The first half of 2022 was eventful for banks and credit unions, and there’s no reason to expect the pace to slow. Financial institutions must monitor changes to the payments ecosystem while simultaneously dealing with rising interest rates, eroding consumer confidence, and potential cracks in credit quality.
Here’s a quick summary of what the team at SRM sees as the key trends in financial services and how these trends might play out over the balance of the year.
Topics: Payments, Cryptocurrency, Digital Assets, Overdraft, BNPL, CFPB
Given recent headlines, stablecoin supporters may disagree with the saying, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
TerraUSA, an algorithmic stablecoin, imploded in May. This hurt the valuation of numerous cryptocurrencies and cast doubt on Tether’s ability to sustain its own $1 peg. Thus far, Tether has defied the skeptics.
Amid this tense environment, it’s interesting to revisit the January headlines speculating that PayPal was mulling introducing a stablecoin. According to company officials, the rumor was based on source code embedded in PayPal’s iPhone app, which was inadvertently left behind after an internal hackathon.
It’s difficult to envision PayPal taking on this challenge soon. Meta’s ill-fated stablecoin foray via Diem/Libra illustrates the hurdles facing such an endeavor, especially one undertaken by a tech giant.
At the same time, it’s important to speculate on how such an offering might impact the broader market over the long term. After starting its life as the first true digital financial services disruptor, PayPal could, ironically, find itself cast as an enabler of traditional market stability due to recent crypto market turmoil.
Topics: Payments, Cryptocurrency, Digital Assets, Stablecoins, PayPal
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In a recent conversation with a Colorado banker about tech strategies, he mentioned a looming investor meeting. He was putting together an overview and was trying to decide the best way to proceed.
"These are the people who provide the underlying support for what we're doing, so I want to make sure they know the road we're on will provide the value they want," he told me.
Topics: Digital Banking, Vendor management, Cryptocurrency, Digital Assets, Banking-as-a-Service
Perspective matters when it comes to cryptocurrency.
The demise of the TerraUSD stablecoin has understandably spooked the markets. Any sudden freefall will panic people and make them wonder what’s next.
Investors, and FIs looking to offer crypto services, need to read between the lines and view this crash as an educational opportunity.
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Digital Assets, Stablecoins, Blockchain, Crypto
The Biden Administration’s Executive Order for digital assets observed that one in six adult Americans are involved with cryptocurrency, while other surveys place this figure closer to one in three. At the same time, a solid majority of Americans indicate they’d prefer to conduct crypto dealings through their financial institution.
This seems like a dream scenario for banks and credit unions looking for opportunities to deepen client relationships and pursue new sources of fee income to replace the overdraft/NSF revenue and interchange that is increasingly under threat.
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Regulations, Cryptocurrency for Banks and Credit Unions, Digital Assets, cryptocurrency consultants
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Standing-room-only crowds during breakout sessions at recent industry conferences nationwide are a strong indicator of financial institutions’ growing interest in cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
Topics: Vendor Contract Negotiation, Cryptocurrency, Bank Vendor Management, Credit Union Vendor Management, Digital Assets, Blockchain
The Biden Administration issued its anticipated executive order seeking to coordinate efforts among federal agencies to craft a national policy for digital assets.
While some pundits are worried about the impact of regulation, we assert that this effort brings digital assets, including cryptocurrency, into the mainstream, which should be a positive for financial institutions looking to operate in the space.
Topics: Vendor Contract Negotiation, Cryptocurrency, Bank Vendor Management, Credit Union Vendor Management, Cryptocurrency for Banks and Credit Unions, Digital Assets, Blockchain
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Volatility tends to be a two-way street, so the recent price correction in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies shouldn’t come as a shock. Still, that doesn’t take the sting out of the size and speed of the recent decline in Bitcoin, which lost more than half its value between mid-November and late January.
Topics: Vendor Contract Negotiation, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Bank Vendor Management, Credit Union Vendor Management, Digital Assets
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The National Credit Union Association delivered an early gift to the institutions it regulates – guidance for handling digital assets such as cryptocurrency.
A growing number of credit unions have shown interest in offering crypto services to their members. Still, many have been reluctant to take the plunge without parameters from the NCUA. The agency’s guidance should provide some comfort for leery executives.
Topics: Vendor Contract Negotiation, Cryptocurrency, Bank Vendor Management, Credit Union Vendor Management, DeFi, Digital Assets
