John Adams

Walmart's fintech venture with Ribbit Capital allows it to influence more technological developments in the retail industry.

The original coronavirus stimulus program in 2020 stumbled out of the gate, delaying payments for months and exposing America's lack of universal access to the financial system. With round two, it's the digital rails that are sputtering early on.

Silicon Valley's largest companies are rapidly distancing themselves from outgoing President Donald Trump, following last week's right wing domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol.

There's a way to manage the tricky balance between rapid digitization and the people who still need or prefer cash, and for Ram Chary it can be found in a casino.

History will remember Wednesday for the anti-democracy domestic terrorism that resulted in death, injuries and damage inside the U.S. Capitol — but did not thwart the process of confirming the presidential election. It was also a day that Georgia's Senate runoff gave much-needed clarity to the fintech sector.

The Trump administration's cantankerous relationship with China has lasted the president's entire term, often shaking up the payments and financial services landscape. With a new executive order, Trump has announced bans on more than a half dozen software firms — including payment apps affiliated with Tencent and Alibaba/Ant Group.

Several government agencies have made deeper moves into crypto oversight, leaving a trail of angry executives and unresolved political questions. And there's still no sign of a central bank digital currency, leaving the U.S. at risk of falling behind other countries in the race to support faster payment processing.

"The construction industry has been challenged by the pace of evolution and is still dominated by invoice and check payments," said Michael Praeger, CEO and co-founder of AvidXchange.

The final outcome of the November election will be decided on Jan. 5 in Georgia, with the balance of power in the Senate at stake, as well as at least two years of financial services and technology policy.

Rapidly spreading coronavirus and an unclear Brexit outcome are bearing down on the U.K., leaving the fate of London as a technology and finance hub in the air as 2020 draws to a close.