Georgia

The president of the planned Georgia Skyline Bank says he's cautiously optimistic that his group can raise $35 million of startup capital in time for an opening early next year.

The London-based firm is seeking a license that would provide a direct connection between merchants and card networks, reducing reliance on third parties and brandishing the London company's image as a player in America.

Roland Harbin of First Chatsworth Bankshares in Georgia is part of a trend of bank directors continuing to serve well beyond the traditional retirement age.

First National Community Bank CEO Ryan Earnest said his institution would likely use its entry into Paulding County, an Atlanta suburb, as a template for future expansion.

The approval broadens Excel’s membership to anyone in Gwinnett, Hall, Forsyth and Fulton counties.

Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won runoff elections to flip party control of the Senate, were assigned to sit on the panel for the 117th Congress.

Australia Hoover, who started as a call center employee in 1996, succeeds Betsy Mercier, who is retiring after 22 years at the helm.

History will remember Wednesday for the anti-democracy domestic terrorism that resulted in death, injuries and damage inside the U.S. Capitol — but did not thwart the process of confirming the presidential election. It was also a day that Georgia's Senate runoff gave much-needed clarity to the fintech sector.

The final outcome of the November election will be decided on Jan. 5 in Georgia, with the balance of power in the Senate at stake, as well as at least two years of financial services and technology policy.

Banking trade organizations are usually cautious about making endorsements. But with Democrats winning the White House and control of Congress on the line in the two races, some groups are pouring in cash for the GOP candidates.