Bank technology

A concept that predated bitcoin itself is becoming more than a thought exercise as blockchains explore ways to harness smart contracts for greater uses.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Authentication methods meant to keep cybercriminals from taking over accounts can also lock out legitimate users. This old dilemma is growing more vexing as cybercriminals get better at impersonating customers and as regulators increasingly push multifactor authentication.

Many remain skeptical of the blockchain because it is associated with bitcoin. Eyes glaze over at the details of how it works. Applications for the average bank seem to be distant still. If this is how you think about the blockchain — that is, when you think about it at all — expect to be paying far closer attention soon.

As the purchase market heats up, banks are looking to utilize digital tools meant to make the daunting homebuying experience easier.

The Seattle-based tech giant, in its latest foray into the financial services business, has begun offering installment loans to British consumers.

Diebold CEO Andy Mattes shares his vision for how ATMs will evolve over the next 10 years.

The huge growth of online banking, including mobile, has transformed the industry, bringing tremendous choice, flexibility and convenience to consumers and businesses. But online banking can also be a source of fraud. Watch this video and learn the real risks of web fraud to financial institutions and ways to prevent it.

Bank regulators will stiffen their requirements and identity theft will escalate, but banks will toughen up their defenses.

At the start of 2015, there was a sense that Silicon Valley would soon rule the world of finance and that banks risked irrelevance. A year later, a more balanced picture has emerged.