Remittances ‘More Important than Aid’ as Africa Turns to Stablecoins
Stablecoins are rapidly becoming the preferred vehicle for remittances across Africa, offering fees far lower than traditional money‑transfer services and settlement times measured in minutes. Former UN under‑secretary‑general Vera Songwe highlighted that 650 million unbanked Africans can now use smartphones to store value in inflation‑resistant currencies. Adoption is strongest in Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa, where small‑ and medium‑size enterprises drive usage. Meanwhile, governments such as Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa are crafting divergent regulatory frameworks to balance innovation with financial‑stability concerns.
Checkissuing: A Complete Guide to Secure and Efficient Payment Processing
Check issuing remains a core payment method for payroll, vendor payments, and reimbursements despite the rise of digital transactions. The process involves payment authorization, check preparation, verification, distribution, and record‑keeping, each critical for accuracy and compliance. Automated solutions integrate with...
Eastern Swears Off M&A Amid Activist Investor's Pressure
Eastern Bankshares’ CEO Denis Sheahan announced the bank will no longer pursue any new M&A deals, pivoting instead to organic growth and capital returns. The firm has accelerated its share‑repurchase program, buying back 635,000 shares for $12.3 million and plans another buyback...
Here Are the 20 FinTech Deals of the Past Week
FinTech fundraising fell to $898 million across 20 deals, down from $1.5 billion the week before. The biggest round was UAE‑based WealthTech startup Mal, which raised $230 million to launch an AI‑native Islamic digital bank. U.S. music‑tech firm Duetti secured $200 million, while PayTech...
How Family Offices Use Specialized Tax Advisors to Protect Complex Wealth
Family offices are shifting from basic compliance to strategic tax planning, engaging specialized advisors early to shape ownership structures, timing, and income characterization. This coordination across investment, estate and philanthropic decisions reduces audit risk and improves capital efficiency. Firms such...
Skhtu: Continued ETF Outflows May Intensify Short-Term Bitcoin Volatility Risk
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have shifted from strong inflows to net outflows of about $1.58 billion over three consecutive trading days, reversing the early‑January surge that helped lift Bitcoin prices. The outflow trend is being read as a leading signal of...
Technology Meets Trust: The Real Role of Digital Banking, with Frank Hopkins.
In this episode, host Josh DeTar talks with Frank Hopkins, founder and CEO of Hopkins Leadership, about how community banks can stay relevant amid rapid technological change and competition from larger institutions. Hopkins emphasizes that a bank’s true advantage lies...
Goldman Sachs Announces New Roles for Minnis and Wheeler
Goldman Sachs has reshaped its global credit franchise by creating a new position for veteran partner Christina Minnis as global head of the alternatives origination group. Minnis will retain her existing roles overseeing credit, asset finance and acquisition finance, reporting...
Ex-TD Employee Pleads Guilty to Helping Move $26M to Colombia
A former TD Bank employee, Oscar Nunez‑Flores, pleaded guilty to facilitating the laundering of roughly $27 million between the United States and Colombia. The plea adds to at least three insider convictions tied to TD’s historic anti‑money‑laundering failures that led the...
DeFi Protocol MakinaFi Exploit Analyzed by Blockchain Security Firm CertiK
Blockchain security firm CertiK dissected a sophisticated exploit on the MakinaFi DeFi protocol that drained approximately 1,299 ETH, valued at $4.13 million. The attacker leveraged massive flash loans to manipulate Curve pool valuations, inflating the protocol’s share price and extracting USDC from...
Tokenized Gold Capitalization Tops $4 Billion as Spot Approaches $5,000
Tokenized gold surpassed $4 billion in market value as spot gold neared $5,000 per ounce, marking a new high for on‑chain commodities. Tether Gold (XAUT) and Paxos Gold (PAXG) dominate the space, together holding about 86% of the market with $2.5 billion...
US Senate CLARITY Act Stalls Over Stablecoin Yield Restrictions
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee postponed the markup of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after key industry figures, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, withdrew support. Central to the dispute is a proposed GENIUS amendment that would bar exchanges from...
