Know What's Happening in FinTech

Lobster.cash Teams with Mastercard to Power AI-Agent Payments for Cardholders
NewsApr 18, 2026

Lobster.cash Teams with Mastercard to Power AI-Agent Payments for Cardholders

Lobster.cash announced a partnership with Mastercard to embed Mastercard Agent Pay and Verifiable Intent into its platform, allowing AI agents on OpenClaw and other ecosystems to spend cardholders' existing Mastercard cards. The move adds network‑backed trust and issuer controls to...

By Pulse
Morgan Stanley Launches Spot Bitcoin ETF at 0.14% Fee, Beats BlackRock on Cost
NewsApr 18, 2026

Morgan Stanley Launches Spot Bitcoin ETF at 0.14% Fee, Beats BlackRock on Cost

Morgan Stanley entered the spot Bitcoin ETF market with the MSBT fund, charging a 0.14% management fee that undercuts BlackRock's 0.25% offering. The product attracted $34 million in inflows on its first day, pushing total spot Bitcoin ETF assets to $56.5 billion...

By Pulse
BitsStrategy Unveils a Quantum AI Trading App Designed for Faster, Data-Driven Trading Decisions
NewsApr 18, 2026

BitsStrategy Unveils a Quantum AI Trading App Designed for Faster, Data-Driven Trading Decisions

BitsStrategy announced a quantum AI trading app that leverages artificial intelligence to parse real‑time market data and generate faster, data‑driven trade signals. The app emphasizes a streamlined, app‑first experience, offering new registrants a $10 real‑earnings credit to encourage trial. By...

By Business Insider – Markets Insider
Fast 45% LTV XRP Loans via Arch Lending
SocialApr 18, 2026

Fast 45% LTV XRP Loans via Arch Lending

DWP has three lending partners for XRP-backed loans: Mabel Finance, Galaxy Digital, and Arch Lending. Arch handles most clients, funds in 45 minutes, holds assets at Anchorage, and offers 45 percent LTV with a $25,000 minimum. Understand the risks before...

By Jake Claver
Payoro Finance Registers with Bank of Canada Under RPAA, Expanding Regulated Payment Services
NewsApr 18, 2026

Payoro Finance Registers with Bank of Canada Under RPAA, Expanding Regulated Payment Services

Payoro Finance Ltd. announced it has been registered with the Bank of Canada under the Retail Payment Activities Act, adding to its existing FINTRAC MSB status. The dual regulatory footing is positioned to enhance the firm’s operational resilience and expand...

By Pulse
Payabl. Rolls Out Visa Click‑to‑Pay Across Europe, Promising up to 11% Higher Auth Rates
NewsApr 18, 2026

Payabl. Rolls Out Visa Click‑to‑Pay Across Europe, Promising up to 11% Higher Auth Rates

payabl. has launched Visa Click‑to‑Pay for eligible European merchants, a token‑based checkout that can boost authorisation rates by as much as 11% and lift merchant sales by roughly 4.5%, equating to an estimated $55 bn annual gain for SMB e‑commerce. The...

By Pulse
ClearBank Posts Third Year of UK Profit as Revenue Jumps 34% and Payments Surge 57%
NewsApr 18, 2026

ClearBank Posts Third Year of UK Profit as Revenue Jumps 34% and Payments Surge 57%

ClearBank announced a 34% rise in normalized revenue to £121.6 million and a 57% jump in payment volumes to 262 million transactions for 2025, delivering a £12.2 million pretax profit in the UK. The results highlight the bank’s shift to fee‑based income and...

By Pulse
U.S. Spot XRP ETFs Pull in $41.6 Million, Biggest Weekly Inflow Since January
NewsApr 18, 2026

U.S. Spot XRP ETFs Pull in $41.6 Million, Biggest Weekly Inflow Since January

U.S. spot XRP exchange‑traded funds drew $41.64 million in net new cash during the first four days of the week, the strongest weekly inflow since mid‑January. The surge lifted the Bitwise and Franklin XRP ETFs to record asset levels and helped...

By Pulse
Looks Don't Matter—Accurate Real‑time Data Drives Alpha
SocialApr 18, 2026

Looks Don't Matter—Accurate Real‑time Data Drives Alpha

Looking “pretty” isn’t going to generate alpha. Funny when you see all these vibe-coding, clickbait tweets about all these fintech tools being built with Claude code when they don’t really tell you that you still need to subscribe to...

