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
A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 514 U.S. small‑to‑medium business leaders shows that 83% are confident they will be approved for a new business credit card, shifting the market focus from basic access to product flexibility. More than half of card usage is planned spending, and 56% of firms want cards that let them toggle between rewards and lower APR each statement. SMBs seek features that match uneven cash flow, such as aligned due dates, virtual card numbers, and customizable spend limits. High‑revenue firms are markedly more optimistic than those fearing survival challenges.
PhilSocial, a blockchain‑powered social platform, announced a partnership with former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to launch its Give‑to‑Earn model in Ethiopia. The initiative rewards users for time and engagement, allowing them to fund community‑driven projects through a peer‑to‑peer crypto‑for‑good mechanism....
Revenue leakage now costs 3‑7% of earned revenue each year, driven by the rise of subscription, usage‑based and hybrid pricing models. The loss originates from mismatches in contracts, usage data, and billing logic, not from weak demand. Finance teams are...
Crypto markets are fragmented, with prices differing across exchanges, chains, and liquidity pools. Traders must look beyond a single price tag and assess where the deepest order books and most stable flow reside. Liquidity depth, spread, order‑flow dynamics, and leverage...
The guide offers Qatar’s newcomers a practical roadmap to cryptocurrency, covering fundamentals such as blockchain, wallet selection, and transaction basics. It outlines how hot and cold wallets differ in security and usability, and explains how to acquire digital assets through...
Lace Wallet, a non‑custodial browser‑based solution built by Input Output Global, is positioned as the flagship wallet for Cardano’s expanding Web3 ecosystem. It enables users to manage ADA, native tokens, NFTs, and DeFi interactions without relying on centralized intermediaries. The...
UK accounting firms are turning to workflow automation to tame the chaos of busy season. By automating client intake, document collection, and deadline alerts, firms reduce repetitive admin tasks and gain real‑time visibility into work progress. Smaller practices can adopt...
Halper is an AI‑powered communication and scheduling platform designed for solopreneurs and small teams. It operates inside Instagram Direct and WhatsApp, automatically reading voice messages, answering queries, and booking appointments without any setup. The tool consolidates multi‑channel conversations into a...
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) announced the three winners of its UAE Cybersecurity Innovation Challenge—Corgea, Nothreat and DTEX Systems—selected from more than 50 global applicants. The competition, run with the UAE Cyber Security Council and DIFC Innovation Hub, featured 10...
Japan’s December consumer price index slowed to 2.1% YoY, the first dip in four months, while core‑core inflation stayed near 2.9%. The Bank of Japan kept its benchmark rate at 0.75% and raised its 2025‑26 growth and inflation forecasts. Bitcoin...
Razorpay has been granted the Reserve Bank of India’s Payment Aggregator‑Physical (PA‑P) licence, allowing its point‑of‑sale solution to function as a fully regulated aggregator for in‑store transactions. The approval comes as physical retail remains the dominant purchase channel in India,...
Coinbase has introduced a borrowing product that lets eligible U.S. users take out up to $1 million in USDC by pledging cbETH, its tokenized staked ether, as collateral. The loan is over‑collateralized, with a required loan‑to‑value ratio below 86 % and variable...
The article revisits the classic nature‑versus‑nurture debate, highlighting landmark twin studies such as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart and the controversial Louise Wise Services experiment, which underscore strong genetic contributions to behavior and IQ. It contrasts these findings with...
Finextra and ACI Worldwide released the "AI in Action" global survey, analyzing responses from 154 industry leaders on AI‑driven fraud prevention. Over half of organisations (51%) already run AI solutions, with another 47% planning deployments within two years. The study...
The article revisits Charles Handy’s "empty raincoat" metaphor to critique the current wave of AI adoption in banking. While banks have digitised operations, the addition of intelligence often creates hollow processes staffed by people whose roles lack purpose. The author...
Crypto markets cycle between hype and fundamentals, bringing utility tokens back into focus as investors seek lasting value. Utility tokens gain relevance when platform activity drives token demand, a pattern that reemerges in mature market phases. Evoxum’s ecosystem centers on...
