The Week in Review

The Week in Review

Friday May 11, 2018 –

Here are the new and noteworthy stories we have been following this week.

Consumer Credit Growth Slowed in March

Consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.6% in March, down from a 4.3% rate in February.

https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2018/05/consumer-credit-growth-slowed-in-march/

Sweden’s iZettle to list this year, eyes profit in 2020

iZettle to list on Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange this year in a $227 million IPO.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-izettle-ipo/swedens-izettle-to-list-on-nasdaq-stockholm-this-year-idUSKBN1I90EG

Activist Sets Sights on Citigroup

ValueAct Capital Partners LP has built a roughly $1.2 billion stake in Citigroup Inc.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/activist-investor-valueact-has-a-roughly-1-2-billion-stake-in-citigroup-1525724983

HSBC unveils facial-recognition banking for corporate customers

HSBC’s clients can now use Face ID in 24 countries to log into the HSBCnet app.

https://www.bankingtech.com/2018/05/hsbc-unveils-facial-recognition-banking-for-corporate-customers/

Microsoft Pay comes to Outlook, integrating Stripe, Braintree, Sage, Wave and more

Microsoft is integrating its digital wallet service into Outlook.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/07/microsoft-pay-comes-to-outlook-integrating-stripe-braintree-sage-wave-and-more/

NYSE Owner ICE Weighs Bitcoin Trading Platform Launch

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange, is the latest Wall Street giant to be mulling a move into the cryptocurrency space.

https://www.coindesk.com/report-nyse-owner-ice-weighs-bitcoin-trading-platform-launch/

SoFi Is Said to Plan Credit Card With Help From Former Citi Executive

SoFi is planning to launch a credit card program next year.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-08/sofi-is-said-to-plan-credit-card-with-help-from-former-citi-exec

Goldman, Wells Fargo Look to Credit Cards for Bigger Returns

Goldman Sachs is planning to issue credit cards and Wells Fargo is set to resume marketing credit cards to non-customers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-08/goldman-wells-fargo-looking-to-credit-cards-for-bigger-returns

Goldman Sachs, Apple Team Up on New Credit Card

Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are preparing to launch a new joint credit card.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/goldman-sachs-apple-team-up-on-new-credit-card-1525966214

Wells Fargo tweaks app to let customers use payment features without signing in

Wells announced Pay with Wells Fargo, which will bring to the app’s home screen an option for customers to conveniently select their most commonly used payment features before signing into the app.

https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/73854/wells-fargo-tweaks-app-to-let-customers-use-payment-features-without-signing-in

Google Pay’s app adds boarding passes, tickets, p2p payments and more

Google announces a comprehensive upgrade of payments functionality within Google Pay.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/10/google-pays-app-adds-boarding-passes-tickets-p2p-payments-and-more/

Facebook is launching a new team dedicated to the blockchain. Messenger’s David Marcus is going to run it

Facebook is building a new internal team dedicated to exploring blockchain technology.

https://www.recode.net/2018/5/8/17329696/facebook-blockchain-crypocurrency-david-marcus-crypto-messenger-app