Small business

The card giant is offering small merchants a debit card and account that provides a view of their cash flow across multiple products. Experts say this is a good step but that business owners may want more.

Small-business owners need more help from financial services companies when it comes to making major decisions about their companies' future.

The Connecticut bank joins Zions Bank and Leader Bank in recent upgrades to the technology they use to serve this market – and hopefully snag customers who fled Silicon Valley Bank after its failure.

Some lenders to companies owned by women, minorities and veterans say they'd prefer that the Small Business Administration strengthen its Community Advantage program rather than bring them into the agency's flagship loan-guarantee program.

Entrepreneurs often call fees a drawback of their current financial institution, according to research from Arizent. Banks should focus on developing long-term relationships with these customers, rather than charging for every service, experts say.

The companies, which partnered to create a new digital shopping experience, say it made sense to focus on mom and pop stores that had to pivot to e-commerce during the pandemic. These businesses will be the first to get collaborative cloud-based tools including maps, marketing and payments.

The card network aims to attract more merchant customers with an account that pays a 1.1% interest rate.