Workers living paycheck to paycheck are borrowing from companies like PayActiv, DailyPay and Branch to survive the economic impact of the pandemic.

Banks cutting back on branch services — or closing stores outright — to slow spread of coronavirus; Trump administration to halt foreclosures as pandemic worsens; Wells Fargo hires TD's Ellen Patterson as general counsel; and more from this week's most-read stories.

COVID-19 is bringing business to PayPal, Blend, Symphony and others as homebound consumers and commercial clients seek more electronic services. But demand could cool if the economy slows further.

COVID-19 is bringing business to PayPal, Blend, Symphony and others as homebound consumers and commercial clients seek more electronic services. But demand could cool if the economy slows further.

Payments technology provider Fiserv is acquiring independent software vendor Bypass Mobile to boost its multi-channel capabilities for sports, entertainment and restaurant verticals.

Online platforms and apps can be utilized to quickly support small businesses and consumers facing unexpected financial hardship.

The central bank made two more moves to keep credit flowing; the Housing Policy Council plan would halt mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis.

On the same day the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said it will soon rule on two applications, the agency also proposed benchmarks for all firms that want to own industrial loan companies.

The serial entrepreneur has created a challenger bank called One for middle-income people with complicated financial lives.

A managed services approach can help payment firms and fintechs pick the best open source projects, says Asset Control's Mark Hermeling.

The U.S. challenger bank and the startup STC Pay aim to create a special blend of banking services for millions of tech-savvy, cash-averse consumers in Saudi Arabia.

E-commerce firms and payment apps can reach new users and investors through crowdfunding, says Prime Trust's Bruce Dyer.

The addition of Maria Renz shows how much emphasis the San Francisco fintech is putting on operations and customer experience.

As the fintech industry looks for ways to bring on more women, crossover hiring — recruiting from traditional financial services firms to fintechs — has emerged as an effective strategy, Donna Parisi of Shearman & Sterling and Michelle Tran of NYC Fintech Women write.

The Amazon effect in financial services will be much bigger than the one experienced by the retail industry—it will have a deeper impact due to the financial services industry being bigger and more vulnerable, and because consumers are now more comfortable with change, says TigerGraph's Todd Blaschka.

Firms such as Afterpay that offer financing to shoppers have been enjoying rapid growth. But their model is under scrutiny from regulators, being mimicked by credit card lenders and faces heightened risks in a downturn.

As the fintech industry looks for ways to boost the number of women, crossover hiring – recruiting from traditional financial service firms to fintechs – has emerged as an effective strategy, according to Shearman & Sterling's Donna Parisi and NYC Fintech Women's Michelle Tran.

The agency's recent update to its guidelines for banks on working with data aggregators and other third parties was not extreme, but some critics say its heavy emphasis on security could be a setback for open banking.

The credit education provider plans to use its deep knowledge of credit scoring to advise account holders on how to improve their scores and cash management simultaneously.

Mobile financial network provider Rapyd is embedding its open development tools with Brazilian processors to support payments in any local method.