How the Pandemic Has Changed Banking – Maybe Forever
How the Pandemic Has Changed Banking – Maybe Forever
COVID-19 has totally changed how we use our money.
By Ann Logue January 17, 2021
Like almost everything else, banking has changed significantly during the pandemic. More Americans than ever are navigating online banking thanks to social isolation, while banks have been placed at the center of the American government's loan program propping up small businesses.
If you've been looking for the best ways to bank in the midst of COVID-19, we've dug into some of the most significant changes for the industry.
More Mobile Banking
In April, banks reported a 200% increase in new mobile banking registrations. Customers used these to deposit checks, track balances, and transfer funds without visiting an ATM or a branch.
In an exclusive GOBankingRates survey, analysts discovered that more than 1 in 10 adults aged 18-54 use online banks, with a full 15.18% of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 doing online banking. (The figure goes down to 6.34% for those between 55-64 age group and 4.19% for those over 65.)
But when it comes to mobile banking – using an app – a staggering 42.93% prefer it between 18-24 years of age, 43.46% for the 25-34 age group, and 33.54% for the 35-44 age group. The figure goes down from there to 8.38% for those 65 and over.
"The split in old vs. young when it comes to banking with an app or banking in person at a branch just comes down to who was raised in which era and with what technology," GOBankingRates associate researcher Julia O'Brien says. "Those who are younger especially (18-24) grew up almost their entire cognizant lives with smartphones and most businesses having an app," she adds.
"So it only makes natural sense that they feel comfortable banking on an app, because most everything they have encountered in life indicates to them that app/mobile banking is just how things are done in a society."
Cash Use is Way Down
Early in the pandemic, there was a concern that coronavirus could be spread on surfaces. As a result, people wanted to use cash less. Some businesses stopped accepting it, and some consumers stopped using it. While the U.S. has a long way to go before it becomes as cashless as say Sweden, using less cash means fewer trips to ATMs or to local bank branches.
Business Banking Relationships Are More Valuable
The Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act, the first stimulus, gave businesses funds to keep people on the payroll, but it was done in the form of forgivable loans through qualified Small Business Association lenders. Banks that offer SBA loans – from the smallest banks in the country to major national banks – were inundated with application. Many prioritized their best customers, leaving some businesses shut out of the program, though some banks took this as their opportunity to shine.
Credit Card Travel Perks Lose Value
To continue reading, please go to the original article here:
https://www.gobankingrates.com/banking/banks/pandemic-changing-banking/
Stephanie Starr: If Congress Advances this
9-15-2026
If Congress advances this, the United States is formally acknowledging Bitcoin as a strategic national asset — something potentially worth holding on the federal balance sheet rather than automatically selling.
Why that matters? Protects U.S. exposure to a scarce digital asset. Strengthens America’s position in the global digital-asset economy. Signals that crypto is becoming part of mainstream financial policy. Encourages long-term regulatory and institutional certainty. Forces other nations to think seriously about their own digital-asset reserves. Moves the conversation from “Should crypto exist?” to “How does America compete?”
Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL BOND WARNING: U.S. TREASURY YIELDS BREAK ABOVE 5% AS OIL SHOCK AND FED RATE FEARS DEEPEN
U.S. Treasury yields have broken above the critical 5% level as surging oil prices, renewed inflation concerns, heavy government borrowing and expectations for another Federal Reserve rate hike intensify pressure across global bond markets.
MilitiaMan & Crew: The Reality of the Iraqi Dinar: Daily Analysis and Updates
9-14-2026
The Crew: Samson, PompeyPeter, Petra, Daytrader, Sunkissed, GIGI and Militia Man
No drama. No intrigue. No songs and dances. Just straight, factual news that I read and interpret to the best of my ability after being an avid Dinar investor and insanely obsessed Dinarian for over 15 years.
Follow MM on X == https://x.com/Slashn
KTFA
Monday Night Video
FRANK26…9-14-26…..RIDE THE WHALESHARK
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#
The Central Bank Of Iraq Is Taking Steps To Reduce The Dollar Gap; A Unified Exchange Rate For Currency Exchange Offices Is Approaching 1320
Last updated: September 14, 2026 Independent/- Informed sources revealed to the Independent Press Agency new moves within the Central Bank of Iraq aimed at reducing the large gap between the official exchange rate of the dollar and the prices circulating in the local market, through a package of measures being worked on to regulate the sale of foreign currency and tighten control over exchange companies, in conjunction with the continued rise of the dollar in Baghdad and other governorates.
25 Years Later— A Reminder That The World Can Change In An Instant
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) September 11, 2026
At a time in my life which now seems centuries ago, I was once a young lieutenant, barely a year out of West Point, and I had recently been assigned to lead an electronic warfare platoon.
