Will global fintech banks destroy traditional banking?

With Revolut securing a UK banking licence after years of scrutiny, do you see this as part of a broader shift where fintech platforms are evolving into fully regulated banks?

You cannot put all fintechs in the same bracket but, those who are neobanks – light banking services – have all started moving into getting full banking licences in the past few years.

For years fintechs built their models by partnering with traditional banks. What strategic advantages does obtaining a full banking licence provide today?

The main thing a full banking licence allows is credit. Lending, borrowing, mortgages and more are all lucrative market spaces that, if you only have a transactional payments licence are excluded.

Read more at The Finanser

April 2026: Top five fintech M&A stories of the month

FinTech Futures recaps five of the top fintech M&A stories from April 2026

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are common occurrences in the world of fintech, often reshaping businesses and redefining the market landscape.

Here, we take a look at five of the top fintech M&A stories in April, featuring OpenAI, Hiro, American Express, PayEx, Adyen, Talon.One, and more.

Kraken parent Payward to buy Bitnomial in deal worth up to $550m

Read more at FintechFutures.com

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Institutions No Longer Control Financial Education. Algorithms Do

Younger consumers now search for money guidance on platforms like TikTok and YouTube before they ever consider a bank website. Kelly Ball, CEO of Pathfinders and assistant teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame, argues there is no structural reason financial institutions cannot take a leading role in the attention economy and reclaim influence with modern consumers.

“You have to commit that this is important. Then go figure out how to make it work,” he says.

Bottom line: Financial education is a competitive growth channel. Institutions that treat it as strategic infrastructure rather than marketing filler will win relevance with the next generation of accountholders. Those that do not risk becoming invisible at the exact moment consumers form lifelong financial habits.

Need to Know:

Only 17% of young people report receiving financial education from their bank, leaving a major opportunity for institutions to engage early and build trust.

Read more at The Financial Brand

55% of Americans say they are “just about keeping up” or “falling behind” financially, as a new YouGov report reveals growing pressure on household finances

The U.S. debt, investment, and savings report 2026 shows Americans struggling to get ahead amid economic uncertainty

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — A new report from YouGov, U.S. debt, investment, and savings report 2026, reveals that a majority of Americans (55%) say they are either “just about keeping up” or “falling behind” financially, underscoring the financial strain many households continue to face in an uncertain economic environment. 

Compared to the 21 countries surveyed for the report, the U.S. ranks near the bottom on financial momentum, with just 34% of Americans saying they are “getting ahead” or “comfortably ahead” financially. Consumers are cutting back, relying on savings, and increasingly turning to credit to cover everyday expenses—highlighting a gap between staying afloat and making meaningful financial progress.

Read more at BankingDive

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How Innovative Small Banks and Credit Unions Are Stretching Their Tech Dollars

Stablecoins and other emerging technologies are raising the stakes. Smaller FIs that lack the infrastructure to respond risk losing deposits.

Big banks pour tens of billions a year into technology. Most community banks and credit unions spend a fraction of that, but some are showing that how you invest matters more than how much.

Smaller financial institutions usually approach digital transformation by partnering with core providers and established vendors. But a handful are closing the gap through platform choices, pilots and co-creating with fintechs. The results are showing up in efficiency ratios and deposit growth.

Need to Know:

While smaller banks and credit unions can’t outspend their larger peers, they can compete by making disciplined platform choices, partnering strategically and piloting aggressively.

Read more at The Financial Brand

Getting by or getting ahead? U.S. debt, investment, and savings report 2026​

While some Americans are doing well financially, a majority say they are either “just about keeping up” (33%) or “falling behind” (22%).

After four years of high inflation, consumers are cutting back, dipping into savings, and adjusting how they spend. Financial pressure is not always severe, but it is persistent.

In YouGov’s debt, savings and investment report 2026, we explore how Americans are navigating this pressure, and what it means for financial behavior today.

Based on fresh survey data, the report also highlights the uncertainty many feel about how to improve their financial position; only 40% of Americans say they are willing to invest more than 10% of their savings in the next 12 months.

Read more at YOUGOV.COM

The New Rules of Work in Fintech: Why Talent Is Reshaping the Industry from the Inside

Fintech moves fast. Roles evolve faster. And somewhere between regulation updates, product launches, and market expansion, a quiet shift is changing how companies actually function from the inside.

The old picture of leadership as a rigid hierarchy is fading. Employees are no longer waiting to be managed, and managers are no longer expected to have all the answers. Instead, fintech teams are redefining what authority, growth, and collaboration look like in real time. As Lithuania strengthens its position as one of Europe’s most active fintech ecosystems, companies are facing a new challenge. Winning talent is no longer only about salary or titles. It is about creating environments where expertise is trusted, voices are heard, and leadership feels human rather than distant.

Read more at FINEXTRA.COM

Report: Customer Growth is the Big Opportunity for Financial Services AI

Empathetic agents will set financial services providers apart with most customers.

According to 1,800 banking and wealth management clients across North America, marketers have more opportunity with AI agents than previously thought. The report, from Prophet and Hive Science, finds that customers are increasingly open to agentic service that matches financial with emotional intelligence. Whereas most AI efforts have concentrated on operational efficiency, the larger opportunity lies in customer growth. 

