PRA PS8/26: FSCS – MELL 2026/27
On 31 March 2026 the Prudential Regulation Authority released Policy Statement 8/26, finalising the Financial Services Compensation Scheme’s Management Expenses Levy Limit (MELL) for the 2026/27 fiscal year. The PRA reviewed stakeholder responses to Consultation Paper 1/26 and chose to keep the levy ceiling exactly as originally proposed. The MELL will be in force from 1 April 2026 through 31 March 2027, aligning with the FSCS’s financial calendar. This decision provides regulatory certainty for firms contributing to the scheme.
Bookmakers Want Banks to Cut Off Offshore Online Gambling Sites
South African bookmakers, represented by the South African Bookmakers Association (Saba), report that unlicensed offshore gambling platforms now account for roughly 62% of online betting activity, siphoning about R50 billion (≈ $2.7 billion) in gross revenue abroad each year. The report, commissioned from...
Pepkor Eyes 2027 for the Rollout of a New South African Bank
Pepkor Holdings, Africa’s largest clothing and mobile phone retailer, has hired Merwe Scholtz to lead a new banking division, aiming to launch an independent lender by 2027 and possibly as early as next year. The initiative will add deposit services...
In the World of Stripe: Acquisitions, Agentic AI, and Stablecoins
Stripe, now valued at roughly $159 billion after a 74% jump from the prior year, is reportedly in early‑stage talks to acquire PayPal. The potential deal would give Stripe immediate access to PayPal’s 439 million active consumer and merchant accounts and its...
Swift Advances Blockchain Shared Ledger to Pilot Phase for 24/7 Global Payments
Swift has moved its blockchain‑based shared ledger from planning to full‑scale development, creating a minimum viable product that will pilot live tokenized deposits in 2026. The platform extends Swift’s existing payment standards with an open‑source, EVM‑compatible layer built on Hyperledger...
FCA PS26/3: Motor Finance Consumer Redress Scheme
On 30 March 2026 the FCA issued Policy Statement 26/3, establishing final rules for two motor‑finance consumer redress schemes covering loans from April 2007 to November 2024. The schemes split the original 17‑year period into a 2007‑14 “Scheme 1” and a 2014‑24 “Scheme 2”, with...
Being Ready for Cross-Border Resolution: Lessons From Credit Suisse and Silicon Valley Bank
The Bank of England detailed its cross‑border resolution framework, highlighting lessons from the 2023 failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse. Using SVB’s UK subsidiary and Credit Suisse’s £506 billion (≈$632 billion) asset base, the BoE explained how coordination with...
JD.com-backed Group Picks Banks for IPO of Singapore Reit: Sources
JD.com’s property arm and partners have appointed Bank of America, DBS Group and UBS as advisers for a Singapore‑based real estate investment trust (REIT). The REIT, which will bundle assets from JD Property, Partners Group and EZA Hill, targets roughly...
Motor Finance Compensation to ‘to Fire Starting Gun’ on Banking M&A
The UK Financial Conduct Authority unveiled final rules for its motor‑finance redress scheme, setting the compensation bill at just over £9 billion (approximately $11.5 billion), down from earlier £11 billion estimates. Lloyds Banking Group alone faces a £2 billion ($2.5 billion) liability, while Close Brothers...
African Bank Revenues Top $100bn as Returns Outpace Global Peers
African banks generated roughly $99 bn in revenue in 2024, with McKinsey projecting $107 bn for 2025, marking the first time continent‑wide banking revenues topped $100 bn. Return on equity stood at 19% in 2024, well above the global banking average of about...
Exclusive: Jamie Dimon's Plan to Rescue the American Dream
JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon announced the American Dream Initiative, a multi‑year effort to boost economic opportunity for lower‑income Americans. The program will channel $80 billion into small‑business lending, mentor 115,000 owners, and add 1,000 bankers across 5,000 branches, targeting 10 million...
Swipe Fees Hit Record-Setting $198.25B
U.S. merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in credit and debit card swipe fees in 2025, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. The total represents a 5.9% jump from 2024 and an 80% increase since the pandemic, with fees climbing 219%...
