
Global Payments Inc. has finalized its $43 billion acquisition of Worldpay from FIS and GTCR, while divesting its Issuer Solutions unit back to FIS. The merger creates a commerce‑solutions powerhouse serving over 6 million merchants and handling $3.7 trillion in payments across 175 nations. The combined firm will operate through three focused segments—Enterprise, SMB, and Integrated & Platforms—and allocate more than $1 billion annually to innovation. Management targets reducing adjusted net leverage to 3.0× within 18‑24 months, reinforcing its investment‑grade balance sheet.
Quantum computing isn’t science fiction anymore,a nd when it arrives, Bitcoin won’t be able to upgrade overnight. Alex Pruden explains why Bitcoin’s slow governance is exactly why devs need to start preparing now 👇 https://t.co/5TvOPraNmP
Looks like YC-backed Stripe may have cut off merchant acquiring for YC-backed Venezuelan sanctions evasion app Kontigo (English: the main use I gave to @kontigo_app died yesterday. It seems like @stripe stopped their card processor.)

The French securities regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), unveiled its 2026 agenda, centering on confidence‑building measures across the financial sector. AI governance sits at the core of the plan, with a finalized roadmap slated for the year. The...
PayPal veterans Arthi Rajan Makhija, Chirag Vaya and Jayan Tharayil have launched Pinch AI, a fraud‑prevention platform for retail returns, and secured $5 million in seed funding led by Dynamo and Infinity Ventures. The San Jose startup leverages AI to assess...

Citrea, a Bitcoin layer‑2 platform, launched ctUSD, a U.S. dollar‑pegged stablecoin backed 1:1 by short‑term Treasury bills and issued by Moonpay. The token leverages zero‑knowledge proofs to settle transactions directly on Bitcoin, eliminating the need for bridged dollar assets that...
Choosing a vendor portal with the right features can dramatically improve supply‑chain efficiency and vendor relationships. Key capabilities include a user‑friendly interface, secure document management, real‑time communication, customizable dashboards, and robust integration with ERP or accounting systems. These functions streamline...
Bitcoin will reach an ATH... But there are some risks: will long term holders keep selling? https://t.co/5TvOPraNmP

Financial institutions are rapidly adopting AI to fight money‑laundering and sanctions breaches, and explainability has shifted from a technical afterthought to a strategic imperative. SymphonyAI’s new guide outlines how transparent, accountable AI models provide regulators with defensible decisions and give...

Coinbase has withdrawn support for a crypto market‑structure bill, prompting Citron Research to back tokenization platform Securitize and its SPAC vehicle Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT). Citron argues that clearer regulations would benefit Securitize, which has issued over $4 billion in tokenized...
Crypto things you might have missed: -Ripple supports market structure, Coinbase doesn't -XRP search interest surges -CME Group to launch ADA, LINK, XLM futures -Privacy tokens are outperforming -JPMorgan expects crypto inflows to rise in 2026 JOIN THE 10:30 AM LIVESTREAM
"Less than 0.5% of U.S.advised wealth (RIAs, wealth advisors...) is allocated to crytpo." What happens when that grows to just a few percentage points? 💥 https://t.co/5TvOPraNmP
Stripe is deepening its crypto ambitions by integrating Privy, the developer‑focused embedded‑wallet platform it bought in June, into its stablecoin and blockchain initiatives. The company launched Stablecoin Financial Accounts that let users in over 100 countries send, receive and hold...
"In December, you had $1b coming out of bitcoin ETFs... then you saw $1b of inflows in the first 2 trading days of 2026." The institutions are BACK https://t.co/5TvOPrblcn
PNC announced that all employees must return to the office five days a week starting May 4, citing the bank’s relationship‑driven culture and the need for in‑person collaboration. CEO Bill Demchak framed the shift as a natural evolution from the pandemic‑era...
Sats Terminal announced the integration of Morpho into its Borrow interface, giving Bitcoin holders a non‑custodial DeFi borrowing option alongside existing centralized venues. The upgrade lets users wrap BTC, bridge it to the EVM, and secure stablecoins from Morpho while...

