Rising interest rates and tightening consumer credit are likely to drive many consumers to use interest-free point-of-sale loans, putting BNPL fintechs' data-driven underwriting to the test.

The three megabanks will see their surcharges rise by 50 basis points, according to a new analysis of regulatory data. The Federal Reserve assesses the levies as a way to compensate for the impact that the collapse of a global systemically important bank would have on the financial system.

John Williams, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, praised the Fed's new guidelines for granting fintechs and other nonbanks access to the payment system. He also echoed calls for new rules to govern stablecoins and cryptocurrencies.

However, a tiered pricing system will limit an inflation-driven increase to under 10% for a small group of originators.

The business development company, one of the top Small Business Administration 7(a) lenders, has been waiting since mid-2021 for regulators to sign off on its deal for a New York community bank. It hopes to get the final green light from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in time for a January closing.

A blueprint for a shared ledger for digital money would include central bank digital currencies, bank deposits and e-money from companies like PayPal — but not unsupervised cryptocurrencies.