Ken Griffin and Goldman Properties Land $118M for Wynwood Office
Ken Griffin and Goldman Properties secured a $118 million loan from J.P. Morgan Chase to finance 545 Wyn, a 10‑story office tower in Miami’s Wynwood district. The duo purchased the 499,370‑square‑foot asset for $180 million in January, just three months after acquiring it. The building houses 298,000 sq ft of office space and 26,340 sq ft of ground‑floor retail, with tenants such as Sony Music Group, Gensler and Gemini. The financing is part of Griffin’s broader Miami real‑estate push, which includes a $2.5 billion waterfront headquarters in Brickell.
FCA Call for Input – Understanding How Our Regulation Can Help SMEs Access Finance
On 18 March 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a Call for Input inviting stakeholders to comment on how regulation can improve small and medium‑sized enterprises’ access to finance. The FCA aims to identify regulatory barriers that raise costs...
New Zealand’s Regulators Expand Open Banking Efforts
New Zealand’s financial regulators are extending their open‑banking agenda beyond the December rules, mandating standardized APIs that let approved fintechs access customer data with consent. The reforms aim to tighten security, curb screen‑scraping, and create a level playing field that...
Blackwired’s ThirdWatch: Powering Operational Resilience with Cyber Intelligence
Blackwired’s ThirdWatch platform aims to transform cyber‑threat intelligence into actionable operational‑resilience insight for financial institutions. It addresses the systemic risk exposed by the 2023 MOVEit Transfer breach, where a single third‑party vulnerability compromised hundreds of firms. Leveraging Direct Threat Intelligence,...
Scott: Yield Compromise Could Arrive by the End of the Week
Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott said a compromise on the crypto market‑structure bill could be in hand by the end of the week. The dispute centers on banks’ demand to bar crypto firms from offering yield‑like rewards on stablecoins,...
IMB Profits Drop Sharply Even as Volume Surges in Q4
Non‑bank mortgage lenders reported a sharp 44% decline in net production profit per loan in Q4 2025, falling to $674 from $1,201 a quarter earlier, even as origination volume rose to $643 million per company. The industry’s profit margin slipped to 17...
FDIC Mulling Guardrails for Banks, Public Blockchains
The FDIC has rolled back its 2022 guidance that limited banks from interacting with public, permissionless blockchains, signaling a more permissive stance under Chair Travis Hill. Hill indicated that while the agency will focus on implementing the GENIUS Act, it...
UBS Nears Full Credit Suisse Integration by Finishing IT Project
UBS has finished migrating roughly 1.2 million former Credit Suisse clients onto its own platforms, marking a pivotal step in the three‑year integration that began after the 2023 rescue acquisition. The bank now enters the final integration phase, focusing on decommissioning...
Global Fintech Thunes Launches Stablecoin Payouts for Banks via Swift Connectivity
Thunes announced that its Pay‑to‑Stablecoin‑Wallets service now reaches roughly 11,500 banks through existing SWIFT connections, allowing instant payouts to stablecoin wallets without new technical integration. The offering supports major stablecoins such as USDC and USDT across more than 140 countries...
PayPal Introduces Stablecoin PYUSD to Users Across 70 Markets
PayPal has launched its dollar‑backed stablecoin, PayPal USD (PYUSD), in 70 international markets, allowing users to buy, hold, send and receive the token directly within their PayPal accounts. The stablecoin is issued by Paxos Trust Company and fully collateralized with U.S....
Refinance Boom Stalls as Rate Shock Jolts Mortgage Market Into Retreat
Mortgage refinance demand stalled in mid‑March as the 30‑year fixed rate jumped to 6.30%, the highest level since December 2025. The MBA’s weekly survey showed total applications down 10.9% and the refinance index falling 19% week‑over‑week, while purchase applications edged up...
