PayPal rolled out Transaction Graph Insights & Measurement at CES to gives advertisers and merchants a clearer, cross-merchant view of how people actually shop and purchase—and early results suggest meaningful impact.
M&A activity ramped up, transforming the banking industry.
A Canadian dollar-backed stablecoin is coming, but it may get stuck in a regulatory quagmire.
Despite net closures, branches remain an essential tool for reaching customers.
Banks have several options to mitigate their risk.
Consumers probably won’t be made whole, and banks have many lessons to learn.
In today’s episode, we explore consumers’ use of agentic AI in their financial lives, and the development of stablecoin payment rails becoming “bank grade” in 2026. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, and Senior Analysts Grace Broadbent and Myra Thomas.
Revenue gains and cost savings come into relief as haves and have-nots diverge.
Themes in stablecoins, crypto infrastructure, bank charters, and Gen Z behaviors.
A recent study details fraud types, prevalence, and banks’ defenses.
Capital One is reportedly exploring alternatives to its AWS cloud contract because of rising AI costs.
The 10 most-read briefing articles of 2025 included analyzing Gen Z behavior, AI agents, and more.
An institutional crypto desk would legitimize crypto in a way that no other FI could.
Mercury has filed with the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) for a national bank charter and applied to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for deposit insurance. By obtaining a bank charter, Mercury will de-risk by eliminating the need for partner banks and putting banking services entirely under its control. Partnerships between fintechs that are bank lookalikes and sponsor banks are giving way to the next wave of licensed financial institutions (FIs) and a new definition of “traditional banking.”
Thinkwise Credit Union selected InvestiFi to embed digital investing in online and mobile banking, giving members the ability to invest on the credit union’s digital platform. For FIs without dedicated investing tools, embedded tools are a way to defend deposits as D2C investment platforms and roboadvisors move into banking. FIs can quietly meet rising customer expectations by plugging investing into digital channels generally focused on basic banking services.
The insurance industry has been an early mover on AI adoption, outpacing all industries but one among those studied in a BCG survey. But progress has stalled at the pilot stage: the majority of insurers (67%) are testing genAI programs, while only 7% have scaled them. Insurers should modernize their data architecture and tie their technology investments to business outcomes. Opportunities abound, from claims automation to embedded distribution.
Quarterly equity funding for insurtechs has settled at $1.0 billion in Q3, a 17% drop from Q3 2024 according to CB Insights. Investors have grown more selective, focusing on B2B insurtechs that offer a faster path to profitability than their consumer-facing counterparts. The quiet winners in insurtech are now B2B, focusing on supporting other players with underwriting, claims management, and operations infrastructure. These firms are reshaping the industry from the back end rather than trying to disrupt it head-on.
Eighty-three percent of US consumers would switch insurance carriers due to a poor claims experience, per Invoice Cloud’s 2025 Consumer Claims Experiences Survey. This suggests that claims interactions, while rare, are make-or-break. Relationships between insurers and insureds are traditionally very sticky—insurance is a “get it and forget it” product, with most customers only interacting with their carrier at purchase and at claim. That makes claims one of the few moments where customer loyalty is actually tested.
The White House issued an executive order reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance—a lower-risk category that puts it on the same plane as some controlled prescription medications. The US legal cannabis industry is worth $35 billion and served by at least 800 FIs. Even if Congress follows through as cannabis is reclassified as a lower-risk substance, banks will likely be slow to get involved. Enhanced due diligence and reporting requirements are in force until further notice, and being in the cannabis business has a stigma among banks regardless.
Truist has added a direct deposit switching tool to its consumer digital account opening flow using technology from Atomic. The feature lets customers move their payroll deposits from another financial institution (FI) to Truist during onboarding. Creating a direct-deposit relationship is a well-worn path to primary FI status. It positions FIs to retain customers and cross-sell higher-value, advice-driven products. FIs that transform direct-deposit switching from a paper-based process to a few clicks will find that customers are immediately stickier.