Three Surprising Insights From The Forrester Wave™: Merchant Payment Providers, Q1 2026
The latest Forrester Wave™ for Merchant Payment Providers reveals that uptime is no longer a competitive edge; instead, strategic factors dominate. Five of nine evaluated vendors have recently undergone leadership or ownership changes, prompting potential shifts in pricing, packaging, and strategic focus. Vendors now differentiate primarily by the speed of adopting innovations and regulatory mandates rather than raw capability sets. Ultimately, merchants must align with providers whose pace, performance, and partnership model match their growth ambitions.
Inside a Startup Building Tools for AI Agents
Circuit & Chisel, a New York startup founded by former Stripe crypto executives, raised $19.2 million to launch ATXP, an agent transaction protocol that enables AI agents to navigate and execute payments autonomously. The company’s backers include Stripe, Polygon Labs, and Samsung Next, signaling strong...
Building the ROI Case for AP Automation – Webinar Highlights
Controllers Council hosted a webinar, sponsored by AvidXchange, on building a data‑driven ROI case for accounts‑payable (AP) automation. Speakers highlighted the hidden costs of paper‑based AP, from lost invoices to error‑driven delays, and outlined six ROI categories such as labor...
Behind the Idea: Cumbuca
Cumbuca, founded by Daniel Ruhman, acts as a regulatory proxy that grants international fintechs direct access to Brazil’s Central Bank payment infrastructure. By holding its own payment‑institution licence, the company lets clients launch in weeks instead of the years typically required...
Revolut Names US CEO as It Seeks New Banking Licence
Revolut has appointed former Raisin chief executive Cetin Duransoy as its U.S. CEO, coinciding with the fintech’s application for a national bank charter from the OCC and FDIC. The company aims to operate as Revolut Bank US, giving it direct...
Revolut Business Introduces Titan in the UK, Offering 10GB Global Data, Other Incentives
Revolut Business has launched Titan, a premium Visa‑linked corporate card for UK companies, bundling 10 GB of global mobile data, unlimited airport lounge access, and a 1:1 RevPoints rewards scheme. The card integrates real‑time expense tracking, receipt matching, and instant reconciliation...
Nigeria’s Loan Apps Are Pulling Back From the Small Loans that Built Them
Nigeria’s digital lending boom built on instant nano‑loans of ₦5‑10,000 is receding. Regulatory crackdowns on intrusive phone‑data and new FCCPC fines have stripped lenders of cheap risk tools, while credit‑bureau fees and high recovery costs make tiny loans unprofitable. Lenders...
How Ledge Reached $1M ARR with 24 Customers Paying $3K/Month | Tal Kirschenbaum
In this episode, Tal Kirschenbaum, co‑founder and CEO of Ledge, explains how his AI‑native financial close platform reached $1M ARR by serving roughly 24 mid‑market enterprise customers at an average of $3,000 per month. He details Ledge’s focus on automating...
Exclusive: Founded By 2 Brothers In Their 20s, YC-Backed Denki Raises $4.1M To Automate Financial Audits
Denki, a YC‑backed AI startup founded by two brothers, raised $4.1 million to automate financial audits for public companies. The funding, led by Base10 Partners and Shine Capital, comes as fintech AI investment surged 27 % in 2025. Denki’s platform replaces manual,...
Crypto's Long-Term Outlook Better Than Ever, Says Hadick
War in the Middle East. Rate confusion. A stablecoin bill stuck between banks and crypto. And yet: Rob Hadick says the long-term setup for crypto is "as good as it's ever been." Institutional flows, tokenization momentum, DeFi finally showing product-market...
CreditOneBank Actually Serves Underserved Consumers, Others Don't
Almost all financial institutions say they want to support underserved consumers, but few actually ‘walk the walk’ like @CreditOneBank. #creditaccess #financialwellness #ad https://t.co/FvCz5e7Jnp
Reframing Corporate KYC: Encompass Targets Back-Book Exposure with Scalable EC Review
Encompass has introduced EC Review, a scalable service that automates the remediation of legacy corporate KYC records for banks. Using the firm’s EC360 data engine, the solution processes thousands of client profiles in batch, delivering refreshed ownership and control data...
