4 Flashpoints of the CFPB’s Section 1033 Comment Request

4 Flashpoints of the CFPB’s Section 1033 Comment Request

After the CFPB withdrew its lawsuit over Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the bureau stated that it would begin a new, “accelerated” rulemaking process with an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) within three weeks. That three-week period ended last week, on August 22nd, when the CFPB published its Personal Financial Data Rights Reconsideration, effectively kicking off the new rulemaking process.

Much is riding on how this rule takes shape, not only for banks, but for fintechs and consumers alike. Visa’s recent move to abandon its US open banking initiatives underscores just how high the stakes are. In its latest release, the CFPB asked for comments and data to guide its decisions on four critical issues tied to Section 1033. Below, we’ll walk through each issue and explore the potential impact.

Representatives: who deserves access to the data?

The first of the four issues is defining who can serve as a representative on behalf of the consumer. The question essentially asks who can make a request to access the consumer’s data on their behalf. Today, this includes not only the consumer themselves, but also third-party aggregators and fintechs, as well. If the CFPB decides to narrow this scope, it could potentially block third-party services from accessing consumer data, limiting it to the consumer and the bank itself.

The latter would favor incumbents as it allows them ultimate control. For fintechs, this would create a risky environment. The uncertainty would make it risky to invest and build APIs that could be restricted in the future.

Fee structures: who pays for data access?

The second of the four issues seeks to determine the optimal amount of fees that banks should be able to charge in response to a customer-driven request. As a result, data access may no longer be free for aggregators, which may require them and fintechs to reshape their business models in response.

Charging for data would allow banks to recoup compliance costs for API access, but may receive negative attention from fintechs and consumers. Additionally, fintechs with already thin margins may be forced to look for an exit.

Data security: weighing threats vs. benefits

The third of the four issues the CFPB spotlighted is the threat and cost-benefit analysis for data security associated with complying with Section 1033. If the Bureau requires compliance with tighter security requirements, all stakeholders will feel the repercussions of tighter security expectations.

With tighter compliance, small fintechs that previously had limited compliance requirements may now need to step up to higher standards. This could ultimately lead to consolidation, since large, well-resourced firms would be able to more easily meet compliance.

Data privacy: the cost of protection

The final of the four issues the CFPB spotlighted is the threat landscape surrounding data privacy associated with Section 1033 compliance. The Bureau may set new limits on how fintechs are allowed to monetize consumer data in an effort to maintain their privacy.

With new guardrails on how they are allowed to monetize consumer data, fintechs may face limitations on using data for personalized marketing or other secondary data uses. As a result, innovation may slow down, but consumers may gain more confidence.

Your turn to comment!

The CFPB’s recent call for comments is more than regulatory housekeeping. It is highly consequential and will determine the future of open banking in the US. The Bureau’s questions signal real costs, risks, and opportunities.

It is important to make your voice heard on these issues! In the six days that the comment period opened, only seven comments have been submitted. Send your comments to the CFPB by October 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST.


Photo by Erik Mclean

FinovateFall: Women in Fintech, Community Banking, and What You Need to Know About AI

FinovateFall: Women in Fintech, Community Banking, and What You Need to Know About AI

How have the opportunities and challenges for women in fintech and financial services changed in recent years? What can community banks do to better compete in the “consumer deposit wars?” And what do banks, credit unions, and other companies in the financial services space stand to gain from effectively deploying AI in their operations?

FinovateFall’s Executive Briefings will tackle all these questions and more next month, September 8 through 10, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York. Check out our capsule summaries below. Then visit our FinovateFall registration hub to reserve your ticket. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve got in store this year!


Executive Briefing: Women in Fintech—How can we all make sure we are moving the needle?

Moderated by Michelle Tran, Founder, NYC Fintech Women, this Executive Briefing will examine a range of issues facing women in fintech and financial services. The conversation will include discussion on initiatives that are making a difference in growing and retaining female talent, the importance of diverse perspectives in AI development, and how to drive positive change in the industry. Mon, Sep 8, 10:20 am.

Featuring:

  • Sherry Wu, Chief Technology Officer, University of Michigan Credit Union
  • Pam Hannett, Vice President, Liberty Bank
  • Sarah Biller, Co-Founder, Fintech Sandbox
  • Vanessa Larco, Former Partner, Premise Ventures
  • Lily Page, Head of Embedded Payments, SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank
  • Laura Sweet, VP of Marketing, Riva International

Executive Briefing: The Coming Storm for Community Banks

Moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO, Alloy Labs, this Executive Briefing will investigate ways that community banks can develop a winning strategic plan that enables them to embrace innovation and better serve their customers. The panelists will share their insights on topics ranging from the so-called consumer deposit wars to the challenge of aligning culture, strategy, and execution when integrating enabling technologies like AI. Tue, Sep 9, 10:40 am.

Featuring:


Executive Briefing: The AI Competitive Imperative—The ten AI solutions you need to know about today

Moderated by Kate Drew, Partner, Director of Research, CCG Catalyst Consulting, this Executive Briefing will focus on real-world applications and use cases for AI in financial services. The panelists will discuss how to implement AI safely and within regulatory requirements, as well as share strategies to ensure that AI is aligned with the institution’s business and change management strategy. Tue, Sep 9, 10:40 am.

Featuring:

  • Kimberly Kirk, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company
  • Jamie Twiss, CEO, Carrington Labs
  • Katie Quilligan, Investor, BankTech Ventures
  • Andrew Szabo, Head of Industry Vertical, Financial Services, UiPath

5 Things to Know About Stripe’s Move to Build Its Own Blockchain

5 Things to Know About Stripe’s Move to Build Its Own Blockchain

Payments infrastructure company Stripe is moving into the blockchain, according to Forbes, which uncovered a job posting regarding the move. According to the posting, Stripe is planning to launch a payments blockchain called Tempo.

