Dear Subscriber,

As we make our way into the third month of the year, one trend is beginning to make a convincing case for being the hottest one of 2016. Cardless ATMs first moved from concept to concrete product as early as 2012, but it is only now visibly gaining momentum as the likes of JP Morgan are getting involved. We went from under-the-radar testing in October to three different companies revealing in as many months their intentions to roll out cardless terminals before the end of the year. Elsewhere, we caught up with one of the planet’s most prolific investors, 500 Startups, which is throwing the weight of its company-building powerhouse behind fintech with the launch of a (targeted) $25m new fund for early-stage companies. There is also some more news in the payment acceptance market as PayPal and Visa move to streamline the checkout, whilst Stripe’s new suite of tools is designed to help simplify the way startups accept payments. Finally, MX CEO and co-founder Ryan Caldwell speaks to PaymentEye about developments in the banking and payments industries and where MX fits into the brave new world of finance.

Pin4, an open cardless cash network in the US, is bringing consumers in New York City, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles cardless access to cash at Pin4-enabled ATMs, marking the third company to reveal a cardless ATM strategy in as many weeks.

It’s not news that payments and other financial services have historically served many demographics in the world poorly. Today however, with the falling cost of technology, the proliferation of smartphones and growing demand for something better, there’s arguably never been a better time for startups looking to change the status quo.

Accepting payments online just became a lot easier for small businesses with the launch of Stripe’s new suite of startup tools: Atlas. Designed to remove a lot of the complex red tape that can overwhelm startups in their early stages, other tools available through Atlas let entrepreneurs easily incorporate a company in the US and set up a US bank account, as well as start taking payments in 100 currencies on launch.

Innovation in technology is creating the opportunity for traditional finance players to streamline their business operations, compete more closely with their peers and offer customers a better deal. But with clunky legacy systems and a broadly conservative approach to change, integrating new technology is tough even when the will is there.

Online shopping might be booming but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a frustrating experience on many sites. Problems with poor UX, fiddly forms to fill in and crowded screens that already existed on the web are only accentuated on smaller mobile screens as consumers increasingly shift their spending to smartphones and tablets.