Wallcrest Technology Desk
Payments, banking infrastructure, brokerage technology and the platforms moving money.
A growing number of banks, wallets, and expense platforms let you generate disposable card numbers instead of exposing your real account—here's how the technology works and when to use it.
Wallcrest Tech & Fintech Desk · 1m ago · 4 min read
Every card swipe triggers a hidden fee that flows from merchants to banks — and increasingly shows up in the prices consumers pay.
1m ago · 4 min
Automated investing platforms promise low-cost, hands-off portfolios built on modern portfolio theory — here's what's really happening behind the app.
1m ago · 4 min
When you tap to pay with a phone or save a card on a shopping app, the actual card number is often never stored or transmitted — here is what really moves instead.
1m ago · 4 min
A joint statement from the four banking agencies says a small number of firms run the core systems of most community banks, which leaves those banks little to negotiate with. It also raises the possibility of treating providers as institution-affiliated parties.
1m ago · 3 min
The "Payment Account" would give eligible institutions direct access to Fedwire and FedNow with a $1 billion balance cap. The comment period closed in July. A decision has not been published.
1m ago · 3 min
A growing set of asset managers now issue blockchain-based shares of money market funds, blending traditional cash management with digital-asset rails.
1m ago · 4 min
New FAQs place state-issued mobile driver licences on the documentary side of the Customer Identification Program rule. Privately issued digital credentials stay on the other side, where the burden is higher.
1m ago · 3 min
The OCC granted Revolut Bank US, N.A. preliminary conditional approval on September 2. The bank must raise $95 million, hold a 10% leverage ratio for three years, and come back separately before it can run retail foreign exchange, FX forwards, merchant acquiring or foreign correspondent banking.
1m ago · 3 min
TabaPay said on September 2 that it closed $155 million led by FTV Capital and agreed to acquire Transact Bank, N.A., an OCC-chartered bank in Denver it plans to rename TabaBank. The deal requires approval from both the OCC and the Federal Reserve Board.
1m ago · 4 min
FinCEN reissued its southwest border geographic targeting order on September 2, the day the previous one expired. Covered money services businesses must file a currency transaction report on cash amounts a tenth of the usual size.
1m ago · 3 min
Félix took $87 million of equity and a $113 million credit facility on September 1. The rule shaping the market it is expanding into is Section 4475, which since January 1 has taxed remittances funded with cash, money orders or cashier's checks — and nothing else.
1m ago · 4 min
A ten-year agreement with Thought Machine, announced August 27, sits inside a €600 million programme meant to return €300 million a year by 2028. Migration starts in 2027 with call-money accounts.
1m ago · 3 min
Altruist was valued at $1.9 billion in early 2025. Reported prices for the deal announced August 26 run from $4 billion to $4.6 billion. Neither company has disclosed the terms.
1m ago · 3 min
A proposal titled Personal Financial Data Rights Reconsideration went to the White House in August. Banks want to charge for data access; a free-request allowance is reportedly on the table.
1m ago · 2 min
The Bureau says the narratives are unverified, one-sided and discretionary to publish. Complaint intake continues; the searchable database loses its text.
1m ago · 3 min
The Federal Reserve's instant payment rail raised its transaction limit tenfold and passed 1,500 participating institutions. Next week, the central bank's flagship conference takes financial innovation as its theme.
1m ago · 4 min
Money appearing in an account in seconds does not mean the banks settled in seconds. Speed and settlement are separate problems.
1m ago · 6 min
A plain-language guide to the technology and rules behind letting budgeting apps, lenders, and fintechs connect to your bank account.
1m ago · 4 min
A consent screen grants a defined scope for a defined period. Knowing the boundaries is the difference between a tool and an exposure.
35m ago · 6 min
Every card tap splits a fee between four parties. Understanding the split explains most of fintech's business models.
3d ago · 6 min
