Former HSBC exec talks career switch to fintech

HSBC was Episode Six’s second client. The exec who inked the partnership, Brian Muse-McKenney, saw so much promise in the fintech’s offerings that he jumped ship from the C-suite to join it.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • April 16, 2025

Klarna partners with Fiserv’s Clover

A recently signed deal will bring Klarna’s installment loans to Clover checkout at merchants across the U.S.

By Patrick Cooley • April 16, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

M&A

President Donald Trump’s reelection was predicted to yield loosened regulation. But tariff volatility and economic uncertainty has thrown a wrench into an expected boom in mergers and acquisitions.

By Banking Dive staff

Block agrees to pay $40M New York penalty

The payments technology company agreed to pay the fine under a consent order to settle allegations related to lax oversight of its Cash App payments tool.

By Lynne Marek • April 16, 2025

NY AG sues MoneyLion, DailyPay

The state’s lawsuits seek to wind down the companies' earned wage access practices in New York.

By Justin Bachman • April 15, 2025

CFPB drops case against Comerica

The bureau dismissed the case without prejudice – meaning it could refile the lawsuit – setting it apart from other recent dismissals by the Russ Vought-led CFPB.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 14, 2025

DOJ scales back crypto enforcement

The Justice Department will stop prosecuting “unwitting” regulatory violations and focus its efforts on going after those who victimize crypto investors or use crypto to support illicit activities.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • April 9, 2025

Ripple to buy prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25B

“We are at an inflection point for the next phase of digital asset adoption … and the market is maturing to address the needs of traditional finance,” CEO Brad Garlinghouse said.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • April 8, 2025

Do growing fintechs need more federal regulation?

State regulators say they’re updating their rules and are best-suited to oversee licensed money transmitters — and a new U.S. payments charter isn’t needed. 

By Justin Bachman • April 8, 2025

FDIC eases crypto rules for banks

Banks can engage in crypto-related activities, but must still exercise proper caution, the agency said.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • April 1, 2025

Early Warning Services drops Zelle stand-alone app

Zelle users will need to turn to their online banking portals in light of EWS proceeding as planned with the shutdown of its Zelle app this month.

By Patrick Cooley • April 1, 2025

Plaid’s Brian Dammeir talks future of open banking

Open banking has long been an industry-led venture. The trendline won’t change even if the timeline does, Plaid’s head of payments and financial management said.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • March 26, 2025

Fintechs egg on ‘willingness to challenge norms,’ Bolt president says

Justin Grooms expects fintechs to keep pushing the payments industry forward with more competition for legacy players.

By Lynne Marek • March 25, 2025

Kraken to buy futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5B

The tie-up marks the largest deal to date between the traditional finance and crypto sectors.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • March 24, 2025

Bank transfer fraud losses outpace crypto

The value of fraud losses last year was highest for bank transfers and payments, followed by cryptocurrency transactions, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission released last week.

By Lynne Marek • March 21, 2025

SEC to drop Ripple case

“I'm heartened that we have paved the way for other industry players to see the value in not backing down ... We are now closing a chapter in crypto history,” CEO Brad Garlinghouse said.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • March 20, 2025

Crypto firm Gemini hires Affirm veteran as CFO

Dan Chen’s appointment could signal momentum in Gemini’s reported plans to conduct an IPO, coming as the crypto exchange closes the books on several regulatory actions.

By Grace Noto • March 18, 2025

Klarna whittled workforce via AI ahead of IPO

The Swedish buy now, pay later juggernaut cut its headcount in each of the past two years, and expects to keep shrinking it.

By Justin Bachman , Lynne Marek • March 17, 2025

Citi pursues partnerships to elevate its pay-over-time tool

The bank doesn’t need partnerships for its credit card customers to access Flex Pay, but tie-ups offer customer convenience and visibility, said Citi’s Jeff Chwast.

By Caitlin Mullen • March 13, 2025

Airwallex taps into multibillion-dollar creator economy

By embedding finance tools into creator platforms, Airwallex aims to help creators get paid more easily, said Ravi Adusumilli, the company's Americas president.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • March 12, 2025

Ex-PNC exec was ready to lead Fiserv at ‘the speed of Mike,’ CFO says

“I would say probably 10 days into that transition, [Fiserv CEO] Frank [Bisignano] declared the transition over internally,” CFO Bob Hau said.

By Justin Bachman • March 12, 2025

Pathward CEO: Regulatory scrutiny of BaaS ‘just getting started’

Regulators will keep BaaS under the microscope, continuing to put pressure on the space and contributing to fewer banks in the space, expects Brett Pharr, the bank’s CEO.

By Caitlin Mullen • March 12, 2025

Green Dot considers sale as CEO exits

The embedded finance company, which posted a loss last year, hired Citi to explore its strategic options and named an interim CEO.

By Lynne Marek • March 11, 2025

When PNC vet takes charge at Fiserv, analysts expect ‘business as usual’

Fiserv CEO-elect Michael Lyons has won over investors. Even so, the payments processor can draw on a deep bench of execs who “know the playbook,” one analyst said.

By Patrick Cooley • March 7, 2025

Killing the CFPB would create a vacuum, ex-insider says

Large banks and payment players might enjoy lighter regulation if the CFPB disappears, but should be careful what they wish for, says David Silberman, a former senior administrator for the bureau.

By Justin Bachman • March 7, 2025

BofA eyes personalization, speedier onboarding for business clients

The team behind the bank’s CashPro platform is making tweaks and enhancements to bring more of the consumer experience to the digital business banking space, a CashPro product executive said.

By Caitlin Mullen • March 6, 2025