The European Supervisory Authorities and UK Financial Regulators Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Oversight of Critical ICT Third-Party Service Providers...
The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to coordinate oversight of critical ICT third‑party service providers under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). The MoU defines principles for information sharing, joint monitoring and coordination, and confirms that the UK’s confidentiality and professional secrecy regime is deemed equivalent to the EU’s. By aligning oversight mechanisms, the agreement seeks to strengthen third‑party risk management and overall operational resilience across the EU and UK financial sectors. The framework is grounded in DORA Articles 36, 44 and 49.
Know Before You Share: Be Mindful of Data Aggregation Risks
Financial data aggregators consolidate accounts into a single dashboard, using either APIs or screen‑scraping to retrieve information. While APIs provide scoped, credential‑free access, many providers still rely on screen‑scraping, which requires users to share login details. The article highlights privacy,...
Following the Crowd: Investing and Social Media
Investors, especially those under 35, are turning to social media for investment ideas, with 60% of young investors citing it as an information source. The article presents five practical tips—evaluate sources, keep emotions out of decisions, understand day‑trader, margin and...
Zero Blockchain Claims 2 Million TPS Per Node
2,000,000 TPS?! 🤯 In this Unchained episode, Bryan Pellegrino joins me to walk through: 👀 How frustration with Ethereum's direction pushed LayerZero Labs decided to launch Zero blockchain 💥 How the team says it has achieved 2M TPS per node...
AI Disrupts Financials. Bad Data Misleads On Economy.
Altruist, a wealth‑management startup, rolled out AI‑driven tax‑planning tools, prompting a sharp sell‑off in legacy financial firms such as Charles Schwab, LPL Financial and Morgan Stanley. The reaction reflects investor anxiety that AI could erode traditional advisory revenue streams. Despite...
Shorooq, PayLater Sign MOU to Explore Institutional Credit Facility
UAE‑based investment firm Shorooq has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar’s first QCB‑licensed, Sharia‑compliant BNPL provider PayLater to explore a scalable, institutional‑grade credit facility. The proposed financing would be non‑dilutive and aligned with Sharia principles, giving PayLater capital to...
Saudi Fintech SiFi Raises $20 Million Series A Led by Ra’ed Ventures
Saudi fintech Simplified Financial Solutions Company (SiFi) secured a $20 million Series A round led by Ra’ed Ventures, with participation from QED Investors, Breyer Capital, MEVP and several local backers. The financing follows a $10 million seed round, bringing total capital raised to...
Next Steps for Establishing a Bond Consolidated Tape Provider
The FCA has signed a contract with Etrading Software (ETS) to build a UK bond consolidated tape, aiming to deliver a high‑quality data stream for investors. The tape will improve price discovery, liquidity, and market transparency, supporting the UK’s competitive...
Emil the Seal Hijacks Waterloo Station to Warn Commuters About Investment Scams
The FCA staged a pop‑up ATM at London Waterloo featuring its mascot Emil the Seal to promote its new Firm Checker tool. The stunt highlighted that around 700,000 adults lost money to investment scams in the past year. The interactive...
AI Live Testing: How It Can Support Safe and Responsible AI Deployment
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has opened a second application window for its AI Live Testing programme, inviting firms to trial AI‑driven services in real‑world market conditions with regulatory oversight and technical support from Advai. The initiative targets companies...
The FCA’s Long Term Review Into AI and Retail Financial Services: Designing for the Unknown
Sheldon Mills announced that the FCA is undertaking a long‑term review of artificial intelligence in retail financial services, with findings to be presented to the board this summer. The review will explore how generative AI, multimodal models and autonomous agents...
Gemini Payments UK Ltd and Gemini Intergalactic UK Ltd Exit the UK Market
Gemini Payments UK Ltd and Gemini Intergalactic UK Ltd announced a complete market exit, closing all UK customer accounts on 6 April 2026. The e‑money arm will operate normally until 4 March, after which accounts shift to withdrawal‑only mode from 5 March. Crypto‑asset services...
