Nedbank Wins Regulatory Approval To Take Majority Stake In Kenya’s NCBA
Nedbank has secured regulatory clearance to acquire a 66% controlling stake in Kenya’s NCBA for $855.5 million, marking one of the largest cross‑border banking deals in recent African history. The acquisition gives Nedbank access to NCBA’s $5.4 billion in assets, more than 60 million customers and a footprint across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Nedbank cites a stagnant South African market and the rapid growth of East Africa’s economies as the catalyst for the transaction. The deal is pending final shareholder approval and is expected to close later this year.
Eye on Crypto: N3XT Partners With YouHodler; Barclays Eyes a Blockchain
N3XT Inc., a blockchain‑powered narrow bank, has teamed up with Web3 lender YouHodler to connect its regulated USD Coin settlement infrastructure with the platform’s crypto‑collateral services. The collaboration will extend instant, programmable stablecoin payments to institutional clients across Europe and Argentina,...
Eltropy Launches Agentic AI Platform for Credit Unions
Eltropy unveiled the industry’s first Agentic AI platform designed specifically for credit unions, offering a secure environment where AI agents can be created, governed, integrated, and deployed. The solution ties together credit unions, FinTech developers, and core system providers through...
Getting Paid Faster in Construction
Payra, a Nashville‑based fintech startup, announced a $15 million growth investment from Edison Partners to accelerate its accounts‑receivable automation platform for construction and building‑materials suppliers. The solution plugs into virtually any legacy ERP, even systems up to 30 years old, allowing contractors...
Newmark Arranges $172.5M Acquisition Financing for The Ben, Autograph Collection
Newmark arranged a $172.5 million acquisition loan for The Ben, Autograph Collection, a 208‑key luxury hotel in West Palm Beach, on behalf of Related Ross. The financing was supplied by Nomura and led by Newmark’s senior debt team. The Ben, delivered...
The Evolution of Payment and the Flavour of the Decade
The article traces payment evolution and argues that account‑based payments have become Nigeria’s “flavour of the decade.” It shows how each historic method—from barter to paper money—addressed frictions, but cards introduced new complexities that were overcome by direct bank‑to‑bank transfers....
Payment by ACH: A Secure, Cost-Effective Solution for Modern Electronic Transfers
Payment by ACH has solidified its role as a secure, low‑cost electronic transfer method in the United States. By moving funds in batch‑processed streams, ACH reduces fees and manual effort compared with checks, wires, or credit cards. The network supports...
AI Agents Are Increasingly Being Leveraged by Crypto Crime Networks, Report Reveals
TRM Labs reports that autonomous AI agents are now handling cryptocurrency fund transfers without human oversight, dramatically accelerating money‑laundering operations. Illegal crypto flows reached $158 billion in 2025, while AI‑powered scams grew roughly 500 % year‑over‑year. These agents can split funds, select...
DTCC to Launch Equities Data Portals
DTCC announced the upcoming launch of next‑generation equities data portals that will give clients a unified view of clearing, settlement and post‑trade processing information from its NSCC and DTC subsidiaries. The portals, built on Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud, feature intuitive...
Dwight Capital Expands Servicing Platform With Midland State Bank Deal
Dwight Capital has purchased Midland States Bank’s HUD mortgage‑servicing rights portfolio, encompassing more than $500 million in unpaid principal balance tied to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living centers, and hospitals. The acquisition pushes Dwight’s total loan‑servicing assets above $15 billion, reinforcing its...
The Majority of Businesses Manage Payments Through Disconnected Systems, Corefy’s 2025 Study Finds
Corefy’s State of Payment Maturity 2025 study, based on 672 global assessments, reveals that 58.5% of businesses still operate fragmented payment systems, limiting visibility and control. While manual handling has fallen to just 1%, only 11.7% of firms have reached...
Platinum Credit Uganda Secures $4m to Boost MSME Lending
Platinum Credit Uganda, a Platcorp subsidiary, secured a $4 million, 24‑month investment from Swiss asset manager Symbiotics to broaden financing for low‑income households and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Uganda. The capital, disbursed on 22 December 2025, enabled a phased rollout...