“Tempo is a high-performance, payments-focused blockchain,” the advertisement on the Blockchain Association’s website said. Here’s a look at five things that matter about Stripe’s move, including details about the new blockchain, why it’s launching it now, how it fits into the company’s strategy, what it means for the wider industry, and what’s still unknown.

What is Tempo?

Tempo is a Layer 1 blockchain built from the ground up (as opposed to a fork). A Layer 1 blockchain is the base network in a blockchain ecosystem. It serves as the foundational layer where transactions are processed, validated, and recorded. With Tempo, Stripe is optimizing the network for payments and making it compatible with Ethereum Solidity toolchains, meaning that developers can use the same set of familiar tools they use for Ethereum.

Tempo was built stealthily by a small team of around five people in partnership with crypto VC firm Paradigm. Until the job posting, which was dated August 3, the new project operated under the radar.

Why now? Stripe’s crypto build-out strategy

Launching its own blockchain is Stripe’s latest move into the crypto industry. Stripe has been steadily entering the crypto world, from its acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion, to buying wallet developer Privy in June. Since then, Stripe has also made a non-crypto acquisition, acquiring payment orchestration company Orum in June. Launching Tempo will add the final piece of this equation. Owning its own blockchain rails will give Stripe full control of the payment flow, from the wallet to the payment settlement.

The benefits of building its own blockchain

As with all of its acquisitions, Stripe’s move to create a blockchain from scratch is strategic. Launching Tempo will offer it full-stack control, which will allow Stripe to optimize network speed, lower fees, and integrate with other stablecoins and wallets. Additionally, the custom payments blockchain could displace legacy systems like SWIFT or even FedNow, with faster, cheaper rails. And since Tempo will be compatible with Ethereum it is developer friendly, which means that it will not require new tools or talent to align with its infrastructure.

Bigger implications for payments & crypto

Stripe has been operating in the fintech arena since 2010. With its own blockchain, the company could accelerate mainstream adoption of stablecoins and blockchain payments via a merchant network. The move showcases how traditional fintechs are taking steps to operate in the crypto space. Not only this, but it is also indicative of a new competitive landscape in which fintechs control their own payments rails, disrupting traditional ecommerce and cross-border transactions.

What We Still Don’t Know

Even though it is interesting to speculate on the impacts Tempo will have across the industry, there is still a lot we do not know. Much of this is because the news originated from a job posting, not an official company announcement. Details such as whether Tempo will come with its own native token, how it will be governed, and a clear timeline for the launch are still unknown.

What is clear, however, is that it is worth keeping an eye on Stripe not just as a payments innovator, but also as a player in the crypto arena going forward.

Fab Five: FinovateFall Scholarship Program Showcases Female-Led Fintechs

Fab Five: FinovateFall Scholarship Program Showcases Female-Led Fintechs

This year at FinovateFall 2025, our Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship program will bring five female-led fintechs to the Finovate stage. Designed to help expand the Finovate demo line-up to feature more voices, more perspectives, and more cutting-edge innovation within fintech, our Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship program helps shine a light on the next generation of fintech founders and startups.

Below are five companies, all female-founded and/or owned, that earned Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarships for this year’s autumn conference in the “Female Owned/Founded” category. Be sure to check them out live on stage next month at FinovateFall in New York, September 8 through 10.


Gentreo

Headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, and founded in 2018, Gentreo meets customers where they are and helps them get to where they want to be to create non-balance sheet recurring revenue. The company offers comprehensive life and estate planning to help families plan for life’s inflection points with accessible, affordable digital life and estate planning solutions. Renee Fry is Founder and CEO. LinkedIn.

Kaaj AI

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Kaaj AI empowers banks and credit unions to deeply understand small business needs, serve them faster, grow their loan portfolio, and manage risk more effectively. The company provides an AI-powered platform to help lenders and brokers close more small business loans. Shivi Sharma is Co-Founder and President. LinkedIn.

Krida

Based in New York and founded in 2024, Krida reduces cycle times, manual tasks, and borrower drop-off, thereby giving banks a faster path to funded loans, higher throughput, and stronger community relationships. Krida automates application data intake, insights, and document generation to enable bankers to focus on building their businesses. Shivangi Khannais is Co-Founder.

MoneyPlanned

Launched in 2021, MoneyPlanned is headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The company empowers institutions to offer intelligent, automated financial planning—boosting advisor efficiency, reducing cost-to-serve, and delivering personalized client experiences at scale. MoneyPlanned’s end-to-end system uses automation, behavioral modeling, and machine learning to provide personalized financial planning in real time. Nikhila Putcha is Co-Founder. LinkedIn.

Warrant

Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, and founded in 2024, Warrant accelerates compliant marketing, reducing review cycles from days to minutes. The company helps financial institutions see 3x gains in marketing revenue opportunities and reduce churn with faster customer communications. Austin Carroll is Founder and CEO. LinkedIn.

The CFPB Takes 1033 Back to the Drawing Board: 4 Things to Know

The CFPB Takes 1033 Back to the Drawing Board: 4 Things to Know

The future of open banking in the US just hit another curve. Yesterday, July 29, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a surprise motion to pause the legal battle over its Section 1033 data access rule. The move, which comes the day that final arguments were due in the case, signals that the Bureau plans to rewrite the rule altogether, a dramatic shift that could reshape how financial data flows between banks, aggregators, and fintech apps.