The crypto market has entered a quiet phase, with price stagnation and fewer headlines. Behind the calm, institutions are integrating blockchain, stablecoins are gaining traction, and regulators are clarifying rules. Builders focus on durable infrastructure rather than hype, shifting the...
London Stock Exchange Group unveiled its Digital Settlement House (DiSH), a 24/7 platform that merges blockchain‑based and traditional payment rails for real‑time cash and asset settlement. In parallel, LSEG partnered with Amazon Web Services to migrate its market‑data feed to...
Bloomberg’s 2025 Asia Private Wealth Survey shows technology has become the primary growth lever for APAC wealth firms, with 41% of leaders ranking it above relationship factors. A generational shift toward Gen X and Millennial investors is driving demand for real‑time,...
This is the best case scenario for nerds like me who are interested in obscure fintech infrastructure and data-sharing consortiums. And it's the worst case scenario for EWS and/or FIS. Getting dragged into this fight is the last thing they want.
Affirm and fintech platform Esusu are piloting a rent‑payment option that splits monthly rent into two interest‑free installments with no late fees. The service will be available to Esusu members, adding to the recently launched Esusu Pay tool. Esusu’s platform...
Capital One Acquires Brex: A $5 Billion Bargain Or Mistake? Capital One announced it’s acquiring small business banking fintech Brex for $5.15 billion. Is it a good deal? There are pros and cons from both firms' perspectives. https://t.co/n39JbjXMYS
Kansas Senate Bill 352 would create a state‑run Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund, allowing the treasurer to claim unclaimed crypto assets and credit 10% of each deposit to the general fund while keeping the principal separate. The bill updates...
⚠️XRP has entered Extreme Fear per Santiment, while options volume surged 200%+ in a single day, according to Finbold. Sources: Santiment and Finbold https://t.co/3KJjWazCYJ
Payments Canada has completed the integration of the ISO 20022 messaging standard into its Lynx high‑value payment platform, finalizing the transition on November 22, 2025. By October 2025, 98% of domestic payment messages had already migrated, demonstrating rapid industry adoption. The new data‑rich MX...
Flutterwave announced a partnership with blockchain infrastructure firm Turnkey and AI‑powered banking platform Nuvion to embed stable‑coin wallets into its merchant offering across Africa. The solution will initially allow a select group of merchants to receive and send USDC, USDT,...
In this episode, Ryan Christiansen recounts his journey from managing credit portfolios during the 2008 crisis to pioneering open‑banking platforms at Finicity and now leading the University of Utah’s Fintech Center. He explains the Center’s multidisciplinary model that blends business,...
Oportun Financial announced that long‑time CEO Raul Vazquez will step down by April 3, remaining as an advisor through July 3. The departure follows a two‑year campaign by activist investor Findell Capital, which accused Vazquez of costly acquisitions and a bloated cost...
Coinbase’s VP of U.S. Policy Kara Calvert announced that the exchange withdrew its backing for the Senate’s market‑structure crypto bill just hours before a scheduled markup. The decision stemmed from “fatal flaws” in the draft, chiefly a provision that would...
Nasdaq filed a rule change that removes the 25,000‑contract limit on options tied to spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, aligning them with other commodity‑based funds. The SEC waived the usual 30‑day waiting period, allowing the change to take effect immediately...
Bloomberg’s January 2026 analysis spotlights ten data‑driven signals that illustrate the accelerating financial impact of climate risk. A 10‑percentage‑point rise in modeled asset‑damage risk lifts a firm’s weighted‑average cost of capital by roughly 22 basis points, while Europe’s adaptation‑focused green‑bond issuance...
Huntington Bank closed its $12.7 billion Veritex deal and is finalizing the $53.5 billion Cadence acquisition, expanding its Texas footprint to 118 branches. The Texas moves are expected to lift 2026 loan growth to 11‑12% and deposit growth to 8‑9%, adding $34 billion...
New Celent‑Plaid research projects SEPA Instant Credit Transfers will overtake traditional credit transfers by 2030, reaching roughly 18% of euro‑zone transactions by 2035. The EU’s 2027 Instant Payments Regulation forces banks, EMIs and payment institutions to support instant euro payments,...
