Federal Reserve officials are set to accelerate discussion of how to scale back their easy-money policies amid a stronger U.S. economic recovery than they anticipated six months ago.

Venture debt continues to offer strong risk-adjusted returns to investors due to low capital loss rates... Though loan value in 2021 is pacing slower than during 2019 and 2020, a few large debt raises can quickly change the data.

DeFi, or Decentralized Finance, is increasingly viable as digital currencies continue to evolve in importance. This primer from PWC provides valuable insights into the digital currency platforms and terms as the ecosystem gathers momentum and discussions continue on how to migrate the existing financial infrastructure into a blockchain environment.

MasterCard announces partnership with Evolve Bank & Trust, to make it easier for crypto firms to issue debit cards and for holders to spend their digital assets. Mastercard plans to pilot a new capability to settle transactions with USDC so that crypto card issuing firms avoid the friction that come with making direct crypto to fiat conversions.

The extensions of Mastercard’s existing Crypto Card Program includes a list of new partners to issue cards, process real-time crypto wallet technology, and support processing and program management.

As consumers’ needs and expectations evolve, traditional banking processes need to be enhanced. Digital isn’t going anywhere, and other non-traditional competitors- think Apple, Google, and even Walmart- are entering the arena, so banks and credit unions need to adapt quickly to keep up with their customers’ expectations with regards to digital technologies, features, and offerings.

Time- and resource-strapped companies need access to financial products that can generate value out of non-value-adding workflows. One company that is incorporating their own strategy to meet this demand is WLTH, which plans to incorporate cards in their broader effort to optimize corporate cash management through payments and lending technology. Ultimately, spokesperson for WLTH, Jo-ann Chung, claims that “when connected with the right solutions, firms can gain the power to identify growth opportunities and operate with greater agility in the market”.

It’s time to make a strategic decision and move forward with a plan to reinvent your finical institution’s core system. With three winning core strategies, there is a plan for everyone that accommodates different budgets.

Square has launched a new financial banking product, Square Banking, which is designed to help small business owners manage their cash-flow headaches. The product consists of three main products to achieve this: Square Checking, Square Savings, and Square’s lending tool- now renamed Square Loans. This announcement came only a week after the company’s purchase of Crew, which is a frontline employee platform that consolidates workplace operations.

Mastercard anticipates Synctera will enable partner banks and the fintech ecosystem to tap into capabilities to deliver differentiated experiences. With the investment from Mastercard, Synctera plans to use capital to triple its headcount to 150 employees, including software engineers, product, sales, and marketing employees. Payment fintechs are quickly becoming a magnet for money. In just the last month, upwards of a $1 billion have been directed at the industry.

New Mexico Bank & Trust is a community bank with more than $2.4 billion in assets that operates 24 offices located in Central, Northern and Eastern New Mexico. As a part the banks commitment to its local communities, it has launched a new loan product that is structured to help low- to moderate-income borrowers access much needed credit. The banks decision to press on with tailored consumer lending comes poignantly at a time when much larger banks are starting to pull back on lending options, including no longer offering HELOCs to new loan applicants or discontinuing their personal line of credit lending.

A dramatic shift in credit card use is on the horizon. Recent surveys suggest that in all age groups 76% of U.S. consumers would like to limit their use of credit cards to avoid debt. These numbers go even higher for younger consumers. With 84% in both the 18-25 and 25-40 age group, wanting to leave their credit cards in their wallets at the point of sale. Thanks in large part to Covid-19, many in the younger generations are seeking new payment methods such as ACH debit and lean toward buy now, pay later services for purchases.

CUInsight has accumulated HubSpot’s yearly Content Marketing Report pertaining to financial institutions and created a breakdown of the highlights all banks and financial institutions need to know. To ensure your own content strategy is on point, check out their report, which includes statistics surrounding the amount of content potential buyers consume before reaching out to a sales rep (3-5 pieces), the increased use of content marketing within the financial industry, and more.

As a result of the pandemic, financial institutions across the country are selling securities to investors hoping to cash in on the recent boom in the housing market, and are increasing sales of risk-transfer securities tied to mortgages, auto loans and corporate debt. Additionally, the Federal Reserve also put in efforts to boost the economy through the pandemic by buying $40 billion worth of mortgage bonds each month, alongside $80 billion of Treasury debt.

The Fed’s current bond buying efforts began as a response to the pandemic. As the US economy has started to level out, the Fed has started discussing tapering. However, rates will likely remain low for the foreseeable future, as Powell indicates tapering will likely not occur until early 2022. At worst, we may see MBS start tapering before treasuries, but overall, this announcement comes as a win.

In this article for HousingWire, Clifford Rossi elaborates on the greater risks associated with nonBank mortgage sellers and servicers compared to depositories; ultimately, concluding that by virtue of their business model and regulatory oversight, nonbanks pose greater liquidity and operational/credit risks than depository institutions.

When it comes to the recent pandemic, natural immunity is not something that should be discounted or discredited. In fact, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis reported last month that 11 months after a mild infection immune cells were still capable of producing protective antibodies. The authors concluded that prior Covid infection induces a “robust” and “long-lived humoral immune response,” leading some scientists to suggest that natural immunity is probably lifelong. Overall, natural immunity to the virus should be taken into account when looking at fully reopening the country.

When disaster strikes in our country, it’s very easy to accuse the highest-ranking officials, often the president, of mismanagement. But more often than not, the real blame lies with those among the mid-level bureaucrats.