Will Circle’s new payments platform bring NFTs into the mainstream?

Designing new products, Member Exclusive, Opinion

Banking has had a product mindset problem, but it might be starting to get better

• The product mindset gap comes down to whether banks build around internal structures or the problems customers are trying to solve.
• AI is pushing product thinking further, challenging banks to move beyond features and interfaces toward responsive products that understand context and help customers get things done.

Blockchain and Crypto, Member Exclusive, Payments

Coinbase is taking stablecoin rails into banking, expanding the market for both

• Coinbase is expanding stablecoin payments through banking networks of all sizes to diversify beyond trading revenue.
• Moov connects Coinbase to community banks, while Citi opens access to institutional payment flows.

10-Q, Member Exclusive

Financial companies are building closer to the customer

• EverBank-WaFd shows banks moving beyond the digital-versus-branch debate, combining EverBank’s digital deposits and national lending with WaFd’s branches and relationship banking to own more of the customer relationship.
• Circle-Tazapay takes a similar approach from the payments side, adding banking relationships and local payment rails around USDC.

Business of Fintech, Member Exclusive

Can banks buy fintechs without losing what makes them work?

• Can a bank absorb a fintech’s customers, technology, and talent without losing the product judgment and culture that made those assets valuable in the first place?
• Valley Bank’s acquisition of Bluevine puts that question into practice, with implications for product development, customer acquisition, and technology strategy.

Artificial Intelligence, Future of Investing, Member Exclusive

Robinhood is giving AI agents a bigger role in the trading workflow

• Robinhood is moving AI agents from the sidelines into the trading workflow, giving them access to research, strategy-building, and execution, with customers deciding how much authority to hand over.
• The company is building toward always-on trading, pairing agents with Loops, expanded market hours, and more market-data tools.