Independent Assessment to Support Establishment of a Future Entity
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released a letter to trade associations announcing KPMG’s appointment to conduct an independent assessment of proposals for a Future Entity that would set standards for UK open‑banking APIs. The assessment will evaluate governance, technical...
Conversation with… David Gebhardt, Head of Enterprise – Merchant Services at Wordline
David Gebhardt, Head of Enterprise – Merchant Services at Worldline, outlines the evolution from hardware‑centric POS to service‑focused merchant solutions and introduces the One Commerce platform. He emphasizes that improving acceptance rates by just a few percent can unlock massive...
Banks, Stablecoins, and Base by Coinbase: Fighting for Open Money Without Gatekeepers
The article argues that the U.S. legislative debate over stablecoins will decide whether digital dollars become bank‑like deposits or remain programmable assets that spur competition. It highlights how stablecoins now serve as payment rails, collateral, and yield sources, prompting banks...
Fund Manager FINQ Lets AI Run US ETFs
FINQ has introduced two U.S. large‑cap equity ETFs—AIUP and AINT—where an artificial‑intelligence model exclusively selects, weights and rebalances holdings. The AI engine ranks every S&P 500 component daily using market, financial and textual data, guiding long‑only and long‑short exposures respectively. The...
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What Is World Liberty Financial? What to Know About The Trump Family's Crypto Firm
World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto venture, has applied for a national banking charter and launched WLFI Markets, a DeFi platform that lets users borrow and earn points using its USD 1 stablecoin and WLFI token. The WLFI token, which...
How Printable Check Designs Simplify Modern Business Payments
Printable check designs are gaining traction as businesses seek to modernize traditional payment methods while retaining the benefits of paper checks. By using on‑demand templates, companies can generate professional checks directly from accounting software, eliminating bulk ordering and reducing turnaround...
Citadel and Cathie Wood Back Zero, a New Blockchain Designed for Traditional Finance
LayerZero, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia, unveiled Zero—a new blockchain built for traditional finance. The network leverages zero‑knowledge proofs to claim 2 million transactions per second at sub‑cent costs, far outpacing Solana’s 100k TPS limit. Wall Street heavyweights including Citadel Securities,...
Interactive Brokers Taps Coinbase for ‘Perpetual-Style’ Crypto Futures
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) has launched nano‑sized Bitcoin and Ethereum futures by partnering with Coinbase Derivatives, offering both monthly‑expiry and perpetual‑style contracts. The new products give IBKR’s 4.5 million clients access to crypto derivatives previously limited to specialist exchanges. This follows IBKR’s...
China Bitcoin Legalization Is Priced at 5% but Beijing’s February 2026 Ban 2.0 Made One Detail Brutal
Polymarket traders are pricing the chance that China will legalise on‑shore Bitcoin purchases at roughly 5%, reflecting a low‑probability bet on policy reversal. In February 2026 Beijing issued a sweeping “Ban 2.0” notice that broadened the illegal‑financial‑activity classification to include marketing,...
Developer Colony Ridge to Pay $68M in DOJ, Texas Settlement
Houston developer Colony Ridge Development LLC agreed to a $68 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the CFPB and Texas over allegations of discriminatory, predatory lending targeting Hispanic immigrants. The deal allocates $48 million to flood‑control, road and utility upgrades...
Onchain Options Volumes Hit All-Time Highs as Lending Yields Dry Up
On‑chain options activity surged to record levels, posting $44 million of volume in the first week of February and $28 million in the final week of January. More than 80% of this trade flow is dominated by two protocols—Ithaca and Derive—which together...
US Private Credit Market Adapts to Post Rate Hike Environment : Analysis
PitchBook’s latest report shows U.S. private credit remaining resilient despite a modest year‑over‑year dip in January transaction volume. Eight mega‑deals exceeding $1 billion offset the slowdown, while mid‑market issuance stayed robust, highlighting depth in smaller opportunities. Leveraged‑buyout transactions shifted toward fewer,...
Curql Funds Stablecore to Secure Credit Union Deposits
Curql, a coalition of over 160 credit unions, announced a strategic investment in Stablecore, a digital‑asset core platform. The move follows the July passage of the GENIUS Act and other regulatory shifts that are easing the path for stablecoins in...
