Gen Z-focused financial services capture imagination of incumbents and startups

Gen Z-focused financial services capture imagination of incumbents and startups

Gen Z consumers have garnered considerable recent attention as incumbents and newer platforms launch offerings to cater to this market

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Will Fidelity’s spot bitcoin ETF launch in Canada force the hand of US regulators?

Will Fidelity’s spot bitcoin ETF launch in Canada force the hand of US regulators?

Fidelity earlier this month launched a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) offering in Canada, a product which differs from bitcoin-linked ETFs currently approved in the U.S., which are bitcoin futures-based ETFs.

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Stash plans to introduce crypto in smart portfolios

Stash plans to introduce crypto in smart portfolios

Banking and investing app Stash is reportedly working on introducing crypto into its smart portfolios, but the company did not offer a specific launch date.

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Regulators will crack down on banks that are overly reliant on overdraft fees

Regulators will crack down on banks that are overly reliant on overdraft fees

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra said the regulator plans to enhance its scrutiny of banks that are “heavily dependent” on overdraft fees, hinting at enforcement actions that could follow.

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Square changes corporate name to Block, suggesting new product roadmap

Square changes corporate name to Block, suggesting new product roadmap

In a not-so-subtle nod to crypto and blockchain, payments company Square, which is led by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, changed its corporate name to Block this week.

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Better.com announces layoffs ahead of public debut

Better.com announces layoffs ahead of public debut

Better.com, a New York-based digital mortgage lender, is laying off roughly 9% of its 10,000 staff ahead of its public launch.

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Capital One kills overdraft fees, citing need for consumer ‘safety net’

Capital One kills overdraft fees, citing need for consumer ‘safety net’

Capital One announced that it’s removing overdraft fees, and the $150M in annual revenue that goes along with it. The bank is also getting rid of non-sufficient fund (NSF) fees.

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Meta’s David Marcus departs firm, adding uncertainty to digital currency plans

Meta’s David Marcus departs firm, adding uncertainty to digital currency plans

Payments executive David Marcus, a co-creator of Meta’s yet-to-be-launched Diem cryptocurrency, announced he is leaving the company at the end of the year.

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Nubank, the world’s biggest standalone digital bank, cuts IPO valuation

Nubank, the world’s biggest standalone digital bank, cuts IPO valuation

Nubank, the Berkshire Hathaway-backed digital banking behemoth based in Brazil, cut the targeted price range for its planned IPO by about 18% this week.

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Jack Dorsey’s Twitter departure clears way for Square and bitcoin focus

Jack Dorsey’s Twitter departure clears way for Square and bitcoin focus

Jack Dorsey announced he’s stepping down from his role as CEO of Twitter, but the move may allow for a sharper focus on Square, the payments company where he will remain CEO.

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ICYMI: Klarna piles on losses as ‘buy now, pay later’ demand grows

ICYMI: Klarna piles on losses as ‘buy now, pay later’ demand grows

Klarna, the $46B Swedish company whose toolset allows retailers to offer ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) capabilities, reported a $344M loss from January to September.

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Bitcoin rebounds after a post-Omicron dip

Bitcoin rebounds after a post-Omicron dip

Bitcoin’s value appears to be following the trajectory of the broader market in response to news of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

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N26 to wind down US operations, closing 500,000 accounts

N26 to wind down US operations, closing 500,000 accounts

N26, a Berlin-based neobank which operates in 25 countries and boasts more than 7 million customers (including 500,000 U.S. customers), is considering a slowdown of its U.S. market outreach.

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Fintech Jiko powers soon-to-launch transgender-focused banking app

Fintech Jiko powers soon-to-launch transgender-focused banking app

Jiko, a banking technology provider that uses customer deposits to buy short-term treasury bills, is partnering with tech platform Euphoria on the company’s launch of a transgender-focused banking app called Bliss.

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Wealthfront is reportedly for sale, but is a $1.5B price tag too high a hill to climb?

Wealthfront is reportedly for sale, but is a $1.5B price tag too high a hill to climb?

This week, news outlets reported that digital financial planning platform Wealthfront – one of the early so-called robo-advisers – is exploring a sale.

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