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Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on CNBC that both sides of the central bank's dual mandate show signs of imbalance, with the labor market appearing more vulnerable.

The real value of stablecoins lies in their ability to provide instant and secure transfers of value. But, in a world where every company has a bespoke stablecoin, that promise begins to break down quickly.

Bank investors are typically wary of mergers of equals. Kevin Blair, CEO of the newly combined Synovus and Pinnacle, maintains that this deal is different, but also acknowledges that it's now time to prove it.

Kevin Gaut is Chief Technology Officer at INSTANDA, a cloud-native intelligent policy administration platform that enables carriers and MGAs to build, manage, and distribute products with exceptional agility.

Mike Dargan, former chief operations and technology officer for UBS, stepped down at the end of 2025 and will become the CEO of neobank N26 this spring.

Bank First in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, has completed its acquisition of Centre 1 Bancorp in Beloit; Citi plans to shed its remaining Russian operations; Heritage Financial in Olympia, Washington, has received regulatory approvals to acquire Olympic Bancorp; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The lender traps consumers in an "exploitative cycle of debt," Brandon Scott said.

Vishal Sankhla is co-founder and CEO of Outmarket.

Sankhla has dedicated his career to building intelligent, automated systems that replace inefficiency with speed, clarity, and action. He previously led the platform team at Uber, was Director of Engineering at Facebook, and Head of Product at Ethos Life Insurance. 

At Outmarket, Sankhla leads a team that delivers a comprehensive AI solution to the manual workflows, siloed data, and outdated processes that cost brokers and carriers billions in lost productivity each year. Outmarket is now trusted by over 200 of the world's most successful insurance agencies to streamline operations, reduce E&O exposure and drive growth.  Connect with Vishal on LinkedIn.

Mike Gerhard is chief data and AI officer at BDO USA, where he is responsible for integrating AI into BDO's operations. He has led numerous technology initiatives, including the enterprise digital transformation and innovation program. Additionally, he leads the research and AI development team.