Mainframe computers could endure in the AI era
Research from Crisil Coalition Greenwich suggests mainframe computers will retain their place alongside cloud computing and AI. More than 90% of banking technology executives say more than 50% of their core banking applications rely (and will continue to do so) on mainframes.
Their focus is on modernizing, rather than replacing, mainframe technology.
Learn more here.
Complex credit environment exists beneath stable consumer performance
A new report from 2nd Order Solutions, a credit risk advisory firm, finds that newer lending issuances continue to outperform historical trends. Consumer financial resilience is tenuous, despite improvement in several headline indicators.
The good news includes stabilized overall delinquency trends, real wage growth, declining student loan delinquencies, and modest debt service ratio declines. Negative findings include elevated personal loan delinquencies at the risk band level, increased homeowner borrowing and elevated auto loan delinquencies.
Learn more here.
Community banks have SMB opportunity: Primax
Primax found that 86% of SMBs work with multiple banking partners, using an average of 2.8 financial institutions for their business banking needs. Community banks have an opportunity to capture more of the relationship by becoming a trusted partner throughout the business lifecycle.
SMBs believe their community banks are satisfied with fee transparency and customer service, even though they tend to seek out larger institutions as their primary bank. The paper lays out strategies to enhance those relationships.
Learn more here.
Tokenized equities surging: Bitget, DeFiLlama
Tokenization’s active market capitalization has grown by more than 140% in 2026, increasing from $814 million at the beginning of the year to nearly $2 billion at the time of publication.
The findings suggest that as tokenized equity infrastructure matures, execution quality and liquidity are becoming increasingly important differentiators between platforms.
Learn more here.
Homeowner affordability begins with starter homes, not lower rates: HomeLight
Roughly 46% of lenders said the lack of affordable starter homes has the biggest impact on first-time homebuyers. That’s more than triple the 14% citing interest rates.
Prospective homeowners need better education to understand the range of financing options available. Better down payment assistance programs would also help.
Car payments have surpassed student debt as a barrier to homeownership.
Download the report here.