News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by _bxg1 on Monday November 18, 2019 @04:13PM (#21568193)
The points make well enough sense, but the author is also the professed founder of this: https://betterbank.app/
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by kevindong on Monday November 18, 2019 @09:55PM (#21570316)
I'm genuinely curious to see how they could possibly make money given this FAQ question [0]:

> What is the safety net? What does it cover?

> Our community safety net is an in-built accident insurance policy that will provide upto $5000 directly in your betterbank account in case of an accident or medical emergency.

[0]: https://betterbank.app/faq

Re:Why is everyone a bank? by rauchp on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @12:01AM (#21570768)
According to their site, they make the necessary money for that safety net by splitting the profit from the interchange fee they get from big banks. That statement reminds me of Martin Shkreli telling the media he was profiting by overcharging insurance companies. There's no way loudly telling the world how you're screwing over the big players doesn't result in you getting squished at some point. Sure, now I understand their business model. But if they ever get traction these big banks will put an end to their medical bill subsidy real quick.
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by kaushikktiwari on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @12:40AM (#21570880)
We make money off interchange--its protected by regulation for small banks and we partner with those small banks in return for them getting to keep our deposits. No one is getting squished---there are regulations protecting banking from being monopolizes. Big banks win because of branch networks and that doesn't matter for online banks
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by kaushikktiwari on Monday November 18, 2019 @04:17PM (#21568225)
does that make the points less valid? I felt it added to the credibility of the piece? Looking forward to your criticism on that
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by scott_s on Monday November 18, 2019 @04:28PM (#21568304)
No, it does not make your points less valid, if they are valid. But it is reasonable to assume that the arguments of this piece form the foundational assumptions of the product you are selling. People will want to take this into account when considering your arguments.
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by kaushikktiwari on Monday November 18, 2019 @04:31PM (#21568324)
You are right! This one is more of a general overview of the space. I will write one about the assumptions we are making wrt to betterbank.app
Re:Why is everyone a bank? by _bxg1 on Monday November 18, 2019 @05:18PM (#21568737)
It makes the points worthy of scrutiny.