Community Q&A
Questions
3,063 questions answered by experts in payments, banking, and financial services.
How is Mint.com able to offer users pre-approved credit card offers?
Can digital bank transfers in the U.S. be completed on weekends, and why or why not?
What challenges arise when building a client-facing financial application?
What is the most cost-effective way to wire funds from the U.S. to Europe?
Do any fully open-source payment gateways exist, beyond libraries that merely integrate with other gateways?
What onboarding fee does PreCash charge for adding an authorized delegate?
Are ATM operating costs the real reason banks charge ATM fees, or is it mostly profit-taking?
Why doesn’t Pakistan have local payment gateways similar to PayPal?
Where can I exchange currency at the best rate once I arrive in Dubai?
Did Mint.com obtain consent from utility providers before scraping customer account data?
How can I start accepting cryptocurrency payments as a freelancer?
How can I send money from the U.S. to the Philippines via wire for free?
How valuable is the CAMS certification for IT professionals in AML—does it help IT project managers, or is it mainly for compliance staff?
What is the most convenient way to transfer money from a U.S. bank account to an Irish bank account?
Why are remittance inflows slowing down in the Philippines?
Will PayPal be disrupted by newer payment technology companies like Stripe?
What is anti–money laundering?
Is there an app that can replace everything in your wallet except cash?
Why do countries repurchase their own currency from other countries?
Is it smart to accept Bitcoin but settle into fiat immediately to reduce volatility exposure, and where can I find such a service?
How do Western Union and MoneyGram operate behind the scenes?
Which Pakistani online stores are successful and have international reach?
How do foreign exchange transactions work on credit cards?
Which banks are willing to open accounts for licensed money services businesses considered high-risk?
Which emerging technologies are most disruptive to the banking industry?
From a technical standpoint, how was PayPal originally built, and how did the founders gain bank access to move funds between accounts?
What legal and technical requirements are needed to launch a crowdfunding platform in the U.S.?
What practical steps can I take to spend less and save more?
Which payment gateway does Airbnb use to process payments?
What happens to the remaining balance when a Venmo account is closed?
Is it possible to transfer funds from PayPal directly to any MasterCard?
How can telecom payment gateways be used to charge for digital content in countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt?
How can funds be moved from a bank account into an app without using ACH?
In real-time payment systems, what role does a liquidity module play?
Historically, what final trigger causes a fiat currency to collapse?
How can a business identify the legal process required to obtain a money transfer license?
Are there Canadian banks willing to open accounts for money services businesses despite tighter MSB policies?
Who invented the credit card, and how did it become a widely used payment method in the United States?
Is there a future for mobile payment aggregators, and which industries would benefit most?
Why would someone choose to found a new bank, and what steps would they take?
How can I create a company-branded “debit card” that works at standard point-of-sale terminals?
When a country devalues its currency to fix a balance-of-payments crisis, how does that positively and negatively affect people’s standard of living?
After Visa acquired Fundamo in South Africa, did it actually gain emerging-market share or was the $100 million largely wasted?
How can I set up a conditional payment?
I’ve worked at State Bank of India for six years as a forex assistant—what are my chances of getting a banking job in Europe?
How can I connect to the ACH network so customers can pay from their bank accounts inside my product?
How do interbank and cross-country money transfers work?
What are the advantages of incorporating a company in the U.S. versus Dubai?
Can a non-U.S. entity (e.g., an LLC or similar structure) open a corporate account at major U.S. banks?
In Canada, what’s the best API-based way to send money besides PayPal?
What is a recent change in the banking industry, and how could it affect banks’ corporate finance divisions?
How do merchants identify transactions that were made via Apple Pay versus standard contactless card payments?
How can I send money to my home country from Saudi Arabia?
What is the total annual global volume of corporate remittances via wire transfers?
Why can’t I donate to Wikipedia anonymously using Bitcoin?
From an unbanked person’s perspective, why is it beneficial to become banked?
Should poorer countries have independent central banks?
Which country is best for launching a small e-wallet business?
Why don’t PayPal or Skrill use SMS-based login verification—are there technical or regulatory obstacles?
Which alternative payment providers are best for online payments in South America?
How has M-PESA evolved since it was first launched?
What is Stripe’s legal structure as a company?
Is messaging a key driver of mobile payments, and why?
Would a Bitcoin ATM operator business be viable in Pakistan?
What does “Bitcoin tipping” mean?
What influence do banks have over the creation of new ACH-style networks by startups and large corporations?
In simple terms, how is the value of a currency determined?
Why is Pakistan not subject to US OFAC sanctions?
How do banks verify checks that are deposited using a smartphone camera?
What is the best approach to replicating ZenPayroll or Gusto in a European country like Spain?
How strong is the economic impact of microfinance in developing economies?
How much overdraft is typically allowed on a checking account?
As a foreigner trying to open a bank account in Hungary, what arguments could convince a bank to approve it?
Can you deposit a check that is more than one year old?
Why hasn’t biometric tech like fingerprints and facial recognition been widely adopted in card payments to reduce fraud and costs?
Which banking and payments platform vendors have best embraced fintech and next-generation IT?
Why do Google Wallet and PayPal request copies of passports and bank statements, and is this standard for everyone?
Who is behind Keenu, which claims to be Pakistan’s first payment gateway?
If all miners agreed to reduce their Bitcoin mining capacity by a factor of 1,000, what would happen to costs and the network?
If a system glitch allows untraceable withdrawals or transfers and I report it but it remains unfixed, is using it illegal?
What is the best way to learn how to run a startup, and why is that approach effective?
Which is better: an international wire transfer or ACH?
For how many years do banks keep records of deposits and withdrawals in a checking account?
Why is the bank icon typically designed the way it is?
How is the world’s total illicit income laundered in aggregate?
Why can’t payment gateways operate in every country?
How many retail banks are there in the U.S. (excluding branches)?
Which consulting firms specialize in helping companies obtain U.S. money transmitter and MSB licenses?
Do payment gateways permit money-transmission businesses to operate on their platforms?
How exactly do Western Union and other instant money transfer services operate?
What basic banking or finance certifications are recommended for IT professionals?
In a core banking system, what does “multi-bank capability” mean?
What is the difference between a governing body and a regulatory body?
In simple terms, what is a payment and settlement system?
Why does U.S. banking appear relatively outdated compared with other countries?
How frequent is fraud in mobile check deposit systems?
What information do banks capture in real time during a transaction?
Can I use Western Union to send money into my Payoneer account?
How do I begin day trading?
What laws or tools would be needed to legally link Bitcoin wallets to real identities like PayPal accounts?