Technology

As the popularity of health savings accounts grew, the Chicago bank decided it needed a more competitive product that tracks spending and uses artificial intelligence to maximize benefits. The high-tech Lively will help BMO soup up its offering.

The hospitality chain and its fintech partner Bakkt are trying to tap into the crypto craze by asking guests if they would prefer the valuable (yet volatile) cryptocurrency over free stays or room upgrades.

The payment company is blending technology from its Swedish subsidiary with other features, such as invoicing, to provide a more robust offering to U.S. merchants.

Fraudsters use different tactics based on their intended victims, and banks like Republic Bancorp and Wells Fargo are targeting the kinds of notices they send — and which channels they direct them to — in response.

Building on renewed consumer interest in digital payments, companies such as linked2pay and Pax are making it easier for retailers to add options like ACH and to import shopper data into back-office systems.

The timepieces are meant to appeal to consumers who are comfortable with wearable payments but prefer something simpler than a high-end smartwatch.

Europe has encouraged adoption with rules that put consumers in control of the way their data is shared among banks, fintechs and third-party vendors. Whether the U.S. can make similar progress without its own rules is unclear.

The robo advisor for socially conscious investors will benefit from becoming part of the largest U.S. bank, but "we also want to maintain the dynamic ... that made OpenInvest what it is," one of its co-founders says.

An initiative among EU nations called Project Jura focuses on financial institutions as the users of central bank digital currencies, removing variables that could slow testing and deployment.

The deal follows JPMorgan’s recent takeover of 55ip, a fintech that focuses on helping investors cut their tax liabilities.