Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek, California, has signed up to be Inclined's first partner.

The company hopes its new technology infrastructure will help it scale and quickly roll out new products.

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.

The additional data that will become available as the economy slows should reveal the true strength of the technology companies some banks are working with and that should inform whether more regulation is required.

The Delaware bank, which is also seeking to move its headquarters to South Dakota, says a national charter will allow it to more easily expand across the country as it builds on its banking-as-a-service business model.

A new group called MoreThanFair aims to establish the lines between fair and unfair lending, to set best practices for the use of AI in lending and to lessen the stigma of fintech lenders.

Consumers and small business could eventually feel the impact of stepped-up regulatory scrutiny of bank-fintech partnerships.

The Consumer Bankers Association and the Center for Responsible Lending said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should renew its efforts to level the regulatory playing field between larger bank and nonbank companies that make installment and other kinds of personal loans.

The neobank combines digital banking with community-based assistance.

In global news this week, Western Union buys a digital wallet maker in Brazil, DBS in Singapore embarks on a green metaverse project, the U.K.'s Wise launches a digital cross-border payments service, and more.