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Five Banking Tech Trends Reshaping Financial Services

Research from Bain and Temenos reveals how cloud cores, AI and agents will help automate and reshape operations to deliver hyper-personalized services

The report, Technology Trends Redefining the Future of Banking, was carried out in conjunction with banking tech leader Temenos and draws on joint analysis and data to map how AI-driven transformation is evolving across retail, SME, corporate, wealth and payments infrastructure.

A clear shift was uncovered: financial institutions are no longer simply digitizing services, but re-architecting their technology foundations to unlock new revenue streams and operating models.

The five main trends

The report by Bain and Temenos identifies five megatrends shaping technology priorities for 2026 and beyond.

Read more at AIMagazine.com

FDIC rescinds guidance governing re-presentment of same transaction

The FDIC has issued FIL-14-2026 rescinding its guidance governing the re-presentment of the same transaction after raising questions about the Biden Administration’s prior guidance.

“Based on a review and assessment of the guidance in FIL-32-2023, the FDIC concludes that the guidance is overly broad in scope and has raised uncertainty regarding when, for instance, disclosures regarding re-presentments may result in ‘unfairness’ concerns under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act,” the FDIC said in announcing the rescission.

The agency continued, “Supervised institutions should ensure their disclosures to consumers accurately reflect their practices and are provided in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and other current legal requirements.”

Read more at Ballard Spahr L.L.P. 

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Private Credit’s Next Bet: Intellectual Property

Asset-light companies reshape private credit as lenders embrace intellectual property collateral, despite valuation challenges, legal risks, and AI-driven obsolescence concerns.

Asset-light companies are changing the world of private credit.

Unlike businesses that can rely on a heaping basket of assets like inventory, equipment, and real estate as collateral for private direct lending, these companies tend to use some of the most illiquid and difficult-to-value intellectual property (IP) as collateral.

“Capital is increasingly being formed around asset-based finance [ABF] strategies, but it’s still relatively early innings of where ABF will grow to within private credit markets,” says Brian Armstrong, managing director, US Direct Lending at Benefit Street Partners. “We believe ABF has the potential to be one of the fastest-growing asset classes over the next five years.”

Read more at GFMag.com

Are Crypto Cards Quietly Beating Traditional Cashback Cards —Which Offers Better Rewards?

Key Takeaways

• Crypto cards now advertise rewards that can match or exceed many traditional cashback cards.
• The real return depends on fees, spreads, reward caps, tier rules, monthly plans and regional availability.
• Traditional cashback cards still offer simpler rewards, fewer accounting issues and more predictable value.
• Stablecoin settlement growth gives crypto cards a stronger payments narrative, although traditional card networks still dominate consumer spending.

Crypto cards are starting to compete with one of the simplest products in consumer finance: the cashback card.

The pitch is easy to understand. Instead of earning 1.5% or 2% back in fiat, users can earn Bitcoin, stablecoins or platform-token rewards through cards linked to Coinbase, Nexo, Crypto.com and other digital-asset platforms.

Read more at CCN.COM

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In the Age of Digital Tech, Participants Still Value Human Advice

As more participants tune into digital advice, studies show employees continue to rely heavily on human guidance.

A workplace trends report by UBS looked at the top developments impacting employee benefits and found that advice from human professionals is still heavily valued by participants.

“Employees are actively seeking help from trusted professionals and their employers, especially on complex topics like retirement planning and equity awards, which remain poorly understood,” UBS wrote in its report.

Baby Boomers and Gen Z employees particularly expressed strong preference for human advice. Among those who prefer professional guidance, nine in 10 believe an advisor can offer personalized help and support them in making more confident financial decisions. Ninety-one percent feel more confident making financial decisions after speaking with a professional, and 90% say human advisors can help them avoid mistakes that they may overlook on their own. Another 89% trust a professional’s expertise and experience more than automated tools.

Read more at 401kspecialistmag.com

J.P. Morgan bets big on a fading American Dream

America’s biggest bank commits $80 billion to boost small business lending.

Key Points

• Only 53% of Americans believe the American Dream is still achievable, and youth are less optimistic.
• J.P. Morgan pledges $80 billion to support 10 million small businesses, addressing economic barriers.
• Jamie Dimon says, “The American Dream is alive, but it’s slipping out of reach for too many people.”

A 2024 Pew Research Center survey of 8,709 adults found that only 53% of Americans still believe the American Dream is achievable, while 41% say it was once within reach but is no longer.

Read more at The Street

World’s Best Banks 2026: Latin America

Tighter financial conditions and currencies relatively firmer against the dollar defined the Latin American macroeconomic backdrop.

