Flaws in testing may be real source of Wells Fargo's tech failure; BB&T-SunTrust deal throws talent and deposits up for grabs, threatens banking's middle tier; what JPMorgan Chase's JPM Coin means for Ripple and Swift; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The JPM Coin will be used to expedite payments transfers for its corporate clients; customers of Spain’s largest retail bank will be able to withdraw cash without entering a PIN.

JPMorgan's blockchain effort could lead to solutions that overcome industry skepticism and regulatory concerns and perhaps attract more mainstream retail interest.

Barclays, Bank of America, TD Bank and other banks have filed multiple blockchain patents over the years, but have yet to publicly announce their plans for the technology.

JPM Coin is not meant for consumer payments, but rather is a specific technology for a specific use case that the bank controls. Its value comes not from JPM Coin's appeal, but from JPMorgan's titanic wholesale payments business.

JPMorgan Chase successfully tested a cryptocurrency it plans to use in trials for clients of its wholesale-payments business. Dubbed JPM Coin, it's based on blockchain technology, the bank said Thursday in a presentation on its website.

SendFriend has raised $1.7 million in a funding round to support the launch of its money transmission service for overseas Filipino workers to transfer U.S. dollars to the Philippines' pesos.

There is a fundamental irony in the “blockchain, not crypto” position espoused by traditional financiers and business professionals. They encourage those entering the space to widen their view of these new protocols beyond their speculative monetary values in favor of real-world use cases of the technology, writes Sky Guo, CEO of Crypherium.

Having new guidelines and more regulations will allow for more transparency and give the opportunity for legitimate businesses to invest and strengthen their position in the market, writes Sushil Prabhu, CEO of OpenCrowd.

As if cryptocurrencies haven’t been through enough already, they may be poised for yet another leg down.

The deal would be the biggest bank merger in more than a decade; banks would need to show how many days they could last with just cash on hand.

Facebook is inching closer to threatening traditional processors and financial institutions with its own digital currency by adding staff with expertise in the underlying technology.

The issues at cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX keep getting more complicated.

Cryptocurrency has struggled to be accepted for everyday payments, but it is finding opportunities in certain niches — such as gun sales.

The bipartisan legislation would establish a task force to study how bad actors exploit new technologies and reward tips that lead to criminal convictions, among other things.

Business lending at the 10 largest regionals got a boost from turmoil in the securities markets; hedge funds stand to gain if conservatorship ends.

Samsung’s been pushing for government support for its blockchain and cryptocurrency technology for much of the past year, and early Galaxy S10 leaks suggest a built-in crypto wallet will be among the handset's planned features.

Bitcoin is marked by wild value swings that would preclude robust usage for retail payment, but that’s not stopping companies from moving crypto closer to the point of sale.

The company protects digital assets with hardware-based security, biometrics and quorums. Hedge funds are already signing on.

New York’s BitLicense regulation, which has resulted in only four license per year, is due for an informed revamping, argues Phil Berg, a lawyer at Otterbourg.