BankThink

While President-elect Trump’s influence on the financial industry may ultimately be substantial, any change is going to be slow to develop — sometimes agonizingly so.

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.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Kid gloves: The Government Accountability Office released its review of the Federal Reserve's annual bank stress tests, which the Financial Times said "may pave the way towards gentler treatment" of banks. "The report recommended that the Fed share more information on the models it uses and its reasons for failing big banks, while working more closely with other agencies including the FDIC and the OCC."

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

Tech CU CEO Todd Harris seeks to answer these three key questions about what the Federal Open Market Committee will do with interest rates.

Following the regulatory orders against Wells Fargo and the resignation of its CEO, stockholders are likely to ask whether the board has responsibility and even liability for the bank's compliance failures.

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

The Trump administration will not approach economic policy like the Federal Reserve does, but the central bank can still address its own problems before the new administration intervenes.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...White to leave: Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Jo White said she plans to step down in January at the end of the Obama administration, "opening the door to a new Republican-appointed leader who could move to loosen rules on Wall Street and curb the aggressive enforcement approach Ms. White prosecuted," in the words of the Wall Street Journal. White is the first major Obama appointee to announce a departure after Donald Trump's victory last week, but White intended to leave regardless of who won the election. Other financial regulators are expected to follow her out the door. Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post

There are security gaps in chip cards that are vulnerable to new types of skimming. Biometrics can help solve this problem, and will also prove handy as EMV cards migrate to smartphones.