Backpack Teams Up with Superstate to Offer On-Chain IPO Access
Backpack, a centralized exchange and wallet app founded by former FTX and Alameda staff, announced a partnership with tokenization platform Superstate to provide early, on‑chain access to initial public offerings. The service will initially run on the Solana blockchain, allowing users to join a waitlist and receive equity shares before they hit the open market. This expands Backpack’s existing integration of Superstate’s Opening Bell platform, which already lets users trade tokenized U.S. securities. Superstate also supports on‑chain issuance on Ethereum, broadening the ecosystem for digital equity.
Introducing the Project 0 Skill: Enabling DeFi for AI Agents
Project 0 has launched a new skill that gives AI agents direct, modular access to Solana’s DeFi ecosystem. The integration aggregates yield, credit and cross‑venue strategies from platforms like Kamino and Drift into a single API. Agents can now borrow...
Analyst Spotlight: Aave Overview
Aave, a leading DeFi lending protocol, now manages over $50 billion in deposits and $21 billion in borrows, attracting both retail and institutional users. The platform employs asset‑level risk controls, including conservative collateral ratios and capped interest curves, to mitigate volatility‑driven liquidations....
Is B2B FinTech Quietly Running Asia’s Economy? EP 415 - Raunak Dembla and Daniel Keki
Asia’s economic engine is increasingly powered by B2B fintech, which streamlines payments, working capital, and treasury for enterprises. In a podcast, Revolut Business Singapore’s Daniel Keki and Decentro’s Raunak Dembla argue that business‑focused finance solutions deliver more sustainable growth than...
ChandlerCX Acquires Finance Industry Customer Engagement Vendor Novagentic
Australian CX provider Chandler has acquired Novagentic, a specialist in agentic AI tools for the superannuation sector. The deal brings Novagentic’s Microsoft‑cloud based automation platform and AI expertise into ChandlerCX’s customer communications suite. Former Novagentic founder Neil Benson will serve...
Usual Integrates Virtual IBANs to Simplify Euro Transactions
Decentralized stablecoin platform Usual has introduced direct EUR0‑to‑EUR conversions using SEPA and SEPA Instant transfers, supported by virtual IBANs. The EUR0 token, backed by European sovereign bonds, lets users deposit euros into a virtual IBAN and receive instant digital balances...
CFTC Says It's 'Modernizing' Rules to Make a Place for DeFi in the US
The CFTC announced it is modernizing its rulebook to accommodate decentralized finance, working hand‑in‑hand with the SEC to clarify jurisdiction over on‑chain software. Chairman Michael Selig said regulated perpetual futures could launch in the United States within weeks, and that...
Crypto.com Launches Blended Crypto and Stock Retirement Accounts
Crypto.com has introduced a U.S. retirement account that lets investors hold both cryptocurrencies and traditional stocks within a single IRA. The product offers tax‑deferred or tax‑free growth, up to a 5% contribution match, and no account fees, positioning it as...
Earn High Yields From AI and Robotics With GAIB
GAIB is a decentralized finance platform that lets users mint the AID stablecoin by depositing USDC and then stake it to receive sAID, a liquid token that accrues yield. The protocol allocates staked capital to real‑world AI compute, robotics infrastructure,...
PayPay (PAYP) IPO Deck
PayPay announced its initial public offering, filing a prospectus under the ticker PAYP. The Japanese mobile‑payments leader plans to list on a U.S. exchange, seeking to raise significant capital for growth. Backed by SoftBank and Yahoo Japan, PayPay aims to...
Real-World Assets on Ethereum Top $15 Billion
Ethereum’s real‑world asset (RWA) ecosystem has surged to $15 billion, representing 58 % of the global RWA market. The growth is driven primarily by tokenized gold products such as Tether Gold (XAUT) and Paxos Gold (PAXG). XAUT now holds the largest market...
Superform - User-Owned Neobank for Onchain Yield
Superform introduced its user‑owned neobank platform with the February 2026 token generation event (TGE) of the $UP token, a 1 billion‑supply asset that powers governance, validator rewards, and vault upkeep. The protocol’s two‑layer design separates Superform Core—leveraging ERC‑7579 smart accounts, hooks,...