Plaid Poised to Replace Budgeting Apps via API
Feel like @Plaid is very well positioned to make a good user facing api to eat all the garbage budgeting software (mint, monarch, etc) They did the hard part already by building connectors with banks Let me auth in, connect a read...
AI Agents Get Full On‑Chain Wallet Toolkit
You need to understand something. AI agents are going to need real financial rails, i.e. real wallets, real identity, real payments. The team just shipped exactly that. One CLI, everything an agent needs to go onchain on Polygon. We literally just gave...
Self-Custody Startup Bron Adds Inheritance Flow Built Around Guardians and MPC
Bron, a self‑custody wallet provider, introduced a Digital Inheritance feature that lets heirs access a deceased owner’s crypto after a mandatory six‑month delay. The system relies on pre‑selected Guardians who verify recipients and uses multi‑party computation (MPC) to reconstruct lost...
Zero‑Human Companies Are Already Redefining Work with Crypto
The first zero human companies are already using crypto DAO treasuries managing themselves AI agents settling in stablecoins Smart contracts as the entire org chart We're not ready for what this means for employment Or equity Or anything, really
Elon Musk Announces BAAS Beta Test for X Money
Elon Musk confirms the BAAS setup for X money as beta testing has shyly started https://t.co/2l00gddeOG
TransUnion Unveils AI Agent to Accelerate Financial Analytics Workflows
TransUnion announced its AI Analytics Orchestrator Agent, an AI‑driven layer on the TruIQ platform that leverages Google Vertex AI and Gemini models to automate credit analytics. The agent translates natural‑language queries into governed workflows, generating models, studies, and recommendations in...
Revolut Seeks U.S. Banking Charter After Securing UK License
Revolut, which struggled but eventually obtained its U.K. bank charter, has applied for one in the U.S., the company announced this morning: https://t.co/rNHcC6IgWC
Matt Hougan Reveals Weekend Events That Shook Finance
🔥 @Matt_Hougan explains why this past weekends events SHOOK Finance👀🌐 $BTC $ETH $SOL $XRP https://t.co/jmMohP7J34
Affirm’s Full-Stack Ambition Is Bigger than Consumer Finance Alone
Affirm kicked off 2026 with a flurry of strategic announcements, including a rent‑payment partnership with Esusu, a bank‑charter filing, and a debit‑card‑embedded BNPL solution via Fiserv. The firm also secured default checkout status with Bolt and integrated its BNPL service...
Five Unexpected Companies That Could Acquire PayPal
Who Should Acquire PayPal? 5 Potential Acquirers Nobody’s Talking About PayPal is now considered to be a prime acquisition target. Who besides Stripe would be a good acquirer? Here are 5 potential candidates. Try to keep an open mind. https://t.co/rrD4BdDrG8
Beyond Features: Redefine Value in an AI-Driven Market
Your products are no longer differentiators. Digital is expected. Rates are aligned. AI compares features instantly. Competing on what you offer is a losing game. We discuss a different path with Allison Netzer, founder and CEO of BrandThnk. Watch the...
Uganda Development Bank Appoints Peter Mukuru to Lead Digital Transformation Agenda
Uganda Development Bank (UDB) has named Peter Mukuru as Director of Business Technology and Executive Committee member, tasking him with leading the bank’s enterprise‑wide digital transformation. Mukuru arrives with over two decades of experience across development finance, government agencies and...
CMC Markets Begins 24/7 Blockchain Settlements with J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys
CMC Markets has launched a 24/7 blockchain settlement platform in partnership with Kinexys Digital Payments, a JPMorgan unit. The solution uses JPMorgan’s JPMCoin on the public Base blockchain to move cash instantly across currencies and regions. Live testing confirmed near‑real‑time...
