As we move into 2026, it's worth taking a moment to look back on the most-read features on the ABA Banking Journal website in 2025 — from stablecoins to the role of chief risk officer, and "First Amendment audits" to checking accounts.

The Season 2 kick-off of the ABA Fraudcast features Lois Greisman, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices. She and host Paul Benda discuss Protecting Older Consumers, 2024-2025, A Report of the Federal Trade Commission, issued in December, that reveals a big increase in the number of older adults reporting losses of over $100,000 to scams.

Embracing these trends as strategic imperatives position marketers to drive growth and build lasting relationships in an increasingly competitive market.

The Philippines is a fast-growing economy, but it lags its peers in the unbanked rate, with more than four in 10 Filipinos unbanked, according to McKinsey. Many Filipinos use nonbank-provided ewallets, but bank penetration is on the rise since 2020, when the central bank approved a new license type for digital banking. In this episode, Russell Hernandez of UnionDigital Bank provides a unique look into the Philippine banking sector. 

Stepped-up scrutiny of transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels characterized BSA/AML enforcement in 2025.

While the digital shift is well underway, key hurdles remain related to system integration and broader digital asset acceptance.

The Federal Communications Commission has issued an order extending the effective date of the “revoke all” rule from April 11, 2026, to Jan. 31, 2027. Under the revoke all rule – which the FCC is currently reconsidering – a bank or other business is required to treat a consumer’s revocation of consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to receive one type of call or message as a revocation of all consented-to calls and messages.

Lawmakers should use proposed market structure legislation to ensure that the Genius Act’s prohibition on interest applies to affiliates and partners of stablecoin issuers, the members of the ABA’s Community Bankers Council said in a letter to members of the U.S. Senate.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced plans to propose changes to insured depository institution resolution planning requirements, or IDI rule. The rule, including the expected proposed changes, apply to FDIC-insured depository institutions with $50 billion or more in total assets.

ABA recently led a group of eight financial trade associations in expressing support for proposals by the Federal Communications Commission that would adopt several ABA requests to modernize the FCC’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules.

U.S.-based multinational companies will be exempt from the OECD Pillar Two global minimum tax framework under a new international agreement announced today by the Treasury Department.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is proposing to raise the threshold for which its heightened supervisory standards apply to banks from $50 billion to $700 billion in assets.