The Case for Modern Client Lifecycle Management in Banking
Modern client lifecycle management (CLM) software is emerging as a solution to the fragmented, multi‑system processes that banks use for prospecting, onboarding, compliance and ongoing relationship management. By unifying these stages on a single platform, CLM reduces the months‑long onboarding...
EIB Global Agrees $200m Green Financing for Vietnam’s Techcombank
European Investment Bank’s global arm has committed a $200 million green financing facility to Vietnam’s Techcombank. The loan will be deployed to expand the bank’s lending for renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport projects. This partnership aligns with Vietnam’s push...
The New Gold Rush to Become a US Bank
The OCC has seen a surge in U.S. bank charter applications, receiving more in the last six months than in the previous four years combined. Major foreign neobanks such as Brazil's Nubank, Europe's Revolut, and the Dutch Bunq are among...
PensionBee Supports FCA Move to Regulate ESG Ratings
PensionBee has welcomed the FCA’s proposal to regulate ESG ratings providers, calling it a long‑overdue step toward greater transparency. The retirement‑savings platform urged the regulator to adopt a proportionate, internationally aligned framework that reduces reporting burdens on smaller firms. It...
Credit Unions Want FinTechs on Speed Dial
FinTech partnerships with credit unions surged nearly 20% last year, shifting from a supplemental tactic to a core modernization strategy. Credit unions favor these alliances for speed, with 56% crediting FinTechs for faster, larger‑scale innovation. Payments and data analytics dominate...
Virtual Cards Bring Flexibility to SMB Payments Stuck in the Past
A February PYMNTS Intelligence report, conducted with Mastercard and surveying 412 U.S. SMB owners in December 2025, finds that nearly half of small and medium‑sized businesses are eager to cut reliance on cash and checks. Cash still dominates daily transactions,...
RBC Prepares for the AI Era
Royal Bank of Canada has launched a standalone AI Group, headed by Bruce Ross and reporting directly to the CEO, to accelerate the bank’s artificial‑intelligence agenda across retail, wealth and capital‑markets businesses. The group builds on RBC’s decade‑long AI foundation,...
Customers Less Loyal to Retail Banks: JD Power
JD Power’s 2026 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study reveals a subtle erosion of customer loyalty despite a modest rise in overall satisfaction to 657 on a 1,000‑point scale. The study highlights a “soft switching” trend, with the average checking‑account holder...
Intensive Competition Among Lenders Has Shifted Pricing Power Back to Issuers
Private‑credit spreads have tightened sharply over the past four years, now averaging under 600 basis points in both the United States and Europe. An oversupply of capital, renewed bank competition and the refinancing of high‑spread 2022 loans have driven the...
A Chat with Wio Bank, a Fully Digital, Platform-Based Bank
Wio Bank, launched in Abu Dhabi in 2022, is the region’s first fully digital, platform‑based bank backed by ADQ and FAB. It began with a focus on SME and creator banking and now serves over 400,000 customers, achieving profitability in...
ASIC Remakes Relief Instruments for AFS Licensees and Overseas Banks
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has introduced a new legislative instrument, ASIC Corporations (Foreign Licensees and ADIs) Instrument 2026/121, replacing the 2016 version and running until April 1, 2031. The instrument exempts foreign AFS licensees from record‑keeping and audited financial statement...
Businesses Warn of Price Rises From RBA’s Surcharge Ban
The Reserve Bank of Australia will prohibit most credit‑ and debit‑card surcharges from 1 October, a move projected to save consumers roughly US$1.06 billion each year. At the same time, the RBA will cap interchange fees, lowering credit‑card rates to 0.3 % and...
99.92% Villages in India Covered with Banking Outlets Within 5 Km Radius: Govt
The Finance Ministry reports that 99.92% of Indian villages now have a banking outlet—branch, business correspondent or India Post Payments Bank—within a 5 km radius, based on Jan Dhan Darshak data as of March 6, 2026. The government’s GIS‑based monitoring system tracks coverage and highlights...