Because this case is a rollercoaster, let’s start from the beginning. In the fall of 2024, the CFPB issued the final rulemaking on Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act. The new rule, issued in the form of a 594-page document, aimed to enhance consumers’ rights, privacy, and security over their own personal financial data. Hours after the CFPB issued the rule, Forcht Bank, the Kentucky Bankers Association (KBA), and the Bank Policy Institute (BPI) filed suit, arguing that the CFPB overstepped its authority and violated the Administrative Procedure Act. They later filed an amended complaint in November, and the CFPB responded in December.

Then, things got even more complicated. After the new administration placed new leadership over the CFPB early this year, both sides agreed to temporarily pause the case and delay the rule’s compliance deadlines. The court granted the pause and extended it again in March. Meanwhile, the Financial Technology Association (FTA), a group that represents fintechs and aggregators, was granted permission to join the case in May. All sides submitted their main arguments to the court at the end of May, and their responses to each other’s arguments were due by July 29, 2025.

The next interesting twist in the story came out yesterday, when the CFPB filed for a motion to “reconsider the rule with the view to substantially revising it and providing a robust justification” because of “recent events.” The recent event the Bureau is referring to is JPMorgan’s announcement to data aggregators that it plans to charge them a fee to access consumer data. This move has sparked multiple heated conversations over who owns consumer data and how many services banks should be expected to provide for free.

Many conversations highlighted the fact that the CFPB’s 1033 ruling stipulated that banks cannot charge third parties for data access. However, now that the CFPB has indicated it plans to revise the rule, some experts are wondering whether the agency is backing away from that stance. Critics fear the Bureau may soften the ban on data access fees in response to pressure from JPMorgan, the biggest bank in the world by market capitalization. Others argue that resetting the rule could allow for broader industry consensus and a more durable framework.

Either way, the move reopens a regulatory debate that many thought was settled. Now that you’re caught up, here are the four highlights of the CFPB’s latest motion:

  1. Plans to rewrite the rule
    In its motion, the CFPB announced that it intends to throw out its current version of the Section 1033 rule and start fresh. The Bureau says it will kick off a new, “accelerated” rulemaking process with an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) expected within three weeks. The CFPB has decided on a pivot. Rather than defending its original rule in court, the CFPB is acknowledging its change in leadership and “recent events in the marketplace” (which is very likely JPMorgan’s controversial move to charge data aggregators) as the reason it plans to take the rule back to the drawing board. A substantially revised rule could reshape the boundaries around consumer data access and fees.
  2. Requests a pause
    The CFPB is asking the court to pause the current legal proceedings while it works on rewriting the rule. The Bureau reasons that if it is about to replace the rule that’s being challenged, then it doesn’t make sense for the court to keep spending time on the existing version.
  3. Promises communication
    To assure the court that the motion isn’t a stall tactic, the CFPB is promising transparency throughout the rulemaking process. If the court grants the pause, the Bureau will submit status reports every 90 days to update the judge on its progress. This is meant to maintain communication with the court and demonstrate that the agency is moving swiftly.
  4. Cites opposition
    In the motion, the CFPB acknowledges that not all parties are on board. The Financial Technology Association (FTA), which represents data aggregators and fintech firms, does not oppose the pause. But the plaintiffs (Forcht Bank, the KBA, and the BPI), however, do oppose it. They plan to file a formal objection, likely arguing that the pause is a delay tactic and that the rule should be struck down based on the current legal merits.

What happens next will most certainly have ripple effects across the entire financial ecosystem. If the CFPB follows through on its promise to rewrite the rule, we could see a very different version of Section 1033, one potentially shaped by politics, institutional pressure, consumer rights, and innovation. At this point, it is clear that the future of open banking in the US is once again uncertain and very much up for debate.


Photo by Christian Wasserfallen

5 Global Trends That Banks Can’t Ignore in H2 2025

5 Global Trends That Banks Can’t Ignore in H2 2025

With the first half of 2025 behind us, it’s a good time to look forward to what the second half of the year will bring. The first two quarters were packed with change: from the stablecoin frenzy and cuts to the CFPB in the US, to new regulatory crackdowns across Europe and the reversal of Section 1033, reshaping the future of open banking. Meanwhile, banks and fintechs are ramping up their use of AI, navigating new regulatory requirements, and adapting to global momentum around real-time payments and digital identity.

With all of this change, it’s hard to imagine the surprises that the next two quarters will bring. And while I can’t predict all of the surprises, there are five trends that banks and fintechs should not ignore as we move into the second half of the year.

The open banking conversation evolves

In the EU, PSD3 and the Financial Data Access (FIDA) framework are being finalized and the UK is moving forward with Open Banking 2.0 under the Joint Regulatory Oversight Committee (JROC). In contrast, the US is in a period of regulatory uncertainty. The CFPB is pulling back from Section 1033 and JPMorgan revealed to data aggregators that it plans to increase the cost for them to pull consumer data. Banks need to keep a close eye on the evolving conversations around open banking as ripple effects take place across the globe.

AI becomes an arms race in financial services

AI is quickly becoming table stakes for financial services organizations. AI-native fintechs are setting new expectations around service, automation, and personalization. And firms are no longer stopping at chatbots and GenAI technologies. Instead, banks across Europe, the US, and Asia are increasingly integrating agentic AI, and even hiring AI agents for tasks like underwriting, compliance, and customer service. Expect the second half of the year to bring a continued rise in AI literacy programs and internal tooling as firms upskill teams and reduce reliance on third-party vendors by turning instead to agentic AI.

