“Dollar General (NYSE: DG) today announced a series of new financial services aimed at increasing access to banking options and providing additional customer payment alternatives. New services include the introduction of Dollar General’s exclusive spendwell™ banking platform, a buy-now, pay-later test program with Sezzle ® and new FIS Worldpay ® card reward points payment options, all of which extend the Company’s value and convenience propositions.”

“H&R Block’s challenger bank, Spruce , has chosen the financial data platform MX and Galileo Financial Technologies, a firm that helps challenger banks with payments and digital banking, to provide some components of the technology behind its mobile banking app. The companies announced the partnerships this week. The choices of Galileo and MX provide a look under the hood of this new challenger bank, which is not limited to users of H&R Block but carries the reach and cachet of the brand.”

“American Express (NYSE: AXP) today launched American Express® Rewards Checking (Amex Rewards Checking), the company’s first all-digital consumer checking account, currently available for eligible U.S. Consumer Card Members. Amex Rewards Checking offers a range of benefits, including Membership Rewards points for eligible Debit Card purchases, an annual percentage yield (APY) rate that is 10 times higher than the national rate and Purchase Protection for eligible purchases, all with no monthly maintenance fees or minimums and world-class customer service.”

“Living paycheck to paycheck is one of the biggest sources of economic stress for Americans today—and these anxieties impact mental and physical health. Two-thirds of the U.S. population struggle with one or more aspects of their finances, including spending, saving, and planning. To address these needs, H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) announces the launch of the Spruce℠ mobile banking platform to help everyone be good with money. The Spruce solution includes a spending account with a debit card, along with a connected savings account that allows for budgeting for specific goals.”

“Amid a growing number of banking apps aimed at teens, Square Inc.’s Cash App today is broadening its reach by making its payments app available to younger teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Previously, the app required users to be at least 18 years old, like rival Venmo. The company says younger teens will need to get a parent or guardian to authorize their account, but can then begin to send peer-to-peer payments and take delivery of a customized Cash Card, powered by Visa.”

“Silicon Valley-based Mbanq, a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider and one of the world’s fastest growing FinTechs, today announced it has signed a strategic agreement with Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the open cloud banking company, to launch an innovative Credit-Union-as-a Service (CUaaS) offering, and to accelerate BaaS adoption across the US. CUaaS is offered by Mbanq’s Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) and will be powered by The Temenos Banking Cloud.”

“JPMorgan (JPM.N) is set to launch its big assault on British high street banks and online lenders from next week, with the launch of its long-planned digital retail bank Chase. The venture – JPMorgan’s first overseas retail bank – is set to launch its smartphone app initially offering current accounts on Tuesday, a JPMorgan spokesperson confirmed.”

“Walgreens and InComm Payments ™, a leading global payments technology company, today announced the launch of Scarlet 1, a bank account and debit card powered by Mastercard and issued by MetaBank®, available exclusively at Walgreens. Scarlet helps make the path to financial wellness simpler than ever with Walgreens Cash rewards, as well as personal finance planning tools and payment solutions. Scarlet will be available at more than 9,000 Walgreens stores nationwide, online and via the Walgreens mobile app.”

“MovoCash, a California-headquartered Fintech firm, is improving their clients’ on-demand banking experience with new money movement options supported by Fiserv, Inc. ( NASDAQ: FISV ), an international provider of payments and financial services tech. MOVO is enhancing payments by enabling clients to deposit, pay, receive, save, send and spend their funds within seconds. Additionally, customers can mint and convert virtual currency to USD, all from their smartphones.”

“Retail banking has changed dramatically over the past several years, with the rise of digital banking and tech-forward neobanks like Dave and Chime, which pushed incumbent financial institutions to develop their own mobile-first offerings. Now this competitive market is being disrupted again by two of the country’s biggest retailers, Walmart and Walgreens. Both companies recently announced new banking initiatives designed to capture the mid-market consumer and monetize their most valuable asset: the loyal relationships they have with customers.”

