Miriam Cross

Spiral is a self-described ethical banking app that encourages its customers to give back by letting them manage their charitable donations alongside their checking and savings.

MapleMark Bank in Dallas and the German fintech will let consumers choose from among three types of savings products including automated CD ladders that they can tailor to their own needs.

The New York company is seeding savings accounts offered by the challenger bank Goalsetter as a way to help minority communities as well as use technology to start building long-term relationships with young consumers.

Online and hybrid gatherings last year left shareholders demanding that companies make it easier to join the meetings, ask questions and vote this time around.

The American Fintech Council and the Financial Technology Association say they’ll promote responsible innovation, fair access to financial services and more. Their dozens of members include some of the biggest names in fintech.

Large banks and aggregator sites, like Bankrate, tend to outperform regional and community banks, but smaller institutions can compete by publishing valuable content and creating web pages for individual branches.

Cheese, a new challenger bank aimed at Asian Americans and immigrants to the U.S., has established a fund to support groups that serve communities affected by racist attacks and economic hardship during the pandemic.

Ten companies this week joined the American Fintech Council, which debuted March 3 after the Marketplace Lending Association and Online Lending Policy Institute combined.

The fintech will help these consumers set aside money in a tax-advantaged savings account that won’t jeopardize federal benefits tied to income.

Better Financial offers customers up to $5,000 per year in accident coverage, prescription drug discounts and medical debt negotiation to certain account holders.

Less than half of consumers believe financial services providers adequately protect their personal information, according to an Arizent survey. Banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of Idaho are offering mobile tools and cybersecurity education that could help rebuild trust.

The London bank is trying out new models that help it assess the creditworthiness of recent college graduates, and layering on software that analyzes the fairness of its credit decisions.

MoneyLion and Opportunity Financial are following in the footsteps of financial technology businesses that have raised billions of dollars from special purpose acquisition companies. The quick injection of funds is expected to accelerate their growth as well as make them more competitive with banks and other mainstream financial services firms.

Paybby, whose founder wanted to address disparities in the financial system after the George Floyd protests, is working with banks and others to develop products especially for underserved communities. They include a debit card that substitutes for food stamps and an app that temporarily sweeps cash into cryptocurrency.

Opportunity Financial, which offers consumer installment loans in partnership with banks, is merging with FG New America Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition corporation. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

Discovery Bank in South Africa and other overseas financial companies say healthier customers are more profitable. They are giving reward points, gym subsidies and even free Apple Watches to those who meet fitness goals.

Startups such as Majority, Sable and Simba were created by newcomers to the U.S. who learned firsthand which services, including global remittances and financial education, their audience values most.

Community banks say Vizaline’s software, which converts property descriptions into images, helps them catch errors before they close real estate loans without resorting to expensive land surveys. But traditional surveyors say the results are of questionable value.

Initially created as a budgeting app, Charlie has added new features that help users visualize their debt and then chip away at balances. Eventually it hopes to add more banklike products.

Banks and credit unions are partnering with fintechs like Zogo Finance and Flourish to recruit younger, more financially savvy customers with quizzes, rewards and other fun activities.