Household cash flows proved mostly resilient across the region, supported by solid labor markets. On the other hand, corporate activity became more cautious, shaped by higher funding costs and a more uncertain global environment.

In the banking sector, selectivity was the year’s defining theme, as global banks largely maintained their multiyear retrenchment from noncore markets while regional players focused more on consolidating scale where it could be translated into tangible returns. As a result, growth became more targeted, with institutions prioritizing efficiency by focusing on the core geographies and segments where they held clear competitive advantages.

Fintech further consolidated its role as a foundational layer of the region’s financial system, prompting banks to deepen partnerships and use digital platforms to close product gaps, accelerate distribution, and oftentimes expand inorganically.

Read more at GFMag.com

Cracking the Credit Code: Alternative Data and AI for Financial Inclusion

How Alternative Data and AI Are Transforming Lending for Underserved and thin-file Borrowers

Cracking the Credit Code: Alternative Data and AI for Financial Inclusion explores how new data sources and artificial intelligence are transforming credit scoring and expanding access to finance for underserved borrowers in emerging markets. Traditional credit systems often exclude individuals and small businesses without formal financial histories, leaving many women entrepreneurs and low-income borrowers invisible to lenders. By incorporating alternative data—from mobile money transactions and digital payments to business and platform records—new scoring models can better capture economic activity that previously went unrecognized.

The report examines how fintech firms, lenders, and technology providers are deploying these models in practice, drawing on global market analysis, firm case studies, borrower-level data, and interviews with industry practitioners.

Read more at The International Finance Corporation

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How a New Florida Charter Plans to Take on Banks — by Being a Traditional Community Bank

Bank charters are being sought by an increasingly diverse group of interests, from payments companies to crypto firms to automakers. But Erik Weiner and his nearly 250 investors have won conditional approval from FDIC and Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation for a new charter to do something straightforward, simple and — these days — less common: To run a community bank.

Weiner, founder, president and CEO of Portrait Bank, is a veteran of the business banking scene in central Florida, including stints at Fifth Third Bank, BankUnited and most recently City National Bank. The center part of the state includes Orlando and its environs.

Weiner notes that the population of community banks in the area has shrunk drastically to just six, versus nearly 40 in 2000.

Read more at The Financial Brand

FinTech funding remains strong in healthy week for FinTech deals

Last week, FinTech Global reported that a solid $800m was raised across 21 deals, representing continuous stability in the market and maintained investor sentiment.

Sector-wise, the most dominant industry this week was the InsurTech sector, pulling in a grand total of four deals. Meanwhile, financial infrastructure, CyberTech and PayTech raked in three deals a piece. Blockchain firms pulled in two, whilst PropTech and RegTech firms recorded one.

On the geographic stage, the US dominated proceedings again this week, raking in thirteen deals in total. Italy scored two, and Sweden and Poland brought in one each.

Research by FinTech Global this week found that the UK cemented its place as the main European WealthTech hub with 43% of all deals in Q1.

Read more at FINTECH GLOBAL

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This $6.9B Community Bank Competes with Chase — By Running a $1.3B Digital Brand on the Side

The Greater Boston area that Cambridge Savings Bank calls home enjoys a strong economy, many deep pockets and a population projected to continue to grow after a 9%+ growth spurt in the 2010s. Cambridge Savings has been in the market for almost two centuries, but its market is getting crowded as other local institutions and megabanks like JPMorgan Chase build new branches there. Meanwhile, digital players like Chime and other fintechs keep going after checking accounts and more, remotely.

Key point: “You used to be able to just worry about the five banks around you, but now you have to worry about competition from across the entire nation, especially since Covid,” says Ryan Bailey, president and CEO at the $6.9 billion-assets bank. “We’ve got to keep an eye on everybody.”

Bailey came to Cambridge Savings in early 2024 after a long career in management positions at TD Bank, Bank of the West, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and USAA. He sees its independent future as hanging onto the best of its traditional historical ways of doing business, but continuing to marry that to digital channels, to bring customers an irresistible combo.

Read more at The Financial Brand

Why Fintech-Bank Partnerships Fail Before They Start

A fintech founder ؜walks into a ‌sponsor ‌bank meeting ؜carrying ‍‌the kind of metrics ؜investors ‍؜‌‍usually ‍chase. Revenue ‌trends point ‌upward. Customer ؜‍؜‍logos look ‌recognizable. The ؜presentation feels polished ؜‍and ؜confident. Early ‌؜conversations ‍often reflect ‍؜‍؜that momentum. Product teams ask about growth. Business development ؜ ؜executives discuss ‌market opportunities. Everyone leaves ؜the room sounding ‍optimistic.