Ex-SafeMoon CEO Gets 8-Year Prison Sentence for Defrauding Investors
Former SafeMoon chief Braden John Karony received a 100‑month (eight‑year) prison sentence after a federal trial in New York. The Department of Justice ordered him to forfeit $7.5 million and two residences. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud,...
Ethereum Becomes Rail of Choice for Crypto-Curious Bankers
Major U.S. banks are reviving Ethereum‑based solutions, especially Layer‑2 networks, to launch tokenized deposits and cross‑border payments. Projects such as JPMCoin on Base, Citi’s USD tokens, and a SWIFT‑backed Ethereum platform illustrate growing institutional confidence. Legislative moves like the GENIUS...
Mastercard and Bosta Target Egypt’s eCommerce Market With Logistics Incentives
Mastercard and Egyptian logistics platform Bosta have launched a joint initiative that offers Mastercard Business cardholders discounted access to Bosta’s e‑commerce logistics services. The program is aimed at small‑ and medium‑sized businesses seeking streamlined fulfillment, inventory management and real‑time analytics....
Ledger Adds OKX DEX Integration for On-Device Token Swaps
Ledger has embedded OKX DEX into its Ledger Wallet app, allowing users to perform multichain token swaps directly from a hardware‑secured environment. The integration leverages OKX’s X‑Routing technology to aggregate liquidity across hundreds of DEXs, delivering more efficient pricing. Initially, the...
Kalshi Scores Record $1 Billion in Super Bowl Trade Volume
Kalshi, a regulated prediction‑market platform, logged over $1 billion in trading volume on Super Bowl Sunday, a daily record and a 2,700% increase year‑over‑year. The surge included more than $100 million on halftime entertainment contracts, notably Bad Bunny’s opening song. Despite the traffic...
Goldman Sachs Holds Over $2 Billion in Crypto
Goldman Sachs disclosed $2.36 billion in crypto assets in its Q4 2025 13F filing, marking a modest rise from the prior year. The portfolio is split between $1.1 billion of Bitcoin, $1 billion of Ethereum, $153 million of XRP, and $108 million of Solana, representing less...
Visa Insights Reveal Christmas Spending in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Grows 45%
Visa’s latest consumer‑spending analysis shows Christmas‑time purchases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo surged 45% year‑over‑year, pushing total holiday spend to roughly $120 million. The jump was driven by a sharp rise in mobile‑wallet usage and higher average transaction values,...
Klarna Backs Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to Power the Future of ‘Agentic’ Shopping
Klarna announced its support for Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a framework designed to standardise AI‑driven, “agentic” shopping experiences. The move extends Klarna’s multi‑year partnership with Google, building on prior collaborations such as the Agent Payments Protocol and Google Pay....
Paysecure Receives Best Payments Industry Newcomer Award at Card and Payments Awards 2026
Paysecure won the Best Payments Industry Newcomer Award at the Card and Payments Awards 2026 in London. Judges praised its payment orchestration platform, extensive partnership network, and rapid growth. The accolade highlights the company’s ability to unify access to a...
Regional Bank Execs Love Mobile Apps, Fear Wire Transfer Fraud
Regional midsize and community banks are prioritizing mobile banking apps, with 54% ranking them among the top five technology spend categories for 2026. At the same time, 42% of respondents view agentic artificial intelligence as the most significant catalyst for...
UK Central Bank Taps Firms to Test Elements of Distributed-Ledger Settlement Infrastructure
The Bank of England has launched the Synchronisation Lab, a six‑month pilot starting spring 2026 that lets 18 firms test tokenised‑asset settlement between its next‑generation RTGS core ledger (RT2) and external distributed‑ledger platforms. The non‑live environment will explore delivery‑versus‑payment, payment‑versus‑payment and...
Prediction Market Kalshi Reached $1bn in Trading Volume During Super Bowl
Kalshi, a U.S.‑based prediction market, recorded over $1 billion in trading volume on Super Bowl Sunday, a 2,700% year‑over‑year surge. More than $145 million was wagered on Bad Bunny’s opening song and $45 million on his guest performers, despite the platform not running a...
