First up the 2024 FDIC Small-Business Lending Survey, which highlights the ongoing importance of in-person interactions in the lending process despite technological advancements.

Next, HSBC's new venture, SemFi, partners with Tradeshift to offer embedded finance solutions, addressing the growing demand despite application challenges.

We then examine insights from Thredd's CEO on the evolving four-party card payment model, driven by increased demand for digital financial solutions.

In global news, a Moscow court has frozen $372 million in assets of Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase tied to actions by Ukraine's central bank, underlining financial tensions with Russia.

Finally, we discuss how partnerships between FinTechs and traditional banks are helping scale real-time anti-money laundering compliance, overcoming infrastructure challenges through collaborative innovation.