Financial inclusion is a key enabler to reducing poverty and Fintech is leading the way forward. New businesses and creative banking services are emerging with new means of providing financial services to the financially underserved. But technology is just part of the equation, not the whole solution. Join Daniel Wolfe, Editor-in-Chief of PaymentSource as he explores the issues surrounding financial services as infrastructure and how it can address the wealth gap in various communities with our special guests Wole Coaxum, Founder & CEO of MoCaFi and Marc Weill, Partner & Senior Advisor at Two Sigma Ventures.

Ken LaRoe, whose First Green Bancorp was sold a few years ago, is seeking approval for a de novo called Climate First Bank that would cater to low-income communities hurt by climate change and favor ecology-minded tech vendors.

Discovery Bank in South Africa and other overseas financial companies say healthier customers are more profitable. They are giving reward points, gym subsidies and even free Apple Watches to those who meet fitness goals.

The tech giant says it will benefit heavily from its 2019 purchase of Worldpay as it seeks to provide digital payment services to merchants.

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

There's already an appetite for digital and consumers should quickly embrace Apple's range of services, says CellPoint Digital's Howard Blankenship.

The regional bank is switching VirtualBank, a digital-only unit added through a recent merger, to a core system that relies on Finxact software and Amazon Web Services. The move epitomizes the industry's cautious approach to cloud-based technology.

Fintechs and challenger banks are small, nimble and tech-centric. However, incumbents have strong reputations, customer trust and loyalty built over many decades, says Twilio's Bijon Mehta.

A showdown between megabanks such as JPMorgan Chase and the likes of Apple and PayPal could be the prelude to a broader fight.

Startups such as Majority, Sable and Simba were created by newcomers to the U.S. who learned firsthand which services, including global remittances and financial education, their audience values most.

Community banks say Vizaline’s software, which converts property descriptions into images, helps them catch errors before they close real estate loans without resorting to expensive land surveys. But traditional surveyors say the results are of questionable value.

The payments company is going public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company — a faster and easier process than a conventional initial public offering, but one that exposes it to less seasoned investors.

Only 18% of businesses that received a Paycheck Protection Program or other loan from an online lender were satisfied with customer service, while 42% said they were dissatisfied. Banks, credit unions and CDFIs fared better in the Federal Reserve survey.

Over the past 10 months the payment industry has seen several products and services of bygone eras that have been reconstituted, repackaged and positioned to help customers and small businesses to manage their finances and cash flow, says Avenue B Consulting's Maria Arminio.

The project is part of the card network's push to showcase its tech expertise while also working to shrink the wealth gap in Black communities.

Moves to protect competition will help fintechs and push innovation, says AppBrilliance's C. Eric Smith.

Cross-border payments technology provider Routefusion plans to expand its embedded software services and global partnerships after a recent funding round.

The card network is testing two artificial intelligence-powered programs that it says give banks some of the benefits of faster payments without requiring the immediate movement of funds.

The card network is testing two artificial intelligence-powered programs that it says give banks some of the benefits of faster payments without requiring the immediate movement of funds.

Call centers have long had issues around the security of accepting card payments verbally; companies like Semafone and DataDivider are working to keep those centers PCI-compliant as the pandemic compounds the problem.