Know What's Happening in FinTech
Know What's Happening in FinTech
FinTech Pulse
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EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
A7A5, a Kyrgyzstan‑incorporated ruble‑pegged stablecoin, added roughly $90 billion to its circulating supply last year, outpacing USDT and USDC. The issuer’s affiliates and reserve‑bank partner are listed on the U.S. sanctions list, yet the firm claims full KYC/AML compliance and positions the token as a cross‑border trade rail for Russian businesses. By routing payments through DeFi pools rather than dollar‑denominated assets, A7A5 has attracted demand from Asian, African and South American traders. The company is now courting exchanges and blockchain platforms to expand liquidity and capture a larger share of Russia’s international trade.
As AI Agents Take on Tasks in the Real World, New Risks Emerge By 2026, human website visits drop 20% while machine-initiated traffic surges 40%. Zero-click economy emerging where personal AI negotiates on your behalf. Banks must authenticate agents, not just...
OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a full‑service commerce platform by expanding its Instant Checkout feature and launching the open‑source Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). The company has integrated payments through Stripe and PayPal and added grocery ordering via Instacart, initially supporting...
Japanese fintech PayPay Corp. announced a U.S. market entry strategy that pairs a Visa partnership with an upcoming initial public offering. The collaboration will enable PayPay to bundle its Balance, Card and Bank services into a single Visa credential, expanding...
Backbase and Plaid have announced a partnership that embeds Plaid’s secure, real‑time financial data connectivity into Backbase’s AI‑powered Banking Platform. The joint solution tackles data fragmentation, streamlines onboarding, and delivers a 360‑degree view of customers’ financial health. It replaces fragile...
Digital‑asset platform Nexo has re‑entered the U.S. market, launching a suite of regulated services powered by Bakkt. The company returns with $11 billion in assets under management, offering fixed and flexible yield accounts, a crypto exchange, and crypto‑backed credit lines with...
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has become the world’s largest real‑time payments network, handling billions of free transactions daily. Built on a public, open‑source infrastructure managed by the National Payments Corporation of India, UPI lets banks, fintechs and merchants interoperate...
The episode examines how the rise of digital financial systems and AI-driven transaction monitoring intersect with human trafficking, highlighting the ways illicit funds are concealed within high‑volume, low‑value digital payments. It discusses the vulnerabilities of automated identity verification, synthetic identities,...
Digital payments and real‑estate markets saw notable shifts on Feb. 16, 2026. Hoot Host rolled out an expanded SaaS platform integrating PayPal, Square and Stripe, while cryptocurrency exchange OKX obtained a Malta Payment Institution license to extend stablecoin payment services across the...
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman announced that the Fed will soon propose two mortgage‑related regulatory changes aimed at lowering banks' capital costs and encouraging greater bank participation in mortgage origination and servicing. The proposals could revise Basel...
Capital One is reshaping its business by bringing embedded finance capabilities in-house through two high‑profile acquisitions. The 2024 purchase of Discover gave the bank broader credit‑card reach, payment rails and consumer data, while the January 2026 acquisition of Brex adds...
Fintech firm Slice announced that its founder Rajan Bajaj has been appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, with the appointment cleared by the board, shareholders and the Reserve Bank of India. Bajaj, who previously served as Executive Director, steered Slice...
Reconciliation has become a strategic priority for financial services as hybrid work, AI‑generated messages and multichannel tools expand. Theta Lake’s latest report shows 92 % of firms struggle to capture communications in line with record‑keeping obligations, with native retention windows as short...
Monica Cash celebrated three years of uninterrupted service, processing more than ₦500 billion in crypto and everyday payment transactions. The platform has become Nigeria’s most trusted crypto app, offering instant bitcoin‑to‑naira and USDT‑to‑naira conversions alongside bill‑pay, airtime, and bank transfers. Its...
FINTECH Circle has struck a strategic partnership with JournoLink to deliver its Volt AI‑powered public‑relations and competitor‑intelligence suite to the Circle’s fintech community. The collaboration gives members automated press‑release distribution, continuous media monitoring and real‑time competitor analysis. By bundling enterprise‑grade...
