Merchant

The Fed's faster payments platform may well roll out in three or four years, but by then it will already be outdated.

The past few months have provided no shortage of crises that call out for faster access to funds, giving developers a new impetus to hasten transaction processing.

The seemingly positive embrace of contactless payments raises important questions about how we can safeguard access to cash, especially for the most vulnerable members of society, says Moorwand's Luc Geuriane.

Ulule is working with Bank of the West to build name recognition. It hopes to collaborate with other banks and credit unions as it vies with larger companies such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe.

The industry will have to grapple with pressure on net interest margins, interchange income and credit quality, said CUNA Mutual's Steve Rick during a virtual conference.

The industry's return on average assets has already dropped substantially and there are predictions that could get even worse. Many institutions will have to deal with elevated provisions for loan losses and expense management to survive.

The Paycheck Protection Program has masked what has been a year of tepid demand and tightened lending standards. And bankers aren't expecting a rebound anytime soon.

A public-private partnership that has fewer rules and restrictions than the Paycheck Protection Program would save more small businesses.

The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said the central bank had acquired stakes in 32 business loans as of Monday, four times the amount from two weeks earlier.

The card giant could pay $850 million in cash for the online small-business lender, according to a person familiar with the talks.