar DBRS released episode 40 of its Securitisation Insights podcast, featuring Mudasar Chaudhry, Andre Soutinho and Nicola De Caro discussing synthetic Significant Risk Transfer (SRT) transactions in Europe. The hosts explained how synthetic SRTs let banks shift credit risk to...
Hong Kong’s financial regulators have broadened the GenA.I. Sandbox into a cross‑sector programme called GenA.I. Sandbox++, covering securities, asset management, insurance, pensions and stored‑value facilities. Launched on March 5 by the HKMA, SFC, Insurance Authority and MPFA in partnership with Cyberport,...
Independent mortgage brokers are a critical access point for American homebuyers, especially first‑time, self‑employed, and credit‑challenged borrowers. Unlike retail loan officers, brokers can shop dozens of lenders to secure the best rates and programs. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers...
Asia’s payment landscape is evolving toward AI‑driven agentic commerce, where conversational prompts replace traditional searches and agents act on behalf of shoppers. Embedded payment methods—QR codes, contactless taps, and account‑to‑account rails—now span digital, physical and hybrid environments, turning every interaction...
Ireland’s three largest retail banks—AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB—are rolling out Zippay, a peer‑to‑peer mobile payment service developed by Nexi, starting 10 March. The app, embedded directly within each bank’s existing mobile platform, will initially reach a potential user base...
Heritage Commerce Corp reported a strong deposit surge of $160.7 million in Q4 2025, with 95% of the growth coming from non‑maturity accounts, while loan balances slipped $37 million due to higher payoffs. Net interest margin rose to 3.44% as funding costs...
American Airlines’ Citi AAdvantage Globe Mastercard offers a $350 annual fee paired with four annual Admirals Club Globe Passes. The passes load automatically into the airline’s mobile app, grant 24‑hour lounge access for the primary cardholder and a guest, and require a...
DBS is urging Singapore‑based SMEs to hedge at least half of their foreign‑exchange exposure amid heightened volatility from the Middle‑East conflict. The bank’s SecureFX facility, which lets companies lock in rates up to US$1 million without credit lines, is already used...
The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) has been in force since January 2025, obligating financial services firms to retain operational control during severe IT incidents, not merely avoid failures. While many institutions have bolstered continuity and cyber‑response capabilities, a Veeam‑commissioned...
Advocate General Athanasios Rantos of the EU Court of Justice issued an opinion that banks must instantly refund victims of unauthorized phishing transactions under the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2), unless they have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud. The opinion...
Spreedly announced the launch of an agentic commerce channel that lets AI‑driven agents initiate transactions through merchants’ existing payment service provider relationships while the merchant remains the record of sale. The new channel runs on Spreedly’s open payments platform, preserving...
