Cloud-hosted systems add flexibility to develop payment and lending services that aren't possible on legacy platforms. “We want to develop products that suit our customers rather than what our core provider tells us to provide,” said Samantha Pause, chief marketing and benefit officer at Mascoma Bank in New Hampshire.

The M&A surge promises to improve the services fintechs offer to many banks. But it's also creating a new class of full-service competitors.

Marqeta COO Vidya Peters and Plaid COO Eric Sager discuss their plan to bypass the use of microdeposits — small transfers that are used to verify identity when linking accounts — to improve speed and security for consumers.

The activist investor ValueAct Capital Management has been awarded a seat on the board of Fiserv as part of a settlement with the financial technology and payments firm.

With its $1.1 billion deal for Technisys, the onetime student-loan refinancer adds a banking-core software arm as it pushes beyond deposits and lending.

Klarna Bank is adding the option for customers to pay immediately at checkout in nine new markets while expanding its rewards program, as it targets becoming a one-stop lender for consumers.

The tax preparer has a well-recognized brand and wide reach, but needs tech help for its neobank.

The Silicon Valley fintech expects to make $1.5 billion in auto loans this year after implementing key elements needed to achieve scale, said CEO David Girouard. The expansion comes as the automotive market continues to boom.

The digital-only bank, which is due to launch March 1, is trying to develop an Amazon-like banking experience for the most finicky of clients: tech startup founders, says CEO Mike Butler.