Mastercard is planning to say goodbye to the magnetic strip on its cards

Mastercard is planning to say goodbye to the magnetic strip on its cards

Payments giant Mastercard said it’s getting rid of the magnetic strip on cards starting in 2024. The move is being taken largely as a result of the growth in adoption of new technology, including chip cards and contactless payments.

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Poly Network wants hacker to become chief security advisor

Poly Network wants hacker to become chief security advisor

Poly Network is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that was the target of a hack last week resulting in $600M in stolen crypto.

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Industry braces for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 2.0

Industry braces for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 2.0

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has outlined its priorities in a staff memo, including consumers facing hardship due to Covid-19, and racial equity.

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ICYMI: Chime raises a whopping $750M on its way to IPO

ICYMI: Chime raises a whopping $750M on its way to IPO

Neobank Chime, which reportedly has around 20 million customers, just closed a blockbuster $750M, bringing its valuation up to $25B and positioning it for an IPO in the first half of next year.

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Poly Network hack puts DeFi fraud under the microscope

Poly Network hack puts DeFi fraud under the microscope

In one of the biggest crypto thefts ever, nearly $600M in crypto was stolen in a cyberattack on a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform called Poly Network.

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Brex withdraws industrial bank charter application

Brex withdraws industrial bank charter application

Payments unicorn Brex is withdrawing its industrial loan company (ILC) bank charter application to allow it to “modify and strengthen” it and resubmit at a future date.

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Coinbase riding high amid $1.9B in transaction revenue and $1.6B in quarterly profit

Coinbase riding high amid $1.9B in transaction revenue and $1.6B in quarterly profit

In its second-ever earnings report as a public company, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase appears to be on a winning streak, with revenues past 1000% and profits up almost 4900%.

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Ally Financial taps insurtech Hippo on home-insurance offering

Ally Financial taps insurtech Hippo on home-insurance offering

Ally Financial entered into a partnership with Hippo, an arrangement that would allow it to offer home insurance to its customers.

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Senate rejects crypto tax amendment to infrastructure bill

Senate rejects crypto tax amendment to infrastructure bill

The U.S. Senate has rejected a bipartisan amendment to the $1T infrastructure bill that would have ring-fenced cryptocurrency tax-reporting requirements, creating potential headaches for crypto companies.

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ICYMI: Former OCC lead Brian Brooks leaves Binance.US

ICYMI: Former OCC lead Brian Brooks leaves Binance.US

Brain Brooks, former acting head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency under the Trump administration, resigned from his post as CEO of crypto exchange Binance.US, a mere three months into the job.

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Crypto firm Circle to apply for a banking license as ‘National Digital Currency Bank’

Crypto firm Circle to apply for a banking license as ‘National Digital Currency Bank’

Circle, a Boston-based crypto firm behind the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, announced plans to become a full-reserve national commercial bank, operating under the supervision and risk management requirements of the Federal Reserve

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Figure to tap Sagent for mortgage servicing, blockchain vision

Figure to tap Sagent for mortgage servicing, blockchain vision

Figure, a fintech firm led by ex-SoFi CEO Mike Cagney that focuses on using blockchain for loan origination, equity management, private fund services, and payments, is partnering with mortgage and consumer loan servicer Sagent to help grow its mortgage market share.

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Human Interest rides a pandemic wave of interest in small-business 401(k)s

Human Interest rides a pandemic wave of interest in small-business 401(k)s

Human Interest, a San Francisco-based startup 401(k) provider, claims to “launch a retirement plan in minutes and put it on autopilot.”

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JPMorgan Chase pitches Bitcoin fund for wealthy clients

JPMorgan Chase pitches Bitcoin fund for wealthy clients

JPMorgan Chase, whose CEO Jamie Dimon famously derided bitcoin as a fraud four years ago, is now offering an in-house Bitcoin fund to its Private Bank clients.

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Acorns partners with Cricket Wireless to incentivize saving and investing

Acorns partners with Cricket Wireless to incentivize saving and investing

Popular investing, savings and personal finance app Acorns is partnering with Cricket Wireless in a bid to encourage customers to save while paying their phone bills.

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