Then the process changes.

A few days later, the pace slows down. Someone from compliance joins the email thread. Legal teams begin asking about onboarding procedures, transaction monitoring, settlement flow, and reporting structures.

The technology may already work exactly as promised. Customers may already rely on the product every day. None of that guarantees the partnership survives internal review.

Read more at TECH TIMES

Payliance enables organizations to streamline

payment acceptance, minimize processing costs,

and reduce the risk of fraud.

How Digital Payment Innovation Is Reshaping Consumer Finance Expectations

The speed of money is no longer measured in business days. Across global markets, consumers and corporations alike have recalibrated their expectations around financial transactions — and the threshold for what counts as "fast enough" keeps falling. Real-time payment infrastructure has moved from competitive advantage to baseline requirement, reshaping how financial institutions, fintech platforms, and retailers think about the movement of funds

This shift isn't happening in isolation. It reflects a broader behavioural change driven by digital wallets, mobile banking, and instant settlement rails that have made frictionless transactions the norm rather than the exception.

Sectors Driving Demand for Instant Transactions

High-velocity industries have become the proving ground for real-time payment infrastructure. The online gaming sector offers a clear illustration — instant withdrawal casinos have demonstrated that consumers will actively choose providers based on payout speed, making transaction latency a direct commercial differentiator

Read more at MENAFN

Kiyosaki warns of imminent market crash

Robert Kiyosaki has reiterated a prediction first made in his 2013 book, claiming a stock market crash is now imminent, driven by what he calls BlackRock’s “private credit Ponzi scheme.” His remarks follow reports of BlackRock limiting withdrawals from a flagship debt fund amid surging redemption requests, sparking fears over the $2 trillion private credit industry. He warns this could devastate global retirement accounts, especially for baby boomers, and urges shifting into precious metals, cryptocurrency, and oil partnerships. GOBankingRates

Boomer retirement crisis looms

Kiyosaki warns that millions of U.S. baby boomers could be left without income after leaving the workforce, citing the shift from guaranteed pensions to market-based 401(k)s and IRAs. He also points to looming shortfalls in Social Security and Medicare, with Congressional Budget Office projections showing steep benefit cuts starting in 2032. Combined with rising oil prices and inflation risks, he predicts many retirees could face homelessness and urges self-reliance through assets like gold, silver, Bitcoin, and real estate. Moneywise

Read more at MSN

E-Complish, LLC Launches: IntellAgent™, a 24/7

AI Companion for Customer Account Management & Payment Processing

March 2026 Litigation Update: FDCPA and FCRA Lead a Broad Consumer Litigation Rebound, YTD Figures Remain Up by Shipkevich PLLC

Consumer litigation activity reversed course in March 2026, with WebRecon's latest data showing a near-complete flip from February's trends. After leading all categories with a 33.3% monthly increase in February, TCPA filings dipped 3.1% in March, while FDCPA and FCRA both recorded strong gains of 17.3% and 18.9%, respectively. CFPB complaints also climbed, rising 18.9% from February. Despite the month-to-month volatility, year-to-date figures across all four categories remain well ahead of 2025 levels, reinforcing that the broader litigation environment continues to run at an elevated pace through the first quarter of 2026.

Two features of the current litigation landscape continued to stand out in March. TCPA class actions maintained their historically elevated trajectory, comprising 77.7% of all TCPA filings, a proportion that amplifies financial exposure well beyond what the monthly filing count alone would suggest. Repeat plaintiffs also remained a significant presence, with approximately 43% of individuals filing suit in March having previously brought at least one consumer protection action.

Read more at JD Supra, LLC

What’s Behind the Consumer Preference for the Middle Ground: UCLA Anderson

Capturing how decisions are driven by a habitual preference for moderation

The middle road has long been cast as the righteous path among foundational philosophers and eastern religions. Aristotle placed moderation as the means to a virtuous life. Plato asserted, “A person of moderation is a person of character and wisdom.” Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism extoll the moral utility of a middle way over extremism.

Moderation is also a message coursing through our day-to-day decision making. What and how much we should eat and drink. How we invest for retirement: Diversification and asset allocation are guardrails to avoid the risks of taking extreme (aggressive or conservative) positions. The decision to actually save for retirement is in itself an exercise in moderating spending today to benefit our future self. Budgeting is an exercise in moderating spending to our means.

Read more at UCLA Anderson

More Households Are Using Buy Now, Pay Later. What Does That Mean for Homeownership?

