More people would make contactless payments if they actually owned a contactless card

Business of Fintech, Member Exclusive

Block has built the bridge between Square sellers and Cash App customers. Now it wants more people to cross it.

• Block’s Neighborhoods connects Square sellers with Cash App users, helping local businesses drive discovery, direct orders, and repeat visits without monthly fees or marketplace commissions.
• Early growth is promising, with $1 billion in annualized GPV as of June 2026, but the long-term test is whether Neighborhoods drives incremental spending and lasting customer relationships.

10-Q, Member Exclusive

Huntington wants to win small businesses before they become banking customers

• Huntington is looking for its next small-business customers before they need a bank.
• With 1866 Studio, it’s betting that helping entrepreneurs solve everyday business problems now could earn it a role in their financial decisions later.

Culture and Talent, Member Exclusive, Opinion

AI can eat jobs, but companies still have to build the workforce

• AI can eliminate tasks and jobs, but companies still need to build the skills, talent pipelines, and workforce needed for what comes next.
• From entry-level training to decades of institutional knowledge, the risk is that companies cut work faster than they build the people and capabilities to replace it.

10-Q, Member Exclusive

Fifth Third is putting its banking relationships to work to find new growth

• Fifth Third is leaning on its existing banking relationships and infrastructure to make deposits stickier as AI makes it easier for customers to move money for better yields.
• The bank is bringing more money management tools into its apps while using Newline to extend its payments and banking infrastructure to fintechs beyond its own channels.

Lending, Member Exclusive

LendingTree wants to own an earlier step in the loan shopping journey

• LendingTree is moving upstream in the loan-shopping journey, using ChatGPT to reach borrowers while they’re still researching what they can afford and what type of loan they need.
• The strategy tests whether AI can turn that early research into completed applications, while LendingTree applies AI across offer comparison, customer acquisition, and servicing.