Standard Chartered Earns Over $1 Billion in Sustainable Finance Income
Standard Chartered reported $1.07 billion in sustainable finance income for 2025, a 9% increase year‑over‑year and surpassing its $1 billion target. The Banking division contributed $610 million, growing 11%, while Transaction Services and Markets added $340 million and $117 million respectively. The bank also achieved...
Why Financial Reports Matter When Choosing a Swiss Bank
Financial reports are the most reliable indicator of a Swiss bank’s strength, offering transparent evidence beyond brand reputation. Regular, audited statements that detail capital, liquidity, and risk disclosures allow prospective clients—especially non‑residents—to assess stability and resilience. Easy access to these...
Exclusive: Mintoak Plans to Acquire Dubai-Based ICC Loyalty
Mintoak, the Mumbai‑based merchant SaaS platform, will raise Rs 80 crore in debt through non‑convertible debentures issued by BlackSoil to fund the acquisition of Dubai‑based loyalty‑tech firm ICC Loyalty. This marks the company’s second acquisition in twelve months, after buying Digiledge in...
Philippine Bank Deposits Hit ₱21 Trillion as Account Numbers Surge
Total deposit liabilities in the Philippine banking system climbed to ₱20.9 trillion at the end of Q3 2025, a 7.3% year‑on‑year rise driven by a 20.4% surge in deposit accounts to 166.6 million. The increase followed a March 2025 decision to double...
Circle Launches USDCx on Cardano via xReserve Integration
Circle has integrated its xReserve platform with Cardano, launching USDCx—a dollar‑pegged stablecoin fully backed by USDC—directly on the Cardano network. The token uses Circle’s Gateway and Cross‑Chain Transfer Protocol to move USDC across chains without third‑party bridges, allowing deposits from...
Bridging the Payment Gap: Why Suppliers Are Taking Control
Supply‑chain cash flow is tightening as buyers cling to cash, pushing late‑payment rates to 55% and on‑time payments down to 37%. SAP Taulia’s survey of 10,854 suppliers shows a five‑year high 66% interest in early‑payment programs. Suppliers are counter‑acting by adopting...
AI Adoption in Financial Services Has Hit a Point of No Return
AI adoption in financial services is now near‑universal, with only 2% of institutions reporting no AI use. The Finastra State of the Nation 2026 survey of 1,509 senior executives shows 60% improved AI capabilities and 43% rank AI as their...
‘The People Vs VBS’: Watch Trailer For Wild Story Of South African Bank That Collapsed Under The Weight Of Financial...
South Africa’s VBS Mutual Bank, once a flagship black‑owned lender, was declared insolvent in 2018 after billions of rand were siphoned through a massive fraud orchestrated by senior executives. The scandal, which implicated politicians, auditors and even a former president,...
Europe and UK Chart New Course for Digital Asset Regulation
Luxembourg's CSSF released Version 7 of its digital‑asset FAQ, aligning fund rules with the EU MiCAR framework. UCITS can now gain indirect exposure to crypto assets up to 10% of NAV, while direct exposure remains barred; AIFs may invest directly, with...
Embedding Security: Designing Fraud Risk Out of Business Transactions
Embedded finance is set to exceed $7 trillion in transaction volume by 2026, cementing its role as core infrastructure for business platforms. However, fraud attempts are rising two to three times faster than in traditional banking, outpacing legacy detection tools. The...
52% of Small Businesses Don’t Revolve Their Credit Card Balances
A PYMNTS Intelligence study of 583 U.S. small and medium‑sized businesses reveals that credit cards are now a primary operating tool rather than a backup. Over half of SMBs (54%) mix business and personal cards, 82% rely on cards for...
The EBA Publishes Its Final Guidelines on Instruments for the Capital Endowment Requirement for Third-Country Branches
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has issued its final Guidelines on the capital endowment requirement for third‑country branches under the Capital Requirements Directive. The Guidelines enumerate eligible instruments—government, central‑bank, public‑sector or multilateral guarantees that receive a 0 % risk weight—and set...
10 Payments Effectiveness Metrics Every Corporate Treasurer Should Track in Uncertain Times
Corporate treasurers are urged to expand beyond traditional efficiency measures and adopt ten payments effectiveness metrics that reveal how well transactions complete, where failures occur, and what risks persist. The metrics cover exceptions, processing time, authorization and success rates, chargebacks,...
