All articles tagged with #fintech
PayPal faces its biggest challenge yet as a crowded online checkout market intensifies competition from tech wallets and fintech rivals, pressuring the company to innovate beyond its core wallet and BNPL offerings to maintain merchant and shopper share.
President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to streamline regulations and promote financial-technology innovation, directing regulators to review and update rules to enable fintech growth while preserving safety and soundness. The order also tasks the Federal Reserve with evaluating and reporting on expanded access to Fed payment accounts and services for uninsured depositories and non-bank fintechs, signaling a push to modernize digital-asset integration and reduce outdated provisions, positioning the United States as a global leader in fintech and digital asset activity.
Trump signs two executive orders: the first drops a plan to require banks to collect citizenship information and instead directs Treasury and regulators to explore how undocumented immigrants might open accounts or obtain loans, while considering changes to Bank Secrecy Act/ID rules; it also asks the CFPB to weigh deportation and wage-loss as factors in loan repayment and to provide guidance on credit risk for undocumented borrowers. The second order aims to boost fintechs’ access to the Fed’s payment rails by prompting regulators to review policies for innovation and competition while preserving safety, including evaluating which non-bank institutions can access Fed accounts.
Swift has completed the design phase of its blockchain-based shared ledger and is moving to a 24/7 MVP to enable interoperable, tokenised-deposits-enabled cross-border payments; the open-source, EVM-compatible stack (Hyperledger Besu) will be live for real-world transactions later this year, with banks running their own environments and Swift orchestrating interbank workflows while leveraging existing RTGS and settlement mechanisms to improve liquidity visibility and reduce reconciliation across more than 11,500 institutions in 200+ countries and 40,000+ payment routes.
JPMorgan is expanding its startup-banking business to capitalize on Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, hiring SVB alumni and building a one-stop platform for founders from seed funding to IPO, with about 12,000 startup clients served by 550 bankers.
Better.com teams with OpenAI to launch a ChatGPT-based app that automates underwriting checks, cutting mortgage underwriting from about 21 days to as little as 47 seconds and enabling lenders to move faster and cut costs, positioning Better as a mortgage-as-a-service tech platform for rivals like Rocket Mortgage and United Wholesale Mortgage.
Robinhood rolled out a $695-a-year Platinum credit card for high-income customers as it moves from a trading-focused image toward a broader fintech platform, promising about $3,000 in value and aiming to attract wealthier clients who may also use its other services, while it expands custodial accounts for minors to grow its mature user base.
Beast Industries has acquired Step, a fintech app for teenagers and young adults that offers spending, savings, and investment accounts plus a secured card to help build credit. The venture aims to expand into broader financial services, possibly including crypto and a stablecoin, while prioritizing financial education and philanthropy for Gen Z. The deal leverages MrBeast’s massive reach but raises questions about crypto exposure for minors and regulatory risk in youth-focused banking.
Beast Industries is reportedly acquiring The Step, a fintech app for teens and young adults, adding debit cards and parent-controlled savings and investment accounts to teach financial literacy, with a reported $200 million investment from Bitmine Immersion Technology. The move signals a major foray into youth finance, including plans to launch a stablecoin and a Robinhood-like app for kids amid scrutiny of crypto investments and MrBeast’s broader business practices. The piece presents a critical view of the venture’s potential risks and ethical considerations given past controversies surrounding the influencer-backed ventures.
Block laid off about 4,000 of its 10,000 employees (roughly 40%), saying the cuts are driven by gains from artificial intelligence that boost efficiency and reduce the need for certain roles.
Block is cutting over 4,000 jobs, shrinking from more than 10,000 employees to under 6,000, in a pivot to an AI-native, faster company, per a post by Jack Dorsey. He says the move isn’t due to trouble but a strategic shift to leverage AI, announced alongside Q4 2025 results.
Stripe’s latest employee-share sale lifts its private-market valuation to $159 billion, letting it stay private longer while focusing on AI and stablecoins rather than a public listing. Investors including Thrive Capital, Coatue and Andreessen Horowitz bought stock, with Stripe also purchasing shares itself. The company processed $1.9 trillion in payments in 2025, up 34% year over year, and reported profitability for a second straight year as it expands globally and leans into AI-enabled, consumer-friendly payments.
PayPal (PYPL) jumped about 5.7% to around $44 after reports of unsolicited takeover interest from at least one rival, with volume surging well above its three‑month average. The move came as major indices fell, and PayPal trades far below its all‑time high, making a potential bid seem more attractive to buyers while investors caution that takeover chatter isn’t a reason to aggressively own the stock.
PayPal stock jumped after Bloomberg reported unsolicited takeover interest, with analysts saying the company may be undervalued at about seven times next year’s earnings and could attract private‑equity or strategic buyers; there’s even chatter about spinning out Venmo, and potential bidders could include large tech or financial players (e.g., for Venmo) as the fintech landscape shifts.
PayPal is drawing preliminary takeover interest from potential buyers after a slide in its shares, with Bloomberg noting some suitors are exploring the whole company while others are eyeing specific assets. A deal is not guaranteed. The company—worth over $38 billion—has seen leadership changes and warned of slower growth amid competition from Big Tech and weaker retail spending, with its stock up about 7% on the Bloomberg report.