Fintech regulations

What keeps execs up at night in the payments, retail and banking industries? Quite a lot, including disruption from tech giants and competition from foreign rivals.

From Democrats winning control of Congress to an escalating trade war and technology companies applying for a fintech charter, there are plenty of scary prospects facing the industry.

The money manager plans a big expansion in Atlanta; agency makes now rare determination that debt-collection practices were “abusive.”

Policymakers have called for streamlined disclosures for customers granting third parties access to their financial account data. They don’t have to look far for a potential solution.

State regulators have once again sued the OCC, arguing it lacks legal authority to offer a federal fintech banking charter.

“We have actually discouraged banks from innovating,” FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams said in announcing a move that other agencies have made.

Federal and state regulators are at odds over the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s new licensing program, but there are ways to improve current law to appease both sides.

The Bank of Lithuania is positioning the country’s capital Vilnius as a hub for payments-related fintechs wanting to enter the European market — a move that's timed to take advantage of the uncertainty Brexit has cast over London's claim to the title.

A recent study concluded there are first-mover benefits for banks that embrace open banking. But many executives see its risks instead.

Despite being barred from the securities industry by the SEC, LendingClub’s founder has found plenty of people to back his latest venture — and that’s a problem.

Readers react to efforts to improve bank branches, weigh the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's decision to pull back on enforcing the Military Lending Act, consider efforts to build finetch sandboxes and more.

Regtech — the intersection of regulatory compliance and financial innovation — is still taking shape in the U.S with some pushing for "tech sprints" to speed the development of new tools, while some see new threats and opportunities looming in the space. Following is a look at hot-button topics at American Banker's RegTech summit.

Federal and state regulators are at odds over the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s new licensing program, but there are ways to improve current law to appease both sides.

Banks need dedicated teams to shore up digital compliance efforts, officials at SourceMedia’s RegTech 2018 conference said.

The banking agencies should expand the use of regulatory sandboxes to keep pace with international counterparts.

The groups argue the proposal, which would provide certain legal safe harbors to participating companies, exceeds the CFPB’s statutory authority and would put consumers at greater risk.

Craig Phillips, a counselor to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said the department is not trying to undermine the role of state regulation of fintechs.

Fintechs can get what they need from a traditional bank charter with the FDIC, as long as the agency is willing to play ball and step up its approach to innovation.

Analysts are split on whether cyber threats have evolved enough for lawmakers to finally grant the National Credit Union Administration third-party vendor oversight.

Speaking at an industry conference Thursday, two tech executives and a community banker said that community banks should be allowed to experiment with new products without worrying about running afoul of regulators.