Opinions

As subscription services get more complicated, the technology required to send bills, process payments and execute marketing campaigns will become harder to manage.

Big banks are still levying overdraft charges. New technology startups can stem the tide and help digitally-savvy millennials manage payments and their budgets.

With access to financial transaction data under threat by hurdles imposed by certain financial institutions, it should be up to consumers to decide how their data is used to improve their financial well-being.

Illegal methods of moving money are just as likely to be low-tech and old school as high-tech and sophisticated. Surveillance methods and processes need to be able to counter both.

Banks should focus on strategies to ensure their sales incentives programs actually help drive profits. Otherwise, their rewards programs are at risk of adding zero benefit to their bottom line.

Forget about municipal governments. Through transactions such as payments, banks have a trove of data that can be used to revolutionize how cities work.

Many assume that a smart contract is something totally new. However, banking has used imperfect implementations of smart contracts for at least three decades.

The president-elect should consider establishing an executive-level office to inform his administration on ushering in a new era of financial regulation — one that is much savvier about new technology and big data.

Merchants are still slow to adopt mobile point of sale systems. But improvements in usability and longer battery life can turn that around.

Refusing to let innovators experiment in a permissive environment keeps regulators in the dark, and ultimately, prevents progress in financial services.