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loan options have grown in popularity, especially among younger consumers. With BNPL, a person can purchase something with little or no initial payment and pay off the balance over a small number of payments. According to a report coauthored by the Urban Institute and the JPMorganChase Institute, the data show that between 2019 and 2023, the amount of BNPL spending increased 37-fold, from $2 billion to $75 billion.

But even as use of this consumer product grows, it is unclear how it might affect borrowers’ credit. Unlike credit cards, most BNPL loans do not require a hard credit inquiry and often aren’t reported to major credit bureaus, so their use may not uniformly affect credit characteristics like a credit score or debt-to-income ratio. In particular, this lack of visibility could complicate a borrower’s ability to qualify for or repay a mortgage.

Read more at URBAN.ORG

American families often hold too much cash in their checking accounts.

Cash is king, right?

Well, not always. Sometimes you can have so much cash sitting around in your bank account that it turns into a wealth-devouring demon.

On average, American families had about $62,410 in their checking accounts, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (1). For most people, that balance is simply higher than it should be.

In fact, Warren Buffett explained the devastation that inflation can wreak on your money way back in 1977 (2).

In an interview with Fortune, Buffett explained, “The arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax than anything that has been enacted by our legislatures. The inflation tax has a fantastic ability to simply consume capital ... If you feel you can dance in and out of securities in a way that defeats the inflation tax, I would like to be your broker — but not your partner.”

Read more at MSN

Financial literacy and teens: A path to brighter futures

What it looks like to invest in teens early: modern tools, trusted partners, and money skills that build confidence for life.

By Kristine Dixon, Charles Schwab Foundation Executive Director

Financial health is a lifelong journey that should start early and adapt to the times. At Charles Schwab Foundation, we know the power of financial education because we've been championing this work for decades. We've seen first-hand how helping kids, teens, and young adults learn to make smart money decisions can strengthen their confidence and unlock their potential to live the life they want and deserve. And because we want his impact to grow, we're constantly innovating.

Evolving with the times

The need for financial literacy has never been greater. According to the annual P-Fin Index, less than half of American adults are considered financially literate. That's a wake-up call. But it's also a reminder that how we teach matters just as much as what we teach.

Read more at The Charles Schwab Corporation

In a Crisis, Solvent Borrowers are Overcharged, Subsidizing Troubled Bank Clients: UCLA Anderson

An unusual data trove from Greece’s economic collapse reveals the practice

Ever dine out with a couple who order the left side of the menu, guzzle the pricey wine they selected and then say, hey, let’s split the check 50-50? You were subsidizing them.

In the financial industry — lending, insurance and the like — a type of subsidization, aka cross subsidization, is widespread, often because it’s impossible to accurately price the risk in a loan or an insurance policy for individuals. Some people don’t repay, or they wreck their car, but the financial institution can’t possibly know ahead of time which clients those will be. So, banks and insurers charge everyone more, and the people who repay their loans and don’t wreck their cars subsidize the others.

But what if a bank already knows which customers are risky and employs cross subsidization in pricing?

Read more at UCLA Anderson

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Israeli fintech startup partners with Elon Musk’s X to gauge market sentiment

BridgeWise will merge data from the world’s biggest financial conversation network into its AI investment intelligence tool to provide analysis across 70,000 securities

Israeli startup BridgeWise has inked a strategic partnership with Elon Musk’s X to plug financial conversation feeds into its AI financial intelligence platform to help investors capture market sentiment in real time and make better-informed decisions where to park their funds.

“Markets move on more than just numbers; they move on what people are saying, thinking, and feeling at any given moment,” said BridgeWise co-founder and CEO Gaby Diamant. “By plugging X’s data stream into our engine alongside our deep fundamental and technical analysis, we are helping our clients cut through the noise to see what actually matters.”

Read more at The Times of Israel

These money lessons are hardest for parents to teach their children; a recent survey reveals

Money conversations inside families are shifting in noticeable ways. A recent survey of 2,000 parents of teenagers aged 13 to 17 shows that many now believe financial education should begin earlier than it did in previous generations. Parents are increasingly aware that teenagers need practical knowledge about money before stepping into adulthood. At the same time, the findings suggest a clear gap between intention and confidence. While parents want to guide their children, many feel they lack the tools or clarity to do so effectively.

The result is a learning process that appears to be shared, where both parents and teens are trying to understand modern financial systems together. This evolving dynamic indicates that financial literacy is no longer a one-directional process. Instead, it appears to involve ongoing discussion, adaptation, and mutual learning within families.

Read more at MSN