Dec 18, 2019

The Fed opens its doors to fintechs

The Federal Reserve building

Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call

The Fed is extending invitations to financial technology companies (and other companies interested in fintech) for face-to-face conversations. The sessions are called "financial innovation office hours,” the central bank announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: This is a first for the Fed board, though the San Francisco regional bank has hosted similar events in the past.

Even if the events are just optics, they are part of a trend: The Office of the Comptroller Currency (OCC) — a key regulatory body that decides who can be an official bank — announced similar “office hours” earlier this year.

  • The Federal Reserve is a regulator fintechs will need to answer to should they become a bank.

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