Bank technology

To identify the fintech startups deserving of special recognition this year as part of the FinTech Forward program, we asked our judges to consider several factors: Is this organization solving relevant problems for the banking industry? Is the organization creating change? Is the solution timely? Does it speak to the challenges the industry faces now? The following 20 companies are the standouts.

A new app aims to modernize the automobile financing process by allowing car shoppers to get credit approval on their phones.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that 19 private-sector proposals are now under review by nearly 500 members of two separate task forces, one of which was established to chart a path toward a faster payment system, and the other focused on payment system security.

Banks continue to lay off operations workers and send their jobs to other countries with lower labor costs. They may feel they have no choice, but there are risks to consider.

Royal Bank of Scotland will soon launch a customer pilot of Luvo, a chat bot taught to answer customers' questions in near-real time and route more complex requests to advisers using IBM Watson Conversation.

Mission Asset Fund has helped people build their credit by formalizing the informality of lending circles. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently named Mission's CEO José A. Quiñonez one of its 2016 Fellows.

A part of Manhattan dominated by technology companies — Google, Facebook, Twitter — is now drawing a more traditional New York industry: banking.

B of A's Merrill Lynch unit by early next year plans to join Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, BBVA Compass, U.S. Bancorp and others in offering clients a low-cost investing app and online service.

It's hard to sell a big bank something regardless of the tech company's size. But for early-stage startups with only a handful of employees and a product still under development, the challenge is far greater than for seasoned tech vendors.

The private student loan market is dominated by large players, but some community banks are turning to a third-party tech company to help them get in the game.

Strategies include developing formal agreements with partners defining the anti-money-laundering requirements and responsibilities that are expected of them.

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.

Artificial intelligence like IBM's Watson may not make bank compliance officers obsolete, but it could mean far fewer of them will be needed in the future, focused on higher-level tasks.

IBM will purchase Promontory Financial Group — a consultancy so influential it has been dubbed the industry's "shadow regulator" — in a move that could extend artificial intelligence into every aspect of banking.

Simple, the digital-only "neobank" owned by BBVA Compass, is testing out its second product, a contemporary twist on the traditional joint account.

Citi will join Early Warning's clearXchange, giving the bank-operated digital transfer network a boost as it takes on apps like PayPal’s Venmo.

First Internet Bancorp in Fishers, Ind., has issued $25 million in subordinated debt and intends to use the proceeds to support its rapid growth and perhaps for future acquisitions.

USAA has expanded its voice-controlled digital assistant to PC users. The move is just another example of how banks are increasingly relying on bots to help serve their clients.

A new wave of exciting innovation is presenting businesses with opportunities to improve processes and the consumer experience.

For banks eyeing blockchain technology, 2016 has been the year of tests, trials and proofs of concept. By this time next year, however, some 15% of them could be running blockchain solutions in the wild, according to research by IBM.