
After a four‑year freeze under the Biden administration, the OCC is now granting preliminary approvals for over 30 fintech‑driven bank charter applications. Experts warn that these approvals are only the first step, with an 18‑month “in‑organization” phase required to build infrastructure, policies, and management teams before a final charter can be issued. Fintechs must choose between national bank, trust company, or industrial loan company charters, each carrying distinct regulatory burdens and product limitations. The wave of new banks promises to inject competition and innovation into a consolidating U.S. banking system, but success hinges on robust compliance and risk‑management practices.
Since ETHLend in 2017, our mission has been to bring DeFi to the masses, powered by the Aave protocol and an application layer that now provides access to a $50B+ liquidity network. Today, we’re proposing a new framework where Aave Labs...
Oddin.gg announced it has secured a sports betting vendor license in Maryland, marking its seventh North American jurisdiction. The state’s betting market generated over $6.6 billion in wagers in 2025, adding significant volume to Oddin.gg’s portfolio. The company already operates in...

LayerZero Labs unveiled "Zero," a new Layer‑1 blockchain designed as a multi‑core world computer for institutional on‑chain markets. The network decouples execution from verification via zero‑knowledge proofs and the Jolt framework, promising up to 2 million transactions per second per zone...

The article argues that traditional credit scores, unchanged for 70 years, are being supplanted by AI‑driven machine‑learning models that analyze the full breadth of credit‑bureau data. These models capture nuanced payment patterns, seasonal cash‑flow variations, and interaction effects that a...
Enjoyed having Andrew Hohns as a first-time guest of the show. We talked about how Bitcoin is transforming the real estate industry and why we should see many more Bitcoin-backed mortgage and lending products very soon. TIMESTAMPS; 00:00 Andrew’s Bitcoin journey...

SoftBank Group’s digital payments arm PayPay Corp. has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, signaling a U.S. initial public offering as early as March 2026. The company, Japan’s leading QR‑code payment platform, is targeting a...

Adyen has launched Personalize, a new service within its Uplift suite that tailors payment options on e‑commerce checkout pages in real time based on each shopper’s past behavior. The tool uses the company’s Dynamic Identification model, built from trillions of...

Instant Financial has been named Payroll Solution of the Year by the HR.com Awards, recognizing its innovative payroll platform for hourly workers. The award is based on weighted feedback from HR professionals and customers. In 2025, Instant processed over $8 billion...

Sound Royalties announced a record $135 million in funded contracts for 2025, doubling its assets under management from referred business. The Florida‑based firm expanded its financing portfolio to include YouTube AdSense, concert touring, and TV licensing across more than 30 countries....

Bill Holdings, a San Jose‑based business‑payments software firm, is weighing a sale after activist investors demanded higher profitability. The company reported a $2.6 million loss for Q4 2025, a sharp reversal from a $33.5 million profit a year earlier, while revenue rose...

8am has upgraded its LawPay platform into a full‑service financial management solution for law firms, adding invoicing, time‑tracking, expense management, and real‑time reporting to its existing payments engine. The new offering features Smart Spend, an automated expense tool powered by...

In this episode, Ben Currin, CEO of Vantaca, explains how the company bootstrapped a vertical SaaS platform for HOA management from under $1M ARR to $50M ARR, first reaching $5–10M without external funding and then scaling tenfold after a minority...

Community bank OMB Bank struggled with a slow, manual process to locate fintech partners, relying on static PDFs and endless email threads. The bank’s breakthrough came when it discovered Backpack, a university‑payments fintech listed on Treasury Prime’s AI Marketplace, which...

Post-Trump assault on Greenland, the EU parliament delivers a big win for the digital euro as it wins 420-158 backing in EU Parliament straw poll The digital euro couldn't have better timing as the EU looks to the digital euro...

Digital stablecoins are being positioned as an operating system for global real‑estate finance. Projects like TransactionCOIN aim to replace wire transfers with instant, blockchain‑settled payments for deposits, closings, and rent. By compressing settlement cycles from weeks to minutes, stablecoins could...

