Sunday's New York Times has an article by John Kimelman on how Internet banks are providing better rates on accounts to consumers.

Traditionally, banks in small communities have often offered some of the highest rates on money market deposits and C.D.'s, to try to keep up with loan demand. But the emergence of the Internet has led to the rise of branchless banks, which benefit from low overhead to offer better rates on deposits, also backed by the F.D.I.C.

Indeed, the three banks that now advertise the best rates are not found on neighborhood streets, according to Bankrate.com. They are the Bank of Internet USA, Virtual Bank and National InterBank.

Amber Chung reports in the Taipei Times on smartcard adoption in Taiwan.

Taiwan is the most active country in promoting integrated chip (IC) cards in the Asia-Pacific region, said a report by MasterCard International released yesterday. The nation's business operators more clearly comprehend the advantages of IC cards than those in any other Asia Pacific country, it said.

The survey, conducted by MasterCard International in eight Asia-Pacific countries, said Tai-wan, Japan and Malaysia's merchants have the most abundant knowledge of IC card technology, while those in Hong Kong and Singapore are comparatively ignorant in this regard.

Analisa Nazareno reports in the San Antonio Express-News on micropayments discussions at the recent Future of Money Summit.