HQLAX Announces Strategic Investments From Broadridge and Digital Asset
HQLAX secured strategic minority investments from Broadridge Financial Solutions and Digital Asset in a Series C‑1 round, marking a key milestone for its digital collateral mobility platform. The funding will accelerate HQLAX’s technology evolution, its integration with Broadridge’s Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) solution, and a migration to the privacy‑preserving Canton Network. Both investors will join HQLAX’s board, bringing deep market‑infrastructure expertise to guide the next growth phase. The transaction awaits regulatory clearance from Luxembourg’s CSSF.
FIS Announces Strategic Advancements to FIS Cross-Asset Trading and Risk Suite
FIS unveiled strategic upgrades to its Cross‑Asset Trading and Risk Suite, consolidating trading, portfolio and risk functions onto a single, flexible platform. The enhancements introduce SaaS capabilities for alternative investments and AI‑driven digital dashboards that streamline order management and analytics....
Fintech Landscape in the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda in 2026
In 2026 Antigua and Barbuda is leveraging fintech to diversify an economy worth roughly $2 billion, where tourism accounts for more than 60% of GDP. Internet penetration tops 90%, providing a solid base for digital services and e‑government initiatives. The Eastern...
Why the Back Office Comes First in AI Deployments and Failures that Keep Reappearing
A recent Tearsheet analysis shows that 67% of banks and credit unions have deployed AI, while 83% are expanding AI budgets in lending and operations. Despite the surge, only 16% have a coherent AI strategy, indicating most investments are tactical....
STP Investment Services, CAPIS Partner on Coordinated Outsourced Trading and Operations Model for Buy-Side Firms
STP Investment Services and brokerage firm CAPIS have formed a partnership to deliver a coordinated outsourced model that merges trade execution with investment‑operations support for buy‑side firms. The joint solution lets managers choose from supplemental to full‑service execution, while STP...
Prediction Market Lobbying Spend Rises Over 60% as Regulatory Pressure Builds in Washington
The prediction market sector spent a record $1.84 million on federal lobbying in Q1 2026, a rise of more than 60% from the same period a year earlier. The surge is driven by both native platforms like Kalshi and sports‑betting operators such...
Barclays, Experian, Lloyds, and UBS Chosen by FCA to Live Test AI Applications
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has selected eight firms—including Barclays, Experian, Lloyds Banking Group (Scottish Widows) and UBS—to participate in a live‑testing programme for artificial‑intelligence applications. Working with AI‑assurance specialist Advai, the FCA will evaluate customer‑facing and B2B use cases...
City Minister: Tax Regime ‘Sends a Message’ to Fintech IPO Prospects
City minister Lucy Rigby told fintech leaders that the UK tax regime is pivotal for attracting new IPOs, highlighting the recent stamp‑duty holiday that waives the 0.5% levy for the first three years of a listing. While the Treasury hopes...
GoTyme Bank in Mall Expansion Drive After Pick N Pay Exit
South Africa’s digital‑only GoTyme Bank is shifting its customer acquisition strategy from Pick n Pay kiosks to a network of mall‑based "customer hubs" across major urban centres. The bank has already launched hubs in Gauteng’s Rosebank, Dobsonville, Centurion and Maponya...
creditpath.io Adds 2,500 Capital Sources, Expands Advisor‑first Credit Platform
creditpath.io announced a major expansion of its advisor‑first credit platform, adding insurance‑backed lines of credit, acquisition financing, non‑collateralized business loans and access to more than 2,500 new institutional and private capital sources. The move aims to simplify liquidity solutions for...
Data From Bulgarian Stock Exchange Becomes Available on TradingView Supercharts
The Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) has partnered with TradingView, adding its market data to the platform’s Supercharts. The BSE, which lists more than 320 companies, reported a 2025 turnover of €600 million (about $654 million). Traders can now chart Bulgarian equities, funds,...
Deals in Brief: Baskit Raises USD 4.4 Million, Tencent Buys Kaspi.kz Stake, Six China Investments, and More
A wave of capital is reshaping Asia’s tech landscape, highlighted by Baskit’s $4.4 million Series A and a $3 million HSBC credit line to scale its offline‑trade platform across Indonesia and the Philippines. Tencent entered Central Asia’s fintech arena with a $518 million purchase...