Tokenization takes over

In the first half of 2025, we saw major pilots for tokenized deposits, treasuries, and real-world assets (RWAs). In the latter half of the year, we can expect to see real world implementations, particularly in wholesale payments, interbank settlement, and liquidity management. Regulatory clarity is also beginning to transpire. Jurisdictions like the EU, Hong Kong, and Singapore are starting to define legal frameworks for tokenized financial products. This may prompt US regulators to clarify the treatment of tokenized deposits and securities.

Identity verification becomes a battleground

With rising fraud, easy-to-create deepfakes, and an increase in embedded finance, financial institutions are shifting from one-time identity checks to continuous, context-aware identity verification. The second half of this year will bring increased adoption of reusable digital IDs, decentralized identity frameworks (DID), and advanced biometrics tied to behavioral signals. As always, the challenge will be balancing a low-friction user experience with high security.

Real-time payments reshape expectations

FedNow is gaining traction in the US, ISO 20022 began rolling out earlier this week, and stablecoin-powered cross-border projects are on the rise. All of these aspects, plus an increase in stablecoin adoption are making real-time payments the norm and are raising customer expectations. Banks that can’t meet those expectations risk losing ground to more nimble players.


Photo by Pixabay

Building Trust in Global Payments: 7 Questions with LiquidTrust Founder and CEO Saujin Yi

Building Trust in Global Payments: 7 Questions with LiquidTrust Founder and CEO Saujin Yi

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face big challenges when it comes to global payments. Opportunities to reach new markets across borders and overseas have never been greater. But unlike their larger competitors, SMBs are often stymied by both the complexity of international payments and the risks of dealing with new partners.

We caught up with Saujin Yi, Founder and CEO of LiquidTrust, a Los Angeles, California-based firm that offers a technology that reduces the risk and equalizes the power in business relationships to enable businesses of any size to partner, collaborate, and scale with flexibility, ease, and confidence. Earlier this year at FinovateSpring in San Diego, Yi and her co-presenter, Head of Business Development Sean Popock, demonstrated how LiquidTrust’s latest solution enables businesses to hold payments in third-party micro escrow accounts to guard against delays and defaults, as well as fraud.

In addition to LiquidTrust’s appearance at FinovateSpring in San Diego, the company also recently announced securing $4 million in seed funding. The round featured investments from Anthemis Female Innovators Lab Fund, Resolute Ventures, and Motivate Ventures, along with “strategic support” from BMO and JP Morgan. The capital infusion came at the same time that LiquidTrust announced the launch of Micro Escrow, its instant escrow payment solution for SMBs.

In our conversation, we discuss the current state of small business payments and the challenges SMBs face when conducting payments across borders. We learn about LiquidTrust’s solutions that provide fast, verified global payments for these firms and, importantly, the potential impact of the Trump administration’s tariff policy on SMBs when it comes to international payments.


Tell us about yourself and the company you founded. What problem does LiquidTrust solve and who does it solve it for?

Saujin Yi: I’m the founder and CEO of LiquidTrust. Before that, I spent over a decade working at the intersection of small and medium-sized businesses, fintech, and global payments. What we saw again and again, especially when working with these SMBs, is that trust remains a huge barrier to growth. Businesses want to work with new partners, especially across borders, but hesitate because they’re afraid they won’t get paid or that what they’ve paid for won’t arrive.

This is a real issue. SMBs in the US source goods and services from an average of nine different countries (1). And while many look to their bank or credit union for support, 75% of SMBs say they’re dissatisfied with current cross-border payment options. More than a quarter say they’re directly held back from global expansion because of the complexity and risks tied to current systems (2).

LiquidTrust exists to solve that. We partner with financial institutions and marketplaces to provide modern B2B payment solutions that make sending and receiving payments—especially across borders—safer and simpler for small and mid-sized businesses. Our flagship product, Protected Pay, is powered by our patent-pending Micro Escrow™ technology, which brings the kind of transaction protection that was once only available to large enterprises to the broader business world. Unfortunately, more than half of SMBs still believe that cross-border payment systems aren’t built for businesses of their size. We’re here to change that.

LiquidTrust offers two primary global payment methods. Can you outline these methods and explain the use cases for each?

Yi: Today, we partner with banks, credit unions, and B2B platforms to offer their SMB customers and members two ways to pay through one trusted platform: Simple Pay, for fast, verified global payments with no hassle, and Protected Pay, for escrow-style protection on higher-stakes transactions.

Simple Pay is ideal for repeat relationships where there’s already a baseline of trust, but both sides still want safeguards like payment validation or delivery confirmation. This is commonly used in ongoing vendor partnerships.

Protected Pay is for first-time, high-value, or higher-risk transactions where goods or services are being exchanged. This option uses our proprietary Micro Escrow technology to hold funds and release them only once specific milestones or conditions are met. It’s especially useful in cross-border deals, custom orders, or any situation that involves prepayment and delivery risk.

We’ve heard from financial institutions, marketplaces, and small business owners that this kind of flexibility—trust without unnecessary friction—is exactly what’s been missing. In fact, the fear of fraud is the number one reason over a quarter of SMBs say they’ve avoided trying to make or receive online cross-border payments altogether (3).

Can you tell us about a favorite implementation, deployment, or feature of your technology?

Yi: One of my favorites is a recent implementation with a logistics platform that serves SMB exporters and importers. Before LiquidTrust, many of their customers were wiring money upfront to overseas suppliers with no recourse if something went wrong. It was stressful and costly.

By integrating and offering our Protected Pay with Micro Escrow™ embedded, buyers now release funds only once documents are uploaded and verified. Sellers ship with confidence because they know the funds are secure. What I appreciate most is how seamless the experience is. The technology is fully embedded into the platform’s existing workflow, and the users don’t need to think about “escrow” as a separate process. It just works.

