Mary Wisniewski

Heritage Bank in Australia recently teamed up with Japanese clothing manufacturer MJ Bale to do something unexpected: thread its contactless payment chip and antenna into a dozen suits.

Peer-to-peer lenders, cryptocurrency services and providers of tech-based services for cash-heavy users are all out to syphon business away from mainstream banks. The challenge for banks is figuring out if the threats are legitimate — then trying to decide whether to beat them or join them.

Banco Santander Mexico now authenticates customers with their voice when they call the bank's automated phone system.

Manilla was a hit with technology critics and had a loyal base of customers, but what it really needed to gain widespread acceptance was a bank partner.

Alternative lenders, once considered competitive threats, are becoming allies for some banks. BBVA Compass now pitches its clients on OnDeck loans in the hopes of better retaining small-business customers.

The nation's fourth-largest bank has opened another mini-branch in hip Washington, D.C., neighborhood teeming with young professionals. Is this the prototype for the urban branch of the future?

Huntington Bank updated its mobile app Tuesday to let on-the-go customers check their balances without needing to enter in their user names and passwords.

Ever since the Target data breach made national headlines late last year, customers at City Bank Texas in Lubbock have been deactivating and reactivating their debit cards with much greater frequency.

The surge in activity shows a heightened awareness for fraud following the Target breach. It also signals growing appetite from consumers for sophisticated mobile tools that allow users to better monitor debit card use.

With the hiring of the former PerkStreet team, the Boston bank joins the likes of BBVA Compass in teaming with nonbank disruptors to help it better compete in the digital age.

Wells Fargo & Company is opening two techier smaller branches in the D.C. area.

With help from their vendors, small banks are enhancing their online and mobile banking offerings by adding features that allow business clients to more quickly approve wire transfers, send out invoices and manage other day-to-day tasks that previously may have required a visit to the branch.

Lenddo, one of Bank Technology News' top ten fintech companies to watch, announced a new credit card whose application process includes crunching social media data to help determine the creditworthiness of individuals in Colombia with thinner credit files.

Gavin Michael, Chase's relatively new head of digital, shared some plans for heightening the emotional levels of mobile banking.

Banks are aiming to add personal financial management features, including goal-based savings vaults and cash flow forecasting, to standard banking apps like mobile check depositing. Their goal: Turn Gen-Y into a loyal client base.

The app, called Pinacle, lets executives manage user access to company account data, view balance and transaction details, approve wire transfers and receive alerts.

The automated teller machine — a technology that dates to the 1960s — is taking on new relevance in the age of digital banking.

The ATM Industry Association is examining ways the machines can be used to better reach lower-income consumers. Sending money to someone, paying bills, and loading a portion of a check onto a prepaid card are among the types of transactions the group is envisioning can take place through ATMs.

Regulators have reacted as expected, but large banks say they’re not vulnerable to the security flaw. Nonetheless, security questions remain.

AUSTIN, Tex. — Loyalty vendor Buzz Points has armed itself with $19 million in fresh capital in hopes of capitalizing on the growing desire of credit unions and small banks to expand their debit rewards programs.