Hometown Financial to buy Primary Bank, shift to stock structure
Hometown Financial Group has agreed to acquire Primary Bank in a deal valued at about $160m, expanding its presence in…
07 Jul 2026
Klarna applies for banking licence in US
Klarna has applied for a US banking licence, filing applications with the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Swedish buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) outfit is…
07 Jul 2026
FCA tells banks to improve access to basic accounts
Nine of the biggest UK banks and building societies are legally mandated to offer basic bank accounts. They exist to serve people who may not otherwise be able to access…
06 Jul 2026
Mills Review – AI review and the future of agentic payments: Industry reaction
The aim of the review, led by FCA executive director Sheldon Mills, is to set out how AI could reshape retail financial services for consumers, firms, markets and regulators by…
06 Jul 2026
Global bank valuations rise in Q2 2026 as capital returns, reveals GlobalData
The global banking sector delivered a markedly different market-cap ranking by the end of the second quarter of 2026 (Q2), as investors rewarded banks that combined resilient earnings, generous capital…
06 Jul 2026
Targeted Customer Engagement in Retail Banking – new Celent report alert
Celent has published a new report, entitled ‘Targeted Customer Engagement in Retail Banking: An NGDATA Solution Brief’. Retail bank leaders are increasingly focused on improving digital customer satisfaction, achieving primacy,…
06 Jul 2026
Singaporean regulator outlines safety guardrails for financial AI agents
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a white paper, prepared with financial institutions and FinTech companies, on safeguards for AI agents used in finance. The document, titled Safeguards…