Ozow & Lula Partner to Expand Access to Business Funding for SMEs
Ozow has teamed up with South African fintech Lula to embed a digital funding channel directly into its merchant platform. The co‑branded interface lets eligible SMEs apply for loans that Lula assesses and disburses, while Ozow leverages its payments data...
Fraudsters May Target AI Mandates as Agentic Commerce Takes Off
AI‑driven agents are set to handle consumer transactions, a trend dubbed agentic commerce. McKinsey projects up to $1 trillion in U.S. B2C revenue by 2030, with a global market potential of $3‑5 trillion. Visa’s security unit observed a 450% surge in dark‑web...
Revolut Eyes 2028 IPO as It Rolls Out Beta to 450,000 Indians
Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky confirmed the neobank will wait until at least 2028 for an IPO, while the firm quietly opened a beta in India for 450,000 wait‑list users and targets 20 million Indian customers by 2030. The move follows a...
Nigerian Banks Will Now Verify Fraud-Linked Mobile Numbers Under New CBN–NCC Agreement
Nigeria’s Central Bank and the Nigerian Communications Commission signed a memorandum of understanding that gives banks real‑time access to telecom data through the Telecom Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS). The system lets financial institutions verify whether a mobile number linked...
Float Launches Agentic AI Solution for Corporate Credit Cards
Float Financial introduced Float Intelligence, an agentic AI layer that automatically assigns general‑ledger and Canadian tax codes to corporate‑card transactions. The feature, now live for customers on select service tiers, achieved over 90% accuracy in beta testing with more than...
Top Agentic AI Use Cases For AP Automation In 2026
Forrester’s 2026 report spotlights agentic AI—goal‑driven, supervised‑autonomous agents—reshaping accounts payable automation. The study maps six high‑impact use‑case categories, from lights‑out invoice capture to continuous fraud monitoring, and grades their adoption maturity. It argues that AP teams are moving from transaction...
The Rise of Mobile-First FinTech Solutions: Betting Apps Driving Digital Payments in Africa
Africa’s fintech boom is being propelled by mobile‑first betting apps that double as digital‑payment gateways, onboarding millions of previously unbanked users. The continent, responsible for about 74% of global mobile‑money volume, is on track for a $1.5 trillion digital payments economy...
Winning The Attention War That's Reshaping Banking
In this episode, hosts Alex Johnson and Mary Wisniewski discuss the evolving dynamics of FinTech events, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of in‑person networking for business deals and relationship building. They highlight two major industry trends: the surge of new banking...
A Streamlined Approach to Payment Systems Regulation Consultation
The UK government plans to fold the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) into the Financial Conduct Authority, delivering the change through primary legislation when parliamentary time permits. The consolidation will shift all PSR responsibilities—competition, innovation, and consumer protection in payment services—to...
Fintech Awards London 2026 Shortlist Revealed as Industry Resilience Drives Record Growth
The Fintech Awards London 2026 shortlist was unveiled, showcasing 18 categories and a shift from experimental pilots to profitable, production‑scale fintech solutions across the UK capital. Notable finalists include Zopa Bank with 200,000 new current‑account users, iwoca’s £4.5 bn SME funding,...
Why an Australian Payments Network Matters in a Globalised Economy
Australian merchants are increasingly turning to domestic payment networks such as eftpos to control costs and improve resilience. The network’s least‑cost routing can reduce debit transaction fees by roughly 20%, giving businesses pricing transparency and the ability to choose the...
We Won: New EU Banking Permit Prioritizes User Safety
Challenging Regulators: Our Bold Fight for User Safety 💪 | In conversation with Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of bunq. |Davos WEF 2026 🇨🇭 — Enjoy the full video here: 👉 https://t.co/SL8iK4Wuvc 💬 We challenged regulators to put user interests first,...
Nasdaq, Boerse Stuttgart Urge EU to Accelerate Tokenization Rules
JUST IN: Firms like Nasdaq and Boerse Stuttgart are pushing the EU to speed up its DLT pilot regime, warning Europe could lag behind the US in tokenized assets.
UK Fintech Backed to Embrace Future Payments Technology
The UK government announced a new fintech package at Fintech Week to modernise payment services regulation, support tokenised assets, stablecoins and AI‑driven payments, and appoint a Wholesale Digital Markets Champion. The plan includes a consultation on a unified regulatory framework,...
Visa, TikTok Debut Debit Card for UK Live Creators
Visa and TikTok just launched a debit card for UK LIVE creators. This is way more fascinating than it seems at first glance. To understand that you need to understand LIVE Gifting, and the card business model. https://t.co/6fRWRKaP7Z
Coinbase Launches Yield‑bearing Stablecoins, Keeping Deposits Intact
Nailed it: Coinbase offers yield-bearing stablecoins today and deposits are not displaced "This debate is stupid" @AlexH_Johnson https://t.co/Lz7T1WdQTT
Private Credit Under Stress: Averting the Next Crisis with AI and Data Visibility with Scott Weller
In this episode, host Boris Agranovich talks with Scott Weller, CTO and co‑founder of EnFi, about the hidden risks in private credit and how AI‑driven data visibility can prevent a next‑generation crisis. Weller explains that most risk signals are trapped...
When the Screen Stops Deciding: How AI Is Rewiring Financial Markets
The article argues that AI is not merely a new tool but a trusted delegation layer that translates human intent into machine execution in financial markets. Market complexity forced traders to automate operations long before AI, and AI now accelerates...
Commercial Bank in East Africa to Integrate USDA Payments
Kenya’s cross‑border remittance flow hit a record $5 bn in 2024, outpacing tea and horticulture exports, yet settlement still takes four to five days via costly SWIFT corridors. Stablecoin usage surged, with $3.3 bn processed in the past year, highlighting demand for...
Bloomberg Survey: UK Finance Leaders Say Inaccurate Outputs Are the Biggest Barrier to AI Adoption
A Bloomberg survey of over 100 senior UK finance leaders found that inaccurate AI outputs are the biggest obstacle to adoption, with 50% citing hallucinated facts or numerical errors and 27% flagging lack of explainability. Respondents favor AI features that...
Fintech Funding Surges in 2026: From Unicorn Milestones to AI-Powered Infrastructure Bets
Fintech investment rebounded strongly in early 2026, with global venture capital pouring an estimated $45 billion into the sector during the first half of the year. The surge includes multiple unicorn milestones, such as a payments platform crossing the $1 billion valuation...
XRP Long Game: Quantum-Proofing Finance While Japan Builds Real-World Ripple Adoption
Ripple is moving into a slower, infrastructure‑focused phase by preparing XRP for a post‑quantum world and securing measurable adoption in Japan. The company is testing lattice‑based cryptography to protect its ledger against future quantum attacks. Meanwhile, SBI Holdings and its...
Vodafone Fiji Launches Digital Card Issuance in M-PAiSA App
Vodafone Fiji has rolled out Entrust’s digital card solution within its M‑Paisa mobile‑money app, enabling customers to create debit cards instantly on their smartphones. The integration leverages Entrust’s SDK and the Mastercard Digital Enablement Service, allowing seamless online and contactless...
AU Protocol on Digital Trade Expected to Boost DPI in Africa: AfCFTA SG
African Union Secretary‑General Wamkele Mene said the newly adopted AU Protocol on Digital Trade could catalyze massive investment in digital public infrastructure (DPI) across the continent. The protocol, backed by eight annexes covering cross‑border payments, data flows, digital identity, fintech, AI...
EToro Relaunches AI Companion Tori with Real-Time X Intelligence
eToro has relaunched its AI investing companion, Tori, adding persistent memory, real‑time market sentiment from X powered by Grok 4.2, and the ability to create AI‑driven “Agent Portfolios.” The new memory feature lets Tori recall a user’s portfolio, interests, and prior...
Global Fintech Adyen Extends Partnership with lastminute.com By Launching Virtual Card Issuing for Supplier Payments
Adyen has expanded its partnership with travel‑booking platform lastminute.com by adding Visa‑branded prepaid virtual cards for supplier payments. The new issuing capability lets the travel company create multi‑currency virtual cards in seconds, cutting payout times by two to three days...
