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A top bank regulator casts an eye on fintech

The OCC has published a solicitation for research into how financial technology companies are reshaping banking.

A top bank regulator casts an eye on fintech

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is looking for new academic and policy research on how fintechs are changing the banking landscape.

Image: Atomic Imagery via Getty Images

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is looking for new academic and policy research on how fintechs are changing the banking landscape.

The OCC, which regulates all national banks and federal savings associations, published a solicitation on Monday for research into the impact of "financial technology entities and nonbanks on banking and the markets for lending, deposit-taking and payment services."

The office is especially interested in exploring the challenges that fintechs are presenting to community banks, according to the solicitation. Other categories of interest include "market and operational risks associated with blockchain, decentralized finance, and cryptocurrencies" and "entry by fintech and nonbank entities and fair access to financial services."

The OCC has oversight over how chartered banks use technology and has extended its oversight to fintechs such as Varo and SoFi that have national banking charters.

The office will select papers to be presented to OCC staff in November. Submissions are due by August 21.

Ryan Deffenbaugh
Ryan Deffenbaugh is a reporter at Protocol focused on fintech. Before joining Protocol, he reported on New York's technology industry for Crain's New York Business. He is based in New York and can be reached at rdeffenbaugh@protocol.com.
fintechpolicyoffice of the comptroller of the currencyregulation
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