You recently wrote about the challenges that the proposed tariffs from the Trump Administration might represent for small business payments. What are these challenges and how are fintechs helping SMEs overcome them?

Yi: Tariff uncertainty creates chaos in two ways.

First, there’s  payment timing. We’ve seen businesses rush to send full payments ahead of a tariff deadline, only to have goods delayed or renegotiated mid-shipment. One business owner put it bluntly: “Our money is stuck in limbo, and we can’t do anything about it.” Second, there’s the impact on supply chain diversification.  Finding, vetting, and trusting one supplier in a country where you don’t know the language or local business culture is hard enough. When tariffs suddenly force SMBs to shift sourcing to an entirely new country, it’s more than just a logistics problem—it can be the difference between staying in business and not. And who’s to say they’ll be lucky enough to find another trustworthy partner?

This is where fintechs can help. We can build payment systems that match the real-world flexibility SMBs need—things like conditional release, milestone-based payments, and built-in dispute protection. When policies shift fast and unpredictably, businesses need tools that help them stay agile without putting their cash at risk.

Your company has a compelling origin story. What in your background gave you the confidence to tackle the challenge of small business global payments?

Yi: Our team was already working closely with SMB owners, and during the 2022 downturn, we kept hearing the same thing: payments were falling through. Some weren’t getting paid on time—or at all. Others were paying suppliers but never receiving what they ordered, with no real way to recover their losses. It became clear very quickly that the existing payment protections just weren’t built for them.

I’m a problem-solver at heart. My background is in engineering and finance, and what drives me isn’t building something flashy; it’s building something truly useful. I love simplifying complex systems, like escrow, and making them accessible. That, along with our experience in the space, gave me the confidence to build a solution that works for the people who need it most.

LiquidTrust recently secured $4 million in seed funding. What did this investment mean and what will it enable the company to do?

Yi: This investment allows us to scale thoughtfully. We’re using it to build more partnerships with financial institutions and B2B platforms, accelerate onboarding, and strengthen our compliance infrastructure so we can support more global markets. Just as importantly, it sends a strong signal to the market. When investors back a mission like ours—to make trust in payments accessible to everyone—it tells SMBs, “You’re not alone, and better tools are on their way.”

What can we expect from LiquidTrust in the months to come?

Yi: We’re focused on expanding our footprint with financial institutions and B2B platforms that want to offer trusted payments without having to rebuild everything from scratch. You’ll also see enhancements to our Micro Escrow™ technology, including more configurability, broader use-case support, and even simpler integrations.

And we’re continuing to listen. Most of our best features have come from conversations with business owners and bank partners who just want a better way to work. That’s what you can count on from us. We’ll keep building, quietly and thoughtfully, to make trust easier for everyone.


Notes:

  1. SMB Ambitions barometer 2024
  2. International B2B Payments: A Guide for Entrepreneurs and Digital Businesses
  3. Borderless Payments Report, Oct 2023

Photo by Gerson Repreza on Unsplash

Tokenized Deposits vs. Stablecoins: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

Tokenized Deposits vs. Stablecoins: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

At this point, if you’ve been working in the financial services industry since January, you’ve likely heard of stablecoins, and you may have heard of tokenized deposits. What may still be unclear, however, are the differences and similarities between the two.

Blockchain-powered financial infrastructure is on the rise, and it’s important for banks, fintechs, and regulators to understand new developments in the space, what’s possible, and what’s next. Here’s a brief overview of where stablecoins and tokenized deposits intersect, where they are different, and where they may be most useful.

Stablecoins

Stablecoins are digital assets that are issued by private companies or protocols and pegged to fiat currency. Some of you may be familiar with are Circle’s USDC, Tether’s USDT, and PayPal’s PYUSD. It is important to note that stablecoins are backed one-to-one by off-balance-sheet returns, such as fiat cash or Treasuries. Unlike fiat held at a traditional financial institution, however, they are not FDIC-insured.

Tokenized deposits

In contrast, tokenized deposits are bank-issued digital representations of fiat deposits, recorded on a blockchain. The deposits sit on the bank’s balance sheet, are fully integrated into the bank’s infrastructure, and are minted and backed by regulated banks.

Differences

There are key differences between stablecoins and tokenized deposits. First, let’s look at the issuer. While not always the case, most stablecoins are issued by private, non-bank companies. Even though some banks have issued “coins,” as in the case of JPMorgan’s JPM Coin, they are considered tokenized deposits and are usually used internally for payment settlement, not open to the public, and are not tradable on public blockchains.

The backing structure of stablecoins and tokenized deposits is also different. For example, stablecoins are not held on the bank’s balance sheet and represent a one-to-one reserve of fiat currency. In contrast, tokenized deposits are held on a bank’s balance sheet. This is useful when a firm wants to maintain liquidity to support lending and credit creation, and ensure that customer funds are protected in a regulated financial institution.

Speaking of regulation, FDIC insurance is a key differentiator between stablecoins and tokenized deposits. Stablecoins currently operate in a developing regulatory environment and, importantly, they do not offer deposit insurance such as FDIC. Tokenized deposits, on the other hand, are both insured by the FDIC and regulated.

Another key differentiating factor between the two blockchain-based payment tools is that they have opposite effects on liquidity. Stablecoins remove liquidity. That’s because when consumers exchange their fiat currency in exchange for stablecoins, their fiat currency leaves their wallet and sits in reserves, generally in the form of safe, passive assets like US Treasuries or custodial accounts. This reduces the money multiplier effect and may even weaken bank balance sheets over time. In contrast, tokenized deposits stay on the bank’s balance sheet, making the funds usable for lending, investing, and general liquidity management.

