Organizations that put the customer experience front of mind will be the winners, but they must nonetheless expect additional pressure from regulators, new competition, ever more digitally demanding consumers, and no slowdown in technological innovation, says Entersekt's Gerhard Oosthuizen.

History will remember Wednesday for the anti-democracy domestic terrorism that resulted in death, injuries and damage inside the U.S. Capitol — but did not thwart the process of confirming the presidential election. It was also a day that Georgia's Senate runoff gave much-needed clarity to the fintech sector.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks pushed back on a recommendation from a task force — appointed by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — suggesting that Congress should give the CFPB the authority to charter and regulate fintechs.

2020 has shown that the payment industry is flexible and resilient, and if 2021 throws our plans out the window, we'd better be equipped to adapt on the fly, says IDEMIA's Megan Heinze.

The next administration must halt the practice of allowing new entrants into the banking system to forgo a full Community Reinvestment Act exam.

The final outcome of the November election will be decided on Jan. 5 in Georgia, with the balance of power in the Senate at stake, as well as at least two years of financial services and technology policy.

Challenger banks aimed at Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants and other underserved groups are offering financial education and support for charities in addition to basic banking services.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is giving the credit card issuer and the fintech firm some regulatory latitude to develop specific new products.

Several consumer advocacy organizations have urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to deny the online lender's application for a national bank charter, citing concerns about its lending and debt-collection practices.

Remote online notarization helped originators close loans amid social distancing measures, but complex local laws remain a barrier to its widespread use.

There's a wide open market with plenty of opportunity not just for challenger banks but for financial technology as an industry to set themselves apart from incumbents and gain market share, says Veem's Marwan Forzley.

A Biden-appointed comptroller could refocus resources and attention to these issues and put less effort into fighting the ongoing fintech charter battle.

The year 2020 was disruptive and chaotic. And while it derailed or delayed some companies' plans for growth, it also created opportunities for new combinations — or, at the very least, didn't slow them down.

Coastal Community in Washington is an investor in and the first client of Synctera, a software company that aims to help community banks manage their fintech relationships, including regulatory obligations.

During the crises, most of the investment is going toward mature fintechs, creating more challenges for startups, says Global Processing Services' Richard Hodgson.

The measure, just the second of its kind the nation, mandates that fintechs, factoring firms and other nonbank small-business lenders clearly explain the terms and conditions to borrowers.

OPay, a Nigerian fintech startup founded by Opera, plans to expand its payments service operations to North Africa early next year after Covid-19 restrictions led to a spike in transactions on its platform.

Underpinning the technology with mathematically sound models can make a better case to consumers and regulators for why a loan applicant was denied.

Rapidly spreading coronavirus and an unclear Brexit outcome are bearing down on the U.K., leaving the fate of London as a technology and finance hub in the air as 2020 draws to a close.