US Crypto Policy Pause Fuels Fresh Debate over DeFi and Governance: Finance Redefined
U.S. lawmakers postponed the markup of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, extending uncertainty around how cryptocurrencies and DeFi platforms will be regulated. The delay follows vocal opposition from industry leaders, including Coinbase’s CEO and venture firms warning that the...
U.K. FCA Moves Closer to Crypto Regulation with Final Consumer Duty Consultation
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has issued its final consultation on how the Consumer Duty will apply to crypto‑asset firms, inviting feedback by March 12. It plans to open a permission gateway for crypto‑asset services in September 2026 and requires full authorization...
LG CNS Demos Deposit Tokens for AI Agentic Payments in Central Bank Trials
LG CNS demonstrated an AI agentic payment system that uses deposit tokens, as part of the Bank of Korea’s Project Han River wholesale CBDC trials. The demo featured virtual personas acting as content creators and buyers, autonomously negotiating and settling...
Community Bank Bill Moves Forward, but with some Caveats
The House Financial Services Committee approved a community‑bank tailoring bill in a 33‑21 vote, proposing to index more than three dozen regulatory thresholds to nominal GDP. By tying thresholds to economic growth rather than inflation, the legislation would exempt many...
Binance Plans to Bring Back Tokenized Stock Trading After 2021 Retreat
Binance is revisiting tokenized stock trading after shutting down its 2021 service under regulatory pressure. The exchange plans to offer blockchain‑based fractional shares that track real‑time prices, leveraging recent launches of regulated stablecoin‑settled contracts. Competitors such as OKX, NYSE, Nasdaq...
Payoneer Receives In-Principle Authorisation as Cross-Border Payment Aggregator in India
Payoneer India Pvt Ltd received in‑principle authorization from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a cross‑border payment aggregator (PA‑CB). The licence enables the fintech to facilitate both inbound and outward transactions for Indian importers and exporters. The approval...
Binance’s Changpeng Zhao Says Bitcoin Will ‘Break’ the Four-Year Cycle This Year
Binance co‑founder Changpeng Zhao told CNBC he expects Bitcoin to break its traditional four‑year cycle this year, driven by increasingly crypto‑friendly policies in the United States and abroad. He forecast a "supercycle" that could push BTC to new all‑time highs,...
Equifax Report Indicates Positive Shifts in Consumer Financial Wellbeing
Equifax released its third‑quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which rose to 61.6 – a 0.35% quarterly increase and a modest 0.14% gain year‑over‑year. The index shows the first quarterly improvement for consumers with VantageScore 4.0 below 580, whose score jumped over...
TRM Labs Examines Rise of Crypto ETPs and Institutional Adoption of Digital Assets
TRM Labs highlights crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) as a fast‑growing bridge between traditional markets and digital assets. The SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETPs in early 2024, followed by Ethereum versions in 2025, unlocked regulatory confidence and real‑time pricing for...
With More Institutions on Board, FedNow Notches Volume and Value Gains
The episode highlights FedNow’s rapid expansion to 1,600 participating institutions, driving a 460% YoY rise in daily transactions to nearly 30,000 and a total transaction value of $853.4 billion, with average payments soaring to $101,435. It contrasts FedNow’s broader network reach...
French Authorities Investigate Data Breach of Crypto Tax Platform
French prosecutors and the National Cyber Unit have opened a preliminary investigation into a data breach at Waltio, a cryptocurrency tax platform that exposed personal information of roughly 50,000 users, most of them in France. The hacker group Shiny Hunters...
FDIC Conditionally Approves Ford, GM ILC Charters
The FDIC has conditionally approved industrial loan company (ILC) charters for Ford Credit Bank and GM Financial Bank, allowing the automakers to launch deposit‑insured banks in Utah. Both banks will focus on auto lending, drawing funding from retail savings accounts...