Prop Firm JoinX Capital Selects Leverate Trading Infrastructure
Leverate announced a partnership with Swiss‑backed prop‑trading firm JoinX Capital, designating Leverate’s end‑to‑end infrastructure as the technology backbone of JoinX’s global platform. The collaboration supports a community of over 47,500 traders in 184 countries, offering multi‑asset access to Forex, crypto...
Nosh Launches eSIM to Power Global Connectivity & Borderless Digital Payments
Nosh has introduced an eSIM feature that lets users buy, activate, and manage digital SIM plans directly within its app, expanding the fintech’s services beyond digital asset trading and bill payments. The eSIM offering includes data‑only and full voice‑text‑data plans...
Why Portfolio Companies Struggle with Third-Party Cyber Risk
Portfolio companies are grappling with third‑party cyber risk as digital ecosystems expand and vendor reliance grows. Traditional perimeter defenses have eroded, leaving sensitive data and operational resilience dependent on external partners. Lean security teams and rapid onboarding prioritize speed over...
Revolut Files for US Banking Licence
Revolut has formally applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC for a U.S. national bank charter, abandoning an earlier plan to acquire an existing lender. The fintech appointed Cetin Duransoy, a veteran of Capital One and...
Paperclip Enables Fully Autonomous, Zero‑Human Companies
We are nearing economic liftoff and financial singularity And banks are still trying to automate away document ingestion
FCA Smart Data Accelerator Commissions Oxford Saïd and Raidiam for Open Finance Infrastructure Research
The FCA’s Smart Data Accelerator has commissioned a joint research programme between Oxford Saïd Business School and secure data‑ecosystem provider Raidiam. The initiative will design and test infrastructure models for an open‑finance ecosystem in the UK, examining APIs, standardisation, emerging...
Inside the Modern Underwriting Strategy
Underwriting is transitioning from retrospective portfolio reviews to AI‑driven, real‑time decision support. A 2025 Accenture study shows 71% of underwriting executives view AI and automation as critical, and 75% expect meaningful AI impact within three years. Modern workbenches now surface...
Why Credit Union Transformation Is Stalling and How to Fix It
In this episode of the Experience Factor, Jim Roos talks with Jesus Garcia, Chief Experience Officer of Oceanair Federal Credit Union, about why many credit unions are lagging in digital transformation despite ranking it as a top priority. Garcia explains...
DBS Hong Kong Teams with Know Your Customer on Digital KYC
DBS Bank Hong Kong has teamed with RegTech firm Know Your Customer to embed AI‑driven digital KYC into its SME onboarding workflow. The platform provides real‑time business verification and automatic UBO mapping across more than 140 jurisdictions, cutting manual compliance...
Structured Payments Data Strengthens AML Compliance
Financial institutions are accelerating payment‑system upgrades as instant‑payment demand surges, with ISO 20022 becoming the default messaging format on SWIFT after the November 2025 cut‑over. Structured payments data under ISO 20022 enriches transaction details, enabling real‑time AML monitoring and more...
QFEX Launches with $9.5m Seed Round to Disrupt Global Trading
QFEX, a Cambridge‑backed trading exchange, launched after closing a $9.5 million seed round that values the startup at $95 million. The platform offers 24/7 direct trading of traditional assets, perpetual futures with no expiry, and up to 50× leverage, eliminating brokers and...
Arctic Intelligence, BitCompli Team up on Digital Asset Risk Tools
Arctic Intelligence and BitCompli announced a strategic partnership to deliver enterprise‑wide risk assessments for digital‑asset firms worldwide. The collaboration combines Arctic’s Arctic Accelerate platform with BitCompli’s regulatory expertise to meet tightening rules such as the UK FCA, EU MiCA, and...
Capitec’s New AI Tool Knows Your Problem Before You Explain It
Capitec has introduced Pulse, an AI‑powered contact‑centre tool that delivers real‑time context about a client’s issue before the call starts. By aggregating payment data, app diagnostics and risk signals, Pulse enables agents to resolve queries faster, cutting handling times by...