By Maj Soueidan
$220K Lost to a Fraud Model That Passed a 0.82 Accuracy Check [Edition #5]
BlogApr 18, 2026

$220K Lost to a Fraud Model That Passed a 0.82 Accuracy Check [Edition #5]

FinFlow AI, a Series B fintech processing 15 million daily transactions, lost $220,000 after a schema change rendered the merchant_zip feature null. The XGBoost fraud model still met its 0.82 accuracy threshold, so the corrupted data went undetected and fraud capture...

By Machine learning at scale
SPAYZ.io Unveils 2026 Global Payments Forecast, Spotlights Mobile‑First Shift in High‑Risk Sectors
NewsApr 18, 2026

SPAYZ.io Unveils 2026 Global Payments Forecast, Spotlights Mobile‑First Shift in High‑Risk Sectors

SPAYZ.io released its 2026 Payment Methods Forecast, revealing that mobile‑first payment solutions now surpass cards and legacy transfers in more than 35 countries. The report flags accelerating regulatory pressure in markets such as Thailand, Japan and Turkey, creating a tension...

By Pulse
Citadel Securities Looks at Prediction Markets as Trading Scales
NewsApr 18, 2026

Citadel Securities Looks at Prediction Markets as Trading Scales

Citadel Securities, the leading market‑making firm, is actively evaluating entry into the burgeoning prediction‑market space. President Jim Esposito said the firm is monitoring developments but cites limited liquidity as a barrier, while anticipating that the market will scale. Competitors such...

By The Hindu Business Line — Markets
WaFd Posts 12% Loan Growth as COO Pushes Operational Scaling
NewsApr 18, 2026

WaFd Posts 12% Loan Growth as COO Pushes Operational Scaling

WaFd Financial Corp posted a 12% quarter‑over‑quarter increase in loan receivables, adding $119 million and originating $1.5 billion in new loans. Executives highlighted a push to scale operations through a next‑generation mobile app, an AI‑powered call center and accelerated software development, aiming...

By Pulse
XRP Serves as Neutral Bridge for Diverse Stablecoins
SocialApr 18, 2026

XRP Serves as Neutral Bridge for Diverse Stablecoins

Financial institutions will not settle in ROUSD. They will issue their own stablecoins and keep the yield. That means every counterparty is running a different stablecoin and none of them will accept each other's. XRP is the neutral bridge in...

By Jake Claver
Safaricom Penalizes Diaspora Users After My
SocialApr 18, 2026

Safaricom Penalizes Diaspora Users After My

This is what @safaricom does to their diasporan customers after forcing them to move to their new Myoneapp. Wueh. https://t.co/syTE56DLno

By Emin K. Mokaya
Circle Launches USDC Bridge to Simplify Cross‑chain Stablecoin Transfers
NewsApr 18, 2026

Circle Launches USDC Bridge to Simplify Cross‑chain Stablecoin Transfers

Circle introduced the USDC Bridge, a user‑friendly interface built on its Cross‑Chain Transfer Protocol, enabling native transfers of USDC across at least 17 EVM‑compatible blockchains. The launch comes as Circle faces a $230 million class‑action lawsuit tied to a recent exploit,...

By Pulse
Poland's Second Override Attempt Fails, Market Uncertainty Persists
SocialApr 18, 2026

Poland's Second Override Attempt Fails, Market Uncertainty Persists

JUST IN: Poland's second attempt to override the crypto bill veto has failed, extending market uncertainty.

By David Gokhshtein
Blocking Stablecoins Harms Banks Like Rejecting Computers
SocialApr 18, 2026

Blocking Stablecoins Harms Banks Like Rejecting Computers

Blocking yield-bearing stablecoins to protect small banks is like refusing to adopt computers because some businesses can't keep up. That's @KavitaGupta19's framing, and it's hard to argue with. @bitsandbips 🎧 https://t.co/mzefkCBYaF

By Laura Shin
Digital Banking : Nubank Subsidiary Nu Mexico Reports 15M Customers
NewsApr 18, 2026

Digital Banking : Nubank Subsidiary Nu Mexico Reports 15M Customers

Nubank’s Mexican arm, Nu Mexico, has surpassed 15 million customers, placing it among the country’s three largest banks by user base. The digital‑only bank added roughly 12,000 new accounts each day, delivering 36% year‑over‑year growth and tripling its scale in two...