Revamped Tata Neu to Bet on Loyalty, Financial Services: Tata Digital CEO Sajith Sivanandan
Tata Digital is reshaping its super‑app Tata Neu into a loyalty‑centric financial‑services hub, moving away from a broad commerce aggregator. CEO Sajith Sivanandan, who took the helm seven months ago, is streamlining the portfolio, emphasizing payments, investments and insurance tied to...
BlackLine Launches AI-Driven Financial Ops Model for CFOs
BlackLine announced the Agentic Financial Operations model, an AI‑powered suite for finance and accounting teams that adds a governance layer to validate outputs. The launch includes a New York AI Innovation Hub and claims up to 90% reduction in reconciliation...
Neutral Trade Teams Up with Copper (ClearLoop) to Enable Institutional-Grade Access to CEX Liquidity for Solana Vaults
Neutral Trade announced a partnership with Copper’s ClearLoop platform to give its Solana‑based vaults direct, institutional‑grade access to centralized‑exchange (CEX) liquidity. The integration lets vaults settle trades in under 100 ms without pre‑funding exchange accounts, while assets remain secured in Copper’s...
Presenting the New ABCs of Digital Identity
Excited to be hitting the Inner Forum Stage at #Money2020EU today to discuss 'The New ABCs of Digital Identity - Access, Business, and Consent'. See you at 16:00! @chyppings @money2020 #Money2020Asia
Fime Launches Agentic Commerce Trust Layer Service
Fime has launched FACT (Framework for Agentic Commerce Trust), a "trust‑as‑a‑service" platform that secures AI‑driven financial transactions. The service adds intent validation, real‑time policy monitoring, transaction‑level attestation and independent auditor agents, enabling merchants to accept AI‑initiated payments while giving banks...
EA Automatic Unveils Adaptive, Data‑Driven Trading Platform, Claiming Fintech Leadership
EA Automatic announced the launch of a new adaptive, data‑driven trading platform that tailors algorithmic strategies to individual investors. The product blends AI execution with human expertise, aiming to set a new standard for personalization and risk management in fintech.
Slash Financial Secures $100 Million Series C, Hits $1.4 B Unicorn Valuation
Slash Financial announced a $100 million Series C funding round that lifts its valuation to $1.4 billion, marking the largest U.S. fintech raise in Q2 2026. The capital, led by Ribbit Capital, will fund product expansion, international growth and a new AI‑driven “Twin”...
INVIA Secures $1.2M Seed Round to Launch AI‑Powered Financial OS for Egyptian SMEs
Cairo‑based fintech INVIA announced a $1.2 million seed round to accelerate its AI‑powered financial operating system for small and medium‑sized enterprises. Founded in 2023 by Yehia Ashour, Ahmed Zeinhom and Omar Aboulmagd, the startup will use the capital to expand engineering,...
Salmon Group Secures $100 M to Accelerate Philippines Digital Banking
Salmon Group announced a $100 million funding round, comprising $60 million in equity and $40 million in debt, to scale its digital banking and lending operations in the Philippines. Led by US venture firm Spice Expeditions, the oversubscribed raise underscores investor confidence in...
Agentic B2B Is Here. Are Your Contracts and Invoices Ready?
Zenskar announced a $15 million financing round to expand its agentic AI capabilities for revenue automation. The article argues that most B2B contracts and invoices are still designed for human interpretation, limiting AI agents’ ability to execute financial workflows autonomously. It...
Finastra Brings Payments Innovation to Japan’s MUFG
Finastra has deepened its partnership with Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) by deploying its GlobalPAYplus payments hub to support ACH services in the United States. The deal extends a five‑year relationship and brings a modern, ISO 20022‑native, multi‑cloud platform to...
Wealthsimple-X Deal Sparks Investor Risk Concerns
Wealthsimple has launched a partnership with X that lets app users click stock tags on the social platform and be routed directly to Wealthsimple’s trading interface. The move aims to broaden the fintech’s audience and capture the growing DIY‑investor segment...