Upstart makes CEO switch

Paul Gu, the chief technology officer who co-founded the AI lender in 2012, will succeed Dave Girouard as CEO on May 1. Girouard will remain executive chair.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • Feb. 12, 2026

BlockFills temporarily suspends withdrawals, deposits

The institution-focused crypto lender has also restricted trading but has not given a timeline for when normal activity will resume. Nor has it given a reason for the precaution beyond market volatility.

By Dan Ennis • Feb. 11, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Artificial intelligence

Banks’ focus on AI has shifted from a “cool-toys” mentality to one that sees the technology as a foundational pillar underlying finance and society itself.

By Banking Dive staff

MrBeast acquires youth-focused fintech Step

“Nobody taught me about investing, building credit or managing money when I was growing up,” the YouTube star said on X. “I want to give millions of young people the financial foundation I never had.”

By Daniel Muñoz • Feb. 11, 2026

Erebor Bank receives national bank charter

The bank, founded by tech billionaire Palmer Luckey and backed by Peter Thiel, is the first recipient of a national bank charter under the current presidential administration.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • Feb. 9, 2026

Gemini to cut 200 jobs, close in UK and Europe

The crypto firm’s founders, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, said those “foreign markets have proven hard to win in” but expressed confidence in a pivot to prediction markets.

By Dan Ennis • Feb. 9, 2026

Fed ‘skinny’ account idea draws criticism

A prototype payment account carries undue restrictions, fintech groups said in response to a Fed proposal that offers expanded real-time payments access.

By Justin Bachman • Feb. 9, 2026

Payoneer CFO eyes stablecoin, AI innovation amid ‘stop-start’ economy

Bea Ordonez said the New York City-based payments company is focusing on expanding its core ecosystem, strengthening partnerships, and building out strategies for stablecoin and AI.

By Grace Noto • Feb. 4, 2026

Varo raises $123.9M, adds 2 board members

Morgan Stanley’s former marketing chief and an 18-year veteran of JPMorgan Chase have joined the digital bank’s board, which also counts Coliseum Capital Management among its new investors.

By Dan Ennis • Feb. 3, 2026

Why some payments companies want to be banks

Banking charters let those companies streamline their services and save money by not partnering with banks.

By Patrick Cooley • Feb. 3, 2026

Nubank gets conditional OCC approval for charter

The Brazilian digital challenger “will focus on fully capitalizing the institution within 12 months and opening the bank within 18 months” as it awaits green lights from the Fed and FDIC.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 30, 2026

Nomura spinoff Laser Digital applies for OCC charter

The digital-asset firm is vying for a national trust banking charter, the same license for which Circle, Ripple and Paxos were conditionally approved.

By Dan Ennis • Jan. 28, 2026

Brex CFO Erica Dorfman’s take on the Capital One deal

In a rare look inside a major fintech transaction, Dorfman describes the speed, scale and boardroom logic that led Brex to Capital One.

By Adam Zaki • Jan. 27, 2026

Why voice-based scams are a growing threat to banks

Voice scams can cost banks and customers millions in seconds -- why phone lines remain one of finance's biggest blind spots.

By Mike Pappas, CEO & Co-founder, Modulate • Jan. 26, 2026

Capital One nabs Brex for $5.15B

The deal, expected to close in mid-2026, lets the bank absorb a fintech player that specializes in corporate cards, payments and expense-management tools.

By Justin Bachman • Jan. 23, 2026

Inside the explosion of banking charter applications

Pent-up demand led to at least 18 applications being filed with the OCC last year. And that influx could continue in 2026, as two applications have been submitted to the agency in recent weeks.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • Jan. 22, 2026

Dimon: AI’s effect on labor market ‘may go too fast for society’

The JPMorgan CEO expects AI will result in the bank employing fewer people in five years, even as the company grows globally.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 22, 2026

Fintech Oportun’s CEO to step down

Raul Vazquez’s departure comes months after one of the fintech’s investors blamed the CEO for “disastrous acquisitions” that decimated the company’s stock price.

By Dan Ennis • Jan. 21, 2026

Klarna to offer after-purchase BNPL

Shoppers will be able to convert purchases into installment loans after the transaction, the company said Tuesday.

By Patrick Cooley • Jan. 21, 2026

Payments fraud risks grow with AI

The artificial intelligence threats are mounting, but so are the defenses, as new industry trends take hold, from agentic commerce to passkey adoption.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 21, 2026

Wyoming has big plans for stablecoin

The first state-issued stable token is being deployed to reduce card interchange costs and simplify payments to vendors.

By Justin Bachman • Jan. 21, 2026

Crypto lender Nexo fined $500K by California regulator

Nexo issued loans without a state license and without considering borrowers’ ability to repay, the regulator said. A Nexo spokesperson said the “legacy issues” do not “reflect the company’s current operations.”

By Daniel Muñoz • Jan. 21, 2026

Affirm to offer BNPL for rent

The buy now, pay later player is one of the first to offer pay later installment financing for tenants paying their monthly rent.

By Patrick Cooley • Jan. 15, 2026

M&A in 2026 may put more distance between big, small banks

Expect the acceleration in bank M&A to pick up further, especially in advance of this year’s midterm elections.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 15, 2026

Coastal Financial buys ‘climate-friendly’ fintech GreenFi

The Everett, Washington-based bank will take on responsibility for “governance, oversight and long-term brand stewardship,” arguably deepening a partnership in its BaaS stable.

By Daniel Muñoz • Jan. 14, 2026

Checkout.com grabs Georgia banking charter

The payments processor received conditional approval for the state's merchant acquirer limited purpose bank charter.

By Patrick Cooley • Jan. 12, 2026