By Crowdfund Insider
AI-Driven Dynamic Pricing Aligns Sales and Finance
SocialApr 18, 2026

AI-Driven Dynamic Pricing Aligns Sales and Finance

Machine learning enables dynamic pricing through demand signals and competitive data in real time. As margins narrow and volatility grows, algorithmic updates align sales and finance around measurable targets and limit manual pricing decisions. Microblog by @antgrasso https://t.co/qNFrchAIzD

By Antonio Grasso
Charles Schwab to Offer Retail Spot Bitcoin Trading on Schwab Crypto Platform
NewsApr 18, 2026

Charles Schwab to Offer Retail Spot Bitcoin Trading on Schwab Crypto Platform

Charles Schwab announced that its Schwab Crypto platform will soon allow retail clients to trade spot Bitcoin and Ether, charging 0.75% per transaction. The move follows a record‑breaking quarter for the brokerage and signals a push into mainstream crypto access.

By Pulse
Galaxy Digital Strengthens Institutional Offerings with Business Focused Platform
NewsApr 18, 2026

Galaxy Digital Strengthens Institutional Offerings with Business Focused Platform

Galaxy Digital has launched GalaxyOne for Business, extending its GalaxyOne platform from retail investors to U.S. LLCs, trusts and similar entities. The new solution bundles cash management, brokerage and crypto custody, offering up to 8% passive returns on cash and...

By Crowdfund Insider
JanelaRAT Malware Now Hijacking Banking Sessions of Users in Latin America : Research
NewsApr 18, 2026

JanelaRAT Malware Now Hijacking Banking Sessions of Users in Latin America : Research

Kaspersky’s GReAT team has identified a new JanelaRAT variant that specifically targets online banking customers in Brazil and Mexico. The malware disguises itself as a pixel‑art program and is delivered via phishing emails containing malicious VBS scripts. Unlike earlier versions,...

By Crowdfund Insider
Uganda’s Taxation of Smartphones, Mobile Money Dents Financial Inclusion Quest
NewsApr 18, 2026

Uganda’s Taxation of Smartphones, Mobile Money Dents Financial Inclusion Quest

Uganda’s drive toward a digital economy is being hampered by taxes on mobile‑money withdrawals and entry‑level smartphones. A 0.5% excise duty on the full value of withdrawals and combined 10% import duty plus 18% VAT on low‑cost phones raise device...

By The East African
Stripe Walks Away From $1.2B Airwallex Deal, Sparks Direct Rivalry
NewsApr 18, 2026

Stripe Walks Away From $1.2B Airwallex Deal, Sparks Direct Rivalry

Stripe abandoned a $1.2 billion bid to acquire Airwallex, prompting the Melbourne‑based fintech to double down on its own global expansion. The split turns two former collaborators into head‑to‑head rivals in the cross‑border payments arena.

By Pulse
Paxos Labs Secures $12 Million to Accelerate DeFi Infrastructure for FinTech Giants
NewsApr 18, 2026

Paxos Labs Secures $12 Million to Accelerate DeFi Infrastructure for FinTech Giants

Paxos Labs announced a $12 million funding round led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from Robot Ventures, Maelstrom and Uniswap Labs. The capital will fuel its DeFi‑focused platform that lets fintechs launch stablecoins, earn interest and offer crypto‑backed loans, positioning the...

By Pulse
Kyrgyzstan‑Registered Grinex Blames Western Intelligence for $15 Million Crypto Hack
NewsApr 18, 2026

Kyrgyzstan‑Registered Grinex Blames Western Intelligence for $15 Million Crypto Hack

Grinex, a Kyrgyzstan‑registered exchange sanctioned by the U.S., said it is suspending operations after a $15 million cyber‑theft it attributes to Western intelligence. The claim, made amid ongoing sanctions and a parallel breach at TokenSpot, could intensify scrutiny of crypto platforms...

By Pulse
The Fintech and Wider Digital Overview of Japan in 2026
NewsApr 18, 2026

The Fintech and Wider Digital Overview of Japan in 2026

Japan’s fintech sector in 2026 is evolving through disciplined, incremental reforms rather than radical disruption. Cashless payments now account for about 45% of all transactions, reflecting steady consumer adoption backed by government incentives. Over 100 banks have deployed open API...

By The Fintech Times
OpenAI Makes Second Move Toward RIA Business with Catch-and-Kill of Financial Planning Website, Hiro; Artificial Intelligence Is Powerful, and Sam...
NewsApr 18, 2026

OpenAI Makes Second Move Toward RIA Business with Catch-and-Kill of Financial Planning Website, Hiro; Artificial Intelligence Is Powerful, and Sam...

OpenAI announced the acquisition of Hiro Finance on April 14, promising to cease Hiro's operations by May 13 and delete its client data. Hiro, which used an AI chatbot to manage budgeting scenarios for more than $1 billion in retail assets,...

