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Trends & Signals

Explore the latest insights, thought leadership, and research from FCAT®

Blockchain

Implementing Digital Signatures in Rust

Simon Brown

April 14, 2021

I’m attempting to learn the Rust programming language, and for me, the only way to learn something is by trying to solve a problem.

Technology & Society

How Exclusion Affects Consumers Across the Financial Lifecycle

Sophia Mowlanejad

April 6, 2021

Part One of a series about Inclusive Financial ServicesFinancial exclusion is a reality for millions of Americans who don’t have access to useful and affordable financial products and services delivered in a responsible and sustainable way. The FDIC...

Emerging Technology, Future Computing

Solving Problems Differently with Quantum Computing

Adam Schouela

March 31, 2021

There has been a lot of news about how quantum computers will change computing as we know it. That said, a general-purpose quantum computer that will have the capability of replacing the classical computers we use every day may perpetually be out of...

Emerging Technology, Future Computing

Take A Quantum Leap With Us!

Emerging Tech Team

March 31, 2021

Ever wanted to look under the hood of a quantum computer? Or see how quantum computing might dramatically improve investment simulations? The Emerging Tech team has just published two new explorations of quantum computing, with insights into how it...

Emerging Technology, Future Computing

"What’s A Qubit” Quantum VR

Jamie Barras

March 31, 2021

“What’s a Qubit?” is a virtual reality experience designed to teach fundamental building blocks of quantum computing through a virtual reality immersive experience. The experience allows you to fly through a quantum computer at the size of a single...

Technology & Society

Adaptation and Resilience: Signals from COVID-19 that Matter

Megan Kelley

March 24, 2021

Over the past twelve months, we have collectively experienced a massive disruption triggered by a tiny pathogen. And in the face of virus-prompted changes, we’ve each had to adapt—as parents of newonline-learners to leaders of teams, businesses, and...

Technology & Society, Artificial Intelligence

New Data Fuels AI Opportunities in a Remote World

Sarah Hoffman

March 17, 2021

Now that so many of us are doing almost everything online at home -- shopping, work, doctor appointments, school, financial check-ins, parent-teacher conferences --- you may have noticed some not so subtle behavior changes among those around you....

Blockchain

Mental Models of Money and Lightning

Sam Abbassi

February 18, 2021

Lightning is not a silver bullet, but it will significantly aid in the utility of Bitcoin and the expansion of its monetary regime. Money invention is something that necessitates first principles.

Blockchain

A Q&A on Bitcoin Mining Trends with Apolline Blandin

Brian Wright

February 11, 2021

The following is excerpted from an interview with Apolline Blandin, Research Affiliate of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF). The findings from Apolline’s research on the Bitcoin mining industry were...

Technology & Society, Fintech

How We Do Research

John Dalton

February 4, 2021

FCAT Research is a bet on the value of outside-in thinking, a rigorous analysis of external trends that we believe will have a dramatic impact on our business, our industry, and on the lives of our customers and associates. Our goal is to help...