Walmart has tapped Citi executive Julia Unger as its vice president of financial services. Unger spent more than 18 years at Citi, most recently as head of global cards and unsecured lending.

Why should we care?
Unger’s appointment comes as Walmart is quickly growing an internal fintech startup after hiring Omer Ismail, who previously led Goldman Sachs’ Marcus consumer unit, and David Stark, who was responsible for Goldman’s consumer brand partnerships, earlier this year. Unger will report to Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer and executive vice president. Walmart did not offer specifics on Unger’s role beyond a memo where Whiteside suggested the retailer is keen to tap her experience working on digital initiatives across business lines and geographies. Separately, Walmart recently applied for a trademark for its fintech initiative under the name of Hazel by Walmart. The filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) offers some clues about types of fintech offerings the retailer may launch in the future, including debit cards and credit cards, payments (including mobile payments and “virtual currency transaction services for others”), banking, and lending. The unit also intends to provide financial counseling services, along with portfolio analysis, and credit-repair services, the filing said. In January, Walmart announced the upcoming launch of the internal fintech startup, in partnership with Ribbit Capital. Walmart would hold a majority stake in the new entity. “Our customers have been clear that they want more from us in terms of financial services,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said at an investor conference in February. “This new approach will help us deliver for them in a differentiated way more quickly.”