UK’s Role in Combating Cryptocurrency-Driven Fraud Becoming Increasingly Important : Analysis
The UK is emerging as a global leader in combating cryptocurrency‑enabled fraud, with Chainalysis reporting $14 billion in worldwide losses in 2025 and UK fraud accounting for over 40 % of reported crimes. Crypto‑related investment scams surged to more than 17,000 incidents...
Apple Faces £1.5bn U.K. Class Action over Apple Pay Fees
Apple is confronting a £1.5 billion class‑action lawsuit in the United Kingdom alleging that its Apple Pay mobile‑wallet imposes hidden fees that banks have shifted onto roughly 50 million consumers. The claim, brought by financial campaigner James Daley, accuses Apple of stifling competition...
Banks See MSR Strain Despite Strong Top-Line Results
Banks posted record top‑line earnings, yet mortgage‑servicing‑rights (MSR) valuations slipped, eroding mortgage‑banking revenue. US Bank saw an $11 million MSR valuation drop, driving a 27.8% quarterly revenue decline to $130 million. JPMorgan Chase’s net servicing revenue fell $43 million despite a modest MSR...
American Fintech Council (AFC) Warns States Against Harmful, Profit-Driven Database Mandates
The American Fintech Council (AFC) has released a report warning state regulators against expanding mandatory lending registries to cover earned‑wage‑access (EWA) services. The council argues that existing registries, designed for high‑interest short‑term loans, are ill‑suited for EWA and would force...
Grayscale Files for ETF Tracking Binance's BNB Token, Following VanEck’s Bid
Grayscale has submitted a Form S‑1 registration to launch a spot exchange‑traded fund tracking Binance’s BNB token, under the ticker GBNB. The fund would list on Nasdaq pending a 19b‑4 filing and SEC approval, and it excludes staking to sidestep...
Affirm Seeks Nevada Bank Charter
Affirm Holdings announced it has filed applications with Nevada regulators and the FDIC to launch a Nevada‑chartered industrial loan company, dubbed Affirm Bank. The move aims to give the buy‑now‑pay‑later firm a banking platform to introduce new financial products beyond...
Affirm Seeks Nevada Bank Charter
Affirm Holdings has filed applications with Nevada’s Financial Institutions Division and the FDIC to obtain a state charter for an industrial loan company, dubbed "Affirm Bank." The move aims to expand its buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) offerings and diversify beyond merchant‑only financing....
Verifone Tackles Identity Challenge
Verifone is tackling the biggest friction in omnichannel commerce—consumer identity—by unifying identification, loyalty and payment into a single transaction flow. The company highlights that while digital shoppers can be recognized with cookies and device fingerprints, in‑store shoppers remain anonymous until...
AI Investment Now Outpaces Consumption as Growth Engine
A useful reality check on AI and the economy. In early 2025, AI capex and consumer spending added roughly the same amount to net-new GDP. That’s striking, given that consumer spending still makes up about 70% of total GDP. But for growth...
Today's Top Crypto Updates: Stablecoin Ban, XRP Claim, BNB ETF
Crypto things you might have missed: -Bank lobby pushes stablecoin yield ban -Claim free XRP via @krakenfx -Grayscale files for BNB ETF -New Bitwise BTC & precious metals ETF -ADA founder slams political crypto donations -Kansas crypto reserve JOIN THE 10:30 AM LIVESTREAM
Asset Servicing Gains New Importance in an Increasingly Digital World
Asset servicing, once a back‑office function, is now a strategic priority for banks as AI, blockchain and a generational wealth shift reshape the industry. BNY Mellon highlights the rise of a hybrid workforce, deploying over 100 digital employees to automate...
Brex Deal Reveals Liquidation Preferences to Many Shareholders
Any VC types want to opine on how this plays out for Brex employees / common shareholders?
Why Digital Game Economies Are Attracting Serious Investment
Digital game economies have evolved from niche curiosities into high‑margin revenue engines, attracting billions in institutional capital. Developers now embed sophisticated scarcity and trade systems that mirror physical markets, while blockchain technology adds true ownership and cross‑game liquidity. Adult gamers,...
