Countries

United States

554 questions
How does the hawala system for moving money actually work? Apr 1, 2015 Hawala, Informal Value Transfer and Shadow Finance Do any banks conduct direct sales by phone, and if so, how do they verify an existing customer’s identity? Apr 1, 2015 Cybersecurity, Digital Identity and Authentication What are the differences between ACH, SEPA, and RTGS payment systems? Mar 11, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems In the U.S., how can a non-resident non-citizen open a bank account online? Mar 11, 2015 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business In simple terms, why do banks maintain nostro accounts with other banks? Mar 9, 2015 Correspondent Banking, Nostro and Vostro, and Settlement Are paperless checks as insecure as they appear? Mar 8, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Are there risks that France might retaliate against U.S. banks operating there after the large fine imposed on BNP? Mar 7, 2015 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change Do we actually need cents anymore, and why not price everything purely in whole dollars? Mar 6, 2015 Payments (General) Was Liberty Reserve’s shutdown an attempt by the U.S. to control digital or e-currencies, and how severely did it impact Bitcoin? Mar 5, 2015 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change Can peer-to-peer payment platforms transfer money across state lines without obtaining money-transfer licenses? Mar 3, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration How does a remittance agent make money when send and receive amounts differ? For example, sending AUD 1,000 to the US from Australia, and when $100,000 USD is sent from US to Australia? Mar 1, 2015 Money Transfer Business and MTOs Economics: At what oil price level would Saudi Arabia be forced to respond to falling crude prices? Feb 12, 2015 Economics, Inflation and Monetary Policy How do Chinese exporters handle customs, taxes, and related costs when shipping goods to the U.S., and how much do these add to prices? Feb 11, 2015 Trade Finance, Letters of Credit and B2B Payments What is the lowest-cost way to transfer money between countries? Feb 11, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad How does ACH work in practice, how are payments processed, and how does ACH differ from RTGS and other local payment switches? Feb 11, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What is the most valuable banknote ever issued to date? Feb 10, 2015 History of Money, Banking and Finance Why are there so many physical bank branches concentrated in Manhattan? Feb 8, 2015 General Finance Questions How are large-value bank transactions executed in practice? Feb 8, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What exactly is involved in Check 21 processing services? Feb 7, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems I live in India and have no U.S. contacts—how can I open a U.S. business bank account remotely? Feb 7, 2015 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business Is it better to exchange currency before leaving your country or after arriving in the destination country? Feb 5, 2015 FX Rates, Spreads and Currency Markets What opportunities exist for U.S. or European startups within the remittances sector? Feb 5, 2015 Money Transfer Business and MTOs What is the fastest and cheapest way to send money to someone in another U.S. state, excluding MoneyGram or Western Union—perhaps via a bank? Feb 2, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems How are banks regulated? Feb 1, 2015 Central Banks and Bank Supervision Why don’t developed countries like the U.S., U.K., and Australia have instant interbank transfers? Feb 1, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Which bank performs the currency conversion during a cross-border wire transfer? Jan 12, 2015 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers What is CoinX, and how does it differ from other companies in the space? Jan 12, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration Is there an efficient way to automate making hundreds of payments to online retail customers besides PayPal? Jan 9, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Why do companies use Stripe instead of local banks if banks can offer much lower fees? Jan 7, 2015 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways What is the typical pricing range for white-label card issuers? Jan 5, 2015 Card Networks and Card Issuing How does an express (urgent) international wire differ from a standard wire transfer? Jan 5, 2015 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers How do firms like BillMeLater get away with requesting only the last four digits of an SSN for CIP/Patriot Act compliance? Jan 5, 2015 AML Programs, KYC and Compliance Operations If my U.S. company invoices a German client, must I charge VAT? Jan 4, 2015 Tax and Financial Reporting What are the pros and cons of working with U.S. financial regulators? Jan 2, 2015 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change Why aren’t banks run as franchised businesses? Jan 1, 2015 How Banks Work Is it risky to share my account and routing numbers with an employer? Jan 1, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems In the U.S., what regulations apply to businesses that handle, hold, and transfer customer money? Jan 1, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration What risks could I face if I open a U.S. bank account on behalf of my aunt and uncle? Dec 11, 2014 Law, Contracts, Terms of Service and Legal Structures Which major tech companies hold MSB licenses, and what do they use them for? Dec 9, 2014 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration Where can you get a debit card online without maintaining a bank account? Dec 9, 2014 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards How would U.S. casinos operate if the U.S. became a cashless society? Dec 8, 2014 High-Risk Industries Why haven’t startups—or Facebook—leveraged Facebook’s massive user base for money-transfer services? Dec 4, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned Why have cross-border money transfer startups become so popular recently? Dec 4, 2014 Money Transfer Business and MTOs What is your view on Dwolla as a payments platform? Nov 9, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What are PayPal’s main strategic objectives? Nov 8, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned At what exchange rates are international wire transfers executed? Nov 6, 2014 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers In the U.S., which common payment, wire, banking, card, or check problems should technology realistically eliminate within a year? Nov 3, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Since ACH and card payments can be reversed or charged back, is there any electronic payment method in the U.S. that is truly irreversible? Oct 9, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems In the U.S., are credit cards essentially necessary to live a normal life compared with debit cards or cash? Oct 8, 2014 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards Which U.S. bank is best for a startup offering money transmission services like PayPal? Oct 6, 2014 Sponsor Banks, FBO Accounts and Banking Access for Fintechs and MSBs