Capital markets

Payments and financial services technology are still stuck in yesteryear, chained to paper and dangerously prone to fraud, according to Matt Streisfeld, a principal at Oak HC/FT.

Loyalty programs are getting more sophisticated, but they still typically boil down to a game of collecting and redeeming points.

The Loan Syndications and Trading Association is appealing directly to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to exempt collateralized loan obligation managers from rules requiring "skin in the game" of deals.

"Virtually every venture capitalist I know is excited about insurance as the next big thing in fintech," says Sam Hodges, co-founder and U.S. managing director at Funding Circle.

First Data is teaming up with the bank to deepen the pool of knowledge and connections from which startups in the program can benefit.

Upgrade, an online lender started by former Lending Club CEO Renaud Laplanche, will tout credit monitoring and education features to stand out in a crowded field.

Arizona, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina have lost more banks than other states, based on the percentage decline since 2010. Each has a unique set of reasons that goes beyond regulation and a dearth of de novo activity.

Coordinators of a blockchain project backed by the financial industry say they have successfully demonstrated that the distributed ledger technology can be used to syndicate, trade and make payments on leveraged loans.

Blockchain Capital wants to raise $10 million by issuing its own digital token, a method the firm says is the future for startups, VCs and everybody else.

The 2012 Jobs Act let regular Americans invest in startups, spawning a glut of crowdfunding sites offering real ownership stakes in return for cash, rather than the new smartwatches or electric skateboards available on pioneering platform Kickstarter.

Wearable payment devices are cutting edge, fast and diverse. But they are not a steady, predictable or popular consumer trend. Even so, investors see a rich opportunity to get involved in the market for wearables.

Artificial intelligence is steadily making its way through the payments and financial services world. The technology's usefulness for fraud detection is clear, but there are other areas where AI can have an impact.

An improved state-level system could be a tremendous advantage. Working closely with a cooperative regulator, innovators large and small can rapidly test a concept within state lines.

With scammers steadily improving their techniques, CO-OP Financial Services is starting to offer artificial intelligence to police transactions initiated by online, mobile and other connected devices.

The New Jersey company added a representative of Blue Harbour Group in Connecticut to its board.

The industry expects to lean on technological efficiencies this year as higher rates and dwindling refinances test their businesses.

James Lockhart, former director of the FHFA, is replacing Wilbur Ross, who resigned when he became Commerce secretary, on the New Jersey company's board.

Swedish startup Truecaller has become the newest entrant in India’s busy digital payments space, via a tie-up with ICICI Bank Ltd. to offer a local mobile-payments service.

The number of deals in early 2017 was similar to the same period last year, though the pricing has increased. Also see which M&A advisers were the most active for each region during 2016 in our annual ranking.