Fintech

Myriad payment innovations are cutting into old-school cash payments, changing how funds are accessed, spent and received for purposes ranging from in-store payments to accessing disaster recovery funds. Will these changes bring new communities into banking, or will it leave them behind?

Ripple, MoneyGram and FV Bank all bolstered their ability to distribute digital assets, with cross-border transactions emerging as a primary use case.

The Canadian bank received approval from the Federal Reserve to increase its ownership stake in KeyCorp to up to 14.9%. The investment is expected to close by the end of this month.

The post-pandemic increase in consumers falling behind on their credit card bills seems to be tapering off. "For 2025, we're seeing a lot of stability in delinquencies," an industry researcher said.

Banks that don't focus on credit cards for this market may find larger banks and fintechs are eating their lunch.

Annualized inflation increased to 2.7% in November from 2.6% the previous month, providing further evidence that the economy remains strong despite restrictive monetary policy.

A slower rate of price increases would boost the likelihood of an interest-rate cut that could expand loan demand and lower banks' deposit costs. A higher pace of inflation, however, could derail those catalysts.

The chairman of the Federal Reserve presided over the worst inflation in 40 years, generating public outrage that paved the way for Donald Trump's victory in last month's election.

The Federal Reserve's interest-rate cut came too late in the third quarter for banks to capitalize on. Leaders say the fourth quarter will yield better growth.

There is a major opportunity out there, especially for community banks, to displace predatory lenders and earn a healthy return at the same time. It's just a question of making the leap.