Growth strategies

PayPal Holdings will let users transfer certain cryptocurrencies to other customers, exchanges and external wallets, a new service that’s part of the company’s effort to boost use of its app.

Citigroup plans to hire more than 4,000 tech staff to help move its institutional clients online in the wake of the pandemic.

Perennial No. 1 Oregon Bancorp, which operates as Willamette Valley Bank, boasts strong sources of fee and interest income, sound underwriting and vibrant geographic markets. It’s a formula shared by many on American Banker's list of the 200 highest-performing publicly traded small banks.

NatWest Group is considering launching a separate digital lender for small businesses in the U.K. to find a new avenue of growth for the bank.

The buy now/pay later provider Klarna Bank is pushing further into the retail industry by offering traditional stores a platform to stream and video-chat with online customers.

Properly designed public banks would be safer than private banks while promoting economic growth.

The new hires joined Veritex from Bank of Houston, which has also been aggressively recruiting bankers.

The Mississippi-based First says the deal would allow it to acquire key talent, bolster its presence in northwest Florida and expand into the Tampa area.

Bruce Van Saun, the Rhode Island bank’s CEO, previewed a branch-light strategy in new markets like South Florida and Washington, D.C. Citizens recently closed acquisitions of Investors Bancorp and much of HSBC’s U.S. retail banking business.

One year after CEO Jane Fraser launched a business revamp, Citigroup reported lower revenue, higher expenses and a big reserve for loan losses in Russia. Yet the company’s long-term plan to streamline operations and invest in high-performing businesses — all with an aim to strengthen shareholder returns — still appears on track.