The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to reject Coinbase’s application for a national trust charter, arguing that the application has “serious deficiencies.” The Trump administration’s crypto friendliness is a threat to banks as much as regulatory leniency and stablecoin clarity is a relief: A trust charter confers legitimacy on a crypto firm, but it doesn’t require deposit insurance. These standards may enable crypto companies to compete more vigorously with traditional institutions.
U.S. Bank and investment advisory firm Edward Jones announced co-branded checking account and credit card products, which will be distributed to Edward Jones clients through its advisors. The co-branded offering consolidates investment and banking products into a single digital experience. The U.S. Bank–Edward Jones partnership is just one approach that banks can take to capitalize on the Great Wealth Transfer and cross-sell between investment and retail banking products and services. With the mass-affluent segment in mind, banks can use partnerships to attract customers they might not otherwise reach for basic banking products, like deposit accounts and credit cards.
66% of US banking executives say their leadership team or board has discussed allocating budget or resources to AI, more than triple the share for any other emerging tech, according to July data from Bank Director and Jack Henry & Associates.
Nationwide Financial announced a $1.5 billion investment in technology through 2028, including $300 million for AI initiatives. The company aims to simplify business interactions and advance its data protection capabilities. A massive technical overhaul is a strategic choice and a yearslong commitment sponsored by the C-suite and endorsed by the board of directors. AI is a tool rather than a strategy. And without intent, telematics, analytics, automation, and copilots are just words.
Ascend Federal Credit Union launched a debit card-linked installment offering through a partnership with equipifi, per a press release. It’s difficult for credit unions like Ascend to compete with the top issuers on credit card programs. They lack the necessary funds and resources to launch expansive credit card rewards offerings. But they have a better chance of competing for customers’ business when it comes to debit cards. Offering perks like card-linked installments can set their programs apart and draw in customers who are looking for more flexible financing options without applying for a new credit card.
Southwest Airlines rolled out a rewards debit card, per a press release. The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Debit Card runs on Visa’s network and is issued by Sunrise Bank in partnership with SoFi-owned Galileo’s card issuing platform. Offering a debit card helps Southwest tie customers closer to its loyalty program. But getting consumers to sign up may be a tough sell. Consumers who don’t have the credit scores or means to pay for a Southwest credit card may balk at parking $2,500 a checking account.
Many consumers are opening new bank, credit card, and investment accounts and migrating some financial activities instead of switching entirely, per a J.D. Power study. Chime and SoFi led with conversion rates, and about half of Chime customers are primary, far exceeding large incumbents. FIs should carefully reconsider their approach to efficient customer acquisition and retention. Consumers may appear unwilling to make a clean break with their bank, but they try products offered by other institutions and slowly slip away if they like what they see.
JPMorgan Chase will launch a digital-only retail bank in Germany in 2026. And Santander revealed that its US digital-only retail bank, Openbank, attracted over $6 billion in deposits in its first year. For a traditional bank, running a digital-only bank is a strategic choice rather than the side project it may seem. Rebuilding the technology stack and experience from the ground up fosters necessary digital transformation and enables business growth in new markets. To break out of a mold, bankers should think big about their options: A small subsidiary built from scratch can reshape the business.
The branch is key to consumers’ choice of primary bank, but banks overall fall short of a compelling customer experience, according to a recent study from Adrenaline. Delivering a seamless, modern branch experience means breaking down silos between teams across digital, ATM, call center, and in-person channels. With customers expecting frictionless interactions, the old compartmentalized approach won’t work anymore. Branches need to offer pared down, basic services that are traditionally expected combined with consistent, high-touch interactions that dovetail with digital services.
Wealthtech funding for 2025 is set to double last year’s figure and has already hit $4.2 billion as of September, according to a CB Insights report. And based on year-over-year hiring, three of the top five fastest-growing fintech segments fall under wealthtech. In our September 2025 report “Winning the Great Wealth Transfer in Wealth Management,” we noted that banks face three key considerations in competing against wealth techs: How to blend self-service and human connection, how to personalize services, and what investment vehicles to offer.
