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The Swedish financial technology firm issued its first stablecoin and signed a gift card distribution deal with BlackRock. Also, EMVCo is examining AI's impact on processing and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

U.S. commercial banks and savings banks have reduced employment by nearly 81,000 since the first quarter of 2023, including a net loss of 7,463 positions during the third quarter of this year, according to a new report from KRBA Financial Intelligence. Big banks, which have been embracing artificial intelligence, were big contributors to the decline.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an exclusive interview with American Banker Monday that regulators must bring more new entrants into the banking industry, establish a level playing field between banks and fintechs, and shore up supervision amid mounting legal scrutiny.

HoldCo Asset Management alleged in a court filing that Comerica's directors and Chairman and CEO Curt Farmer breached their fiduciary duties to investors, in part because negotiations for the bank's sale to Fifth Third took just 17 days.

The Minneapolis-based bank launched the Split Card, a Mastercard that turns purchases into three-month installment plans, in an effort to attract younger customers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to transfer its entire enforcement and legal divisions to the Department of Justice and is likely to staff in those units, according to sources briefed by agency leadership.

The credit score firm partnered with Plaid to bring additional cash-flow data into its previously released UltraFICO score.

The Federal Reserve played a behind-the-scenes role in facilitating the sale of PacWest Bancorp, providing an enticement to private-equity interests to make a deal happen, according to agency records and recent comments by a prominent banking lawyer.

With the government reopened and data flowing, the FOMC may cut rates again in Dec. Steve Skancke, Chief Economic Advisor at Keel Point, will break down the mee

President Trump has nominated Stuart Levenbach, associate director of the Office of Management and Budget, to be the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His selection allows acting CFPB Director Russell Vought to remain in place for at least another 210 days.

Advances from the Federal Home Loan Banks dipped in the third quarter, but experts do not necessarily see the dip as a sign of ample liquidity in the economy.

In the company's first earnings report since going public, CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski offered what analysts called a conservative Q4 outlook while laying out its growth plans that included an expanded distribution network, increasing its long-term installment loan penetration with merchants and becoming a full-fledged neobank.

An activist investor is seeking more information on how, and when, the largest bank deal of 2025 came together.

Quality Control Advisor Plus is an integrated system which brings together previously separate units, cutting months off of Freddie Mac's current QC process.

BNY estimates the market for stablecoins, tokenized deposits and other assets will reach a combined value of $3.6 trillion in four years, while Standard Chartered says the entire banking industry will soon be "tokenized." The trend is creating pressure to update strategies and technology.

The Virginia-based bank had been an example of what can go wrong when banks partner with fintechs. After being released from an OCC enforcement action, Blue Ridge is now focused on operating as a traditional community bank, said CEO Billy Beale.

Pinnacle and Peapack-Gladstone have sought to preserve their corporate cultures during periods of major change.

Banks with more than $10 billion of assets made up 12% of American Banker's 2025 Best Banks to Work For list.

The government shutdown is over, and Congress gets back to its regular business. For banks, the biggest-ticket issues are ongoing deliberations on raising deposit insurance and shaping a crypto market structure bill.

Of the 90 honorees on American Banker's 2025 Best Banks to Work For list, 28 had between $3 billion and $10 billion of assets.