By RIABiz
FINNY Launches ‘Hunter’ AI Agent to Automate Advisor Growth Strategies
NewsApr 18, 2026

FINNY Launches ‘Hunter’ AI Agent to Automate Advisor Growth Strategies

FINNY introduced Hunter, an AI‑driven growth engine that designs, executes and optimizes marketing campaigns for financial advisors. The launch follows a $17 million Series A funding round and marks the firm’s first foray into autonomous sales‑and‑marketing agents.

By Pulse
Nigeria’s Digital Payments Surge, but Fraud Losses Top $110 M
NewsApr 18, 2026

Nigeria’s Digital Payments Surge, but Fraud Losses Top $110 M

Nigeria’s digital payment ecosystem has expanded more than 300% since 2019, processing trillions of naira each month. At the same time, fraud losses have surged past ₦52 billion ($113 million), exposing gaps in security. Regulators and banks are now racing to align...

By Pulse
Morgan Stanley Upgrades Affirm to Overweight, Sets $76 Target as Private Credit Fears Seen Overblown
NewsApr 18, 2026

Morgan Stanley Upgrades Affirm to Overweight, Sets $76 Target as Private Credit Fears Seen Overblown

Morgan Stanley upgraded Affirm Holdings to Overweight and named it a top pick, lifting its price target to $76. The firm argues that market concerns over private‑credit funding are exaggerated and points to a May 12 investor forum as a...

By Pulse
Spektr Secures $20 Million Series A to Scale AI Compliance Platform
NewsApr 18, 2026

Spektr Secures $20 Million Series A to Scale AI Compliance Platform

Spektr announced a $20 million Series A round led by NEA, with participation from Northzone, Seedcamp and PreSeed Ventures. The funding will accelerate its AI‑powered compliance platform aimed at automating manual KYC/KYB work for banks and fintechs, underscoring growing VC interest...

By Pulse
Revolut Rolls Out GlobalHire, a $634‑Per‑Employee Cross‑Border Hiring Platform
NewsApr 18, 2026

Revolut Rolls Out GlobalHire, a $634‑Per‑Employee Cross‑Border Hiring Platform

Revolut has introduced GlobalHire, a cross‑border hiring and payroll service embedded in its Business app, priced at £499 ($634) per employee per month. The tool automates recruitment, tax and payroll compliance for firms expanding internationally, adding a new HR layer...

By Pulse
Cellulant Names Anthony Hernandez COO to Drive AI‑Powered Customer Operations
NewsApr 18, 2026

Cellulant Names Anthony Hernandez COO to Drive AI‑Powered Customer Operations

Cellulant, Africa’s leading payment‑technology platform, announced the appointment of Anthony Hernandez as chief operating officer. Hernandez will steer an AI‑enabled strategy to automate customer onboarding, transaction monitoring and real‑time reporting, aiming to deepen operational discipline as the firm scales across...

By Pulse
Aurionpro Unveils Fintra, AI‑Native Platform to Slash 70% Trade‑Finance Rejection Rate
NewsApr 18, 2026

Aurionpro Unveils Fintra, AI‑Native Platform to Slash 70% Trade‑Finance Rejection Rate

Aurionpro announced the launch of Fintra, an AI‑native trade‑finance platform built on its Aurion AI stack. The solution promises to cut the industry’s 70% first‑presentation rejection rate and is now open for pilot projects in India, the Middle East and...

By Pulse
Slash Financial Secures $100 Million Series C, Valued at $1.4 Billion
NewsApr 18, 2026

Slash Financial Secures $100 Million Series C, Valued at $1.4 Billion

Slash Financial closed a $100 million Series C round, valuing the AI‑powered business banking platform at $1.4 billion. Led by Ribbit Capital with participation from Goodwater and Khosla, the funding fuels product expansion and deeper market penetration.

By Pulse
AI Predictive Tools Poised to Reshape DeFi in 2026
NewsApr 18, 2026

AI Predictive Tools Poised to Reshape DeFi in 2026

Predictive artificial‑intelligence tooling is emerging as the most transformative upgrade in decentralized finance for 2026. Robinhood’s AI‑powered risk flags and Barry Silbert’s infrastructure bets signal a move from reactive to proactive risk management across lending, AMMs and yield platforms.

By Pulse
Russia Introduces Bill to Criminalize Unregistered Crypto Services
NewsApr 17, 2026

Russia Introduces Bill to Criminalize Unregistered Crypto Services

Russia’s lower house has received a draft bill that would criminalize any crypto‑related service operating without a Bank of Russia licence. Violators could face fines up to 1 million rubles (about $13,100) and imprisonment of four years, with harsher penalties –...

