Challenger banks aimed at Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants and other underserved groups are offering financial education and support for charities in addition to basic banking services.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is giving the credit card issuer and the fintech firm some regulatory latitude to develop specific new products.

Several consumer advocacy organizations have urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to deny the online lender's application for a national bank charter, citing concerns about its lending and debt-collection practices.

Remote online notarization helped originators close loans amid social distancing measures, but complex local laws remain a barrier to its widespread use.

There's a wide open market with plenty of opportunity not just for challenger banks but for financial technology as an industry to set themselves apart from incumbents and gain market share, says Veem's Marwan Forzley.

A Biden-appointed comptroller could refocus resources and attention to these issues and put less effort into fighting the ongoing fintech charter battle.

The year 2020 was disruptive and chaotic. And while it derailed or delayed some companies' plans for growth, it also created opportunities for new combinations — or, at the very least, didn't slow them down.

Coastal Community in Washington is an investor in and the first client of Synctera, a software company that aims to help community banks manage their fintech relationships, including regulatory obligations.

During the crises, most of the investment is going toward mature fintechs, creating more challenges for startups, says Global Processing Services' Richard Hodgson.

The measure, just the second of its kind the nation, mandates that fintechs, factoring firms and other nonbank small-business lenders clearly explain the terms and conditions to borrowers.

OPay, a Nigerian fintech startup founded by Opera, plans to expand its payments service operations to North Africa early next year after Covid-19 restrictions led to a spike in transactions on its platform.

Underpinning the technology with mathematically sound models can make a better case to consumers and regulators for why a loan applicant was denied.

Rapidly spreading coronavirus and an unclear Brexit outcome are bearing down on the U.K., leaving the fate of London as a technology and finance hub in the air as 2020 draws to a close.

Join Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square as he offers his insights into where the Fintech industry is headed next year. Will a Biden administration insist on greater regulation? What will happen in the cryptocurrency markets? What will be the big IPOs in the sector? Will GooglePlex make a big splash? What new technologies or applications should we be expecting?

Data that mimics the original set is part of coronavirus vaccine trials, and also has ramifications for mapping financial services metrics, says Aite's Ginger Schmeltzer.

Venture capitalists will shift their focus to fintechs that support financial inclusion, according to Emmalyn Shaw, managing partner of the VC firm Flourish. Meanwhile, challenger banks will continue to grow, she says.

Digital financial services provider Vacuumlabs is partnering with Global Processing Services to boost mobile app-based and e-wallet features for businesses of all sizes.

There’s an alarming gap between how small and large banks view the importance of digital engagement, according to a recent survey by Celent and Arizent.

Even with the pandemic's dramatic shift to online commerce, TIAA Bank's Claudia Tabacinic says there's still room to migrate consumers, and lingering reluctance to embrace new technology.