Sponsors (7)
The bill aims to accelerate and clarify bank/credit-union–fintech collaboration to expand digital financial services and inform policy, while trading off the risk that rapid, one-year studies could prompt deregulatory recommendations or premature changes that weaken consumer protections or financial stability and impose modest costs on credit unions and taxpayers.
Consumers (including small-business owners and low-income individuals) could get faster access to more innovative and diverse digital financial products as regulators identify and recommend legal or guidance changes enabling bank–fintech and credit union–fintech partnerships.
Consumers (especially vulnerable and low-income customers) could gain stronger consumer protections if the studies identify risks and lead to clearer safeguards and guidance for fintech partnerships.
Credit unions and their members could gain improved access to digital services, reduced compliance burdens, and greater ability to compete with larger banks if the NCUA’s recommendations lower regulatory barriers.
Consumers (particularly low-income individuals) could face increased risk if the studies lead to deregulatory recommendations that weaken oversight and consumer protections.
Relaxing safety-and-soundness standards or other prudential rules as a result of recommendations could raise systemic or national-security risks to the financial system and broader economy.
The one-year deadline for producing the studies may limit the depth and quality of analysis, producing recommendations based on incomplete data and prompting premature or ill-considered policy changes.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal banking regulators and the NCUA to study bank–fintech and credit union–fintech partnerships and report findings and recommended legal/regulatory changes to Congress within one year.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by Garland H. Barr · Last progress December 10, 2025
Requires federal banking regulators to study bank–fintech partnerships and requires the credit union regulator to study credit union–fintech partnerships, focusing on impacts to competition, innovation, consumer protection, and access to financial products and services. Each regulator must deliver a written report to Congress with findings and recommended changes to law, rule, or guidance within one year of enactment.