From digital assistants and new branching strategies to revamped hiring processes and improved cybersecurity, these are the winners of the 2018 Best Practices Awards.

In a push to be on the leading edge of technology, Tennessee-based Enrichment Federal Credit Union launched a service through Amazon's Alexa by first making sure employees knew what to do.

Ron Quaranta and Steve Ehrlich with the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance talk about what’s working and what’s not with financial services blockchain projects.

Are midsize banks in position to disrupt, or are they investing billions in technology because they can’t afford not to?

The Wikibuy purchase follows acquisitions of a personal financial management provider and a firm that helps digital shoppers get price adjustments.

Neobanks create lots of buzz — and command the attention of venture capital firms — but there are questions about how big of a threat they pose.

Using machine learning to analyze payment data, the latest technology automates workflow and decisions, making fraud detection quicker and more efficient, writes Steven Goddard, product manager for risk at The ai Corporation (ai).

The new promotion illustrates how banks are going beyond traditional advertising as they try to find something that customers will share on their own.

The Wisconsin-based institution has seen a 10 percent boost in loan volumes since implementing a new e-docs platform last year.

In a bid to help younger consumers, CommunityAmerica Credit Union’s new FAFSA chatbot can answer more than 400 questions about applying for federal student aid.

Earlier this year Ripple announced that it has dedicated $50 million toward the University Blockchain Research Initiative, partnering Ripple with 17 universities around the globe from the U.K. to Brazil, with the aim of accelerating new innovations in blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

AI-driven analytics can help both pure-play and brick-and-mortar brands understand the frustrations of their users at an elemental level — which buttons remain unclicked, which form fields make them leave, and which customer paths are dead ends, writes Jonathan Cherki, CEO and founder of ContentSquare.

Andrew Keys, co-founder of the venture capital firm ConsenSys Capital, has a vision of the future bankers might find chilling, in which banks and other middlemen are cut out of financial services.

Starbucks has established itself as a model for mobile payments among coffee drinkers, but Barclays is partnering with a U.K. coffee chain to take it a step further by bringing the coffee cup itself into play.

Data from real-time payments creates powerful opportunities for upselling and cross-selling because it reveals what, when, and how people and businesses actually consume, writes Michael J. Alfonsi, senior vice president of digital solutions and strategy at Exela Technologies.

Moelis submits a revised Fannie/Freddie blueprint; FASB considering a plan to have banks break out charge-offs and recoveries on year-by-year basis; Wells Fargo layoffs begin with 1,000 jobs in mortgage and tech; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The Omidyar Network has invested in five challenger banks. Tilman Ehrbeck, who is leading its financial inclusion efforts, says the firm will invest more in apps for gig workers and retirees next year.

California-based America's Christian Credit Union's efforts earned it a 2018 Best Practices Award.

After incorporating big data, tweaking existing products and reducing barriers for new members, the Mass.-based credit union saw increased checking usage, more deposits and higher PFI levels.

Self Lender is launching a secured credit card next year in the hopes of attracting big-bank partners that can use it to comply with the Community Reinvestment Act.