Modernizing Payments Is Essential
The Federal Reserve announced Fedwire will run on Sundays and holidays, signaling a regulatory move toward 24‑hour payments. Mihail Duta of Finastra argues banks must modernize to meet digital‑native expectations for instant fund availability. Legacy systems lack the scalability and data richness of ISO 20022, hindering real‑time processing and cross‑border efficiency. Over half of surveyed banks plan to invest in cloud‑based payment hubs to bridge legacy and instant‑payment networks.
EU at Risk of Falling Behind the U.S. in Tokenization Rules, Digital Asset Firms Warn
Eight EU‑regulated digital‑asset firms warned that the bloc’s DLT Pilot Regime is too restrictive and could cause capital‑market activity to migrate to the United States. They cite the U.S. SEC’s recent no‑action letter to DTCC and plans by Nasdaq, NYSE...
Multiliquid, Metalayer Launch Instant Redemption Backstop for RWAs on Solana
Multiliquid and Metalayer Ventures have launched an institutional liquidity facility that offers instant redemption of tokenized real‑world assets (RWAs) on Solana. The backstop acts as a standing buyer, purchasing assets at a dynamic discount to net asset value, with capital...
Trixo Fund South Africa Reviews 2026 – Recommended Platform?
Trixo Fund, launched in 2022, is an AI‑driven automated cryptocurrency trading platform that has quickly expanded into emerging markets, notably South Africa. The service offers real‑time market scanning, signal generation, and fully automated execution while allowing users to set custom...
AI Is Driving Revenue Gains in Financial Services While Slashing Costs, Report Claims
Nvidia's 2026 State of AI in Financial Services report finds 89% of surveyed professionals see AI driving revenue growth while cutting costs. AI adoption has risen sharply, with 65% of firms actively deploying AI, up from 45% last year, and...
Reassessing Risk and Return in the Q4 2025 Outlook
Ortec Finance has published a new whitepaper titled “Q4 Quarterly Outlook – New Year, New Rules?” that leverages its Economic Scenario Generators to assess upcoming economic and market conditions. The report examines recent developments across the global economy and capital...
Why Always-On Compliance Is the Next Step for RegTech
SymphonyAI introduced Always‑on Compliance, a self‑updating RegTech platform that transforms continuous compliance into a real‑time, learning ecosystem. The solution leverages agentic AI to ingest regulatory changes, enrich threat intelligence, and automate AML, sanctions, fraud and KYC workflows. Its cloud‑native, evergreen...
Bitwise Introduces Model Portfolios for Digital Asset Investments
Bitwise Asset Management announced Model Portfolio Solutions for digital assets on February 3, 2026. The suite offers seven pre‑designed crypto portfolios—four Core and three Thematic—aimed at advisors seeking to integrate ETFs into client allocations. With $15 billion in assets under management, Bitwise leverages...
ACAMS Report Analyzes 2026’s Top Financial Crime Threats
ACAMS released its 2026 Global Anti‑Financial Crime Threats Report, surveying 1,400 professionals across 200+ jurisdictions. The study identifies generative AI and large language models as the top external risk, with 75% rating it high or very high. AI‑powered identity fraud,...
Record $1M Lightning Transfer Tests Bitcoin Payments for Institutions
Secure Digital Markets (SDM) sent a $1 million Lightning Network payment to Kraken on Jan. 28, marking the largest publicly reported Lightning transaction to date. The transfer cleared in 0.43 seconds using Voltage’s managed Lightning infrastructure, which offers pre‑provisioned liquidity and uptime guarantees...
Institutions Don't Want More Risk—They Want Bitcoin Yield that Works Like TradFi, Says GlobalStake Co-Founder
Institutional investors are moving away from high‑risk DeFi Bitcoin yield products toward fully collateralized, market‑neutral strategies that mirror traditional finance. GlobalStake co‑founder Thomas Chaffee says the shift is driven by improved controls, infrastructure, and risk profiles rather than a desire...
Crypto Platform Bullish Tops Q4 Estimates, Posts GAAP Loss on Digital Asset Writedowns
Bullish reported adjusted Q4 revenue of $92.5 million, surpassing the $87.8 million consensus, while GAAP earnings showed a $3.73 per‑share loss driven by non‑cash digital‑asset writedowns. The platform logged $64.3 billion in spot‑trading volume and launched an options business that generated $9 billion in...