By Cointelegraph
[Targeted] Signup for Venmo Credit Card & Get Triple Rewards (9% Back On Top Category)
BlogApr 17, 2026

[Targeted] Signup for Venmo Credit Card & Get Triple Rewards (9% Back On Top Category)

Venmo’s credit card is running a targeted triple‑cash‑back promotion that rewards 9% on the top spend category, 6% on the second, and 3% on all other purchases for six months. The offer, re‑issued on April 17 2026 and expiring June 25 2026, is delivered...

By Doctor of Credit
X Generates $1 Billion in Trading Volume Days After Launching Cashtags Feature: X
NewsApr 17, 2026

X Generates $1 Billion in Trading Volume Days After Launching Cashtags Feature: X

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, reported that its newly launched cashtags feature generated roughly $1 billion in global trading volume within days of the pilot’s start. The functionality lets users trade stocks and cryptocurrencies directly from the social feed,...

By The Defiant
Credas and Finity Automate Right‑to‑work Checks for 150,000 UK Workers
NewsApr 17, 2026

Credas and Finity Automate Right‑to‑work Checks for 150,000 UK Workers

Credas Technologies has teamed up with payroll software Finity to embed digital identity verification into the platform, automating right‑to‑work checks for more than 150,000 UK workers monthly. The integration promises to save roughly five hours of admin per 100 hires...

By Pulse
Lido Advisors Appoints Ruben Lusinyants as CTO to Scale $42 B Wealth Platform
NewsApr 17, 2026

Lido Advisors Appoints Ruben Lusinyants as CTO to Scale $42 B Wealth Platform

Lido Advisors announced the appointment of Ruben Lusinyants as chief technology officer, tasking him with building a scalable, cloud‑first wealth management platform for its $42 billion in assets under management. The move signals the firm’s push to deepen digital capabilities as...

By Pulse
Oracle Brings Agentic AI Platform to Corporate Banking
NewsApr 17, 2026

Oracle Brings Agentic AI Platform to Corporate Banking

Oracle announced an expansion of its agentic AI platform for corporate banking, delivering pre‑built AI agents across credit, trade finance, treasury and lending workflows. The new tools automate data extraction, memo creation and risk assessment, enabling faster decision‑making without additional...

By Finovate
Upstart AI Lending Platform Posts 35% Revenue Surge and Targets $1.4B in 2026
NewsApr 17, 2026

Upstart AI Lending Platform Posts 35% Revenue Surge and Targets $1.4B in 2026

Upstart Holdings posted a 35% year‑over‑year revenue increase in Q4 2025 and turned a $2.8 million loss into an $18.6 million profit. The AI‑driven lender also applied for a U.S. bank charter and projects $1.4 billion in revenue for 2026, signaling a potential...

By Pulse
Machine‑Ready Diversified Portfolios Across All Asset Classes
SocialApr 17, 2026

Machine‑Ready Diversified Portfolios Across All Asset Classes

We can take any asset class in the world and build it into an asset allocation accessed by machines and built by machines Here is a project token, protocol tokens, USD equivalents, fixed income and equities It is out of...

By Lex Sokolin
Immigrant Young Founders, Stablecoins Raise AML Concerns
SocialApr 17, 2026

Immigrant Young Founders, Stablecoins Raise AML Concerns

Is it bad that whenever I see immigrant founder + Stablecoins + early 20s my first thought is "I hope it's not an AML hole."

By Simon Taylor
Ally's Auto Credit Improves, Despite Tough Backdrop
NewsApr 17, 2026

Ally's Auto Credit Improves, Despite Tough Backdrop

Ally Financial reported a stronger first‑quarter auto‑loan portfolio despite higher gas prices and broader consumer affordability pressures. 60‑plus‑day delinquencies fell $10 million year‑over‑year to $842 million and net charge‑offs dropped $21 million to $424 million. Loan originations rose 13% to $11.5 billion, driving total revenue...

By American Banker Technology
US Senator Asks for Binance Monitor Update Amid Scrutiny of Iran Sanctions
NewsApr 17, 2026

US Senator Asks for Binance Monitor Update Amid Scrutiny of Iran Sanctions

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to the Justice Department and FinCEN demanding an update on Binance’s compliance with the anti‑money‑laundering monitoring program imposed after its 2023 settlement. The settlement required Binance to pay $4.3 billion and subjected the exchange to strict...

By Cointelegraph