Opinions

As U.S. issuers and financial institutions prepare for the shift to EMV, two significant benefits over traditional magnetic stripe cards are clear: increased security and reduced incidences of card fraud. However, the migration itself poses risks that must be addressed.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

Building simplified digital experiences, especially in financial services, is critical to institutional survival.

PayPal's history suggests that the problem of Bitcoin fraud will only get worse as the electronic currency gains momentum.

Instead of dwelling on tired arguments, industry reps and consumer advocates should focus on, among other things, ending the debt cycle, promoting financial literacy and helping borrowers build credit.

The need that drives millions of people to seek out small loans isn’t going away. Lenders can fill the gap by restructuring payment models, focusing on a borrower’s ability to repay and developing a variety of solutions.

The payments industry still has much to do before anyone can claim mobile payments are secure. Many merchants, consumers, and processors are mistakenly comfortable with notion that encryption equals full security.

With media outlets reporting the grisly details, there has never been a better time to educate commercial account holders about the risks associated with online banking, particularly phishing attacks.

The framework released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology should serve as an important tool for banks in meeting regulators’ heightened expectations for managing cyber risk.

Until recently, mobile wallets could count on getting at least some boost from exclusivity. If you were on Sprint, you could use Google Wallet but not Isis. If you were on AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, you could use Isis but not Google Wallet. If you had an iPhone, you could use neither, but you had your pick of software-based mobile wallets such as LevelUp and the Starbucks card.