Fraud Hits Financial Institutions Hard
By John Tucker The ACFE just released its 2026 Report to the Nations and regarding fraud hitting Financial Institutions, the data is a bit uncomfortable. The Banking industry is once again the single most represented industry in the entire study with fraud hitting both sides of the ecosystem, which includes inside of your Branches and…
Fraud Warning Signs and How Heeding Them Prevents Larger Losses
By Pankaj Sarda Fraud rarely announces itself with one obvious event. It could start with a small, unfamiliar debit card charge or an urgent wire request. Those warnings may reach different teams or even a vendor. Without holistic visibility, that separation gives fraud room to grow into a more serious attack. To successfully battle these…
Clarity May Stall, But Crypto Regulation Will Continue to Advance
By Hyunsu Jung The digital asset industry has spent years calling for greater regulatory clarity in the United States. While innovation has accelerated, the legal framework governing cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets and decentralized finance has struggled to keep pace. Companies have often been forced to interpret decades-old securities laws in the context of technologies that did…
Card Programs: How to Drive Growth in 2026 by Keeping Them Relevant
By Tina Zulich Debit and credit card programs have been around for decades, and many financial institutions are focused on newer priorities: AI, instant payments, embedded finance, open banking, and digital experiences. But cards are still central to everyday banking — powering purchases, generating useful data, and helping community banks build stronger account holder relationships….
Recognizing Elder Financial Exploitation …and What to Do About It
By Mark Dever Elder financial exploitation is rising, calling for stronger safeguards for older adults. The National Adult Protective Services Association defines elder financial exploitation (EFE) as the “illegal or improper use of an older person’s or vulnerable adult’s funds, property, or assets.” EFE is one type of elder abuse, which includes physical, sexual, emotional…
Culture Fit vs. Culture Add: Understanding the Difference
By Mark Angott When you’re hiring a new manager, director, or VP, one question typically comes up in the interview process: Will this person fit into our culture? It’s a reasonable question. Culture matters. But it raises an important distinction that many organizations haven’t fully considered: Are you looking for Culture Fit or Culture Add?…
Account Opening Isn’t the Finish Line: Why Customer Onboarding Should Never End
By Wendy Wilson Banks devote significant resources to attracting new customers and originating new loans. Marketing teams focus on acquisition. Digital teams work to streamline account opening and application experiences. Lenders track approval rates and funded volume. But once a customer opens an account or closes on a loan, many institutions treat onboarding as a…
The Regulatory Unlock: How Market Structure Reform Could Bring Institutions Into Crypto
By Hyunsu Jung One of the major obstacles to institutional adoption of cryptocurrency in the United States is the absence of a clear, unified regulatory framework for trading markets. Unlike traditional financial markets, crypto regulation remains fragmented across multiple federal agencies, each overseeing different aspects of the ecosystem. U.S. crypto exchanges must also navigate a…
AI Is Resurrecting Zombie Business Fraud in SMB Lending
By Patrick Lord Zombie lending fraud isn’t new; community and regional banks have been dealing with it for decades. But generative AI is making it faster, easier to execute and harder for lenders to spot. The scheme is relatively straightforward: a fraudster identifies a dormant or dissolved company, often one that once operated legitimately, and…
Endpoint Detection: Strengthening the First Line of Defense in Modern Banking
By Sean Martin Most modern banking attacks no longer begin at the network perimeter. They begin on endpoints like employee devices, where remote access, cloud applications and day-to-day business activity create more opportunities for attackers to gain a foothold. More than half of financial institutions experienced a cyberattack in the past year, underscoring how frequently…