Barclays

Digital receipts and rewards startup Flux has been gaining ground with retailers and challenger banks, and had continued the momentum by attracting investment from Barclays.

Banks can remain competitive in a more crowded field by offering attractive rewards through easy-to-navigate, secure microsites, says Informa Financial Intelligence's Gina DeCorla.

The central bank gave the seven banks passing grades on their stress tests but said that they will need to start holding more high-quality capital to guard against a potential economic downturn.

Large brands such as Barclays and Amazon recently reversed course and allowed cash to accompany clearly digital strategies, moves that made more sense politically than economically. The question is how long public policy can be the main factor in slowing cash’s decline.

Uber launched a series of financial services to provide real-time wage payments and enhanced account features in a single app, seemingly putting Uber in the role of a digital bank.

Banks have been pressured to improve diversity in leadership; Visa reports higher volume while PayPal says Venmo now contributing.

Cash is not dead, but the burdens of ensuring access threaten to break long-standing ecosystems that sustain traditional payments.

The EU wants to protect the euro and ensure Facebook’s digital currency isn’t used for money laundering; the brokerage is partnering with six banks to offer 2% on account balances.

The German bank is trying to reverse its reputation for “lousy systems;” the Bakkt platform has failed to attract much trading in its first two weeks.

Jes Staley is turning away from his ambition to build a Barclays Plc-branded digital consumer bank in the U.S.