Opinions

While the big players in mobile have arrived—Apple, Samsung and Google, the result has been a trade of one form of complexity for another.

The cost of complying with New York State's proposed BitLicense regulations would wipe out many smaller digital currency businesses. But there is a middle ground: placing those businesses under the supervision of a self-regulating incubator that would help them develop robust yet affordable compliance programs.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including thoughts on regulatory complexity, Jamie Dimon's defense of the megabank model, and how vulnerable banks really are to tech startups.

Banking has less in common with industries like music and entertainment than it does with long-entrenched pharmaceutical, grocery store and airline businesses — all of which can absorb the threat of new entrants by adapting to them.

Lyle Beckwith of the National Association of Convenience Stores argues that debit card interchange is unfairly high. But this argument ignores several key points.

Banks are increasingly focusing on smartphones and tablets as the primary platforms with which to engage customers. But do they really understand how Americans use mobile devices?

The payments environment is undergoing unprecedented change, yet many banks and payment companies are saddled with aging infrastructure which makes it costly to support new products and features. Additionally, fragmented governance and siloed business units running disparate payments operations can stifle innovation.

The prepaid industry is maturing, and leaders are providers that have maintained product flexibility and innovation and married it with the processes, technology, compliance and user experience that is needed in today’s dynamic marketplace.

Geopolitical and regulatory risks are rampant in Europe, but Visa Europe is well positioned to weather the storm.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including thoughts on Wall Street's dwindling number of high-powered women and the merits and drawbacks of the CFPB's consumer complaint database.