Opinions

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the financial inequalities exposed by the Baltimore riots and whether the changes to Dodd-Frank proposed in Sen. Richard Shelby's regulatory relief plan go too far.

It's difficult to draw useful lessons from a small pilot, since banks typically stack the deck for success. Trying out new projects at average locations that serve average customers can give banks a much better picture of the obstacles that lie ahead.

A new wave of artificial intelligence applications work by crunching financial data to answer customers' questions. This may give financial institutions a leg up over their nonbank competitors, since the latter group tends to lack vast reserves of people's financial information.

For many industries, the introduction of open standards has been a key driver for innovation. The rapid evolution of the internet and online services offer a vivid example of the degree to which open standards can enable immense innovation and growth.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including how convenience may help banks beat out Silicon Valley and whether community banks can reduce their regulatory burden on their own.

The good news is that EMV is very effective at preventing the use of counterfeit credit/debit cards at the point of sale (POS), commonly referred to as card-present (CP) fraud.

Bankers give too much credence to futurists and financial gurus who warn that technology will render the in-branch experience obsolete.

A big problem holding back mobile payments is a "chicken-and-egg" issue that Apple Pay's U.S. rollout and pending debut in Europe can reverse.

Fintech startups offer affordable loan rates and fast turnaround times. But banks have the advantage of offering multiple services all under one roof — or website.

Financial services technology has dramatically improved payments for consumers. E-commerce connects buyers and sellers around the globe.