With Blankfein retiring, the JPM chief will be the last crisis-era big bank CEO still in charge; earnings and big payouts are boosting bank equity prices.

Federal bank regulators consider roughly a dozen new rules; firms tout tools to help financial institutions bank legal marijuana-related businesses; Mick Mulvaney defends CFPB enforcement powers; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The bank sees its global reach as an advantage in supporting evolving business customer needs.

At 4 feet tall and with a child's voice, Pepper won't replace tellers, but it can help bank customers interested in applying for a credit card or having issues with an ATM.

HSBC is the first bank in the U.S. to deploy SoftBank's lifelike Pepper robot in a branch to help customers learn about bill pay, remote check capture and even ask the weather — but in Pepper's current iteration, it won't take deposits or payments.

HSBC worked with Maritz marketing to tap AI to predict which categories of rewards—travel, merchandise, gift cards or dining—consumers were most likely to use, factoring in their seasonal tendencies and past behavior.

The bank's $17 billion investment in growth businesses is not seen as a game changer; Synchrony working with retail partners to make credit decisions on the fly.

Fixing HSBC's troubled U.S. division will be one of the "most challenging" parts of the lender's new $17 billion strategy, Chief Executive Officer John Flint said.

Banks are extending maturities and making loans to riskier credits to boost volume; banks cut their muni holdings as tax rates drop.

Mary Kate Loftus spearheaded a $131 million digital initiative to improve the customer experience, deepen relationships and attract more of HSBC’s target consumer segments. She was one of our Digital Banker of the Year finalists for 2018.