Paying for the big white (and costly) wedding

Data Snacks

Venmo and Cash App competitor Zelle is closing in on its $1 trillion payments volume target

• Even though Zelle arrived to the market seven years later than its competitors, its adoption and growth has surpassed incumbents like Venmo. 
• In 2023, Zelle enabled $806 billion in transaction volume across 120 million consumer and small-business accounts.

Data Snacks, Getting the rules right, Member Exclusive

Risk on the mind: Shadow bank loans and AI may be a risk to the financial system

• Data by the Federal Board of Governors revealed that lenders in the US have loaned upwards of $1 trillion to non-deposit-taking financial companies.
• Along with loans to shadow banks, regulators are also eyeing AI and its possible negative impacts on the financial system.

Data Snacks

The password problem and the biometric fix

• Password habits may be a main culprit behind why consumer accounts get compromised as over a third of people admit to using weak and repeated passwords across sites.
• Given the vulnerability and inherent friction of passwords, some companies like Mastercard and American Express are moving decidedly in another direction: biometrics. 

Data Snacks, Member Exclusive

Consumers’ relationship with debt is changing as the Fed flip flops on further rate hikes

• 6% of consumers expect to increase their borrowing in case of income loss, which is the highest number of people eyeing debt as a cushion in times of an employment crisis since 2015.
• This Financial Wellness Month, we look at how consumers' relationship with debt is in flux, where their dollars are going, and how inflation is affecting their financial health in 2024.

Data Snacks

Natural disasters are disastrous for consumers’ financial health

• 2 in 5 Americans live in states where losses due to natural disasters are higher than the national average.
• But those in high-loss states are not covered by residential insurance at the same rate as those who live in low-loss states, which may leave consumers more financially vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster.