Today's Banking Pulse
Mortgage refinance demand plunges 18% as rates climb to 6.65%
Refinance applications fell 18% week‑over‑week, dropping to 38% of total mortgage filings—the lowest share since June 2025. The average 30‑year fixed rate rose to 6.65%, while purchase‑loan volume edged down 0.4% and the average loan size hit $473,600.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OakNorth acquires Monite to boost business banking
Liberty Launches Lender Collateral Insurance Program
Liberty Co. Insurance Brokers announced the launch of Liberty Collateral Protection, a new collateral protection facility aimed at lenders and loan servicers with large, multi‑state portfolios. The offering blends lender‑placed insurance, real‑estate‑owned (REO) coverage, and collateral protection insurance with centralized tracking, compliance oversight, and claims administration. It is designed to support residential, commercial, auto, and equipment collateral. The program is headed by Jose Fontes, president of Liberty’s lending and collateral specialty group.
Originations Rise Across Products in Fourth Quarter
Originations across mortgage products climbed in the fourth quarter, marking the first broad‑based increase since early 2023. The rise was driven by strong purchase demand and modest refinance activity despite higher rates. At the same time, banks reported earnings pressure...
UPI Payments in India Can Now Use Biometric Authentication for Transactions Up to ₹5,000
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) now supports biometric authentication for transactions up to ₹5,000, allowing users to approve payments via fingerprint or facial recognition. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the change, positioning biometrics as an alternative to the...
Coinbase Employees Reportedly Face Wise “Payment Blocks” Amid UK Banking Crackdown
A LinkedIn post alleges that Wise has blocked payroll payments from Coinbase to UK‑based employees, disrupting their finances. Coinbase acknowledged the post but offered no further comment, while Wise has not responded. Wise’s Acceptable Use Policy prohibits direct crypto transactions...
Ziosk Partners with Gringo’s Tex-Mex and Jimmy Changas; Qu POS Lands Roy Rogers Restaurants
Ziosk is deploying its Drop & Pay handheld payment tablets at Gringo’s Tex-Mex and Jimmy Changas, covering 21 Texas locations and delivering a 96% pay‑at‑table rate, a 23% lift in loyalty participation, and 45% higher guest‑survey engagement. The platform also...
Shift4 Shifts Its Focus to International Deals
Shift4 Payments reported record Q4 results and announced a strategic pivot toward international growth. The company closed a $2.5 billion acquisition of Swiss tax‑free shopping platform Global Blue and added Australia‑based Smartpay to its portfolio. To capitalize on these assets, Shift4 is...
Debit Card Fraud Losses Rise
A Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank analysis shows debit card fraud loss rates rose between 2021 and 2023, driven primarily by card‑not‑present transactions. While online fraud increased, in‑person fraud declined on dual‑message networks but grew on single‑message networks. The report...
Fiserv Appoints New Executives
Fiserv announced three senior hires this month: Lia Cao as chief revenue officer for enterprise and platforms, Robert Clarkson as chief revenue officer for small‑business and Clover POS, and Adit Gadgil as global head of business development. All three are...
Triple-A and Mastercard Move Join Forces to Speed Up Global Remittances for Banks and Fintechs
Triple‑A has integrated Mastercard Move’s cross‑border money‑movement network into its remittance‑as‑a‑service platform, enabling near real‑time payouts for European banks, fintechs, and telecom operators. The partnership lets institutions launch branded global remittance services without building costly infrastructure, while also opening a...
Home Improvement Loan Applications Moderate as Borrower Profile Gradually Ages
Home‑improvement loan applications peaked at 1.49 million in 2022 and have moderated to 1.20 million in 2024, remaining above pre‑pandemic levels. The borrower age profile is gradually aging, with the 65‑74 and 75+ cohorts expanding modestly. Meanwhile, the 45‑54 group stays the...
Top 5 Payment Processors Control 56% Market
Will anyone dislodge Stripe as the payments king? This chart is about the same as last year. Stripe lost a few points, but the same number of Do Not Accept / N/A remains the same. PayPal remained the same. Survey...