LAZ-FXAI: A New Paradigm in Intelligent Finance Driven by Academic Insight
LAZ‑FXAI, the new initiative of independent advisory firm LAZ‑FXAI, blends decades of financial expertise with advanced AI to improve decision‑making. Guided by CEO Peter Orszag and academic economist Professor Ronald Temple, the program injects macroeconomic research into its models. AI...
EbankIT Names Jerry Reese Senior Solutions Engineer, North America
EbankIT has appointed Jerry Reese as Senior Solutions Engineer for North America, bolstering its technical leadership as the firm expands across the United States and Canada. Reese will partner with banks and credit unions to design API‑first, omnichannel digital banking...
Buying Ether and Bitmine Immersion Ahead of Weekend a Good Bet: Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered’s Geoff Kendrick remains bullish on ether despite a 12% weekly decline, citing a surge in network activity after the December Fusaka upgrade. Transaction volumes have reached new all‑time highs, suggesting the upgrade is effectively easing previous bottlenecks. Corporate...
Bankers Association Seeks Ban on Yield‑bearing Stablecoins
NEW: 🚨 The American Bankers Association is pushing to block yield-bearing stablecoins, warning they could drain bank deposits. Source: Cryptopolitan https://t.co/Owa8Up6OAO
Banks Without Invoicing Services Are Missing a Small Business Opportunity
The episode highlights how small businesses now view invoicing as a core part of their payments experience and why banks are uniquely positioned to capture this market. Ian Benton explains that effective invoicing tools—ranging from simple payment requests linked to...
Tokenization Threatens Traditional Intermediaries' Role
As tokenization catches on, @kkirkbos says a philosophical question arises: Where do intermediaries go? Listen below 👇 https://t.co/1jdrPJOMEK
How Conversation Intelligence Enhances Modern Marketing Strategies
Conversation intelligence, powered by AI and natural language processing, analyzes customer interactions across voice, text, and chat channels to surface sentiment, intent, and behavioral patterns. Marketers leverage these real‑time insights to personalize messaging, fine‑tune campaigns, and align sales and marketing...
UBS Weighing Crypto Trading for Private Banking Clients: Report
UBS is evaluating a crypto trading service for its ultra‑high‑net‑worth private‑banking clients, initially offering Bitcoin and Ether in Switzerland. The bank is vetting technology partners while already running tokenized fund pilots on Ethereum and a permissioned ledger settlement trial. A...
Italy's Tinaba and Banca Profilo Launch Digital Payments in Chain with Alipay+
Tinaba, backed by Banca Profilo, has extended its partnership with Alipay+ to enable Chinese‑mainland digital payments directly from the Tinaba app. Italian users can now pay in euros at more than 80 million merchants by scanning a QR code, without installing...
Iliad Solutions Moves Into New UK HQ
Iliad Solutions, a global leader in payments testing, has relocated its UK headquarters to 1 City Square in Leeds. The move follows recent contract wins with major worldwide payments firms and reflects rapid expansion of its UK team. The Grade A...
Why Banking Marketing Data Fails—And How to Fix It
[New Episode] Why Marketing Data Fails in Banking and How to Fix It. With Preston Carroll and Eddie Tu of @FM_Direct. Watch the latest episode: https://t.co/ZqirpHta6S https://t.co/IusElPW1cE
Canadian Holiday Shoppers Getting Savvier: NerdWallet
NerdWallet Canada’s Harris Poll reveals that 2025 holiday shoppers spent an average of $828 on gifts, $120 more than the $708 they expected in October. Only 7% attribute the overspend to poor planning, while 43% point to inflation as the primary...
OnePay Integrates Rakuten Card-Linked Offers to Make Rewards Easier and More Valuable
OnePay, the Walmart‑backed fintech, has teamed up with Rakuten’s Card‑Linked Offer Network to embed merchant cashback offers directly within its app. The integration delivers automatic, card‑linked rewards at the point of sale, eliminating the need for coupons or manual redemption....