Use cases also differ between stablecoins and tokenized deposits. While stablecoins are best known for their use in cross-border payments, programmable payments, and in DeFi. Tokenized deposits are useful for domestic real-time payments, B2B payments, and treasury automation.

Similarities

But though they differ in all of these aspects, there are also a handful of similarities between stablecoins and tokenized deposits. First, both are programmable, blockchain-based representations of fiat currency. However, it is important to distinguish that, while stablecoins are backed by dollars (fiat currency), tokenized deposits are actual, digital representations of dollars.

Next, both can be used to enable payments and reduce settlement times. Because they take place on the blockchain, transactions in both stablecoins and tokenized deposits can take place in near-real-time. This eliminates the delays associated with traditional clearing and settlement systems, which can take up to three business days. Whether it’s a purchase, B2B payment, or interbank transfer, blockchain-based transactions allow for faster value exchange.

Additionally, both can be used in smart contracts, programmable payments, and embedded finance applications. And while tokenized deposits aren’t commonly used in the DeFi economy at the moment, that may change once regulated or institutional DeFi networks become more common.

Finally, stablecoins and tokenized deposits alike are useful for modernizing payment rails. Already in their infancy, both are acting as gateways to more advanced financial infrastructure. By enabling real-time, programmable payments on blockchain networks, they help move the financial system away from slow, batch-based legacy systems like ACH or SWIFT.

The future of both

Looking ahead, it is possible that stablecoins and tokenized deposits will coexist, as they both serve different niches. No matter which structure reigns supreme, however, we will certainly see traditional financial institutions and private DeFi companies increase their focus on interoperability and shared infrastructure. As regulatory clarity is enhanced on both sides and new pitfalls are discovered, the industry will likely converge on a hybrid model that blends the safety of traditional finance with the speed, transparency, and programmability of decentralized infrastructure.

The GENIUS Act Passes: 4 Things This Means for Banks and Fintechs

The GENIUS Act Passes: 4 Things This Means for Banks and Fintechs

The GENIUS Act passed in the US Senate yesterday with a 68 to 30 vote. The bill now moves to the House, where it’s up against the STABLE Act. This means that the House will need to choose between passing the GENIUS Act at face value or passing and reconciling the STABLE Act. 

For financial services, the GENIUS Act is a big deal. That’s because it is not only the first stablecoin legislation to gain real bipartisan traction, but it will also serve as a foundation for the US to begin a digital asset ecosystem. Overall, there are four major implications the bill has on banks.

Stablecoins gain legitimacy and clarity

As a decentralized finance tool, stablecoins have long been grouped together with their crypto cousin bitcoin. Because of this, many traditional financial institutions in the US have shied away from associating themselves with stablecoins.

The GENIUS Act, however, offers both banks and fintechs a clearer legal framework to issue and use stablecoins since it outlines requirements for licensing, reserves, and oversight. Having regulation on their side reduces regulatory uncertainty and will encourage financial institutions to adopt the new payments tool and leverage stablecoins for new use cases. Reducing ambiguity around compliance and risk will also benefit firms exploring tokenization.

Banks may face new competition from Special Purpose Depository Institutions

The Senate version of the bill includes a controversial provision allowing Special Purpose Depository Institutions (SPDIs), such as Kraken, to operate across US states without the approval of each host state’s banking regulator.

If the bill is successful, it will allow fintechs with SPDI licenses to gain a regulatory shortcut because they do not need to comply with capital and liquidity requirements. This may erode the role of traditional banks in certain payment and custody markets and may not be a positive change.

“That is a pretty significant expansion of special purpose depository institutions,” Klaros Group Partner Michele Alt told American Banker. “I would ask, what else could you create as a special depository institution? How could this be used?” 

Notably, however, even though the bill has passed through the Senate, the House’s version of the stablecoin bill doesn’t include a similar provision. This means that if the bill does pass through the House, the House and the Senate will need to convene for a conference to come to an agreement. 

Rising expectations for real-time money movement

While consumers already expect many things in real-time, the GENIUS Act adds more pressure for banks and fintechs to deliver faster, more programmable payments. The bill will enable regulated stablecoins and essentially facilitate real-time settlement, 24/7 money movement, and programmable financial interactions.

This method of funds transfer won’t rely on traditional rails like ACH, wires, or even FedNow. If end users and businesses get accustomed to real-time, programmable payments, their expectations may be permanently shifted, requiring banks to keep up.

This adjustment would be tricky for banks, as many would need to invest in infrastructure that supports tokenized payments, smart contracts, and on-chain compliance.

Banks need to stay agile

If the House does not pass the GENIUS Act, it can advance its own bill in the form of the STABLE Act or negotiate a compromise. Either way, regulatory change is clearly in motion. Banks and fintechs should closely monitor the developments and begin scenario planning now. Whether it’s the GENIUS Act, the STABLE Act, or a hybrid outcome, stablecoin regulation is on the horizon. Those who prepare early will be best positioned to compete in a tokenized financial future.


Photo by Andrew George on Unsplash

Innovations in Insurtech: IPOs, Expats, and Enhancements in Risk Management

Innovations in Insurtech: IPOs, Expats, and Enhancements in Risk Management

Insurtech continues to be one of the most dynamic subsectors in fintech. Just last month, life insurance SaaS company Bestow raised $120 million in Series D funding. Other insurtechs, as noted below, have launched successful IPOs in recent weeks.

This week, we’re sharing three headlines from the industry that shine a light on where innovation and growth in this space are headed—including more insurtech IPO news from a Florida-based speciality firm.


