Payments

The card brands are pursuing partnerships with banks, government agencies and merchants, with a goal of building networks and services to accommodate the rise of central bank digital currencies.

The startup PointCard's new charge card ignores applicants' credit scores, instead weighing their cryptocurrency holdings and other investments to determine ability to repay.

If the payments company moves ahead with a digital currency rollout, its network of merchants and consumers as well as its retail-payments focus could give it the upper hand over banks, whose products are limited to cryptocurrency exchanges, wholesale payments and other specific uses.

Goldman's second consumer credit card borrows many features of its three-year-old Apple Card, such as instant issuance through a mobile app and an emphasis on virtual account numbers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's investigation calls some installment lenders' collection practices into question, but also highlights the ease of access that has made their loans so popular.

PayPal is exploring the launch of its own stablecoin as part of its cryptocurrency push, according to the company, which confirmed the development after evidence of the move was discovered inside its iPhone app.

Faster payments would help the economy in general and individuals and small businesses in particular. It's time for banks to step up.

The debut of new mobile wallets ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing is an impetus for the Federal Reserve to bring its own central bank digital currency project up to speed.

The credit bureaus plan to add repayment data for installment loans, a move that can inform credit decisions and help answer regulators' questions about how such borrowing affects consumers' financial health.

The U.S.-based networks are offering credit cards and other products through financial technology companies that otherwise could allow consumers in the region to bypass bank-issued cards.