One Multisig, All Chains, Full Team Control
All chains in one multisig. Built for teams to have full control under their fingertips.
After Raising $5.5 Million for Hyperbridge, Polytope Labs Wants to Build for Nigerian Fintechs Too
Polytope Labs, fresh from a $5.5 million raise, is building an on‑chain stablecoin infrastructure to streamline foreign‑exchange settlement for Nigerian fintechs. The product sits atop its Intent Gateway, part of the Hyperbridge protocol, which has already processed roughly $500 million in cross‑chain...
CPI Card Group Inc (PMTS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
CPI Card Group reported third‑quarter 2025 net sales rising 11% year‑over‑year, propelled primarily by the ArrowEye acquisition and strong growth in its instant‑issuance SaaS platform. Gross profit margin contracted to 29.7% from 35.8% due to an unfavorable sales mix, lower...
Robinhood's Exit Fee Demands 4× Referral Revenue
Interesting highlight in this article about the new Robinhood Advisor Network (custodial referral program via TradePMR that pays a 25%-of-fees rev-share for the referral): "For an RIA that ends participation in the program, they will also pay a one-time fee...
Western Union Teams with Crossmint to Support USDPT Stablecoin on Solana
Western Union has teamed with crypto‑payments firm Crossmint to launch its USDPT stablecoin on the Solana blockchain. The collaboration embeds Crossmint’s wallet and payment APIs into Western Union’s infrastructure, allowing fintech platforms to move funds via the stablecoin and tap...
Blueprint for Transaction-Grade Performance in Spring Boot FinTech
A Transaction-Grade Performance Blueprint for Spring Boot FinTech Microservices (Tracing, Histograms, and Kubernetes) https://t.co/fuDRAB4Kme https://t.co/RBC3Sr1zhX
Idemia Public Security, Proof Partner on Single Portable Digital Credential
Idemia Public Security and Proof have announced a strategic partnership to launch a verifiable digital credential (VDC) that merges biometric verification with PKI‑based digital signatures. The solution delivers a single, portable credential that is user‑controlled, privacy‑preserving, and revocable, leveraging selective...
BlockDAG Price Prediction 2026: Pepeto Stands Out as Best Crypto to Buy Now as BDAG Faces Post-Launch Volatility and BitGo...
BitGo Europe launched its crypto‑as‑a‑service platform across all 30 EEA nations under the EU’s MiCA framework, giving banks and fintechs regulated custody, trading and fiat‑on‑ramp APIs. The rollout removes a major regulatory barrier, paving the way for institutional capital to...
Uniswap Price Prediction 2026: Pepeto Presale Stakes a Claim as Best Crypto to Buy Now as UNI Eyes $27M Revenue...
Uniswap’s governance vote on March 2, 2026 proposes extending its fee switch to eight additional Layer 2 networks, potentially adding $27 million in annual revenue and bringing total fee‑burn funding to about $61 million. The move follows BlackRock’s recent investment and pushes UNI toward becoming...
The Pitfalls of the 95% Confidence Paradigm for Banking Data Quality
Bank executives often cite a 95% confidence level as the benchmark for data quality, yet studies show most banks operate at only 80‑90% confidence, which can erode to 50% as data moves through multiple systems. The shortfall has tangible costs:...
Trump Met Coinbase CEO Before Slamming Banks over Crypto Bill: Report
President Donald Trump met privately with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong after a delegation of Coinbase representatives visited the White House. Trump subsequently posted on Truth Social demanding that the U.S. "get Market Structure done, ASAP," and warned banks against undermining...
A Transaction-Grade Performance Blueprint for Spring Boot FinTech Microservices (Tracing, Histograms, and Kubernetes)
FinTech payment‑authorization microservices demand continuous performance tuning, not a one‑off effort. The article presents a transaction‑grade blueprint that combines Kubernetes orchestration, OpenTelemetry tracing, and Prometheus histograms to meet strict latency and error SLOs. It walks through defining service‑level objectives, instrumenting...