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Main Street Matters Blog

Find out what's happening in communities across America, from grassroots advocacy efforts, to fintech innovations and everyday successes of Main Street banks.

Main Street Matters

How Four Community Banks Recognize and Celebrate Juneteenth

Jun 16, 2022
While Juneteenth is the youngest U.S. federal holiday after it became formally recognized in a law enacted last year, it has decades of significance—with June 19, 1865, recognized as the end of slavery in the United States.

How the TerraUSD Collapse Affects Stablecoin Regulation and Community Banks

Jun 7, 2022
The collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin has significantly affected the crypto sector and broader financial markets. But perhaps even more important for community banks, the market instability is fueling the policymaker push for a regulatory structure to address crypto’s risks.

How the TerraUSD Collapse Is Affecting Financial Markets

Jun 7, 2022
While the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin has captured the most attention and headlines, it was not the only stablecoin to fail during the market downturn. Here’s a look at the impact of the Terra decline on the stablecoin sector and what’s next for the crypto markets.

A Community Bank Primer on the TerraUSD Collapse

Jun 7, 2022
ICBA has closely watched the growth of stablecoins over the past year and repeatedly raised concerns about the risks these systems may pose to consumers and the wider financial system. Earlier this month, those concerns manifested with the collapse of TerraUSD, once the third-largest stablecoin.

Expanding Interchange Price Controls Would Put Fraud Protections at Risk

Jun 3, 2022
Maintaining strong risk-mitigation technologies has never been more important for the banking industry, but “big box” merchant lobbyists are attempting to disrupt advances in card fraud mitigation efforts.

How to Digitize the Community Bank Relationship Model

May 24, 2022
When it comes to community bankers’ technology to-do lists, 35% view investing in digitalization as their top business opportunity. We’ve clearly arrived at a tipping point where community bankers are not just talking about the digital experience, they are incorporating it into actionable plans.

ICBA Polling on Strong Community Bank Favorability Fuels Successful Capital Summit

May 19, 2022
To support community banker meetings with policymakers on top industry issues, ICBA released new polling data affirming the industry’s strong public favorability at the state and national levels.

How Community Bankers Association of Illinois Partnered with ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator to Further Community Bank Innovation

May 18, 2022
Community Bankers Association of Illinois (CBAI) is no stranger to fintech collaborations, but the idea of helping shape fintech offerings tailored to community banks was too intriguing an idea to pass up.

Why Small Businesses See a (Use) Case for Instant Payments

Apr 27, 2022
According to the Federal Reserve, nine in 10 businesses (or 29.25 million) expect to be able to send and receive instant payments by 2023. Fortunately, in many cases, community-based financial institutions have begun the process to meet these needs.

Merchants and Consumers Benefit from Credit Card Rewards Programs

Apr 20, 2022
The first rewards credit card was introduced by American Airlines in 1934 to help it sell tickets. Ninety years later, merchants accepting credit cards and issuing co-branded rewards cards continue to create value for consumers and businesses.