Merchant

The seemingly positive embrace of contactless payments raises important questions about how we can safeguard access to cash, especially for the most vulnerable members of society, says Moorwand's Luc Geuriane.

Ulule is working with Bank of the West to build name recognition. It hopes to collaborate with other banks and credit unions as it vies with larger companies such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe.

The industry will have to grapple with pressure on net interest margins, interchange income and credit quality, said CUNA Mutual's Steve Rick during a virtual conference.

The industry's return on average assets has already dropped substantially and there are predictions that could get even worse. Many institutions will have to deal with elevated provisions for loan losses and expense management to survive.

The Paycheck Protection Program has masked what has been a year of tepid demand and tightened lending standards. And bankers aren't expecting a rebound anytime soon.

A public-private partnership that has fewer rules and restrictions than the Paycheck Protection Program would save more small businesses.

The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said the central bank had acquired stakes in 32 business loans as of Monday, four times the amount from two weeks earlier.

The card giant could pay $850 million in cash for the online small-business lender, according to a person familiar with the talks.

It took years for NFC payments to gather momentum in the U.S., with merchants initially dragging their heels to enable contactless technology at payment terminals and banks waiting until 2018 to begin the slow rollout of NFC-enabled cards.

The Small Business Administration began accepting applications Monday, but lenders such as JPMorgan Chase are holding off in hopes that Congress will grant blanket forgiveness for smaller Paycheck Protection Program loans.