Digital Bank OakNorth Reports YoY Increase in Gross Originations with Considerable US Activity
OakNorth reported a pre‑tax profit of £223 million for 2025 and saw new loan originations jump 33% to £2.8 billion. The United States contributed 40% of fresh lending, underscoring rapid market penetration since its 2023 entry. Credit quality remained exceptional, with cumulative...
Revision of State Aid Rules for Banks in Difficulty
On 17 March 2026 the European Commission launched a Call for Evidence to revise the EU State aid rules for banks in difficulty, aligning them with the revised Crisis Management and Deposit Insurance (CMDI) framework expected in Q2 2026. The existing rules predate...
How Business Lending Culture Lost Its Way
The piece argues that alternative business lending has drifted from fueling growth to becoming a lifeline for struggling SMEs. Over 90% of surveyed firms use loans to cover rent, payroll or existing debt rather than to expand, turning credit into...
Postbank Becomes Licensed Financial Services Provider
South Africa’s Postbank has been granted a licence by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority to provide financial advice and intermediary services under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. The regulatory approval, welcomed by Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele and parliamentary...
Tech Disruption as a Day Job - Lloyds Banking Group CEO Charles Nunn on AI, Digital Transformation, and Why His...
Lloyds Banking Group says its digital bank has expanded by 50%, now serving 23 million digitally active retail customers who generate roughly 7 billion interactions annually. The group has hired 9,000 new engineering and tech staff and already runs 800 AI models,...
Closing the Gap: Theta Lake’s Reconciliation Tools
Regulatory frameworks across the US, Canada, Europe and the CFTC impose strict record‑retention periods, ranging from one to seven years, leaving firms little margin for missing communications. Gaps in data ingestion trigger regulator scrutiny and can signal heightened operational risk....
SA Banks Escalate Digital Push to Gain Market Share
South Africa’s major banks are intensifying a digital arms race, using mobile‑first platforms and AI to capture market share. PwC’s Major Banks Analysis shows combined earnings rose 9.4 % to R152.5 billion in 2025, supported by disciplined cost control and strong non‑interest...
Credit Union Common Bond Reform
The UK government plans to amend the credit‑union common‑bond rules across England, Scotland and Wales. The locality bond membership cap will rise from three to ten million, and new eligibility categories will include students, relatives outside the household, and retirees....
IRS, FATCA and CRS: The Latest RegTech Compliance News
Comply Exchange’s February 2026 roundup flags key FATCA, CRS, and IRS filing deadlines for financial institutions. Bahamas AEOI participants must submit FATCA/CRS data by March 31, 2026, while U.S. Form 1042 and 1042‑S filings closed on March 16, 2026. The IRS announced the FIRE system will...
IQ Interview with David Bailey
The Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority has finalized its Basel 3.1 framework, slated to take effect at the start of 2027. In an IQ interview, executive director David Bailey highlighted the need for global regulatory consistency while acknowledging the challenges...
How Trump Is Turning Fair Lending Law on Its Head
The Trump administration is dismantling core fair‑lending protections by targeting the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the Section 1071 small‑business data rule. An executive order eliminates the disparate‑impact theory, while the CFPB proposes to...
African Banks Face a Long Road to Lower Financed Emissions
African banks are beginning to measure financed emissions using the PCAF methodology, with Egypt’s Commercial International Bank (CIB) leading the effort in the region. While South Africa and Kenya have made notable progress in ESG integration, more than 80% of...
Bank of England Interest Rate Decision: What to Expect on 19 March
The Bank of England will announce its March 19 interest‑rate decision, weighing whether to keep the Bank Rate at 3.75% or trim it by 25 basis points to 3.50%. A narrow 5‑4 vote in February highlighted deep divisions within the...
Understanding Sanction Compliance: Blocked Property and Rejected Transactions for Financial Institutions
Sanction compliance is essential for financial institutions operating internationally, requiring senior‑level commitment, risk assessments, and ongoing controls. Regulators such as OFAC mandate detailed reporting of blocked assets and rejected transfers, each with specific data fields and tight deadlines. Institutions must...
Non-QM Solutions: Helping Self-Employed Borrowers Navigate Modern Lending
Non‑QM products, especially bank‑statement loans, are filling a financing gap for self‑employed borrowers whose income patterns defy conventional underwriting. By evaluating cash deposits rather than taxable income, these loans capture true cash flow and enable credit access with higher down‑payment...
FinTech Australia Launches New Data Horizons Summit to Spotlight Real-World Open Banking Impact
FinTech Australia announced the inaugural Data Horizons Summit, a one‑day event on 8 May 2026 in Sydney. The summit builds on its successful Consumer Data Right and Net Zero gatherings, highlighting that more than one million Australians now use open‑banking...
CFPB Cuts Dull Impact of Trump's Latest Order, MBA Exec Says
President Trump issued an executive order aimed at expanding home‑lending opportunities for community financial institutions with assets under $100 million. Mortgage Bankers Association President Bob Broeksmit praised the intent but warned that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s reduced staffing will slow...
Sub-4% Fixed Rate Mortgages Disappear From the Market
Sub‑4% fixed‑rate mortgages have vanished from the UK market as major banks withdrew the last remaining two‑ and five‑year products in early March. The pull‑back follows a wave of lender repricing driven by rising swap rates and heightened margin concerns....
Liquidity Faces a Bit of Squeeze as Rs 2 Lakh Crore Flows to Tax Kitty
India's banking system liquidity surplus shrank to ₹75,483 crore after a ₹2 lakh crore advance‑tax outflow, pushing overnight money‑market rates to 5.31 %. The RBI responded with a 7‑day variable‑rate repo, but attracted only ₹48,014 crore in bids. Simultaneously, the central bank sold over $15 billion...
UBS Faced Technology Outage That Impacted Trading Business
UBS Group AG suffered a global technology outage on Tuesday that forced a halt to portions of its trading business. The bank quickly identified the root cause and deployed a fix, allowing systems to recover. The disruption arrived amid heightened...
Bridging the Digital Divide Between B2B and Consumer Payments
Dean M. Leavitt, CEO of Boost Payment Solutions, highlights the widening gap between frictionless consumer payments and the cumbersome, legacy‑driven B2B payment landscape. He argues that B2B transactions suffer from slow settlement, rigid processes, and limited personalization due to high‑value...
Crypto.com Brings Crypto Payments to Tourists Visiting South Korea
Crypto.com has teamed up with KG Inicis, South Korea’s leading payment gateway that controls roughly 40% of the market, to enable crypto‑based payments for inbound tourists. The integration routes crypto transactions through Crypto.com Pay, instantly converting them to Korean won...
Here's How HELOCs Have Changed — and Why some Homeowners May Not Like the New Rules
Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are losing their hallmark flexibility as non‑bank lenders dominate the market and impose large upfront draw requirements, often 80% or more of the credit line. While the Federal Reserve estimates $34 trillion in homeowner equity,...
Combatants in the Fight to Overturn Illinois’s Interchange Law Gear Up for an Appeals Battle
Three banking‑industry groups and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency filed amicus briefs urging the appellate court to overturn Illinois’s Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) exemption. The IFPA, set to take effect July 1, shields Illinois merchants from interchange...
Kansas Banking Officials Ask Lawmakers to Hold Social Media, Phone Companies Liable for Fraud
Kansas banking officials testified before a joint House‑Senate committee urging lawmakers to pass House Bill 2648, which would make social‑media platforms and telecommunications providers liable for fraud that harms banks and consumers. The bill requires platforms like Meta to verify...
Non-Agency Jumbo Lending Up Nearly Across the Board in 4Q
Non‑agency jumbo mortgage originations surged in the fourth quarter, pushing total nonconforming loans to $401 billion for 2025 and lifting the share of such loans to 20.9% of all originations. The Biden‑era administration’s executive order, signed by President Trump, directs the...
The EBA Issues Revised List of ITS Validation Rules
The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued an updated list of ITS validation rules, highlighting deactivated, reactivated, and severity‑status changes. It reminded EU competent authorities not to validate data against deactivated rules. The EBA also launched a small validation‑rules package containing...
Safaricom, Vodacom Launch Tap-to-Pay M-Pesa in Tanzania
Safaricom and Vodacom have launched a tap‑to‑pay option for M‑Pesa users in Tanzania, allowing Android smartphones to make contactless payments at Visa‑enabled terminals. The service, built on Paymentology’s NFC infrastructure, eliminates the need for Paybill numbers or physical cards. It...
In Profile: Cumbuca CEO Daniel Ruhman
Cumbuca, led by CEO Daniel Ruhman, provides a licensed proxy that lets global fintechs tap Brazil's regulated payments ecosystem without building their own licences. The platform connects clients directly to infrastructure such as Pix and open‑finance while handling compliance, allowing...
Why the Digital Euro Needs Worker Input
The European Central Bank’s digital euro proposal aims to cement Europe’s digital sovereignty and foster fair competition ahead of a potential 2029 launch. Advocates argue that the CBDC must be sovereign, public, and inclusive to win trust from citizens and...
PRA Consults on Modernising the Liquidity Policy Framework
On 17 March 2026 the Prudential Regulation Authority released consultation paper CP5/26 to modernise the UK liquidity policy framework. The PRA proposes that firms must assess liquidity composition and monetisation risk, conduct weekly stress tests, and remove the exemption for...
BMO to Add 145 Branches in California, Arizona
BMO Financial Group announced plans to open 145 new U.S. branches—130 in California and 15 in Arizona—over the next five years, with seven California locations slated for this year. The expansion follows the Bank of the West acquisition and aims...
13 AGs Sue OneMain over Add-On Sales Policy
Thirteen state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against OneMain Financial, alleging the lender misled subprime borrowers into purchasing costly add‑on products such as credit insurance. The complaint says employees pressured borrowers, financed premiums into loans, and sometimes charged add‑ons...
EWS Pairs with Citi to Offer Paze
Early Warning Services (EWS) has teamed up with Citibank to bring its Paze digital wallet to Citi credit‑card holders, marking the first partnership with a non‑owner bank. The rollout is slated for the coming weeks, expanding Paze’s reach beyond the...
Executive Interview Series: Petru Metzger, CEO at Payforge
Petru Metzger, CEO of Payforge, emphasized three core convictions shaping his company: deep payments domain expertise, outcome‑driven execution, and AI‑enabled development. He argues that true differentiation comes from unifying strategy, analytics, and engineering rather than siloed modernization projects. The interview...
The EBA Consults on Regulatory Products on Initial Margin Model Authorisation
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched two public consultations on draft Guidelines and draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) for authorising internal initial margin models under EMIR 3. The proposals target firms whose aggregate monthly notional amount of non‑centrally cleared OTC...
HSBC Launches £5bn AI and Productivity Initiative to Support Business Growth
HSBC UK has unveiled a £5 billion AI and productivity financing initiative aimed at mid‑size companies with turnovers between £15 million and £300 million. Research by CEBR for HSBC estimates AI adoption could generate an additional £105 billion in UK revenue by 2030, with...
Where Are the Biggest Opportunities in the Commercial Prepaid Market?
Commercial prepaid card loads reached $426 billion in 2025, signaling a rapidly expanding B2B market. Javelin Strategy’s 2026 report highlights healthcare benefits, employee incentives, and state‑run government programs as the most promising growth segments over the next five years. Corporate travel...
Barclays, Sage Partner to Simplify Business Admin
Barclays and accounting software firm Sage announced a strategic partnership aimed at streamlining administrative tasks for small and mid‑sized enterprises. The collaboration combines Barclays' business‑banking expertise with Sage's digital accounting, payroll and HR platforms to cut the time owners spend...