Ex-Deutsche Bank Manager Sues Bank for at Least $624 Million
Former Deutsche Bank asset‑wealth head Michele Faissola and four ex‑colleagues sued the lender in a London court for at least £473 million ($624 million), part of a broader claim of £664 million ($877 million). The lawsuit alleges they were wrongly blamed in a 2013...
MobiFone Digital Payments Launches to Build Vietnam’s Next-Generation Payment Infrastructure
MobiFone Digital Payments (MDP), a joint‑stock company backed by MobiFone Telecommunications, received a State Bank of Vietnam license on November 27, 2025 to offer financial switching, electronic clearing, payment gateway and collection services. The launch aims to build Vietnam’s fourth‑generation...
UK Mortgage Approvals See Biggest Rise Since November, BoE Reports
The Bank of England reports the biggest month‑on‑month rise in UK mortgage approvals since November, indicating renewed buyer interest. Approvals are up roughly 15 % year‑over‑year as lower rates improve affordability compared with a year ago. Yet borrowing costs have jumped...
NCino Inc (NCNO) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
nCino reported second‑quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of $148.8 million, a 12% year‑over‑year increase, with subscription revenue climbing 15% to $130.8 million and organic growth of 10%. Mortgage and non‑U.S. subscription revenues surged 22% and 30% respectively, while platform pricing conversion reached 21%...
Connect Biopharma Holdings Ltd (CNTB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
ConnectOne Bancorp reported $14 billion in assets and a market capitalization above $1.4 billion after completing its largest acquisition and a rapid systems conversion. Core deposits rose 5% annualized while brokered deposits fell to 6% of assets, improving funding quality. Operating earnings...
Brag House Holdings Inc (TBH) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Bread Financial reported a solid fourth‑quarter and full‑year 2025, with credit sales rising 3% to $27.8 billion and net income of $53 million excluding a $42 million debt‑repurchase charge. The company improved credit quality, cutting the net loss rate to 7.4% in Q4...
AML in an Era of Unpredictable Threats
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking direct control of anti‑money‑laundering (AML) oversight, shifting from rule‑making to active supervision. It will demand law firms adopt real‑time risk monitoring and integrate up‑to‑date data, mirroring the approach used with financial‑services firms. Between...
WB Approves $1B Loan to Support Philippine Agriculture
The World Bank approved a $1 billion loan for the Philippines Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Project, targeting productivity and climate resilience. The financing will support sector‑wide reforms, modernize practices, and introduce a digital voucher system to deliver inputs efficiently. It aims to...
Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging – Conclusions Paper
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s Payments System Board released a Conclusions Paper outlining sweeping reforms to the nation’s card‑payment system. It will remove mandatory surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards, lower interchange fee caps and boost fee‑transparency across eftpos,...
Morningstar DBRS Finalizes Its Provisional Credit Ratings on FIGRE Trust 2026-FL1
Morningstar DBRS finalized provisional ratings for FIGRE Trust 2026‑FL1 mortgage‑backed notes, assigning AAA to the $222.6 million Class A‑1 tranche and AA to the $28.7 million Class A‑2 tranche, among others. The transaction backs $274.6 million of first‑lien HELOCs originated by Figure, with...
Treasury Moves to Formalize Whistleblower Payouts Tied to Financial Crime Tips
The U.S. Treasury, via FinCEN, has issued a proposed rule to formalize a whistleblower program that rewards individuals for tips leading to financial‑crime enforcement. Under the draft, whistleblowers could earn 10 % to 30 % of penalties collected in successful fraud, sanctions...
Lender: Keep Fine-Tuning Finances
Chris Schneider of Nicolet National Bank told Brownfield that agricultural operating loans are growing as input costs rise, yet loan amounts per acre have stayed relatively flat. He urged farmers to trim controllable expenses, noting that cutting many small costs...