Safra Group Closes Saxo Bank Takeover, Daniel Belfer Named CEO
J. Safra Sarasin Group has completed the purchase of a 71% stake in Copenhagen‑based Saxo Bank for €1.609 billion, after securing approvals from FINMA and the Danish regulator. The deal, initially announced in March 2025, was adjusted downward following a $50 million AML fine....
What Will Money Look Like in 2050 and Beyond?
The article traces money’s evolution from medieval tally sticks to paper cash and predicts that by 2050 physical currency will be a relic. It highlights the rapid rise of digital currencies, tokenisation, and AI‑driven financial agents. The author envisions a...
Intermediaries See Shift to Fixed Income Ahead of Rate Cuts, Eye New Markets for Growth: BOS Survey
A Bank of Singapore survey of 90 senior intermediaries across Singapore, Greater China and Dubai shows a clear shift toward fixed‑income products as investors brace for anticipated rate cuts. One‑third of respondents expect rising demand for bonds, while alternative investments...
UnionBank Profit Dropped to P10B in 2025
UnionBank of the Philippines reported a 17% drop in net income for 2025, posting P10 billion versus P12 billion the prior year. Despite the profit dip, net revenues climbed to P83.2 billion, driven by robust loan growth and higher transaction volumes. The bank’s...
The Fintech Showdown Before PhonePe’s IPO
PhonePe is positioning an IPO for FY27, with an April filing window being discussed, while investors scrutinize its path to sustainable profitability. The fintech’s latest filing shows a shift from consumer‑centric payments to a higher share of merchant transactions and...
OFS Capital Corp (OFS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
OFG Bancorp reported a 17% year‑over‑year increase in diluted EPS, supported by a modest 2% rise in core revenues and a favorable tax benefit. Commercial loans expanded to $3.5 billion, now representing 43% of the loan book, while retail deposits grew...
Ticker Launches Latest Show BROKER BUSINESS for Mortgage Professionals
Ticker News has launched Broker Business, a new finance‑focused series aimed at Australia’s more than 20,000 mortgage and finance brokers. Hosted by Rex Afrasiabi, founder of New Chapter Legal, the weekly program delivers practical, broker‑to‑broker conversations on client acquisition, scaling...
NAB Celebrates Power of Partnership in Building a Life Through Home in New Campaign via TBWA
NAB unveiled its latest Home Lending campaign under the "Your Partner at Every Stage" platform, reinforcing the bank’s "More than Money" promise that banking is a partnership, not just a transaction. The campaign uses a stage metaphor to illustrate support...
Asia-Pacific Fintech Funding Hits Decade-Low in 2025 as Investors Stay Cautious: KPMG
Fintech investment in Asia‑Pacific fell to a decade low in 2025, totaling $9.3 billion across 763 transactions, down from $11.7 billion in 2024. Venture capital supplied $7.5 billion of that amount, while mergers and acquisitions contributed $1.7 billion and private equity under $0.1 billion. Funding...
Judge Rules Against Binance in Arbitration Bid for Crypto Token Lawsuits
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter denied Binance’s bid to compel arbitration for class‑action lawsuits alleging unregistered token sales. The ruling holds that Binance failed to adequately notify users of the 2019 arbitration clause and that the class‑action waiver is ambiguous,...
Capital One Venture X Business Card Review: Powerful Earnings, Tons of Perks
The Capital One Venture X Business card is a premium charge card targeting small‑business owners, offering a 150,000‑mile welcome bonus after $30,000 spend and a $395 annual fee. It delivers flat‑rate earnings—10 X miles on Business Travel hotels and rentals, 5 X on flights...
Philippines Eyes $800-Million ADB Backstop for North-South Commuter Railway Operator
The Philippines is seeking up to $800 million from the Asian Development Bank as a partial credit guarantee to backstop availability payments for the North‑South Commuter Railway (NSCR) operator. The guarantee, equivalent to 24 months of payments, aims to mitigate government...