Unitary has joined the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) as an associate member, extending its automation platform to the UK broker market. The company leverages its Virtual Agents for Insurance, which previously cut costs by 50% and lifted customer satisfaction...
The article argues that core accounting software has reached a plateau, with recent cloud‑based tools delivering mainly incremental upgrades rather than breakthrough functionality. While AI promises automation, tangible, consistent benefits for accountants remain scarce, and many AI‑driven features feel like...

Stripe has completed its acquisition of Metronome, a billing firm known for a powerful usage‑based metering engine used by AI leaders such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia. The deal, announced on Jan. 14, positions Stripe to embed Metronome’s capabilities into...
Petro promised to turn Venezuela’s natural wealth into digital money. In practice, it never gained trust… or users. @cryptonomista explains why 👇 https://t.co/7i1DdStByz

YouHodler analyst Tony Severino predicts 2026 will be Bitcoin’s pivotal year, with the $74,000 support zone acting as a litmus test for a continued bull market. He warns that failure to hold $100,000 could signal a shift to a bear...
Gigs, a leader in embedded connectivity, has appointed former Adyen Global Head of Payments Edgar Verschuur as Head of Connectivity. Verschuur will spearhead Gigs' strategic push into local consumer plans, global roaming solutions, and enterprise connectivity offerings. The hire signals...
Not vs, just &. BNB Chain vs Ethereum - 2025's EVM adoption trends are now giving way to... - AMBCrypto https://t.co/oYdYxHZgqK.
FinovateEurope 2026’s sneak‑peek highlights four innovators set to demo in London on February 10. AAZZUR offers a vendor‑agnostic, plug‑and‑play platform that can launch banking and card products in four to six months at a fraction of traditional costs. Francis delivers an...

Crypto startup Saturn is launching USDat, a dollar‑denominated token whose returns mirror Strategy’s 11% annualized preferred‑stock dividend. The project secured $800,000 in seed funding, including $500,000 from YZi Labs and $300,000 led by Sora Ventures. USDat converts Strategy’s STRC credit...

The CLARITY Act aims to resolve the SEC‑CFTC jurisdictional split by classifying digital assets and assigning regulatory oversight, paving the way for broader blockchain adoption in government. Proponents argue that blockchain can deliver real‑time, auditable visibility into campaign finance, public...

Republic released its 2025 activity update, spotlighting the launch of Mirror Tokens—digital assets that track private‑company securities—issued under Reg D for accredited investors. The platform reported $500 million in reservations of interest, with SpaceX tokens as the first listing. Across its verticals,...
Choosing a personal loan requires weighing APR, fees, repayment terms, and lender reputation. While a low APR reduces monthly payments, hidden fees and inflexible terms can erode savings. Borrowers must assess eligibility criteria, credit‑score impact, and the flexibility to make...
Visa and Mastercard have filed a federal court reply defending a proposed settlement that would modestly lower interchange fees and grant merchants new card‑acceptance options. The settlement, announced in November, would cut posted credit interchange rates by ten basis points...

Thredd has partnered with Australian payment‑orchestration platform Paywith to launch flexible, customer‑centric card programs. The joint solution leverages Thredd’s API suite, tokenization, 3DS, push provisioning, and fraud monitoring to deliver prepaid cards with earn‑and‑redeem capabilities. Paywith can now bring these...

Ripple is providing $150 million to LMAX Group in a multi‑year financing deal to embed its RLUSD stablecoin into LMAX’s global exchange infrastructure. The partnership will make RLUSD a core collateral and settlement asset across spot crypto, perpetual futures and CFDs,...

GrowthPal announced a $2.6 million funding round led by Ideaspring Capital to fast‑track its AI‑driven M&A sourcing platform and broaden its global footprint. The solution replaces traditional banker networks with AI agents that scan a database of over four million technology...
Buy‑now‑pay‑later provider Affirm Holdings announced a pilot with fintech platform Esusu to extend its installment loans to renters. The service will let eligible tenants split rent into two interest‑free payments every two weeks, with some qualifying for zero‑APR loans. While...
Lingfeng Capital announced the upcoming launch of its Digital Venture Fund (DVF), a regulated, tokenised venture vehicle. The fund will operate across multiple blockchain networks, giving investors exposure to early‑stage fintech and digital infrastructure projects. By tokenising equity stakes, DVF...
Standard Chartered has completed the first digital bank guarantee transaction using the newly released ICC‑Swift API standards, partnering with Komgo’s Konsole platform. The API‑based workflow automates instruction receipt and guarantee issuance, delivering faster, more transparent service for a global energy...