ACI Revenue up 13% and Other Digital Transactions News Briefs From 2/26/26
ACI Worldwide reported fourth‑quarter revenue of $253.2 million, a 13% year‑over‑year increase, pushing full‑year 2025 revenue just above $1 billion. NCR Voyix posted a 6% Q4 revenue rise to $720 million but saw full‑year revenue dip 4.6%, while turning a $201 million loss into...
Capital Plan Tests Nerves in Brasília
The Federal District government has introduced a bill to inject up to BRL 6 billion into BRB Banco de Brasília following the Master Bank fraud, allowing borrowing from the Credit Guarantee Fund or other lenders. The proposal also reduces the number of...
UK’s First Online Fintech Platform Launched to Help SMEs Manage Debt and Avoid Borrowing Pitfalls
Leeds‑based fintech Debeo has launched what it calls the UK’s first purpose‑built online platform to help small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) understand and manage their debt. The service aggregates loans, overdrafts and asset‑finance agreements into a single, real‑time view, enabling...
US Regional Banks Build Tokenised Deposit Network
A consortium of five US regional banks—First Horizon, Huntington Bancshares, KeyCorp, M&T Bank and Old National Bancorp—has announced the creation of the Cari Network, a permissioned blockchain platform for tokenised deposits. The pilot will launch in the third quarter with...
How Embedded BNPL Optimizes Cash Flow for SMBs: Inside the Intuit-Affirm Partnership
Intuit has teamed with Affirm to embed a Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later (BNPL) option directly into QuickBooks invoices, letting small‑business owners split customer payments while receiving the full amount upfront. The move turns QuickBooks from a bookkeeping tool into an actionable financial operating...
Crypto Proves Vital as Traditional Finance Falters
I found the conversation on @bitsandbips this week quite clarifying. @ramahluwalia @austincampbell @perkinscr97 and @malekanoms covered a lot of ground. 💥 Why BTC broke below $63k ☠️ The DAT debate gets real: spiral or floor? (and Omid owns his earlier hype 😅) 🌍 Crypto...
Hong Kong Banks’ Collateral Asset Valuations to Continue Declining in 2026: S&P
S&P Global Ratings warns that collateral values backing Hong Kong banks' commercial property loans will keep declining through 2026, reflecting a market that has yet to find a bottom. The Bank of East Asia disclosed a HK$723 million valuation loss in...
Novel Banking Licence in Latvia Could Pave the Way for New Market Entrants
Latvia introduced a new specialised credit institution licence, lowering the initial capital requirement to €1 million and granting deposit‑taking rights and EU‑wide passporting. The amendment to the Credit Institutions Law took effect on 6 January 2026, creating a hybrid category that operates like...
What’s Next for China’s Yuan Payment System? Adviser Banks on Close Trade Partners
Former ICBC chairman Chen Siqing urged China to embed its Cross‑border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) into bilateral trade frameworks, especially with Belt‑Road and RCEP partners, as geopolitical tensions heighten reliance on non‑US payment networks. He highlighted CIPS’s rapid growth, processing...
Financial Statements of the ECB for 2025
The European Central Bank posted a €1.3 billion loss for 2025, a sharp improvement from the €7.9 billion deficit recorded in 2024. The turnaround stems mainly from a dramatic reduction in net interest expense as liability remuneration rates fell and TARGET balances...
Banks – and Google – Open to Gemini-Powered Exfil via Public API Keys, Researchers Say
Security firm Truffle Security revealed that publicly exposed Google API keys can be upgraded to full‑access Gemini credentials, enabling data exfiltration from any organization using them. A November scan uncovered 2,863 such keys, affecting major banks, security vendors, and even...
USDT on TRON Empowers Global Unbanked via Smartphones
With #blockchain technology, people can access financial infrastructure with just a smartphone and internet while living in a place where traditional financial infrastructure is lacking. That’s why millions of users are choosing to use USDT on TRON across the globe. #wealth #finance...