Whenever my unit wasn't deployed or in the field, most of my duty days were spent in a top-secret facility called a SCIF— the kind of place that was guarded by military police and didn't have any windows.
Rob Cunningham: A Marriage Between the US Treasury and Ripple
9-14-2026
A Treasury + Ripple Marriage?
• XRPL as the neutral public road
• UST Validator Node as Treasury’s vehicle
• USTD as Treasury-owned dollar
Ariel: Foreign Currency Holders, this is Connected to Tokenized Assets
9-14-2026
Foreign Currency Holders: This Is Connected To Tokenized Assets
You Definitely Want To Hear This
The Central Bank of Iraq has advanced initiatives toward establishing an official state-backed digital currency framework.
Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
CLARITY ACT BREAKTHROUGH: ETHICS DEAL CLEARS PATH TO SENATE VOTE AS DIGITAL ASSET RULES TAKE CENTER STAGE
New ethics provisions and 126 substantive changes have produced a revised CLARITY Act ahead of Tuesday's Senate vote, potentially moving the United States closer to a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, crypto markets and stablecoins.
Oil breaks $107 mark amid growing supply fears
2026-09-14 01:14 Shafaq News Oil prices rose more than 3% on Monday, after new Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf compounded supply concerns following the closure of a key Saudi oil pipeline.
Emailed to Recaps~ Thank you David
Reset Intelligence Daily - The Budget, the Bill, and the Fed
9-14-2026
Reset Intelligence: The Budget, the Bill, and the Fed.
By Reset Intelligence | @EXIT_FIAT
For 2 decades the dinar's price has had one author. This week, three hands are on it at once.
Ariel: THE SEQUENCING - WHY ORDER MATTERS 9/12/26
VIII. THE SEQUENCING — WHY ORDER MATTERS
The CLARITY Act must pass before the Dinar revalues. Here's the mechanical reason:
1. CLARITY Act passes → digital tokens backed by sovereign currencies become legally recognized settlement instruments under US law.
2. SEC issues no-action letters → exchanges can list the revalued Dinar token without securities law exposure.
TNT:
Tishwash: US Chargé d'Affaires: Al-Zaidi's visit to Washington opened new horizons for the Iraqi-American partnership
The US Chargé d'Affaires in Iraq, Steven Fagin, affirmed on Saturday that Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's visit to Washington opened new horizons for the Iraqi-American partnership.
Fagin stated in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "relations between Baghdad and Washington are on the cusp of significant development," noting "a shared commitment to strengthening the economic partnership and expanding opportunities for cooperation between the two countries."
MilitiaMan & Crew: The Sunday Night Breakdown: Patreon, Discord, and What’s Next
9-13-2026
The Crew: Samson, PompeyPeter, Petra, Daytrader, Sunkissed, GIGI and Militia Man
No drama. No intrigue. No songs and dances. Just straight, factual news that I read and interpret to the best of my ability after being an avid Dinar investor and insanely obsessed Dinarian for over 15 years.
Follow MM on X == https://x.com/Slashn
Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
FED RATE HIKE WARNING: OIL SHOCK AND INFLATION PUSH U.S. MONETARY POLICY INTO A NEW PHASE
With oil prices surging above $108 and inflation remaining stubbornly elevated, expectations for a Federal Reserve rate increase this week are reshaping the outlook for U.S. monetary policy, bond yields, debt costs and the dollar.
PM Al-Zaidi Europe Trip Targets Energy, Investment
2026-09-13 / 05:47 Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s European tour is aimed at attracting investment and opening new channels for the country’s economy, Mohammed Al-Baldawi, spokesperson for the Sadiqoon parliamentary bloc, the political wing of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, told Shafaq News on Sunday.
KTFA
Sunday Night Video
FRANK26….9-13-26…..Z &T
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#
Fed Losing Control? Treasury Market Forces Its Hand | Craig Hemke
Liberty and Finance: 9-12-2026
Craig Hemke of TF Metals Report warns that the bond market may increasingly be forcing higher interest rates on a U.S. government that cannot afford them.
He argues that Treasury intervention could mark the early stages of yield-curve control, a development he considers extraordinarily bullish for gold and silver.
Reset Intelligence: Who Holds the Clock.
By Reset Intelligence | @EXIT_FIAT
Iraq's 2027 budget reached the cabinet today, exactly on schedule. The same day, the prime minister was in Paris with Edouard de Rothschild of Rothschild and Co, talking credit ratings and international banks.
Parliament gets the budget on October 15. For the first time, Baghdad has printed the width of the gap between the draft and the vote. The 2023 record says that gap is where Iraq's rate decisions actually live.