Questions

Which financial institutions are progressive-leaning and widely accessible across the U.S. (and ideally internationally), either via branches or strong online access?

What safeguards prevent a bank from artificially creating balances or simulating deposits, similar to how Bitcoin uses proof-of-work and an auditable ledger?

Which startups are focused on corporate or B2B payments?

What should I do with old routers?

Which payment gateway providers offer strong protection and transparency when responding to government data requests?

Is it true that central banks are privately owned?

How can payments be processed between banks in an app, similar to Visa, using ACH or another network?

Would a credit receipt appear on a monthly bank statement?

How long does a wire transfer through Wells Fargo usually take?

What are some strong examples of digital-only banks?

Can international bank transfers take longer than five business days?

What types of locations typically cash Western Union money orders?

How much does it cost to mint a 1p coin?

What is the Pakistan Remittance Initiative and what does it do?

Besides the fixed transfer fee per transaction, what other revenue streams do MTOs and remittance agents have?

Online Payments: Why isn’t Airbnb licensed as a money transmitter?

In the U.S., do you have to include a tax ID (SSN or EIN) on an invoice?

Can a 14-year-old living in Pakistan get a Mastercard?

Does a marketplace-style business need a money-transmitter license?

Does David Marcus regret leaving PayPal now that the company is going public?

What is SEPA Direct Debit, and why is it considered challenging for e-commerce use?

What features should a payment app include if it combines chat, P2P transfers, and payments like Venmo?

How did Visa and Mastercard significantly expand their margins starting around 2005?

Would widespread use of digital currency make the world a better place?

How can I convert my U.S. dollars to Bitcoin and then invest in U.S. stocks from that balance—can this be done via a broker like Thinkorswim?

How can someone obtain a Wells Fargo debit card?

What is required to safely store other people’s money?

Do developing countries gain from free trade, and why or why not?

How long will it take before Bitcoin could make banks and traditional money obsolete, if ever?

Who is not required to file income taxes in the United States?

In what ways are currency-exchange bureaus used for money laundering?

Why does it take several business days to move money electronically between two U.S. banks?

I’ve used my credit card at stores like Target and Walgreens—what is the best way to ensure they remove my card number so it’s not exposed in a data breach?

Does fractional-reserve banking primarily benefit banks, citizens, or both?

What is the fastest way to receive salary payments from a U.S. employer into Pakistan?

How do banks settle international payments internally?

Could companies that dominate payments one day rival central banks in importance?

Legally speaking, is Bitcoin treated more as a currency or as a payment protocol?

Why are some Square and PayPal transactions described as “offline” even though authorization occurs online?

Does Russia have a central bank comparable to those in the U.K. and U.S.?

What is the best way to move large amounts of fully declared (“white”) money between countries without being taxed twice?

What does the shutdown of Mt. Gox imply for Bitcoin’s long-term prospects?

Are there genuinely legitimate ways to earn money from home?

What is the legal and technical structure behind Coinbase’s exchange platform?

What might happen if we chose a specific date after which the U.S. dollar would no longer be used?

Why might a company demand a bank wire instead of an ACH transfer for large payments?

Are there fintech incubators similar to the FinTech Innovation Lab?

Which fintech accelerator programs exist, how much seed funding do they provide, and what equity percentage do they typically take?

Is Dwolla considered a cryptocurrency?

What is the cheapest way to send $1,000–$3,000 from the U.S. to a Mexican bank account?

For banks like Simple and Moven, who is the legal bank of record for the customer, and who stores the transaction data?

What strategies are most effective for helping unbanked people in the U.S. become fully banked?

When and how might technology companies disrupt consumer banking?

Which U.S. law requires online brokerages to perform KYC and AML checks on both new and existing clients?

What are the best books for learning about anti–money laundering?

Can Bitcoin be outlawed or regulated in the U.S., and by what mechanisms?

What laws and regulations apply to Bitcoin businesses operating in the United States?

How would a country design and implement its own banking system?

How would I go about establishing a new offshore bank?

Where can I find a complete U.S. guide to anti–money laundering compliance?

What are some Bitcoin exchanges, how trustworthy are they, and what is the outlook for Bitcoin exchanges?

What features and modules are typically included in banking software?

Has anyone invented a wireless power supply system?

What are best practices for implementing KYC and sanctions-screening software?

How can I grow and expand my currency collection?

How can a failed state’s currency remain in circulation for decades, such as Somalia’s?

How often do ATMs make errors when accepting deposits or dispensing cash?

Do you regret not buying large amounts of Bitcoin when it was $7?

What are the most innovative banking services available today?

How can an e-commerce website become a third-party payment processor or aggregator, and which parties and requirements are involved?

How are the SWIFT and Visa networks linked, and does Visa use SWIFT for bulk transaction messaging?

How can I build a robust marketplace payments setup like Airbnb’s?

Where can I find historical USD to PKR exchange rates going back to 1947?

What can be done to significantly increase remittance inflows into Pakistan?

What is one killer use case for Bitcoin that actually exists in 2014?

How can I obtain a Mastercard if I live in a country without PayPal or direct Mastercard support?

Who was Xoom’s biggest competitor in 2014?

Which provider offers the best API for sending payments programmatically to international users?

Which currency pair is considered the hardest to trade in the forex market?

Which mobile payment services are currently popular, and what makes them successful?

What standout or impressive features have you seen in mobile banking apps?

How likely is it that a newer, smarter version of ACH will be created to update or replace the current 1960s-era ACH system?

How would you feel if you didn’t receive a printed receipt when paying in person with a credit or debit card?

How advanced or “intelligent” are ATMs in terms of what they can do and decide?

How exactly do remittance companies and money changers operate and make money?

What are effective ways to exchange between different cryptocurrencies?

Debit Cards: Are there any real-time tools that convert traditional bank details into SEPA IBAN and BIC format?

Does Virgin Money accept Bitcoin as a payment method?

All else equal, is a cryptocurrency with faster confirmation times more or less secure against 51% attacks than one with slower confirmations?

Is Facebook likely to become a bank in the future?

What is the largest company to have recently accepted a virtual currency (around January 2014)?

Are most payments from non-U.S. institutions to U.S. individuals made via wire transfer?

If I have a Scotiabank account in one country, can I access and use it from another country?

For a new mobile money network, which model is better—Visa-like or PayPal-like architecture?

What are some of the best ways to turn $50,000 into $1,000,000 within 12 months or less?

What is an international subsidiary?

Is there a payment provider in the U.S. that lets us launch our own white-label mobile wallet?

How do large banks physically and digitally secure their cash holdings?

How would you explain money laundering in simple layman’s terms?

Does something like a “financial prodigy” actually exist?