
Washington State’s House Bill 2089 seeks to restore dwindling wildfire‑prevention funding by revoking a tax deduction that currently benefits large digital mortgage lenders. The deduction, originally crafted for community banks, generated $91.6 million in savings in 2024, with 65 % captured by national “placeless” lenders. The bill would strip the preference from lenders originating $10 billion or more in mortgages annually, redirecting the revenue to wildfire mitigation and potentially adding $20‑30 million per year. It cleared the Democrat‑led House and now awaits Senate committee action.

Crypto.com has secured conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to charter Foris Dax National Trust Bank, operating as Crypto.com National Trust Bank. The bank will deliver custody, staking and trade‑settlement services under OCC supervision,...

The SEC will host a Private Markets Roundtable on March 4, 2026 to discuss the retailization of private securities. Currently, non‑accredited investors are limited to Reg A and Reg CF, while most private offerings remain inaccessible. Pending legislation could relax accredited‑investor thresholds, adding a...

Finovate’s weekly roundup highlights a flurry of fintech activity as Flywire names a new CTO, MoneyHash teams with Wayl to enter Iraq, and Payabli partners with Huntington Bank to embed payments in digital banking. Worldline launches One Commerce for omnichannel...

Cornell Law professor Dan Awrey released a working paper titled "Banking, Technology, and Instability" analyzing fintech‑driven Banking‑as‑a‑Service (BaaS). The paper argues BaaS flips traditional outsourcing, with fintechs delegating core banking functions to partner banks, creating regulatory arbitrage. This shift destabilizes...

On‑chain data shows Bitcoin whales are funneling record‑size deposits into centralized exchanges as the market endures a prolonged bear phase in early 2026. The exchange whale ratio climbed to 0.64, the highest since 2015, while average deposit size reached 1.58 BTC,...

Rate has introduced RateFi, a new mortgage product that lets borrowers leverage their cryptocurrency holdings without liquidating them. The program treats verified crypto as both qualifying income and reserve assets, though any down‑payment must still be converted to U.S. dollars....
He turned a mall booth with taped signs into a $3B fintech. Matt Oppenheimer built Remitly by falling in love with the problem, not the product. He stood outside a remittance store, asked customers why they said no, and pivoted fast. He raised...
I sometimes get asked whether I expect agents paying each other to use stablecoins. I certainly expect them to call a remote API backed by a database, but wonder why they would have strong preferences on which payment rail to use.

A Trump‑initiated “Board of Peace” is studying a U.S.‑dollar‑pegged stablecoin for Gaza. Israeli entrepreneur Liran Tancman leads the effort, partnering with the 14‑member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the UN Office of the High Representative. The digital...
The blockchain provides lightning fast, nearly free, payment exchanges w/ abundant opportunities to build a new payments system. It also opens the door to undoing the trust the U.S. financial system is known for. 👇
i should have realized a widely shared article on social media that mentioned credit card AI disruption would cause $AXP & $V to sell off today. PMs are shooting first and asking questions later. figuring out how PMs will react...

Stablecore has joined Jack Henry’s Fintech Integration Network, allowing its stablecoin and digital‑asset services to be delivered through the Banno digital‑banking platform used by over 1,000 banks and credit unions. The integration adds tokenized deposits, asset management and digital‑asset‑backed lending...
AI agent traffic nearly tripled in a year. 25Billion bot requests in 2 months. The question is no longer how to block bots — it's how to trust them. Visa + Akamai are building the answer. "What it takes to secure...

My unsolicited comms advice: if you're going to go on at length about making it more "efficient" to move money to places like Venezuela (sanctions risk) and Colombia (narcotrafficking/money laundering risk), also explain how (if?) you mitigate these risks. https://t.co/rN8g9ibBhf
CPI Card Group announced that CFO Jeffrey Hochstadt will leave the role on Feb. 13, with senior vice president Terra Grantham stepping in as interim CFO. The transition occurs just weeks before the company’s Q4 and full‑year earnings release scheduled for...
Risk says "model risk." Tech says "ML system." Compliance says "automated decision tool." Legal says "algorithm." US Treasury just fixed this: AI Lexicon + Risk Framework for financial services. 230 control objectives. NIST-adapted. "Treasury releases AI lexicon and sector-specific risk framework"...
Sky Risk Capital tokens are expanding on Morpho, the higher risk/higher reward is now available on USDT and USDC, in addition to the original USDS Risk Capital vault
FCA chief Nikhil Rathi told the inaugural Fairer Finance podcast that the regulator is moving away from drafting new rules, opting instead to lean on the existing Consumer Duty and supervisory tools. He framed the shift as an outcomes‑based approach,...