UK accounting software provider FreeAgent has announced a partnership with Australian reporting platform Fathom, integrating real‑time profit‑and‑loss reporting, cash‑flow forecasting and KPI dashboards into its ecosystem. The automatic data sync enables small‑business owners and their accountants to generate interactive management...
Brazil’s central bank ordered the extrajudicial liquidation of Will Bank, a fintech formerly tied to the collapsed Banco Master. The decision came after failed attempts to sell the lender, including a bid from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. Regulators...
Juniper Square released its 2025 Fundraisers market update, adding private credit to the analysis of top capital raisers for the first time. The report spotlights GPs across private equity, real estate, venture capital and private credit that leveraged the firm’s...
IXOPAY introduced three TokenEx tokenization packages—Core, Connect and Alternative Payments—to make token‑first payments the default for enterprise merchants. The bundles aim to curb payment‑stack fragmentation, lower PCI‑DSS scope and eliminate processor‑owned token lock‑in. Core provides universal tokens, Connect adds 20+...
Quantum‑enabled algorithmic trading debuted at the World Economic Forum, delivering a 34% boost in forecasting accuracy. The breakthrough marks the first practical quantum deployment in finance, moving the technology from theory to market. Organizers highlighted the potential to overhaul risk...
RBC Capital Markets and SILAC Insurance teamed with Bloomberg to launch the Bloomberg VERSA 10 (BVERSA10) index, a volatility‑targeted, multi‑asset benchmark for fixed indexed annuities. The index addresses insurers' need for adaptable, low‑volatility benchmarks by targeting 10% volatility and incorporating long/short...
Bitwise Asset Management launched the Bitwise Proficio Currency Debasement ETF (BPRO) on the NYSE, offering an actively managed mix of Bitcoin, precious metals and mining equities. The fund mandates a minimum 25% allocation to gold and carries a 0.96% expense...
Prepaid solar leases let homeowners pay a single upfront fee to use a solar system for many years, offering cost predictability after federal tax credits decline. The model blends ownership benefits—lower electricity rates and provider‑handled maintenance—with lease‑like simplicity, avoiding monthly...
We are now officially retiring the term "seed round". Thank you for your attention to this matter. https://t.co/NzL2sy9dUJ
There will be mistakes, regulations, and challenges. But generative AI will make us more informed, better served, and more personalized than ever, all from a device in our pocket. https://t.co/7pJLU4gZ91
Scammers targeting forex and cryptocurrency investors rely on five common phrases to lure victims into fraudulent schemes. The article breaks down each red flag—guaranteed returns, invincible AI algorithms, forced urgency, extra withdrawal fees, and recruitment commissions—explaining why they signal Ponzi...
Analysts project Bitcoin could reach $150,000 in the first quarter of 2026 as institutional ETFs pour billions into the market, lifting the cryptocurrency’s valuation to roughly $1.8 trillion. While the upside represents a 67 % gain from current levels, seasoned investors view...
Treasury Prime, the AI‑native embedded finance platform, announced the addition of i3 Bank and Coastal to its Bank Network, now exceeding 20 financial institutions. The two new members will use Treasury Prime’s AI Marketplace to locate fintech partners that match their...
Insurers, employers, and technology providers in the UAE are transitioning from discussion to deployment of digital‑first group pension programmes as recent gratuity reforms shift end‑of‑service benefits toward funded pensions. Kidbrooke’s analysis shows that flexibility, modularity and user‑friendly design are now...
World Liberty Financial, the Trump‑family‑linked crypto firm, announced a strategic partnership with Spacecoin that includes a token swap linking their ecosystems. Spacecoin has launched three low‑Earth‑orbit satellites to deliver permissionless internet to remote, underserved communities. The collaboration aims to enable...
Hawk has introduced Analytics Studio, an AI lifecycle management platform aimed at banks and payment firms tackling anti‑money laundering and fraud. The solution bundles pre‑built financial‑crime model templates, copilot‑guided creation, performance dashboards and automated documentation to speed regulator‑ready deployments. It...
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has publicly opposed the Restoring the Secondary Trading Market Act, which seeks to pre‑empt state regulation of off‑exchange secondary trades for Regulation A and Regulation CF securities. The bill, currently in markup, aims to improve...
