Innovating Payments Top 3 News Headlines (Sept. 19)

Welcome to Innovating Payments Top 3 News Headlines for the Week of Sept. 19. In this issue, we lead with the news that the White House has just released its first-ever comprehensive framework for the responsible development of digital assets, exposing opportunities and risks. In other news, consumers are using mobile banking apps like never before since the pandemic. According to PYMNTS, consumer behavior trends show growing interest in banking apps that do more than just banking tasks. Finally, discover how Zelle small business payments are helping to power the P2P app's rapid growth.

Read on to learn more. 

1. White House Releases First-Ever Comprehensive Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets (White House)

The digital assets market has grown significantly in recent years. Millions of people globally, including 16% of adult Americans, have purchased digital assets-which reached a market capitalization of $3 trillion globally last November. Digital assets present potential opportunities to reinforce U.S. leadership in the global financial system and remain at the technological frontier. But they also pose real risks as evidenced by recent events in crypto markets. The May crash of a so-called stablecoin and the subsequent wave of insolvencies wiped out over $600 billion of investor and consumer funds. (Read more.)

2. Why Banking Apps Need to Be More Than Just Banking Apps (PYMNTS)

Consumers are using mobile banking apps like never before. The pandemic served as a catalyst for mobile adoption, as the portion of consumers reporting that they most often used mobile banking apps to bank rose from 33% pre-pandemic to 44% since it began. Importantly, this change is not temporary and instead is expected to persist even when the pandemic ends. Seventy percent of consumers view their increased use of digital banking channels as permanent, according to a Citizens Bank survey. The same survey found that nine in 10 consumers said they now do at least some of their banking via digital tools such as mobile and online banking. (Read more.)
 

3. Zelle Small Business Payments Help Power the "P2P" App's Rapid Growth (The Financial Brand)

When Al Ko gets his hair cut, he doesn't reach for his wallet to pull out cash or a card. His stylist opens Zelle on her smartphone, pulls up her QR code, and Ko shoots the code with his own phone to make the payment through Zelle. The choice of channel isn't surprising. Ko is CEO at Early Warning, the provider of Zelle. The ease of shooting the code instead of inputting recipient information is one of the latest factors helping push along Zelle growth. (Read more.)

Digital assets present potential opportunities and risks to financial institutions. How is your organization responding to consumers' and businesses' growing interest in crypto? Consumers want more from their banking apps, including viewing statements and account balances, transferring funds, and paying bills. What is your financial institution's response to shifting consumer preferences? Finally, how are your small business customers using Zelle?

Check back soon for our next issue, which will again highlight the industry's most pressing and need-to-know developments. Until then, visit us online at Innovating Payments.

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