Technology

Some big tech firms “have sought to gain greater control over the flow of money in our economy,” Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra told senators. His comments came after the agency demanded information from large tech companies about their payment offerings.

Crypto firms that offer stablecoins, blockchain-based decentralized finance apps and services supporting peer-to-peer transactions may be required to keep tabs on their users’ identities and funds as a way of preventing money laundering and terrorism financing, the Financial Action Task Force said.

The decision came prior to news of a federal investigation of PAX Technology and a raid of its Florida locations that has prompted inquiries from customers about the security of devices that they have relied on for making and receiving payments.

The DeFi protocol Cream Finance suffered yet another 2021 hack in an exploit that stole at least $130 million and could be one of the largest thefts in decentralized finance.

The credit bureau's $638 million deal to buy the ID verification firm is its second M&A agreement in a little over a month to broaden its line of products and services that help customers combat fraudsters and identity thieves.

The California bank sued a former executive for allegedly taking trade secrets and using them to build a rival fintech. A recent interim ruling frees Aeldra Financial to move ahead with fundraising while the case continues.

Piermont Bank in New York expects to double its $347 million of assets in a year by extending working capital to financial technology companies. MainStreet Bancshares in Virginia is taking a different approach, hoping a new banking-as-a-service offering will help investors see it as more cutting-edge.

The state has a poor track record of managing customer-facing operations. It’s difficult to see an upside in the current push for a state-run bank — especially when neobanks are already offering the same services it would provide.

After Visa's deal to acquire Plaid fell through as a result of regulatory pressure, the data aggregator found new fintech partners including Square and Dwolla to support an account-to-account transfer service.

The 44 large bank and insurance company partners of the Fintech Innovation Lab are inviting startups whose technology can help them manage cybersecurity threats as well as handle climate change metrics and other growing needs to join the lab's next cohort.