A corresponding panel of banking and wealth management executives found more than 80% expect to actively promote their use of Agentic AI in customer value propositions within two years. To do it effectively, the customer study suggests, they will need to focus both development and communication more on AI that feels warm and outcome-focused than on functional improvements like real-time monitoring and alerts. 

Read more at BankingDive

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Fifth Third’s CMO: Focus on the Customer, Not the Product

Ultimately, a financial marketer’s job is making sure their institution is “solving the problems that people need to get solved,” says Fifth Third’s Melissa Stevens, EVP and CMO.

Simple, but profound, especially when marketers can get caught up in the newest techniques and tools, forgetting that it’s all about job #1.

Key insight: Fifth Third learned this lesson years ago, says Stevens, in a wide-ranging discussion during the 2026 Financial Brand Forum: “You don’t have to be a fintech to solve people’s problems. You don’t have to be a large bank or a small bank. You just have to be focused on the things that matter.”

What matters now? Basic affordability. Young people — and many on the lower arm of the “K curve” — have needs and expectations that hinge not on charter but on purpose and impact, according to Stevens. This has guided some of the bank’s key product decisions.

Read more at The Financial Brand

Fintech OppFi to buy Arizona bank for $130M

The Chicago-based subprime lender said pairing its online platform with BNC’s national bank charter enables it to offer more banking services on a broader scale.

Dive Brief:

• Chicago-based fintech OppFi will acquire BNCCORP and its subsidiary BNC National Bank in a $130 million cash-and-stock deal, the companies announced Wednesday. 
• The transaction, which would create a $2 billion-asset bank, is expected to close in the fourth quarter. 
• The Glendale, Arizona-based lender had about $1.1 billion in assets and $1 billion in deposits as of Dec. 31, 2025, according to a news release.

Read more at BankingDive

Our Vision is to become the leading

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German retail faces BNPL reality check

Germany’s new consumer credit rules are set to reshape how retailers use “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) at checkout, with direct implications for e-commerce, packaging volumes and order patterns across Europe’s largest retail market.

From 20 November 2026, the implementation of the Consumer Credit Directive (EU) 2023/2225 will bring stricter affordability checks and new disclosure requirements to BNPL and other small-scale loans.

For international packaging suppliers, the change matters because BNPL has supported online conversion rates, impulse purchases and shipment volumes in key sectors such as fashion, electronics and beauty.

Read more at GlobalData

5 shocking credit card statistics in 2026 (and how to avoid becoming one)

Credit cards are one of the most common financial tools Americans use, but they are also one of the biggest sources of debt. 

Today, total credit card debt in the United States has reached a staggering $1.28 trillion, while the average cardholder carries around $6,500 in debt. While credit cards can help build credit and manage expenses, many consumers are struggling to keep up with rising balances and higher interest rates. Below, CreditNinja shares five shocking credit card statistics in 2026 and what they mean for your finances.

1. Credit Card Debt Has Reached a Record $1.28 Trillion One of the most alarming financial trends in recent years is the rapid growth of credit card debt. This increase reflects a combination of higher living costs, greater reliance on credit, and rising interest rates that make balances harder to pay down. As more consumers carry debt from month to month, the total cost of borrowing continues to climb, putting added pressure on household finances.

Read more at The News Tribune

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Stop Trying to Teach 21st Century Financial Literacy With 20th Century Tools

Lamptey: Lectures and spreadsheets have failed for decades. AI-driven classroom simulations can teach personal finance for the TikTok generation.

If you hand teenagers a spreadsheet and ask them to track their expenses, they will quit in five minutes. If you hand them a smartphone game where they have to manage resources to survive a zombie apocalypse, they will obsess over it for hours.

The cognitive load is identical: budgeting, resource allocation and risk management. The difference is the delivery mechanism. And that difference is costly.

Read more at The74Million

Earned-wage access rules should protect consumers, not credit unions

When the car breaks down or the rent deadline moves up, waiting weeks for the payroll cycle is not an option for many New Yorkers. Historically, workers had no other choice but turning to predatory payday lenders, products designed to trap people in debt cycles with short-term, high-interest loans.

Luckily, a modern alternative has emerged in earned-wage access. EWA apps let workers access a portion of wages they’ve already earned before payday to cover everyday expenses. Unlike loans or credit, EWA is non-recourse, requires no credit check or underwriting, and does not charge interest, late fees, or penalties. Instead, EWA providers typically rely on optional tips or small fees for faster transfers. Because advances are limited to earned income, EWA makes it far less likely for users to fall into cycles of debt.

Read more at RochesterBeacon.com

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AI Companion for Customer Account Management & Payment Processing

Fintech sector to enter maturity phase amid AI disruption

The global fintech sector has recorded 21% year-on-year revenue growth, reaching USD 650 billion, as the industry shifts from speculative investment towards structural maturity.

Global fintech revenue also reached a market penetration rate of approximately 4%, according to new industry analysis. The findings indicate a sector that has moved beyond its early-stage, speculation-driven phase into one characterised by profitability, regulatory engagement, and consolidation around sustainable business models.