Insurtech Slide eyes $2 billion valuation in upcoming US IPO

Slide Insurance, a Tampa, Florida-based insurtech, has filed for an initial public offering. Founded in 2021 and going live the following year, Slide specializes in property insurance and has become one of the leading coastal insurance firms in the US. Slide provides home, condo, and commercial residential insurance products via a network of more than 5,000 agents in Florida and South Carolina. A self-described “technology-enabled insurance company,” Slide leverages AI and Big Data to hyper-personalize, optimize, and streamline the insurance process.

The company anticipates a valuation of as much as $2.12 billion in its IPO, raising $340 million through an offer of 20 million shares priced between $15 and $17, based on Slide’s SEC filing earlier this week. Slide shares will trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SLDE. The company reported profits of $92.5 million for the quarter ended March 31. The figure reflected a gain of more than 69% year-over-year.

Slide’s IPO filing comes in the wake of American Integrity Insurance Group’s $126.5 million IPO. Also recently going public was specialty insurer and reinsurer Aspen Insurance, which raised more than $397 million in its May IPO. Specialty insurer Ategrity is seeking to raise in excess of $113 million in its public offering later this week.


Feather introduces business insurance for expat workers in Europe

German insurtech Feather unveiled new, digital business insurance designed for companies with international workers. The company’s expanded service comes in the wake of Feather’s successful efforts to digitize insurance access for international workers in Germany, France, and Spain. Feather’s new offering is aimed directly at human resource departments to equip them with technology that manages employee, health, life, and pension insurance, as well as cybersecurity insurance and professional and general liability coverage.

Feather CEO and Co-Founder Rob Schumacher said in a statement that offering quality insurance benefits for their workers was a challenge for many small and medium-sized businesses in part because “traditional insurance partners aren’t built to support them.” Highlighting pension insurance as an example of a benefit SMEs struggle to provide, Schumacher added, “Feather is a no-brainer for companies where expats make up at least 10% of the workforce. HR leaders can turn international onboarding into a warm welcome instead of a bureaucratic nightmare.”

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Feather was founded in 2018. To date, the company has served more than 90,000 customers and processed more than 20,000 successful claims.


Markel unveils InsurtechRisk+ for insurtech businesses

Markel Insurance, the insurance operations division of Markel Group, launched its InsurtechRisk+ solution for insurtech companies today. The offering includes four insuring clauses: (1) insurance services and technology liability, (2) directors and officers (D&O) liability, (3) crime and cyber liability, and (4) loss cover. These clauses provide protection for businesses domiciled in the UK, Europe, Australia, and Canada, and offers limits of up to ÂŁ10 million.

“The cyber risk landscape has evolved since we launched our first Insurtech policy with the emergence of more advanced attacks from threat actors utilizing AI tools/technology to infiltrate company networks, impersonate senior personnel and steal confidential data and funds,” Markel Head of Fintech and Investment Management Insurance Nick Rugg said.

Combined with value-added services including 24/7 business; legal and employment advice; R&D tax advisory; debt recovery support; grant and funding assistance; contract reviews and a cyber risk toolkit, the clauses in Markel’s InsurtechRisk+ product will help insurtechs better manage cyber threats, as well as criminal and financial liabilities. The new offering gives firms a “one-stop-shop” approach that avoids potential coverage gaps that can occur when companies rely on multiple policies from multiple insurance vendors.

“Another key goal in launching InsurtechRisk+ is to offer best-in-class cover alongside risk management solutions that go beyond typical post-loss assistance for policyholders,” Rugg added. “We want to disrupt traditional insurance products as well as how customers view the role of the insurer as only helping clients after an incident has taken place.”


Photo by Mikhail Nilov

4 Companies Bringing Agentic AI to Checkout

4 Companies Bringing Agentic AI to Checkout

Agentic AI agents, autonomous agents that act on behalf of users with minimal input, are not just coming to financial services. They’re already here. One of the most compelling use cases for Agentic AI is at checkout, where commerce, AI, and payments converge at the point where consumers make their purchase decisions.

In the past few weeks, three Agentic AI shopping and checkout announcements from major payments and technology players have made news headlines. So far, Google, Visa, and Mastercard are leading the Agentic AI payments charge, with PayPal and Perplexity not far behind. Here’s a look at what each company is doing.

Google’s AI-powered shopping agents

Google announced its AI Shopping Mode yesterday, a new online shopping experience that allows users to browse 50 billion product listings and buy the item they want using Google’s new agentic checkout at a price that fits their budget. Shoppers set their preferences by selecting “track price” on a preferred product listing and set the right size, color, and the amount they want to spend. If the item’s price drops into the user’s pre-selected price range, they receive a push notification and can have the agentic shopping agent buy the item for them with the push of a button.

Google is embedding an AI assistant into every step of the purchasing process, from browsing to payment, and is making the checkout experience hyper-personal, with less friction.

Visa’s intelligent commerce and agentic AI

Visa unveiled its Visa Intelligent Commerce tool last month. The new initiative will empower AI agents to deliver personalized and secure shopping experiences for consumers at scale. The program will equip AI agents to seamlessly manage key phases of the shopping journey, from product discovery, to purchasing, to post-purchase product management.

Unlike Google, Visa will offer APIs and SDKs that will provide third parties a suite of payments tools, including tokenization, authentication, and transaction controls, to embed into their own apps. In this sense, Visa is not just planning to launch a new checkout tool, it is building infrastructure for a world where the AI agent is the end customer.

Mastercard’s agentic payments through Agent Pay

Mastercard announced Agent Pay, a payment framework for agent-driven commerce, 24 hours before Visa’s agentic AI announcement hit the wires. Mastercard’s tool aims to make payments smarter, more secure, and more personal by embedding them directly into the product recommendations generated by GenAI platforms.

