New York Community Bancorp says it will invest in Figure Technologies, which has developed an open source distributed ledger. The bank plans to use the technology to cut costs in mortgages and payments and promote financial inclusion.

CoinFund, a blockchain-focused investment firm, hired Christopher Perkins from Citigroup as managing partner and president to help bridge the gap to the traditional finance sector.

The billionaire entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" co-host has always been outspoken. In a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on the shortcomings of the Paycheck Protection Program, the problem with bank consolidation and the future of cryptocurrency.

The Boston-based cryptocurrency firm says it would welcome the tough oversight that comes with being a bank. Yet Biden-era regulators have shown apprehension about granting approvals to digital-asset firms.

Banks are traditionally the target of anti-money-laundering regulations and law enforcement’s efforts to crack down on illicit finance. As the cryptocurrency sector grows, policymakers may subject it to customer identification requirements and other measures, analysts say.

While other digital payment providers have partnered with banks to improve their offerings, Circle's plan would enable it to offer regulated financial services in-house to complement its U.S. Dollar Coin cryptocurrency.

As people more heavily use exchanges and other providers of digital-asset-related services, they're registering more beefs with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, too. Experts say it's only a matter of time before the agency invokes its broad authority to police the sector.