From growth to maturity

Read more at The Paypers

Buy now, pay later customers will now face affordability checks under new regulation

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) customers will face affordability checks under new protections coming into force later this year, the City watchdog has announced. 

At present, there are no protections in place for consumers who use BNPL frequently, even though they may not be able to afford it. 

BNPL is a relatively recent borrowing method that allows consumers to make purchases using a loan from a third party. It is commonly available when shopping online and popular providers include Klarna, Clearpay and Afterpay. 

Borrowers will soon face checks, but also be able to complain to the Financial Ombudsman if something goes wrong. 

Read more at This Is Money

Who Protects Students When the School Is the Lender?

Trump’s Changes to Higher Ed Finance Expose More Risks

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has unleashed a new era of private education lending driven by two reinforcing trends: colleges and universities are desperately trying to backfill the lost financing from new federal student loan caps; and lenders are racing to get a piece of this, now much bigger, private student loan market. For lenders, the upside is obvious: a bigger market means more volume and more profit. For schools, the stakes are higher. The historic cutbacks in federal financial aid leave schools desperate for any source of revenue that can delay a financial catastrophe caused by collapsing tuition payments. And no one really knows what happens next.

This cocktail of rapid market changes and high stakes consumer debt is the exact combination where regulatory oversight and supervision has been used to great effect in the past—closely scrutinizing the practices of both lenders and colleges themselves.

Read more at ProtectBorrowers.org

Trump Consumer Finance Watchdog Ends Key Civil Rights-Era Anti-Discrimination Protection

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. federal consumer ⁠finance ⁠watchdog agency on Tuesday formally ⁠ended certain civil-rights-era antidiscrimination requirements for the lending industry, according to ​a notice in the federal register.

The change from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made good on a ‌directive from President Donald Trump to ‌curtail long-standing policies he views as a burden on businesses, but that advocates say are ⁠fundamental to protecting ⁠the rights of American consumers.

Federal regulations no longer require that, under ​the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), lenders prevent policies and practices with unintentionally discriminatory results for borrowers, known as "disparate impacts." Prohibitions against explicit and intentional discrimination remain in place.

Read more at REUTERS

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PAYDAY + ALTERNATIVE LENDER in NORTH AMERICA

Experian Meets the Next Generation with First 'AI Sponsored Snaps' to promote Financial Education on Snapchat

Experian® today announced it plans to expand access to trusted financial education by integrating into Snapchat’s AI Sponsored Snaps ad offering. Experian intends to bring AI-powered credit and personal finance information directly into Snapchat conversations that consumers—especially younger adult audiences—use every day.

This integration reflects Experian’s broader strategy of meeting consumers where financial curiosity naturally happens: within everyday conversations on platforms they already rely on. Rather than requiring people to seek out financial information on unfamiliar sites or from unverified sources, Experian is extending its expertise into Snapchat to provide accessible, easy‑to‑understand general financial education, powered by AI, that helps deliver relevant answers to common questions such as ‘how can I increase my credit score?’ or ‘what is the best way to budget?’ directly within the flow of conversation.

Read more at YAHOO FINANCE

Credit Card Fintech Mission Lane Applies To Become U.S. Bank

WASHINGTON— Credit card startup Mission Lane has applied to become a U.S. bank, seeking approval from federal regulators for a national bank charter that would let it move deeper into the regulated banking system, according to PYMNTS, which cited Bloomberg News and the company’s banking application.

If approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Mission Lane said the proposed bank would focus only on credit card operations and offer an optional credit-protection service, but would not take deposits or make commercial loans. In its application, the company said it is targeting what it described as roughly 70 million Americans underserved by traditional financial institutions who need more affordable access to credit, PYMNTS reported.

Read more at CUtoday

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Why longer car loans are costing buyers thousands more

With new car prices hovering around $50,000, Americans are taking out longer than ever car loans - and they're paying thousands more in interest on top of their already pricey vehicles because of it.

The average price of a new car in March was $49,275, which was up 3.5% from one year earlier, according to Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book.

Car buyers have responded to the rising sticker prices by opting for longer car loans. A new poll from Lending Tree found 34.9% of U.S. borrowers have car loans that are longer than 6 years. Those car buyers are paying an average of $8,750 more in interest over the life of their loans, the study said.

“Vehicles continue to get more and more expensive,” Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst, said in a statement.

Read more at USA TODAY

A Legal Dive into South Africa’s Payment Revolution

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment options have strutted onto South Africa’s financial runway with the swagger of innovation—offering interest-free installments, bypassing traditional credit checks, and boasting sleek user interfaces that make old-school layaways look prehistoric.

For consumers, it feels like a dream: swipe today, split it tomorrow. For platforms, it’s fintech gold. But beneath the surface of this frictionless façade lies a regulatory grey zone thick with risk, ambiguity, and potential litigation. Is BNPL empowering consumers, or quietly indebting them? And when the legal hammer finally drops, who’s left holding the bill?

Read more at ITNEWSAFRICA.COM