Main Street Matters Blog

With the recent stablecoin surge raising risks for consumers and the financial system, regulators and Congress are increasingly concerned about the risks these digital currencies pose to consumers and the overall stability of financial markets.

The Crypto Chronicles series began with a primer on stablecoins, a type of digital currency designed to maintain a relatively stable value by being backed by fiat currencies, commodities, or other assets. In the months since that article was published, stablecoins have become a hot topic due to an incredible surge in activity—and affiliated risk.

If community bankers weren’t busy enough continuing their heroic economic response to the pandemic, a recent proposal to impose new IRS reporting mandates on customer bank accounts has become a major advocacy priority.

While policy and technology questions continue to be debated around the digital dollar, the vital role that community banks need to play in this next evolution of money is indisputable.

For $3.1 billion-asset Blue Ridge Bank, innovation is priority number one. Yet in a recent interview, the Luray, Va.-based community bank quickly pointed out that innovation is not as much about the technology investment as it is about the cultural one.

As discussed in ICBA’s first Crypto Chronicles blog post, cryptocurrency emerged from Satoshi Nakamoto’s desire to create a “purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash.”

Testimonials have long been a crux of an effective communications effort in helping to articulate and demonstrate a community bank’s value proposition to customers and its community. Here are a few tips to help community bankers make the most out of this important and effective tool for sharing their positive story.

Here's part two of a continuing conversation on faster payments, diving into Same Day ACH, competition, fraud, and strategic vision.

With the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, set to be largely discontinued in a few months, federal regulators are increasingly vocal about the need for financial institutions to be ready for the transition.

As the globe focuses on the rise of digital assets, the Federal Reserve is cautiously weighing whether to build a central bank digital currency (CBDC), which raises complex policy and technical considerations.