The UAE just launched its first regulated stablecoin. DDSC --> backed 1:1 by UAE Dirham, initiated by IHC ($240B cap) and First Abu Dhabi Bank ($330B assets). That's a great step forward and that's why this chart has continuously been doing well....

Stripe unveiled a preview of its x402 payments feature on the Base blockchain, allowing autonomous AI agents to move funds using Circle’s USDC stablecoin without human oversight. The solution leverages Base’s Ethereum‑layer‑2 scalability to deliver near‑instant settlement and low transaction...

Adyen’s shares tumbled up to 20% after the payments firm issued a 2026 net‑revenue growth outlook of 20%‑22%, falling short of analysts’ 22.8% expectation. In the second half of 2025 the company posted 17% year‑on‑year net‑revenue growth to €1.27 billion, while...

Embedded reward mechanisms are being woven directly into payment and e‑commerce flows, turning a routine transaction into an instant incentive. This gamified approach sidesteps the coupon‑hunting fatigue that plagues conventional loyalty schemes. By delivering bonuses at the point of sale,...

Ouch. Stash selling for $425MM after raising $747MM As a founder who has met a liquidation preference once in a while, this is PTSD. It is a tough hurdle to raise so much and then return the capital. Am sure the team...

The UK government has opened a consultation to amend the Appointed Representatives (AR) regime, which lets non‑financial firms provide financial services without full authorisation. The move follows an August 2025 policy statement that flagged weak oversight of certain ARs and the...

The episode examines Midland Bank's 1984 decision to eliminate fees for cheques, statements, and standing orders, effectively making personal banking free in the UK. It explores how this bold move reshaped the competitive landscape, prompting other banks to adopt similar...
My team just shared this with me. We got some dads at @CoinDCX to redesign the user journey for first-time investors. 🙂 Our goal was to break common myths and give people more confidence to invest. CT, give us feedback? What more can...

It appears Y Combinator-backed Venezuelan crypto app Kontigo received a new license from SUNACRIP. License is signed by Anabel Pereira Fernández, who also holds roles as Venezuela’s economy minister, vice president of the central bank, and on the board of...

The UK Treasury announced an update on the Digital Gilt Instrument (DIGIT) pilot, selecting HSBC’s Orion platform as the technology provider and Ashurst LLP for legal services. The competitive tender, launched in October 2025, aims to test distributed‑ledger technology for...

A strong tech stack supported by change-ready leadership is essential for improved performance in today’s banking environment. Access the free report: https://t.co/0wah7wPuXN https://t.co/afm9zdd3tL

Europe’s best bet for financial sovereignty is a true safe asset https://t.co/RSxLjLtB5u "A European safe asset would complete the long-overdue EU financial architecture: a savings and investment union... and a credible euro-denominated stablecoin market." https://t.co/LgAAIH6tb6

A recent Finextra survey of 300 fintech leaders shows AI has moved from experimental pilots to core operations, with 85% of institutions now using it and the AI‑in‑fintech market projected at $30 billion by 2025. Predictive analytics are evolving into an...

Oracle bets big on agentic AI for retail banking: pre-built agents for credit decisioning, collections, compliance—human-in-the-loop governance at the core. Hundreds more agents planned in 12 months. Oracle launches Agentic AI platform for retail banking https://t.co/Rdq57xCcOd https://t.co/UjiB7TV4tX

🇵🇭#Philippines’ digital banks chase profits as regulator ups the stakes: Both @GoTymeBank and Tonik have said they aim to become net profitable in the next year. @BusinessTimes: https://t.co/XS3dzotYJI #digitalbanking #neobanks https://t.co/DOf9RcD3GG

The episode examines Grab’s turnaround from losses to a US$268 million profit, its US$500 million share buyback, and investor concerns about growth and the US$425 million Stash Financial acquisition. It also breaks down Singapore’s 2026 budget, highlighting AI initiatives, tighter CDC payouts, and...
It’s time for a more efficient payments system, but access to it has to ensure that bad actors like terrorists, traffickers, money launderers, and other criminals are kept out.
The Reverse Expansion: East Acquires West 🔄 Singapore's Grab is buying U.S. fintech Stash for $425M — not for the users, but for the AI Money Coach: an SEC-regulated, auditable AI wealth advisor with $5B+ AUM. Super-apps are now importing American regulatory...