On‑chain vaults are smart‑contract wallets that automatically allocate stablecoins to the highest‑yielding DeFi strategies. They provide non‑custodial, 24/7 redeemable exposure with yields ranging from 3.7% to over 7%, outpacing many traditional money‑market funds. The piece argues banks could adopt these...

Meld, a digital‑asset infrastructure provider, closed a $7 million strategic funding round led by Lightspeed Faction. The capital will fund expansion of its global stablecoin network, sales force, and customer‑success capabilities. Meld’s platform links more than 150 fiat currencies to a...

Goldman Sachs reported fourth‑quarter 2025 earnings that topped Wall Street forecasts, posting $14.01 earnings per share and $4.62 billion net income, well above analyst expectations. Revenue slipped to $13.45 billion, missing estimates, largely because the Platform Solutions unit logged a $1.68 billion loss...

Feedzai, the AI-native risk‑operations platform, has partnered with Matrix USA to create a global Center of Excellence that accelerates AI‑driven fraud and anti‑money‑laundering (AML) deployments for banks. The collaboration blends Feedzai’s real‑time detection engine with Matrix USA’s advisory and integration...
KH Brokers and LaunchVector dominate the e‑commerce acquisition niche with contrasting business models. KH Brokers acts as a brokerage, delivering a high‑volume, vetted deal pipeline that has facilitated over $14 million in Flippa transactions and offers 100 % ownership at modest profit...
A draft of the U.S. "Clarity Act" proposes that tokens such as XRP, Solana and Dogecoin receive the same legal treatment as Bitcoin and Ethereum if they become the primary asset in a U.S.-listed exchange‑traded product by Jan. 1. The provision...

Los Angeles‑based peer‑to‑peer betting platform Slips raised $3.5 M in a Series Seed round led by Las Olas Capital and Sunset Bay Capital, with participation from Andrew Schwartzberg and other strategic investors. The funding will be used to upgrade the technology...
The 2026 update lists the top ten payroll software options for businesses operating in Qatar, highlighting features such as WPS file generation, attendance integration, and employee self‑service. It outlines seven key criteria for selecting a solution, including compliance with Qatar’s...

A London High Court judge affirmed the UK Payment Systems Regulator’s authority to set a cap on cross‑border interchange fees, delivering a legal defeat to Mastercard, Visa and fintech Revolut. The ruling clears the path for the regulator to design...

57% of banks expect AI agents in risk/compliance. 56% in credit/KYC. But nearly half are still creating roles to supervise them. Governance chasing deployment. https://t.co/5M2Opq6LQC https://t.co/QLL4lGpUqf

Central banks and commercial banks have entered the next testing phase of Project Agora, a BIS‑led initiative to build a multicurrency unified ledger that tokenizes commercial bank deposits alongside wholesale central bank money. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
A bipartisan draft of the Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act was introduced in the House, with Republican Rep. Bryan Steil filing the bill and Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres announcing co‑sponsorship. The legislation adds mandatory fee disclosures, defines “tips,” requires...

In this episode, Hugh Thomas of Javelin Strategy maps the complex AR/AP value chain and explains how banks and card networks can find sustainable roles without overreaching into procurement. He highlights successful partnerships—such as Mastercard with SAP Taulia and Visa’s...

Ark Invest says Bitcoin has entered an institutional maturity phase, driven by spot Bitcoin ETFs and digital‑asset‑treasury strategies that now hold roughly 12% of the total supply. In the 18 months since ETFs were approved, they have attracted more than...

Crypto builders are moving from protocol development to neobank‑style services, leveraging stablecoins to offer on‑chain spending, saving, and borrowing. Projects such as ether.fi and Polygon have accelerated this shift through product launches and acquisitions aimed at stablecoin payments infrastructure. The...