Bank technology

During the recent market volatility, apps that aim to lure non-typical investors into the market faced a problem with which all digital-only financial products contend: no office to visit for reassurance. Companies turned to emails, tweets and pop-up messages to try to replicate the soothing voice.

Studies are showing that companies predominantly led by women perform better than those led by men; worldwide trends are showing a continuing uptick in the number of women on boards, but they still account for less than 20% of directors.

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 from our social media platforms.

The quest for secure, yet really quick and easy enrollment and login for bank accounts, has evaded banks for years, and it’s become more important than ever.

Atlanta-based bitcoin payment processor BitPay has suffered a phishing attack costing the company $1.8 million.

Among other reasons for seeking their own charters, the U.K.'s so-called challenger banks say they need to avoid being beholden to older institutions that can slow down the creative process.

A small Internet-focused bank plans to offer Prosper Marketplace's personal loans directly to its own customers through the bank's website. Prosper could use it as a template for deals with other banks.

Alliance Data Systems has agreed to work with Toyota on a new line of private-label credit cards and to manage the Japanese automaker's existing co-branded card program.

The digital currency industry reacted warily to a model framework for regulating such firms released Tuesday by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, arguing the language is too vague and treats digital assets like normal money.

Fintech firm Tanium says it has found a unique method for securing the tens of thousands of vulnerable points in the computer networks of banks and other companies.

Some of the world's biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Barclays, are exploring the use of bitcoin's underlying technology to overhaul financial markets.

Apple Pay, Google Wallet and other platforms have the potential to change consumers' payments habits. If retail payment networks want to keep their brands visible, they might need to consider giving these platforms a slice of the interchange pie.

Banks are starting to lay traps for cybercriminals that have broken through their defenses.

Innovate Finance, a U.K.-based fintech industry body, will open a blockchain technology research lab in partnership with the government and IBM co-cofounded Hartree Center, a high performance computing and data analytics research facility.

New York's banking regulator has reached an agreement with four of the banks developing an online message service to store records for potential access by regulators and other officials.

Blockchain technology associated with Bitcoin has caught the eye of bankers, but now comes the hard part: figuring out where it can be used — international payments, treasury services or elsewhere — without wasting a lot of time and money in experimentation.

Federal regulators have cited F.N.B. Corp. in Pittsburgh for violating rules to protect consumers from unwanted, automated text messages.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including banks' subpar shareholder value and how big-data advocates can better communicate with critics who worry about the technology's potential discriminatory effects.

In the relatively small universe of mobile banking apps created for business clients, the standouts offer views of worldwide account balances and customized news feeds.

As part of American Banker's series on the C-Suite, chief information officers, chief technology officers and others serving in similar roles at banks shared their insights into how the industry is being affected by technology, where they wish they could spend more time and what it takes to be a driving force in their institutions.