Show HN: Stripe-No-Webhooks – Sync Your Stripe Data to Your Postgres DB
The open‑source "stripe-no-webhooks" library lets developers integrate Stripe payments without writing webhook code. It syncs product plans, subscriptions, credits, wallets and usage data directly into a PostgreSQL schema, handling all webhook processing automatically. The package includes a CLI for initializing...
Ebanx Predicts Pix Captures Half of Brazil Online Sales by 2028
Brazil’s instant‑payment system Pix is set to dominate e‑commerce, accounting for 45% of online sales by the end of 2026 and reaching a 50% share by 2028, according to payments firm Ebanx. The platform already eclipsed credit cards in 2025...
Cross River Bank Boosts Credit Facility for Neobank Upgrade
Cross River Bank raised its credit line for neobank Upgrade from $150 million to $250 million, adding $100 million of liquidity. The boost is intended to fund Upgrade’s expanding suite of consumer credit products, including personal loans, BNPL, and auto financing. Since its...
Struggling Coinbase Gets Price Target Cut From JPMorgan Ahead of Thursday Earnings
Coinbase’s shares have fallen more than 50 % since Bitcoin’s October rally, prompting JPMorgan to lower its price target to $290 from $399 ahead of the Q4 earnings release. The new target still implies about 75 % upside from the current $1,655...
Earn High Yield From Insurance Products With Re
Re is a DeFi protocol that tokenizes access to U.S. reinsurance markets through two yield‑bearing tokens. The lower‑volatility reUSD token generates about 7% APY by investing in Treasury bills and delta‑neutral ETH basis trades, while the higher‑yield reUSDe token targets...
Profit on Paper ≠ Cash; Forecast to Stay Afloat
You can have your best year ever, revenues up 500%. ...yet STILL run out of money. 💀 Cash and profit are not the same thing. Your P&L says you made $250K in paper profits. But that cash isn't sitting in your bank account. It...
Crypto Shifts Focus From Infrastructure to Vibrant Apps
"The era of infra for the sake of infra in crypto is over. We needed to facilitate a vibrant application ecosystem." @NamikMuduroglu from MegaETH https://t.co/afdHBJ8VQK
Top Benefits of Working With a UI UX Design Agency
In a digital‑first economy, user experience determines product success, making professional UI/UX design agencies a strategic necessity. Agencies apply research‑driven methods—personas, testing, analytics—to create user‑centered interfaces that boost satisfaction and retention. Their strategic approach aligns design with business goals, delivering...
Software Creators Not Liable for Users' Money Transmission Violations
“You shouldn't be found guilty of unlicensed money transmision only because other people used your software” https://t.co/afdHBJ8VQK
7 Best No-Code AI App Builders I Tested in 2026
Over 20 no‑code AI app builders were evaluated, with seven emerging as production‑ready. Platforms like Zite, Bubble, FlutterFlow, Figma Make, Base44, ToolJet and Glide each excel in specific use cases, from business workflows to native mobile apps. Zite stands out...
Web3 Audit: What It Is, What It Covers, and How Teams Choose an Auditor (2026)
In 2026 a web3 audit must be scoped around the entire value‑moving system—on‑chain code, privileged controls, integrations, and any off‑chain components that can affect outcomes. Most security gaps arise from what teams leave out of scope, such as front‑end risk,...
Credit Access Remains Lifeline for 40% Struggling Consumers
Check out the panel hosted by @CreditOneBank, where we discussed how access to credit is a financial lifeline, especially given that 40% of consumers have trouble obtaining credit from traditional banking organizations. #financialhealth #financialwellness #creditcards #ad https://t.co/lMc0qdw4Uj
Texas Capital CEO Touts Transformation Amid M&A Chatter
Texas Capital Bank, a $31.5 billion‑asset lender, completed a multi‑year transformation that boosted profitability and expanded its product suite. Net income swung from a $65.6 million loss to a $100.9 million gain in Q3 year‑over‑year, and revenue reached $1.26 billion in 2025. CEO Rob...