Apple Pay Aiming Launch in India This Year
Apple plans to roll out Apple Pay in India by the end of 2026, pending regulatory clearance and fee agreements with card issuers. The launch will include the Tap to Pay on iPhone feature, enabling NFC‑based contactless payments at retail...
Guidance: Money Laundering Advisory Notice: High Risk Third Countries
The UK Treasury’s Money Laundering Advisory Notice was updated on 26 February 2026 to reflect the latest FATF decisions on High‑Risk Third Countries (HRTC). The revision aligns the UK’s list with jurisdictions identified by FATF as having weak anti‑money‑laundering and terrorist‑financing controls....
Wio Bank and Kibsons Partner to Bolster UAE Food Supply Chains and Reward Grocery Shoppers
Wio Bank PJSC has teamed up with UAE fresh‑food retailer Kibsons to embed digital banking services into the grocery ecosystem. The deal provides supply‑chain finance that improves liquidity and cash‑flow visibility across Kibsons’ import, distribution and e‑commerce operations. From now...
Defining, Measuring, and Communicating the Value of AI
In this Technovation episode, a panel of CIOs discusses how to define, measure, and communicate AI value, sharing real‑world approaches from Ally Financial and Avery Dennison. Satish Muthukrishnan describes Ally’s cautious, 18‑month rollout of Ally.ai, emphasizing risk‑based governance, human‑in‑the‑loop design, and...
Nedbank's Low P/E, High Yield Made It a No‑Brainer
Nedbank absolutely crushing it lately. It was at bargain levels at around the R200 level at a P/E ratio of around 5 and an even lower forward P/E. And people were selling. 😂 It also came with a dividend yield of...
Bunq CEO Ali Niknam Challenges EU Stablecoin Rules
🔵 The banker who sued his central bank and changed European regulation. I sat down with Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of @bunq, at Davos during the WEF 2026 🎥 "𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐪'𝐬 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐬: 𝐀𝐈, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐁𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞...
Singapore Tourism Board Renews Digital Payments Partnership with Ant International
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has renewed its multi‑year strategic partnership with Ant International, extending the Alipay+ unified wallet gateway across the island. The expanded deal adds joint marketing campaigns for key source markets and introduces new digital tools such...
Combat AI Attacks with Automated Zero‑Trust Security
CIOs and CISOs face AI-driven attacks that outpace traditional defenses. The answer: automated AI security, zero-trust frameworks, centralized identity, and regular training. Fighting fire with fire is how we protect organizations. https://t.co/HSIY5JYyPE
Double Standards: Swiss Bank Targeted, Binance Pardoned
The hypocrisy of cutting off a Swiss Bank for facilitating payments to Iran and Russia, while the administration pardons CZ & family does business with Binance... https://t.co/p2PfBgrfDs
Banks Snap up Bonds as Holdings Approach Regulatory Floor
Indian banks are accelerating purchases of government bonds as their sovereign‑debt holdings edge toward the RBI’s 18% regulatory minimum. In February, state‑owned lenders bought a net ₹225.8 billion ($2.5 billion), the largest monthly purchase recorded since Bloomberg began tracking in 2006. Their...
Consumer Fintech Still Holds Massive Untapped Opportunity
There are a lot of reasons for this, but the net-net is tha this is why there's still so much opportunity for consumer fintech.
Circle Surges 30% as USDC Hits $11.9 T
Circle Pops 30% as USDC Prints an $11.9 Trillion Flex The Stock market is seeing an Agentic future in which agents choose regulated USD stablecoins. https://t.co/efPUeNxQsu
Kenya, Uganda in Race to Change Sacco Rules as Losses Hit Members
Kenya and Uganda are overhauling Sacco regulations after a series of collapses and fraud that have eroded member confidence. In Kenya, the Kuscco scandal exposed a $103 million loss, prompting a committee to recommend raising the minimum membership to 100 and...
