Capital constraints, digital payments and bank M&A advanced

Fed capital orders tightened parent-company flexibility. TS Banking Group and TS Contrarian Bancshares must provide financial support for First National Bank & Trust Company and Bank of Tioga, and they cannot pay dividends, repurchase stock or take on new debt without Federal Reserve approval. Small Business Bank was deemed significantly undercapitalized under a prompt corrective action and has 30 days to raise equity, arrange a sale or otherwise fix its capital issues.

OceanFirst used risk transfer as FirstSun flagged charge-offs. OceanFirst Financial and 400 Capital Management applied a credit-default-swap-linked note structure to a $1.5 billion residential mortgage portfolio, described as non-dilutive regulatory-capital relief while proposed U.S. Basel mortgage relief remains pending. FirstSun Capital Bancorp expects a $22 million fraud-related charge-off, said second-quarter charge-offs could reach $43 million and referred the fraud case to law enforcement.

FOMC minutes showed a divided rate path. The Federal Open Market Committee unanimously maintained the federal funds target range at 3.5% to 3.75%, but minutes from the June 16-17 meeting said some participants argued for a rate hike. ABA Banking Journal also reported that expectations for a 2026 hike rose significantly, with nine FOMC participants projecting at least one increase before year-end.

Bank tokenized-payment pilots moved toward live use. Swift said 17 banks, including BNY Mellon, Citibank, HSBC and Wells Fargo, are preparing to test live tokenized cross-border payments using a blockchain-based orchestration platform for bank-issued tokenized deposits. The Siam Commercial Bank will use Citi’s 24/7 clearing and tokenized-deposit service, the first financial-institution adoption since Citi merged its blockchain and cross-border payment products; SEC Chair Paul Atkins said tokenized bank deposits could be available by next year, with unresolved issues including AML compliance and transaction irreversibility.

Circle received an OCC national trust bank charter. The OCC granted Circle a de novo national trust bank charter for Circle National Trust, which will focus on digital-asset custody, including USDC stablecoin-related custody. Circle said the trust bank was authorized to open on or after July 10, 2026 and expects to open shortly thereafter.

Debit-network talks and Klarna’s charter filing raised competitive stakes. American Banker reported that JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC and other large banks are in talks to buy parts of Fiserv’s Star debit-processing business, a structure analysts said could change Durbin-related interchange economics and add more than $3 billion in annual revenue. Klarna submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC to establish Klarna Bank, with approval expected to reduce reliance on partner banks and lower capital costs.

Regional bank M&A gained deal milestones. Hometown Financial Group agreed to acquire Primary Bank in a $160 million transaction that would add $743 million in assets and four New Hampshire branches, pending regulatory approval. Affinity Bancshares shareholders approved the mergers under its March 30, 2026 merger agreement with Fidelity BancShares, and experts told American Banker that regional banks may pursue mergers for scale and technology while current U.S. regulatory conditions remain favorable.

Axos signed a fintech acquisition agreement. Axos Nevada Holding entered a definitive agreement to acquire Arc Technologies, Inc., with closing expected later this month and no material effect on results expected. Arc provides AI-native cash management and debt capital markets services to early-stage and mid-market technology companies, and Banking Dive reported the deal was Axos’ fourth purchase announcement in a year.