January in Review: When Partnership Becomes the Product
Fintech‑bank collaborations are moving beyond simple feature swaps toward embedded financial infrastructure. In January 2026 three high‑profile deals illustrated this shift, with partners designing services that sit invisibly inside everyday workflows such as taxes, shopping and rent payments. The PayPal‑April...
Perp Pioneer BitMEX Launches Hyperliquid Copy Trading
BitMEX has launched Hyperliquid Copy Trading, letting its users automatically replicate the positions of top traders on the leading perpetual futures DEX, Hyperliquid. The feature executes trades on BitMEX, supports up to five copied traders, and includes basic risk‑management tools...
Brazil Moves to Ban Algorithmic Stablecoins Like Ethena’s USDe
Brazil's Science, Technology and Innovation Committee approved Bill 4.308/2024, which bars the issuance and trading of algorithmic stablecoins such as Ethena’s USDe and Frax. The bill requires all stablecoins operating in Brazil to be fully backed by segregated reserve assets...
Leverate to Launch Prediction Market Technology for Brokers at iFX EXPO
Fintech firm Leverate will debut a turnkey prediction‑market technology for brokers at iFX EXPO Dubai 2026. The solution lets brokers add event‑based contracts to existing platforms without building pricing, risk or execution infrastructure in‑house. Leverate’s offering follows a recent trend,...
Ethereum Faces Billion Dollar Sell Pressure as Top Crypto Fund Faces $862M High Stakes Liquidation Risk
Trend Research’s Aave‑based leveraged Ethereum position, once peaking at roughly 601,000 ETH and $958 million in borrowed stablecoins, has been systematically unwound as ETH prices slipped. The fund sold over 112,000 ETH since early February, reducing its holdings to 488,172 ETH—about...
Julio Gonzalez Reframing Tax for Technology-Driven GrowthBy KR Media Group
Julio Gonzalez, founder and CEO of Engineered Tax Services, redefines tax planning as an engineered system rather than a year‑end task. He embeds documentation, compliance, and incentive structures into the early stages of technology‑driven companies, aligning tax strategy with scalability...
Crypto's Rise: Replacing Failing States with On‑Chain Order
I have never been more bullish on crypto. Because the rules-based order is collapsing and the code-based order is rising. So the short term price doesn’t matter. As international law breaks down, we will need not just onchain currencies, but onchain companies....
Bank ABC’s Ila Bank Goes Live with Temenos Core on AWS
Bank ABC’s digital‑only ila Bank has migrated its retail account and lending operations to Temenos’ Core Banking platform hosted on Amazon Web Services, completing the first phase of a broader transformation. The migration, which also incorporated Temenos Payments and Data...
Qzino: Redefining Crypto Gambling Through Profit-Sharing
Qzino launches a crypto‑iGaming platform that turns players into profit‑sharing stakeholders. The QZI token distributes 30 % of net gaming revenue daily and adds a 3 % staking pool payout, allowing holders to earn even when idle. The platform also offers up...
Data Breach at Fintech Firm Betterment Exposes 1.4 Million Accounts
Fintech platform Betterment disclosed a data breach affecting roughly 1.435 million accounts, exposing email addresses, names, birth dates, physical addresses, phone numbers, and employment details. Threat actors also launched a social‑engineering campaign, sending fraudulent cryptocurrency reward emails to compromised contacts....
How Automated Expense Tracking Strengthens Compliance Controls
Organizations still rely on manual expense tracking, which creates errors, delayed reimbursements, and heightened compliance risk. Automated expense management platforms now integrate directly with compliance systems, delivering faster approvals, lower operational costs, and real‑time policy enforcement. StarCompliance’s new Expense Tracking...
FinCEN Delays Investment Adviser AML Rule to 2028
FinCEN announced that the investment adviser anti‑money‑laundering rule, originally slated for 2026, will now take effect on 1 January 2028, granting firms a two‑year implementation window. The rule expands the Bank Secrecy Act’s reach, treating certain advisers as financial institutions and imposing...