This Week in Fraud (2/17) https://t.co/DeKt9G8P3d "2026 identity fraud is more sniper than shotgun" Great stuff from Nick. https://t.co/eNakT4O4Fd

Stripe's stablecoin subsidiary Bridge has dropped support for ultra high-risk jurisdictions it supported as recently as Dec 2025, including Russia, Lebanon, Libya, Gaza, and South Sudan, new analysis of the company's documentation shows: https://t.co/zRVzXKZPsu

Klarna has partnered with Canadian furniture retailer Article to offer buy‑now‑pay‑later at checkout. Payments platform WanderWallet launched a QR‑code based service in Bolivia, targeting local payment habits. Gift‑card provider Tillo will now reward childcare spending through the Kindo platform. SignaPay...

Playing catch up is not a strategy. The institutions that outperform are investing in tech skills, data infrastructure, and AI readiness. Get the roadmap in 2026 Retail Banking Trends and Priorities. Download here: https://t.co/oO8kYW1VHc https://t.co/p6BAG6Si63

A record influx of Designated Contract Market applications is straining an already depleted CFTC staff, marking the fastest cadence of new exchange filings in modern history. Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange completed its first transaction under the new PISCES framework,...
new trading paradigm loading - no fees to trade, no adversarial monetization of flow proud to be an early supporter of Azura, has been a pleasure watching Jackson execute on his vision over the last two years 💕

Deutsche Boerse's record deal for Allfunds sends shares higher https://t.co/CzVp47tiwL It is an ecosystem play for a Tokenized future. My analysis https://t.co/GcECatMsVJ https://t.co/V39EtHorCX
Bloomberg unveiled ASKB, a conversational AI interface now in beta on the Bloomberg Terminal, aiming to accelerate investment research. The agentic system taps Bloomberg’s massive data, news, and research libraries, delivering answers with transparent source attribution and even the underlying...
Ya'll realize people (and businesses) still use... paper checks, right? User payment preferences are rarely about fees. Will the AI agents get rewards for using a Colossuspay card? If not, why would their human switch from rewards CC? Bc it helps...
As we see nonbanks getting more and more involved in lending, payments, holding funds, etc. you’re going to see a lot more money laundering, breaches, and data selling with very little regulatory authority to fine or discipline.

Ethereum Denver returned with a subdued yet energetic vibe, drawing regulators like SEC Chair Gary Gensler and industry veterans. The conference highlighted Wall Street’s renewed push to build its own blockchain, Canton, as an alternative to Ethereum’s open platform. Meanwhile,...
Optimal Market Technologies has launched a US listed options execution platform backed by Optiver, Virtu Financial, Akuna Capital and BSC Ventures. The FINRA‑approved broker‑dealer expects commercial availability later in Q1, initially serving retail options wholesalers, institutional broker‑dealers and large asset...

The SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets issued guidance allowing broker‑dealers to apply a 2% haircut to proprietary holdings of payment stablecoins when calculating net capital. Previously many firms used a 100% haircut, effectively excluding stablecoins from regulatory capital. By...

🚨 PHEMEX ASTRAL TRADING LEAGUE IS LIVE Aquarius Edition league is open with a $450K USDT prize pool. Daily / Weekly / Monthly leaderboards Mystery Boxes incl. Tesla Model 3 & AirPods Max Feb 5 – Mar 4 (UTC) Compete here 👉 https://t.co/YYESZ2VDug Trading carries risk....

Chartered Investment, a German fintech, received BaFin approval to operate a regulated fund platform and launched Opus PRIME, a white‑label service for active and thematic ETFs. The subsidiary will also support tokenised fund units, leveraging AI and blockchain to streamline...