Busha, a leading African digital‑asset exchange, highlighted stablecoins as a catalyst for cross‑border trade at the Africa Tech Summit in Nairobi. COO Moyo Sodipo argued that the focus should move from speculation to infrastructure, emphasizing payroll, trade settlement and institutional...
FinTechs and digital banks are witnessing exponential growth in compliance data, driven by 150% annual customer expansion and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. Meanwhile, compliance operations remain linear, relying on manual, siloed processes that cannot keep pace with the data surge....
London‑based fintech Tembo announced a £16 million funding round led by Gresham House Ventures and existing backers such as Goodwater Capital and the British Business Bank. The capital will fuel expansion of its digital savings and mortgage platform, including the recently...
ACH network volume surged in 2025, reaching 35.2 billion payments worth $93 trillion, a 5 percent rise year‑over‑year. Person‑to‑person transfers grew 19.8 percent and business‑to‑business payments rose 9.9 percent, while check usage in B2B fell to 26 percent. Nacha has proposed lifting the same‑day ACH transaction...
Intelliflo has introduced intelliflo IQ, an AI‑driven suite embedded in its cloud platform for financial advisers. The suite includes an intelligent engagement assistant that automatically records client meetings, extracts key information, and updates more than 190 fact‑find fields, cutting administrative...
IG launched its “Check Your Fees” campaign and unveiled the Fat Cat Index, revealing that most UK investors are overpaying on Stocks and Shares ISA platform fees. The index shows 52% of investors use the 12 most expensive providers, with...
Allica Bank’s survey of more than 570 asset‑finance brokers shows demand holding steady, with 29% reporting higher application volumes in the second half of the year and 26% seeing no change. Renewables have broken into the top three sectors for...
Insurance Revolution has teamed with CM.com to embed WhatsApp into its broker workflow via the Mobile Service Cloud. The move has driven a 50‑fold rise in message volume, cut email traffic by 22% and reduced calls per agent by 11%....
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a December 2025 advisory opinion clarifying that employer‑integrated earned wage access (EWA) is not a loan under the Truth in Lending Act. This guidance removes a major regulatory uncertainty that has limited EWA adoption....
NatWest Group CEO Paul Thwaite announced that the bank is shifting from basic chatbots to autonomous AI systems capable of executing complex banking workflows for customers. He expects many of the underlying components to be operational within the year. However,...
OPay was named Fintech Company of the Year 2025 at Nigeria’s Leadership Annual Conference, marking its second back‑to‑back win after 2024. The award, presented in Abuja, recognized OPay’s innovation, security and broad financial‑inclusion impact for millions of individuals and MSMEs....
The episode dissects the widening execution gap in banking, highlighting how many institutions recognize digital and AI trends but struggle to implement them effectively. Experts discuss generative AI’s role in marketing, lending, and operational efficiency, while leaders from credit unions,...
Binance has launched a Mastercard‑branded crypto debit card in the CIS region, allowing users to spend digital assets at any merchant that accepts Mastercard. The card supports instant conversion of major cryptocurrencies into fiat, with zero‑fee withdrawals and a 5%...
Cregis showcased its upgraded Cregis Payment Engine at iFX EXPO Dubai 2026, positioning the solution as a multi‑chain, multi‑currency platform for enterprise payments. The engine promises near‑real‑time cross‑border settlement, automated routing, and real‑time compliance monitoring, targeting use cases such as...
DPP Link has launched its GS1‑integrated Shield platform to help exporters and manufacturers meet the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The solution automates product registration using GS1 Digital Link standards and tracks material composition with a ten‑year data...
A new PYMNTS Intelligence study of 515 senior leaders shows embedded finance is now a strategic imperative for mid‑size and large firms. Nearly 90% of respondents prioritize strengthening customer and employee relationships, while 75% plan technology upgrades within the next...
Despite a broad crypto market downturn, stablecoin‑linked cards are gaining traction at U.S. checkout counters. Monthly payment flows through these cards have surpassed $1.5 billion, and annualized spend now tops $18 billion. The growth is driven by card networks embedding stablecoins as...
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) remain the cornerstone of global AML frameworks, yet many institutions misunderstand their purpose, treating them as accusations rather than suspicion flags. Regulatory pressure and soaring transaction volumes have driven firms to prioritize filing speed over narrative...