The episode dissects Robinhood's latest earnings, highlighting a modest EPS beat but a revenue miss at $1.28 billion, with investors zeroing in on the platform's faltering crypto segment. It examines how the slowdown in crypto trading revenue is weighing on the...

AI is already making online swindles easier. It could get much worse. Some cybersecurity researchers say it’s too early to worry about AI-orchestrated cyberattacks. Others say it could already be happening. #fintech #tech #finserv #AI @BetaMoroney @efipm @BrettKing @spirosmargaris @jasuja @enricomolinari @mikeflache https://t.co/xbcVW86X8z

Ripple Granted Full EU Electronic Money License in Luxembourg - Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH https://t.co/qV8sL92Tof https://t.co/Cczo1Sx4QO

Singapore‑based Republic Power Group Limited (RPGL) has signed a non‑binding MOU with Hong Kong fintech NVT to integrate NVT’s regulated real‑world asset tokenization platform with RPGL’s ERP solutions across Asia. The collaboration aims to embed blockchain‑enabled capital‑market services into existing...

Noelle is _always_ worth reading, but today is especially good Stablecoins and the new Gresham’s Law https://t.co/OPJ4BdgNVj "So, the US ended up with a system of good money, bad payments." https://t.co/B0xMfEdzHl

Cash App, the Block‑owned peer‑to‑peer platform, rolled out a new payment‑link feature that lets users generate a URL to request money. The link can be pasted into texts, emails, or direct messages, pre‑loading the requested amount for the recipient. Cash...

The episode examines the UK’s new regulatory framework for buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) services, which places providers under FCA oversight and mandates clear disclosure of terms, affordability checks, hardship support, and a route to the Financial Ombudsman. It highlights concerns about “phantom...
2 million transactions per second per node? 👀 1,000th of a penny per transaction? 👀 While making no compromises on decentralization? 👀 It was all hard for me to believe too 😅. But that's the promise Bryan Pellegrino is making...

BNY was named the Best Trade Finance Bank in North America, reflecting its robust portfolio and eight global trade centers. The bank leverages high credit ratings, competitive pricing, and a suite of digital tools to streamline trade processing, risk mitigation,...

Clear Street (CLRS) is set to price its IPO at $40‑44 per share, aiming to raise roughly $1 billion. The offering values the company at about 12 times revenue and over 25 times adjusted EBITDA, positioning it among high‑multiple fintech peers. Founded in...

Anyone else trade on @DefinitiveFi? Very nice platform tbh They have this turbo mode... basically super fast trades for anything on EVM/Sol.... And they have a native iOS app. Ive been using it a lot lately. Trading contest on @base right now...

Zelle processed over $1.2 trillion in U.S. peer‑to‑peer payments in 2025, marking a 20% year‑over‑year increase and surpassing the $1 trillion milestone reached in 2024. Transaction volume rose to 4.2 billion, a 16% jump, with daily averages of $3.4 billion moving through the network....

Flying Tulip is an application layer that transforms any blockchain into a fully featured exchange while leveraging the chains full liquidity. The initial product launch is on Ethereum, Sonic, Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Base. Future expansions planned for MegaETH, Monad,...

probably a good time to announce that there’s a better way: @clovefi a new uk wealth manager that combines ai with the best of human advice. https://t.co/Nz9FBbJgnQ

Supposedly only 2% of financial institutions now report no use of artificial intelligence 🤔 https://t.co/fJGLehjCf2

Teciem Launches as Standalone Firm After Apax Acquires Finastra’s TCM Division - Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH https://t.co/8Q95tmVsv6 https://t.co/w4YfeaaFtC