RemotePass, a global HR and payroll platform, introduced SpendCards, corporate cards tailored for distributed workforces in over 150 countries. The solution gives finance teams instant visibility, automated limits, real‑time categorization and eliminates cross‑border reimbursement tax liabilities. Employees can spend without...
Morphic Financial Group, the London‑based parent of digital payments platform Ari10, has obtained a Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) licence through its Dutch subsidiary WEB3 Holding B.V. The Dutch regulator’s approval makes Morphic one of the first Central and Eastern European...
Beyond stablecoins, DeFi orchestration is next. Companies like Glider offer API-first portfolio tools, allowing automated asset allocation and rebalancing. Set your split, fund it, and let it manage itself. https://t.co/eWaj7x6jbZ
Santander has rolled out Invensa, an inventory‑finance solution that lets the bank hold physical stock for clients, easing balance‑sheet constraints amid volatile supply chains. The bank also introduced Navigator Global, a platform that blends financing with market intelligence to act...
African banks and mobile network operators are poised to accelerate stablecoin adoption, turning the continent’s burgeoning mobile‑money ecosystem into a mainstream digital payments layer. Ripple’s Reece Merrick highlighted that once banks and telcos embed stablecoins in custody, payments and treasury...
Major banks have invested billions in generative AI, yet a MIT study shows 95% see no measurable return. Isolated task‑level gains have not translated into enterprise‑wide efficiency, leaving boards and CFOs uneasy. The root causes are the sequencing problem—guessing which...
Every bank will move towards DeFi, it improves their lending cost structure. One of Aave’s goals is to connect Aave into as many banks as possible to serve as a lending network. DeFi will win.

Which is insurers major challenge ? → https://t.co/YWi9QjcUaF It's not a matter of innovation per se but how tech could benefit incumbents. https://t.co/bJYiaUkE4h
Pine Labs has secured multi‑year contracts with BPCL, HPCL and IOCL to deploy and manage digital‑payment infrastructure across India’s fuel retail network. The deals cover the rollout of roughly 130,000 payment acceptance devices and include ongoing maintenance and software upgrades....

BNP Paribas Asset Management issued a tokenised share class of a French‑domiciled money‑market fund on the public Ethereum blockchain, using its AssetFoundry™ platform. The pilot employs a permissioned access model, keeping transaction records public while restricting token holding and transfers...
Fintech Times podcast featured Yap Global founder Samantha Yap discussing the rapid expansion of digital assets and Web3. The conversation highlighted stablecoins as a catalyst for faster, cheaper cross‑border payments and examined the UAE’s proactive regulatory sandbox. Yap noted that...

Starling Bank’s Engine, its banking software‑as‑a‑service platform, has entered a fourth international market by signing a deal with New Zealand‑based SBS Bank. The Engine business posted FY25 revenue of £8.7 million, reflecting an almost 300% year‑on‑year increase. Existing deployments span Romania’s Salt...

Transit agencies worldwide are replacing cash and paper tickets with contactless payments that use bank‑issued cards and mobile wallets, delivering a tap‑and‑pay experience identical to everyday purchases. Open‑loop systems route each tap through global payment networks, meeting sub‑300 ms response times...

The PYMNTS Intelligence report finds that as financial stress eases, U.S. consumers are increasingly planning purchases rather than using credit spontaneously. Yet 42 % still doubt they will be approved for a new card, and 15 % experience denial while 43 % never...
BTCC has launched BTCC TradFi, a cross‑market platform that lets users trade forex, commodities, indices and stocks using USDT as margin and settlement currency. The service builds on the exchange’s tokenized precious‑metal success, which generated $5.72 billion in 2025 trading volume...

Excited to be hosting a roundtable discussion at The Central Bank Payments Conference in March with my @chyppings hat on. 🗓️ 23-25 March 2026 📍 Istanbul, Türkiye Save your spot 👉 https://t.co/ou7GKep6K1 @CurrencyResearc #CBPC @Chyppings @Fimenews https://t.co/eYUnBR6CQT