Iran's Central Bank Raises Money Transfer Caps
On March 2, Iran’s Central Bank lifted daily transfer limits across its banking system to ease pressure from high inflation and the ongoing war. The POL instant network cap rose to IRR 1 billion, card‑to‑card limits to IRR 150 million, and payment transaction ceilings to...
Visa Targets North Africa Growth with New Egypt, Libya and Sudan Sub-Region
Visa announced a new sub‑regional structure covering Egypt, Libya and Sudan, part of its broader North Africa, Levant and Pakistan growth strategy. The reorganisation appoints Malak El Baba as country manager for the three markets and moves veteran Ahmed Mohey...
Banking on Nonbanks
The IMF paper documents a rapid rise in non‑bank financial institution (NBFI) subsidiaries within banking groups, now accounting for about 32 % of syndicated loan origination in 2024. When macroprudential policies tighten bank‑level constraints, bank subsidiaries cut lending by roughly 1 %,...
Dune Analytics Introduces Stablecoin Datasets
Dune Analytics has launched a stablecoin dataset designed for enterprise and institutional users, consolidating transfer records, pricing, and token metadata across EVM‑compatible chains, Solana and soon Tron. The offering includes both free and premium tables that normalize balances, label addresses...
Stablecoin Yields in Spotlight as US Senators Raise Deposit Flight Alarm
U.S. Senate Banking Committee leaders raised alarms that stablecoin yields could trigger a deposit flight from traditional banks. Lawmakers worry the high‑interest returns on payment‑stablecoins mimic savings accounts but lack regulatory safeguards. The hearing highlighted the tension between stablecoins’ rapid,...
The Fintech Stack
Fintech operates on a five‑layer stack, from foundational payment rails to end‑to‑end financial journeys. The bottom rail layer comprises card networks, ACH, SWIFT and emerging blockchain protocols that move money. Above that, capabilities such as KYC, AML, fraud detection and...
Why Getting a Digital Wallet Is a Smart Financial Move
Digital wallets have shifted payments from physical cards to smartphones, with services like Apple Pay and Google Pay gaining mainstream traction. By leveraging tokenization and encryption, they protect card data better than traditional chip cards. Consumers can store multiple credit,...
Fideo Intelligence Launches Verify For Payments
Fideo Intelligence unveiled Verify for Payments, a real‑time identity intelligence API aimed at payment service providers, fintechs, and banks. The solution targets synthetic identity fraud, promising 47% higher detection rates than traditional KYC checks while delivering sub‑second responses. By tapping...
Interview: Booshan Rengachari, Founder and CEO of Finzly
Finzly, founded in 2012, delivers BankOS—a cloud‑native operating system that consolidates ACH, Fedwire, SWIFT, RTP, FedNow and tokenized assets behind a single API, letting banks retire fragmented legacy cores. In October 2025 the firm introduced Agentic Galaxy, AI agents that...
JPMorgan Warns a ‘Parallel Banking System’ Is Emerging—And It Could Put Trillions in Deposits at Risk
JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum warned that interest‑bearing stablecoins are forming a "parallel banking system" that lacks the prudential safeguards of traditional deposits. Treasury estimates up to $6.6 trillion of bank deposits could be exposed if the regulatory loophole remains open. Lawmakers...
NoCFO Taps Salt Edge to Deliver In-App ‘Pay by Bank’ for SMEs in Finland and Germany
NoCFO, the AI‑native financial management platform, has partnered with open‑banking specialist Salt Edge to embed a Pay‑by‑Bank payment‑initiation service directly into its app. The new feature lets Finnish SMEs approve and pay invoices without leaving the platform, currently serving more than...
LAST DAY: Get a 25% Bonus on HSBC Premier Credit Card Points Conversions to Avios
HSBC is offering a limited‑time 25% bonus on converting HSBC Premier credit‑card points to British Airways Avios, ending at midnight on 28 February 2026. The bonus applies only to transfers into a BA Avios account and the bonus points usually arrive instantly,...
Tether Has Blocked $3.5 Billion in Crime-Linked Stablecoins Since 2023
Tether has frozen $3.5 billion of USDT linked to illicit activity since 2023, bringing the total frozen amount to $4.2 billion since the stablecoin’s launch. The company, which now has over $180 billion of USDT in circulation, can remotely lock tokens at law‑enforcement...