35 Under 35: David Adderson on Advisory, Automation, and the Youtopia Model
In this episode, David Adderson, a 35‑under‑35 honoree, explains how his firm Youtopia is reshaping accounting by delivering real‑time management accounts and positioning itself as a high‑level advisory partner rather than a traditional compliance shop. He emphasizes a "millionaire‑maker" mindset,...
Click-Ins Teams up with Insurtech Fuel to Automate Vehicle Claims
Click-Ins and Insurtech Fuel have partnered to fuse Click-Ins' smartphone AI damage detection with Insurtech Fuel's WePayClaims workflow engine, creating a fully autonomous, one‑click motor insurance claim process. The AI uses computer vision and 3D modelling to isolate vehicle damage,...
EU Fintechs Face New AML Duties as APP Scams Surge
APP (Authorized Push Payment) scams have become Europe’s most damaging payment fraud, now surpassing card fraud in total losses. In 2024 the average fraudulent credit‑transfer exceeded €2,000 and credit‑transfer fraud accounted for €2.5 bn, about 60 % of all payment‑fraud losses in...
Lloyds Banking Group Targets Over £100m Value From ‘Next Gen’ AI in 2026
Lloyds Banking Group aims to generate more than £100 million of value from artificial‑intelligence initiatives by 2026, doubling the £50 million realised in 2025. The bank is moving from generative AI projects to "agentic" AI, deploying autonomous agents that can act on...
Axle and Experian Partner to Boost Auto Fraud Detection
Axle, an insurance‑data API provider, has teamed up with Experian to embed real‑time automotive insurance verification into Experian’s Fraud Protect platform. The integration lets dealerships and lenders instantly confirm active coverage while running identity and income checks, adding a new...
Steven Maijoor: Europe's Digital Autonomy - Between Fault Lines and Vault Lines
Steven Maijoor warned that Europe’s financial sector is sitting on a digital fault line, with banks increasingly dependent on a handful of non‑European cloud hyperscalers. He highlighted the systemic risk this concentration creates, especially under cyber‑attacks or geopolitical sanctions. The...
The Payroll Software Dilemma Facing Accountancy Practices
In this episode, Ian Davidson of Quarry Payroll Consulting discusses the strategic crossroads accountancy practices face as legacy payroll software reaches end‑of‑life, weighing migration to modern cloud platforms against outsourcing payroll to specialist providers. He outlines the heavy resource demands,...
Bluerate AI Agent Review: What Is It? Who Is It For? How to Use?
Bluerate AI Agent is a privacy‑first, AI‑driven mortgage marketplace that connects borrowers directly with NMLS‑licensed loan officers without selling personal data. The tool leverages large language models and live loan‑origination systems to deliver real‑time, personalized rates from over 100 lenders....
Insurance AML Explained: Red Flags, AI and Reporting
The insurance sector is emerging as a major weak point in global anti‑money‑laundering (AML) defenses, with life and investment‑linked policies flagged by the FATF for heightened risk. Regulators have already seized tens of millions linked to drug‑trafficking through insurance products,...
February 2026 Payments Rules Banks and FinTechs Can’t Ignore
February 2026 is a regulatory flashpoint, with 45 deadlines across payments, AML and consumer protection. Poland’s complaint‑handling act kicks in on Feb 12, while China imposes continuous sanctions‑list monitoring from Feb 16. New York’s FAIR Act expands unfair‑practice prohibitions on Feb 17, and...
AI Triggers $300B Market Crash, Exposing Adaptation Gap
AI models just rattled markets and erased $300 billion in value in a single day. This wasn’t about hype, but about real fears that automation is moving faster than business models can adapt. The gap between AI capability and market readiness is...
US Treasury: Bitcoin Reserve only Seized Assets, No CBDC
NEW: 🇺🇸 Treasury Secretary Bessent says the U.S. BTC reserve consists only of seized assets, and also confirmed they have no plans to issue a CBDC. Source: Bitcoin Magazine https://t.co/2917RHgwzt
Fintech Farm Appoints Tom Dahlström as CEO
Fintech Farm Ltd announced Tom Dahlström as its new chief executive officer, bringing over 20 years of banking and payments experience, including a stint as chief strategy officer at OP Financial Group and a board seat at S‑Bank. Dahlström’s mandate is...