U.S. Bank Extends Loan Terms in Bid to Address Affordability
U.S. Bank announced it will extend its home‑improvement loan terms from five years to six or seven years, targeting larger renovation projects. The move is designed to address growing affordability concerns among American households as home‑improvement spending stays above $600 billion...
Most Americans Would Rather Ditch Social Media than Their Beloved Banking Apps, Wells Fargo Survey Says
A Wells Fargo survey of 3,700 U.S. adults reveals that 86% have altered their spending habits and two‑thirds are delaying purchases or payments as money anxiety rises. While 84% would rather give up social media for a year than abandon banking...
JPMorgan Must Face Wells Fargo Lawsuit over Troubled $481M Loan
A Manhattan federal judge rejected JPMorgan Chase’s attempt to dismiss Wells Fargo’s breach‑of‑contract lawsuit over a troubled $481 million commercial‑real‑estate loan. Wells, acting as trustee for investors, alleges JPMorgan knew the Chetrit Group’s 2019 loan was based on overstated net operating...
Visa-DOJ Discovery Dispute Goes to Judge
The Justice Department’s antitrust suit, filed in September 2024, accuses Visa of monopolizing debit‑card payments. Visa has asked U.S. District Judge John Koeltl to compel the Treasury Department to produce pay.gov debit‑transaction records, arguing the agency is a relevant party....
April 7, 2026 – Open Meeting
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced an open meeting scheduled for April 7, 2026. The notice invites public attendance and directs inquiries to Executive Secretary Debra A. Decker via email. The FDIC, an independent agency, emphasizes its role in maintaining stability, insuring deposits, and...
LoanDepot Partners with Texas Builder for New Lender Launch
LoanDepot has launched Olive Branch Home Loans, a mortgage affiliate for West Texas builder Betenbough Cos., which sells over 2,000 homes annually across eight sales centers. The partnership gives Betenbough access to LoanDepot’s wholesale infrastructure, technology and customer‑service expertise while...
ECB Has Reservations About Banking Credentials of MPS Boards CEO Candidate, Source Says
The European Central Bank has raised concerns about the banking credentials of Fabrizio Palermo, the ACEA CEO nominated by Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) to replace Luigi Lovaglio. Palermo’s experience stems from leading the state‑owned Cassa Depositi e Prestiti,...
Mobile Payments Stall as Switzerland Clings to Cash and Debit
Switzerland’s payment landscape remains dominated by cash and debit cards, with mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Twint capturing only 17% of transactions in 2025, a slight decline from the previous year. Debit cards lead at 37% of all...
Kaufman Astoria Studios Draws Pre-Foreclosure Suit
Deutsche Bank has filed a pre‑foreclosure suit against the 500,000‑square‑foot Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, alleging a $359 million loan default. The loan, originally $340 million taken in 2021, was guaranteed by Michael Hackman, whose partnership with Hackman Capital also bought the...
States Score Win as Flagstar Denied Escrow Rehearing
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Flagstar Bank’s request for a full‑panel rehearing, leaving in place its earlier ruling that upheld California’s interest‑on‑escrow law. The decision was celebrated by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), which used the...
Italian Regulator Fines Financial Giant $36 Million for Data Protection Failures
Italian Data Protection Authority fined Intesa Sanpaolo €31.8 million ($36 million) for unauthorized access to over 3,500 customers' data between February 2022 and April 2024. The regulator cited serious shortcomings in technical and organizational safeguards, noting that internal controls failed to detect the breach....
Congress Aims to Make Digital Dollars Easier to Use than Bitcoin Solidifying the ‘Digital Gold’ Narrative
Congress is moving ahead with the GENIUS Act, establishing a federal framework for dollar‑backed stablecoins that includes reserve backing, consumer protection, and cross‑border efficiency. The White House and Treasury have labeled these stablecoins as the next wave of payment innovation...
Safeguarding Against Money Laundering: Effective AML Training Methods
Anti‑Money Laundering (AML) training is now a strategic imperative for financial firms, serving both regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Programs that blend in‑person workshops, e‑learning modules, gamified simulations, and emerging technologies such as AI and virtual reality improve engagement and...