Visa and Mastercard reported strong growth in their most recent earnings. Visa’s net revenues increased 12% YoY in its Q4 2025, per its earnings release. Mastercard’s net revenues grew 17% YoY in Q3, per its earnings release. Lower-income consumers are more sensitive to tariff-induced inflation and other economic events. If lower- and medium-tier cardholders pull back on spending, their premium counterparts who are more insulated from economic pain can keep spending afloat. Issuers are following the same strategy: Citi, Chase, and American Express all launched or revamped premium cards this year.
Citi is partnering with Coinbase to build stablecoin payment capabilities for institutional clients. The partnership will focus initially on crypto on- and off-ramps, which enable clients to convert between digital assets and fiat currencies. It’s unlikely that many banks will build their own integrations with crypto rails. But with infrastructure partnerships, native on- and off-ramps should become more common. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain infrastructure will be increasingly complementary to the traditional financial system.
Fidelity has introduced Solana trading for US retail and institutional investors. Solana is the digital currency native to the Solana public blockchain, which is designed to be faster, more easily scaled, and cheaper to transact on than competing blockchains. Fidelity’s move with Solana signals mainstream confidence in cryptocurrency for retail purposes and is a nod to using Solana for stablecoin transactions and its potential value for faster cross-border transactions and blockchain-based securities settlement.
SoFi reported net revenue of $950 million and member growth of 35% YoY, to 12.6 million, in its Q3 earnings. The bank continues to expand its range of consumer products with the launch of blockchain-based remittances, an AI-driven financial wellness tool. SoFi’s membership of 12.6 million pales in comparison to megabanks’ customer rolls—but the breadth of its consumer products does not. Traditional community and small regional banks are the most threatened, while SoFi’s infrastructure business puts it in direct competition with banks that provide licenses and infrastructure for consumer fintechs.
The FBI arrested the CEO of Evolve Bank & Trust on child pornography charges, per Banking Dive, amid the bank’s deep compliance crisis. A spokesperson told Banking Dive that Hartheimer’s role has been terminated. Evolve’s precarious situation, made more so by the sudden departure of its CEO, underscores how weak internal controls and poor partner oversight can ripple through the business. One lesson is clear: Reforming internal culture, board oversight, and fintech-integration strategies are foundational to banks that want to offer these services.
The P&C insurance sector is pivoting from being driven by premium-driven growth to focusing on operational discipline and digital transformation, according to a Deloitte report. To succeed in 2026 and beyond, insurers should optimize their operations, partner effectively to upgrade their technology, and bring innovative products and services to market–either on their own or working with insurtechs.
Cigna will eliminate prescription drug rebates for many of its commercial health plans and instead offer discounts directly to consumers beginning in 2027. Cigna’s decision marks a big shift in the way prescription drugs are priced and paid for, and could pressure CVS and UnitedHealth to follow. Patients are beginning to see some lower drug prices online and at the pharmacy counter, but they’re also facing more complexity and responsibility. Healthcare and pharma marketers need to engage these more empowered and potentially overwhelmed consumers with clear, actionable communications.
Consumers believe the use of AI makes it harder to detect scams, according to a recently published report from risk-management fintech Alloy. It also found that fraud prevention and security measures are top factors for 97% of respondents when they choose a bank. Customer trust is paramount to a financial institution’s survival, and anything that erodes that trust can prompt them to switch or avoid certain banks altogether. With AI changing the scam landscape dramatically in just a few years, banks must accordingly invest in modern technology—including their own AI tools—and customer education.
Sixty-two percent of the very wealthiest consumers expect to thrive next year, according to a WSJ Intelligence study, a larger share than the other two classes of affluent investors that were covered. UHNW investors see volatility as a chance to expand and protect their wealth through diversification, alternative assets, and bespoke advice. The emerging affluent, by contrast, prize affordability, digital convenience, and transparency. Banks and wealth managers that offer frictionless digital access on one end of the spectrum and high-touch expertise on the other will bridge this divide
IRYS raised $12.5 million in seed funding. The company sells technology for insurance companies—what it calls “an insurance operating system”—instead of trying to disrupt the industry with a competing offering. Insurtechs are fast becoming reliable partners. Updates to insurance industry systems, now frequently enabled by insurtechs, are long overdue. Insurers will need to work with these startups to keep up with nimble customer-facing competitors