Revolut IPO Sparks Unprecedented Fintech VC Liquidity
We are going to see previously unheard of liquidity in fintech VC following the @Revolut IPO. "The firm is targeting a valuation of at least $150 billion through any listing." https://t.co/mos6kPJDYO
Kalshi Uses Public Enforcement to Signal Legitimacy
Fascinating to see @Kalshi taking so much action on alleged insider trading Legitimacy through very public enforcement. It's like an inverse regulation by enforcement. It's enforcement by industry to demonstrate being regulated. Kalshi accuses MrBeast editor of insider trading : NPR https://t.co/3sI6leeiBM
Bloomberg: Leveraged Lending Insights – 2/23/2026
US institutional leveraged loan issuance slowed sharply in February 2026, with only $22.85 billion priced to date and $9.54 billion expected by month‑end, far below January’s $164.1 billion. The month‑over‑month drop reflects heightened market uncertainty and tighter credit conditions. Analysts attribute the slowdown...
Tokenize Only High‑Demand, Liquid Assets Like Dollars
Tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs)? Focus on success stories like the dollar and treasuries. It's not about tokenizing everything, but about tokenizing products people actually want to buy. Prioritize liquidity and straightforward assets for the best results. https://t.co/wbcQwGOyOR
OCC's Stablecoin Rulemaking Sparks Yield Uncertainty
The OCC just dropped its proposed rulemaking for stablecoins. Stablecoins have a law now, but they don't have regulation. That's what the big banks and institutions are waiting for. What does it mean for yield? 👇 https://t.co/UL2amptKUw
Recent Changes in Credit Markets and Their Implications for Monetary Policy
The February 2026 bulletin outlines three post‑pandemic credit‑market shifts that have eased financial conditions: bank‑funding cost spreads fell about 70 basis points, variable mortgage‑rate spreads narrowed roughly 65 basis points, and business‑credit supply expanded with non‑bank lenders gaining market share. These...
Deepfake Fraud Costs UK £9.4B, US Must Act
The UK’s £9.4B loss to deepfake-enabled fraud is not a headline, it’s a warning. AI-powered scams are scaling faster than legacy identity and compliance systems can adapt. If the US doesn’t harden digital onboarding, verification, and cross-sector fraud defenses now, the bill...
BoE's Stablecoin Cap Triggers Industry Backlash
The Bank of England’s plan to cap stablecoin holdings is sparking an industry revolt BTW. £5,000 and £20,000 for individuals BTW. £1 million to £10 million for businesses. https://t.co/taO9by7gd2
On the Road to Better Cross-Border Payments: How Is Australia Travelling?
Australia is gradually aligning with the G20 Roadmap for cross‑border payments, having met the universal access target but still falling short on cost, speed and transparency goals. Bank‑based transfers to advanced economies cost about 4 % for a A$1,000 payment, while...
Last Call: Submit Future of Money Designs by Next Week
Entries close next week - FOM 2026 The Future of Money Design Awards give creative thinkers the opportunity to present thought-provoking concepts on money and payments to financial experts and industry leaders. Full brief and submission details 👉 https://t.co/p26tR8lKQA https://t.co/YnTlAM64wt
Stripe Targets PayPal in $159B Mega‑Deal
Stripe may be gearing up for a mega-deal by eyeing PayPal at a $159B tender valuation. If it happens, it would reshape the payments landscape and reignite competition in digital finance. Big bets like this show how fast fintech’s strategic plays are...
Germany's CBMT Consortium Moves to Pre‑Production Trials
Germany's deposit token consortium CBMT evolves for pre-production trials - Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise https://t.co/IECyCEHhQs
GENIUS Act Opens 60-Day Comment Period on Stablecoin Rules
The GENIUS Act rules just dropped 60 days for comments Digging in to this today
Meta Signals Stablecoin Revival with New Payments RFP
Meta is planning stablecoin comeback in the second half of this year: Meta sent out a request for product (RFP) to third-party firms to help administer stablecoin-based #payments. Sources via @CoinDesk. #Facebook #stablecoins #Libra #Diem https://t.co/T5nqMM3ze2