200 Trillion Dollars of Bank Deposits and Loans at Risk
[New Episode] Why $200 Trillion in Bank Deposits and Loans Are Now at Risk. With Michael Abbot, Global Banking Lead at @Accenture. Watch the latest episode now: https://t.co/EmxczOgUeq https://t.co/IM4ZiSTiPp
TreasurySpring Integrates with Clearwater Analytics
TreasurySpring announced a direct integration with Clearwater Analytics, linking Clearwater’s investment‑accounting platform to more than 1,000 TreasurySpring cash‑investment products. The partnership gives institutional investors access to fixed‑term funds across eight currencies, diversified exposure to 120+ high‑rated banks and issuers, and...
Seven Reasons Insurers Are Betting on IntellectAI’s Platform
Commercial insurers face rising data volumes and complex risks, prompting a shift toward AI-driven underwriting. IntellectAI’s platform automates extraction and normalisation of unstructured data, delivering a unified risk view and accelerating high‑volume lines. The solution reduces data validation time by...
Alumni of Allianz Trade, Oliver Wyman and Hokodo Launch Agentic Credit Consultancy
Former executives from Allianz Trade, Oliver Wyman and fintech Hokodo have launched a new consultancy focused on automating accounts payable and receivable processes. The firm, founded by Louis Carbonnier, Richard Thornton, Sami Ben Hatit and Nicolas Rabinovitch, reports early client engagements delivering a...
Finova Wins Five-Year Contract Extension with Key Group
Finova has secured a five‑year contract extension with Key Group, the UK’s leading later‑life lender, to continue powering its more2life mortgage products. The renewed deal will see Key Group adopt Finova’s next‑generation lending platform and an agile pricing engine, enabling...
Synthesia and Flatpay Founders Back Pluto.markets in $6M Raise
Danish neobroker Pluto.markets secured a $6 million seed round, bringing its total capital to nearly $10 million since its 2021 launch. The round was led by Seed Capital and featured a roster of Danish unicorn founders from Synthesia, Flatpay, Pleo and others....
Resilience: The Bridge Between Insurance and Entrepreneurship
🔴 We are live. → https://t.co/zWtv2aFsZD I'm sitting with Steven Mendel, co-founder at ManyPets, to discuss 'Resilience' the common point between insurance and entrepreneurship. https://t.co/LTEQtFzOPu
ClearBank Hires Visa's Neil Drennan as CTO
ClearBank has appointed Neil Drennan, former Visa chief technology officer for Cross Border Solutions, as its new chief technology officer. Drennan, who created Visa’s Cloud Centre of Excellence and previously held senior roles at Amazon and 10x Future Technologies, brings...
From Promissory Notes to Stablecoins: Inside Russia’s Shadow Payments Network
Western sanctions removed Russian banks from SWIFT, prompting the rise of a shadow payments network centered on Kremlin‑linked firm A7. The company combines imitation banknotes, promissory notes, and a rouble‑pegged stablecoin (A7A5) backed by Promsvyazbank deposits, moving over $100 bn in...
Stash Secured One of the Top US WealthTech Deals as Funding in the Country Fell by 56% in 2025
US WealthTech investment contracted sharply in 2025, with total capital falling 56% YoY to $3.6 billion and deal volume dropping 39% to 259 transactions. Despite the slowdown, New York solidified its leadership, accounting for 40% of the top ten deals, while...
Smarsh CFO Says Finance Now Shapes Product Decisions
Smarsh CFO Ian Goodkind says finance has moved from a back‑office function to a strategic engine that shapes product decisions. He notes that modern CFOs must monitor macro trends, assess strategic and operational risks, and sit alongside product and strategy...
Two-Thirds of Cardholders View Issuers More Positively After Credit Limit Increases
A PYMNTS Intelligence study of 2,199 cardholders reveals that 67% of limit‑increase requests are denied, while 56% of granted increases occur automatically. Subprime borrowers experience a 94% denial rate, and after a denial, 31% cut usage, 20% seek a new...
ECommerce Growth Makes Tokenized Checkout the Baseline
Digital wallets have moved from niche to mainstream, propelled by Apple Pay’s rapid adoption and the pandemic‑driven eCommerce surge, making tokenized checkout the new standard. Over the past five years issuers expanded Apple Pay across markets, while consumers shifted to...