“Looking to make debit cards more attractive to consumers by offering incentives that rival those found in credit card rewards and loyalty programs, Oxygen Inc., a San Francisco-based financial-services technology provider, on Wednesday introduced Elements, a tiered rewards and loyalty program for debit card holders. Rewards available through Elements include cash back on everyday purchases, escalating annual percentage yields, subscription savings from Netflix and Peloton, and travel-related benefits , such as standard travel insurance on delayed and lost luggage and hotel theft, and auto-rental collision-damage waiver insurance.”

“Novus, an “impact-driven” startup has teamed up with Visa and Railsbank on a mobile application that rewards users for sustainable purchasing choices. Set to launch this summer with a 15,000 waitlist, Novus rewards its community with real-time impact points that can be spent, saved and tracked via the app.Members can choose to use the impact points they generate in the app through everyday payments towards issues like gender inequality, world hunger and ocean pollution.”

“Standard Charetered has signed a contract with Doconomy of Sweden to provide customers with digital tools to track carbon dioxide emissions and freshwater consumption of goods purchased using bank credit and debit cards. The Doconomy application uses the Åland Index, introduced in 2016, to provide financial institutions with a carbon footprint calculation for all transactions. Recently, a freshwater calculation was added to the display of its effects. For any card transaction, the index can calculate the carbon dioxide and water emissions of a purchase in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent and water usage per liter, respectively.”

“Atomic , the market leader in payroll APIs for direct deposit acquisition, and Welcome Tech , the largest financial services platform for the multigenerational immigrant community, today announced a partnership that extends financial services available to millions in the Hispanic community, a community that is often overlooked, yet vital to U.S. prosperity. The tactical partnership between Atomic and Welcome Tech will enable direct deposits for the nearly 3 million account holders and 9 million community members of Welcome Tech, many of whom will gain access to bank accounts for the first time.”

“Mission Lane, a purpose-driven financial technology company, today announced the acquisition of Honeydue (incorporated as WalletIQ), a financial technology company providing digital applications and banking services to help consumers manage their finances and develop stronger financial literacy and habits. Mission Lane provides better products and experiences for people trying to build or rebuild their credit and improve their financial lives. Currently offering a variety of market-leading credit cards and financial tracking tools, Mission Lane will leverage Honeydue’s strong digital banking capabilities to bring additional innovative and transparent financial products, such as debit cards, to consumers.”

“Goldman Sachs (GS.N) will launch an app for UK users of its digital bank Marcus over the following weeks and plans to offer automated investment management to clients in the country by the first quarter of next year. The U.S. bank has attracted just over $30 billion in UK deposits since launching a savings account in 2018, accounting for 30% of Marcus’s deposits globally, Des McDaid, the head of Marcus UK, told Reuters.”

“Daylight estimates there are 30 million Americans who identify as LGBTQ. It is among a cohort of new digital banks in the United States targeting communities where many people say their needs have not been met by mainstream lenders. Such startups include First Boulevard and Greenwood, both focused on serving Black Americans, Cheese Financial aimed at the Asian community and Majority serving immigrant groups. “Historically, community banks have focused on cheaper customer acquisition by focusing on an underserved geography,” said Ian Kar, founder and CEO of research firm Fintech Today. “The internet removes geographical restrictions. Developing banking services around people’s identity, like race and sexual orientation, is a modern approach.””

“Walgreens today announced an agreement with InComm Payments , a leading global payments technology company, to provide convenient and accessible financial services options for its customers. Together, the companies will launch a new bank account offering for its customers to be established at MetaBank* with a Mastercard debit card that will serve Walgreens shoppers both in-store and online and allow them to earn myWalgreens Cash rewards on all purchases as part of the new myWalgreens customer loyalty program launched in November 2020.”

Laurel Road, a brand of KeyBank, unveiled today Laurel Road for Doctors, a digital bank tailored to physicians and dentists with products and services designed to provide the financial help and peace of mind they need through each career stage. The goal of the new digital bank is to help ease the burden for doctors of paying down student debt, finding more balance between work and life, and planning for the future—many of whom have worked tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic.