Technology

In a new twist to the cryptocurrency craze, Venezuela, the South American oil giant in default on some of its dollar bonds, plans to issue its own digital unit, dubbed the petro.

As bitcoin's market swings steal the headlines, there are some people in the cryptocurrency industry who are trying to push the market back toward its original intent as a decentralized means of payment.

Many restaurateurs expect more from their merchant services than a paper bill at the end of the month listing the basic credit card transactions, writes Andrew Szala, a content specialist at Upserve.

From the identity of bankers in the 21st century to the regulatory turmoil in Washington to the huge impact of technology on the industry, readers expressed an array of strong opinions about what happened in 2017.

The digitally savvy lender MyBucks, which has lent money through a smartphone app and chatbots on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, could be a good role model for U.S. banks thinking of using AI in credit decisions.

After visiting with dozens of banks, tech firms and retailers, the CEO of the Delaware bank concluded that he needed to create a customer experience department but could leave blockchain development to his larger rivals. He also gained valuable insights about succession planning during his time away and discovered new ways to connect with employees.

The South Korea Financial Services Commission has acted on its concern that the growing popularity and speculation in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies would become dangerous.

The rout in bitcoin is also taking down stocks with ties to cryptocurrencies.

China's central bank has put the brakes on mobile and e-commerce payment schemes in the past, mostly from the standpoint of having a wary eye on third-party players elbowing their way into financial services.

The credit bureau enraged many with its response to a massive data breach this fall, but closing the company down would ultimately harm consumers.