Spreadsheets have long been the default tool for financial crime risk assessments, prized for their flexibility and low cost. However, they cannot enforce governance, version control, or audit trails required by modern compliance frameworks. As institutions expand across products and...
Cradton Token (CRN) is building a Web3‑enabled commerce platform by leveraging a suite of high‑impact partnerships. AI collaborations enhance review integrity and fraud detection, while exchange listings aim to boost liquidity and price stability. Merchant onboarding agreements promise plug‑and‑play integrations,...
OKX has obtained a Payments Institution (PI) licence in Malta, bringing the exchange into compliance with the EU’s upcoming Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulation and the revised Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The licence authorises OKX to offer stablecoin‑linked payment...
The guide treats a token launch like a traditional IPO, stressing that investors now demand solid business models, compliance, and sustainable value. It walks founders through choosing the right blockchain, evaluating Layer 2 options, and deciding between no‑code generators and custom...
Feedzai and regtech specialist Neterium have announced a strategic partnership that merges Feedzai’s Watchlist Screening with Neterium’s Transaction Screening. The combined, cloud‑native platform delivers real‑time financial‑crime detection, leveraging AI‑driven matching to cut false positives. By consolidating multiple compliance tools into...
AI in Banking Special: From Pilots to Profits – 96% Adoption, 89% See Revenue/Cost Wins Topics: ↳ AI in FinServ Transitions from Pilots to Proven ROI as 89% See Higher Revenue and Lower Costs ↳ GenAI in APAC Banks: 70% of Value...
Bitpanda has partnered with LuLu Financial Holdings to embed regulated crypto trading into LuLuFin's existing digital and physical channels across the MENA, APAC and Indian subcontinent regions. Leveraging Bitpanda’s VARA‑compliant brokerage infrastructure, LuLuFin users will be able to buy, sell...
Reminder about Privacy: Privacy can mean a lot of things. Think about how you achieve privacy for different things in your daily life: An envelope gives you privacy for your mail. A window curtain provides privacy to your home. A lock screen maintains the...
eToro has launched a shareholder engagement initiative in partnership with Stockperks, a loyalty‑rewards marketplace for public companies. The program invites eligible eToro shareholders to receive exclusive educational content, event invitations, and direct access to company leaders and market experts. By...
The episode explores how leading accountancy firms are shifting from retrospective reporting to predictive, real‑time visibility by consolidating fragmented tech stacks into unified platforms. It highlights the £300k technology investment benchmark needed to eliminate manual data reconciliation, improve margin protection...
Strategic Transformation in Southeast Asian #WealthManagement: The Case for Open Architecture – The most successful transformations share common elements: clear strategic positioning, authentic partnerships with #FinTech and #WealthTech platforms, and the courage to fundamentally rethink operating models. Read my latest article on...
Crypto things you might have missed: -BlackRock warns leverage volatility hurts BTC narrative -BTC shorts at extreme levels -AI agent transacts BTC independently -Cathie Wood: Bitcoin solves AI deflation chaos -Spot XRP ETF demand disappears -X to launch crypto & stock trading
Wealthtech startup Otto Money announced a $1.3 million pre‑seed round led by Pravega Ventures, with participation from several angel investors. The funding will be deployed over the next 12‑18 months to bolster AI models, expand personalization and goal‑based advisory features, and...
The "Invisible Wallet" Era Para @get_para launches API to make blockchain wallets "invisible" for fintechs. Translation: Users will move value on-chain without ever knowing they're "using crypto rails" Mass adoption actually happens through abstraction. A stablecoin story for now.🔗 https://t.co/Z04QtauE1A
🚨 INSIGHT White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt told Yahoo Finance that banks are fully allowed to offer yield-bearing stablecoin products just like crypto platforms, and that they shouldn’t treat them as a competitive threat. https://t.co/PWY4gUKlv0
AlloyX, a digital‑asset infrastructure firm owned by Solowin Holdings, has partnered with Bahrain FinTech Bay to develop a regulated stablecoin in the Gulf. The collaboration gives AlloyX access to Bahrain's fintech ecosystem while it seeks regulatory approval under the Central...
A big job landed on Agent Market: "Build a polymarket prediction market strategy engine" https://t.co/F0zKAtEoR2