When paired with Mastercard’s tokenization technology, Agent Pay will not only add security, but will also help retailers identify and validate customers to offer a more meaningful and consistent shopping experience. Overall, Mastercard is pioneering a payment model where AI, not the consumer, initiates the purchase.

Perplexity x PayPal

Earlier this month, GenAI-powered search engine Perplexity partnered with PayPal to enable in-chat shopping. Shoppers will be able to check out instantly with PayPal or Venmo when they ask Perplexity to find a product, book travel, or buy tickets. The entire process will be powered by PayPal’s account linking, secure tokenized wallet, and emerging passkey checkout flows, which could eliminate the need for passwords.

While it is not a formal “agentic” platform, the move shows that large language models (LLMs) are starting to transact directly and the partnership is a good example of how chat interfaces are evolving into commerce platforms. The announcement serves as a preview of agentic commerce where LLMs initiate and complete purchases in a single conversational flow.

Overall, these announcements signal a major shift in ecommerce. The online point-of-sale is moving from a consumer-initiated process to an AI-initiated transaction. At the outset, regulation, identity, fraud, and explainability will be a large challenge. Still, the shift to agentic commerce is well underway, and the companies building today’s infrastructure are setting the rules and structure for how agentic AI commerce will work in the future.

“We Want to Do More with Less” — Credit Unions Speak in FinovateSpring Spotlight

“We Want to Do More with Less” — Credit Unions Speak in FinovateSpring Spotlight

FinovateSpring showcased credit unions and the fintechs that innovate for them in its Credit Union Spotlight last week. The closed-door session—”a safe space for credit unions” in the words of CURQL’s Nick Evens—was exclusively to provide credit union executives with a unique opportunity to discuss their challenges directly with fintech providers. The forum also gave these executives an opportunity to meet and network with each other to discuss common issues and new solutions.

Below is a sample of some of the most common concerns raised by credit union executives during the session, and a sense of what they need fintechs to offer in return.


“We want to do more with less”

The desire to maximize resources to accomplish more for customers and members is not unique to the credit union industry. The promise of enabling technologies like AI and the persistent competition for human talent make companies in virtually every industry today pursue efficiency as a way not only to keep costs low, but to offer more products and services faster and more seamlessly.

For credit unions, this challenge is all the more acute. These member-driven organizations face competition from larger rivals in the banking industry, as well as new entrants from technology and retail who are leveraging embedded finance to offer a widening range of financial services, including payments and lending. Further, these institutions often face pressure from their own members, whose lives are becoming more digitally oriented and who want more digital solutions when it comes to managing their finances and investing for the future.

Through technologies like AI, innovations like embedded finance, and strategic, third-party relationships, credit unions can do more faster, offering new products and services, and growing their membership communities.

“More automation”

There are few better examples of technology enabling companies to do “more with less” than automation. Whether driven by machine learning or agentic AI, automation is a key driver in technological modernization—and it is no different in financial services.

For credit unions, automation offers the ability to convert labor-intensive, manual, and relatively more error-prone human tasks into processes that are completed with technical tools. As these technical tools evolve—from apps and APIs to agents and AI bots—so does their capacity to operate increasingly complex workflows and customer lifecycles.

Many businesses stand to gain from automating many internal processes. But institutions like credit unions could disproportionately benefit from the ability of automation to “liberate” human workers from mundane tasks and enable them to participate in more higher-order activities. These include delivering better, more personalized engagement to members.

“Better authentication for diverse memberships”

How do the authentication needs differ for a credit union with a sizable number of members over the age of 70+? What about a credit union with a large number of Spanish-speaking members? How about a credit union with a special commitment to serving members with disabilities?

Unlike many other financial institutions, credit unions are often as unique as the members who make them. In case after case, we can draw a straight line from the communities of farmers, teachers, and small business owners who first launched their financial cooperatives decades ago directly to the present-day communities benefiting from the growth and success of those institutions right now.

Fintechs that help credit unions carry out their unique missions are the kind of partners that credit unions are looking for. Beyond avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches to providing solutions, fintechs should strive to understand not only what their credit union partner does, but what it values most. One fintech’s niche offering could be a decisive ingredient in helping a credit union fulfill its mission to its members.

“Better support for third-party integrations”

The opportunities—and challenges— of third-party integrations have become all too clear for most in fintech and financial services. While the rewards of getting it right have almost become table stakes, the penalties for getting it wrong remain powerful—and painful. The prospect of a less aggressive regulatory environment for financial services companies in the US only adds another level of uncertainty.

Along with empowering technologies like AI and AI-powered automation, third-party partnerships and integrations are a key way for credit unions to leverage creativity, hard work, and good decision-making to “punch above their weight” and compete with larger rivals. Additionally, providing better support for third-party integrations helps ensure that credit unions stay on the right side of regulatory scrutiny, and remain their community’s trusted financial partner.

“Better technology / credit union culture compatibility”

Underscoring the diversity of credit unions, one industry representative highlighted the fact that not every credit union wants every new fintech product or service. This credit union executive was referring specifically to Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products, and his concern that offering the products could be considered a more general endorsement of BNPL by the credit union.

Whether it is alternative lending solutions, innovative payout services, digital assets, or other new fintech products, providers should be mindful of the culture of the credit union they are seeking to partner with. Even when the potential feature or service appears uncontroversial—such as a new, gamified interface designed to engage younger users—there is the possibility of a poor fit if the culture and current goals of the credit union are not just taken into consideration, but put front and center.


Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash