U.S. financial regulators are calling for stablecoin regulation with representatives of the nation's primary regulatory offices making the rounds of Congress and the financial media over the past two weeks. That stablecoins, cryptotokens backed by national currency or other fixed assets, pose risks and should be regulated is not the primary question. It's which office has … [Read more...] about Who Will Regulate Stablecoins in the U.S.?
innovation
FinTech Innovators Take the Lead Across Financial Services
I was on a call today preparing for the technology innovation panel for the Midwest Acquirers Association conference. As our conversation unfolded, we kept coming back to the need for traditional payments and financial organizations to innovate, to do something different, to work out strategies that will radically change the way they operate in the next three to five years. Or … [Read more...] about FinTech Innovators Take the Lead Across Financial Services
Building a More Human Digital Experience for Banking
The digital transformation is here in banking services. The pandemic crystallized just how far the technology has come, and for many users, there’s no going back. But making these services as approachable – or even better – than the traditional face-to-face experience is a key issue facing many financial institutions. These types of technologies will only become more and … [Read more...] about Building a More Human Digital Experience for Banking
Buy Now Pay Later – A More Level Playing Field for Lending?
Buy now, pay later. It’s a simple and evocative term for a growing financial service that offers precisely what the name suggests – the ability to buy something without having to pay for it till a later date. Unlike revolving credit, the main sales pitch for the scheme is that if you make your payments on time, you do so with zero interest and zero additional processing … [Read more...] about Buy Now Pay Later – A More Level Playing Field for Lending?
Five Basic Digital Asset Questions this Week
The financial media took a more basic view this week, covering some of the basic questions on digital assets and payments after nearly six months of major interest and investment. The end of privacy? The Financial Times reports on the plans of central banks to launch digital coins. The article emphasizes their reluctance to give up monetary control while giving them the … [Read more...] about Five Basic Digital Asset Questions this Week
Is DeFi the Next Big Thing for Crypto? Not Quite Yet
DeFi - short for Decentralized Finance - has started to become a real buzzword in recent months, with investments in the space growing by leaps and bounds. It's doing so despite being notoriously complex and risky to actually work with - requiring users to understand complex technologies like MetaMask while doing borrow-lending in a space that features absolutely no FDIC … [Read more...] about Is DeFi the Next Big Thing for Crypto? Not Quite Yet