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Financial technology-centric platforms, or fintechs, with special-purpose charters must meet essentially the same U.S. regulatory standards, including anti-money laundering requirements, as banks to secure access to the U.S. Federal Reserve's payment rails, the agency advised. Some fintechs that have obtained special-purpose bank charters from a handful of U.S. states or bid for an equivalent special charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, have subsequently sought access to the Federal Reserve's payment and settlement infrastructure by applying for "master accounts" at the agency's 12 regional banks. Delays in obtaining U.S. master accounts have forced some "neobanks"...