Fintech

The industry must adapt quickly to the changing preferences of entrepreneurs and the innovation of nonbanks such as PayPal and Square, according to speakers at American Banker's Small Biz Banking Conference. Traditional players such as U.S. Bancorp and Comerica say they're making the necessary investments.

A new report from American Banker's parent company finds that traditional banks are vulnerable to competition from online banks and fintechs such as PayPal and Square. It recommends that banks build deeper relationships with small-business owners by adding more products to their traditional suite of offerings.

The challenger banks Mercury and Nerve are offering networking events, tailored accounts, credit cards and more to attract a once neglected market.

The claim that these arrangements are unregulated is inaccurate, and instead, more oversight would destroy the benefits of banks working with fintechs on consumer products.

The online lender approved Black applicants at lower rates than non-Hispanic whites, according to a law firm that monitors its artificial intelligence models. Upstart said it's an industry leader in fair lending but acknowledged room for improvement, calling disparities "an industry-wide challenge."

The founding CEO of PayPal and former CEO of Intuit plans to launch Nirvana Money next month. It will combine basic banking with an alternative to a secured card that evolves into a normal credit card.

Regulators are starting to look at bank-fintech partnerships as a source of systemic risk, but the real problem is the lack of consistent prudential rules outside of banking.