Robinhood to launch stock-lending feature

Robinhood to launch stock-lending feature

The trading platform’s new offering would let users generate passive income by loaning out their stocks to other financial institutions. It’s set to roll out in the first half of 2022, according to a Robinhood spokesperson.

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Will UnionPay gain traction due to sanctions?

Will UnionPay gain traction due to sanctions?

On Saturday, Visa and Mastercard announced that they had suspended network operations in Russia, which prevents cards issued in Russia from working abroad, and disables cards within Russia that were issued outside the country. Amex and PayPal have enacted similar measures.

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New tool to tackle bias in finance

New tool to tackle bias in finance

On Monday, machine-learning solutions provider Stratyfy released UnBias, which helps financial institutions discover and undo bias in their systems. UnBias will be available as a standalone offering.

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Dutch Bros. doubles down on rewards

Dutch Bros. doubles down on rewards

In an earnings call with analysts on Tuesday, the coffee chain’s executives said they would invest in expanding customer use of the Dutch Rewards app. Between 20% and 25% of rewards transactions include stored-value activity, according to the company’s CFO.

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Bank of America to launch all-in-one app

Bank of America to launch all-in-one app

In a joint statement on Saturday, the U.S., U.K., E.U., and others announced that they would move to exclude “selected Russian banks” from SWIFT, the international payments system. The group of countries has also frozen assets belonging to Russia’s central bank in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Will sanctions affect trust in payments networks?

Will sanctions affect trust in payments networks?

Visa and Mastercard have blocked several Russian financial institutions from its payments systems. A run on Russian banks has begun.

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What follows Russian exclusion from SWIFT?

What follows Russian exclusion from SWIFT?

In a joint statement on Saturday, the U.S., U.K., E.U., and others announced that they would move to exclude “selected Russian banks” from SWIFT, the international payments system. The group of countries has also frozen assets belonging to Russia’s central bank in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Baltic states, Poland, UK call for Russian removal from SWIFT

Baltic states, Poland, UK call for Russian removal from SWIFT

Hours into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania encouraged “disengaging Russia from SWIFT,” the international payments system. Polish and UK officials echoed these calls as well.

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Opera adds Ethereum Layer 2 wallet to its Android browser

Opera adds Ethereum Layer 2 wallet to its Android browser

Through a partnership with DiversiFi, Opera users on Android will be able to make cheap and instant crypto transactions within their mobile browser wallet. The Layer 2 swapping feature is 100 times cheaper than Ethereum Layer 1.

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Roblox stock tumbles by 25%

Roblox stock tumbles by 25%

In a settlement with regulators, BlockFi agreed to register with the SEC and pay $100M in federal and state fines. It plans to launch an SEC-approved crypto interest-bearing security.

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UK banks to face higher standards for AI-driven loans

UK banks to face higher standards for AI-driven loans

Financial regulators told banks that they must prove that the use of AI in loan applications does not discriminate against minorities. The move follows growing concerns over systeming racism in banking.

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Discover to offer non-card payments

Discover to offer non-card payments

Through a partnership with fintech Buy It Mobility Networks Inc. (BIM), Discover will let merchants accept payments directly from consumers’ bank accounts. The feature is popular in Asian markets.

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Facebook Messenger debuts ‘split payments’ feature

Facebook Messenger debuts ‘split payments’ feature

Launched yesterday, the feature lets users split bills evenly or in customized amounts through Facebook Pay. Facebook had publicly tested the feature for two months.

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Following PayPal, Meta shares tumble 26%

Following PayPal, Meta shares tumble 26%

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings as well as its first-ever decline in users. The company’s market capitalization tanked—sliding from $898.5B to $668.4B.

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What’s Apple’s payments strategy?

What’s Apple’s payments strategy?

In the coming months, Apple will let iPhones accept credit cards without additional hardware. By turning its smartphones into POS systems, Apple is placing itself in direct competition with platforms like Square.

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