The Wilmington, North Carolina-based institution is pursuing a model that cuts out the middleman and embeds its services directly into fintech partners' platforms.

Investing in data governance, compliance and staffing appropriately can help manage the risks of offering banking as a service, experts say.

New funding would increase valuations for both firms, reversing a slump that has impacted the entire industry for the past two years.

Financial institutions that entered the space before regulatory oversight intensified need to calculate whether the price of talent, risk planning and technology is worth the return.

Fostering financial well-being among the country's fastest-growing demographic group is essential to the future of the American economy. And, not incidentally, it's also good for business.

While the federal banking agencies are not changing any current rules, they issued a joint statement Thursday cautioning banks about risks in third-party deposit partnerships. They are also seeking public input on bank-fintech partnerships more generally.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reversed itself, declaring that earned wage access programs, which conduct no underwriting and charge no interest, are loans. This is a disservice to the industry and consumers.

America must never cease to be the global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. However, when it comes to bank-fintech relationships, politics and misguided regulatory forces threaten the very foundation of that innovative spirit and limit consumer choice.

Nine international fintech companies are participating in the credit card network's accelerator program.