BankThink

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Ho hum: World financial markets mostly shrugged off the results of Italy's constitutional referendum, which went down to defeat on Sunday, although the country's banks and its economy remain in serious trouble as a result. Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times

Transaction records reveal a lot about consumers that can go a long way toward building marketing campaigns that keeps them coming back.

President-elect Trump faces legal questions over his idea to hold remittances ransom to fund a wall in Mexico, but the industry should take the threat seriously.

Although the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s plan to extend certain AML requirements to smaller institutions that had previously been exempt will mean more work, credit unions have an advantage over their banking counterparts.

President-elect Trump faces legal questions over his idea to hold remittances ransom to fund a wall in Mexico, but the industry should take the threat seriously.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Fintech Boost: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a proposal Friday that would grant special limited-purpose banking licenses to financial technology firms that would give them "greater freedom to operate across the country without seeking state-by-state permission or joining with brick-and-mortar banks," as the Wall Street Journal described it. "The move could open the door to more competition between the old and new financial firms, and provide a bigger opening for some large tech companies to consider new ways to offer digital payments or other services."

While there are a handful of payment pilots underway, the real benefit of blockchain for banks is a long-term proposition--and most early projects will be internal.

American Banker is pleased to bring you Breaking Banks, hosted by Brett King, and featuring the editors of American Banker.

Piloting distributed ledger technology is important. However, banks need to temper expectations regarding the returns.

With the anti-globalism sentiment growing in parts of Europe and the U.S., a "my country first" approach to international bank regulation will hurt financial institutions and their local economies.