A Brief History of Bank Notes in the United States and some Lessons for Stablecoins
Mark Carlson’s Federal Reserve note examines the era before the Fed when U.S. commercial banks issued their own paper money, backed by a mix of bank assets and government bonds. The piece highlights how those privately‑issued notes depended on a...
Robinhood HOOD Rewards Season 2026 Promos: Up to 3% ACAT Transfer Bonus
Robinhood has launched its HOOD Rewards Season, running Feb 19‑Mar 25, 2026, offering up to a 3 % bonus on ACATS transfers. Taxable‑account transfers earn 2 % for Robinhood Gold members, rising to 3 % when a $10,000 margin balance is present; IRA and 401(k)...
A First in Fintech: The AI-Native Options Intelligence API
Trading Volatility launched an AI‑native options intelligence API, the first of its kind in fintech. The service delivers derived market‑structure data—gamma levels, regime diagnostics, call pressure, skew and IV metrics—in deterministic, agent‑readable schemas. Built for machine consumption, it lets large...
RevolutionEHR Launches RevPay, Redefining How Optometry Practices Manage Cash Flow
RevolutionEHR introduced RevPay, an embedded payments solution that integrates checkout, patient records, and reporting within its AI‑native platform. The tool supports card, ACH, digital wallets and offers optional patient surcharging, promising to reduce processing fees that can cost $10,000‑$18,000 annually...
RIVER: A Cautionary Tale
River, formerly Satoshi Protocol, launched a chain‑agnostic stablecoin system called satUSD using its Omni‑CDP architecture. The protocol boasts LayerZero cross‑chain messaging, smart vaults, and integrations with major DeFi platforms, with satUSD peaking at $350 million and 50 000 holders. However, token ownership...
Why Delivery Matters More than Vision in Payments Reform
The UK has published its Strategy for Future Retail Payments Infrastructure, moving the conversation from high‑level vision to concrete delivery. Early design decisions—such as system architecture, sequencing, and operational responsibilities—will dictate cost, resilience, and user experience. Brazil’s PIX instant‑payment platform...
Friday Reads for 27 February
The Friday Reads roundup for 27 February highlights several transport‑focused developments, from Greater Anglia’s expansion of its contactless payment zone to include Stansted Airport, to Milan’s inauguration of a Metrotram Line 7 extension ahead of the Winter Olympics. It also flags a...
Reimagining KYC
Capgemini released a whitepaper outlining perpetual KYC, a shift from periodic, manual reviews to near‑real‑time, event‑driven monitoring. Early adopters report 20‑40% fewer false positives, 40‑60% faster onboarding, and 50‑70% reduction in case backlogs. The proposed pKYC triad blends data modernization,...
Inside the Mind of Robinhood Co-Founder Vlad Tenev
Robinhood co‑founder and CEO Vlad Tenev discusses how the firm survived a near‑80% market crash and the infamous GameStop frenzy. He explains the shift from hyper‑growth to a lean "founder mode" that slashed corporate bloat and refocused resources. Tenev also...
Apple Pay Aiming Launch in India This Year
Apple plans to roll out Apple Pay in India by the end of 2026, pending regulatory clearance and fee agreements with card issuers. The launch will include the Tap to Pay on iPhone feature, enabling NFC‑based contactless payments at retail...
Amazon Will Implement DD+7 Policy and Sellers’ Payment Recovery Time Will Be Extended
Amazon announced a global DD+7 payout rule effective March 5, 2026, with the German marketplace following on March 12. Under the new policy, seller funds are released seven days after delivery confirmation, extending the typical cash‑in cycle to eight or nine days. The...
AI: Mind the Rhetoric–Reality Gap
Bloomberg Intelligence surveyed 100 senior CIOs and CTOs at leading asset managers and found a stark gap between AI hype and actual spend. While AI dominates boardroom discussions, roughly 70% of firms allocate less than 10% of operating expenses to...
February Global Regulatory Brief: Digital Finance
Recent regulatory developments across major economies highlight growing scrutiny of AI, cybersecurity, and operational resilience in finance. In the UK, the Treasury Committee criticised the FCA and BoE for a reactive stance, urging AI‑specific guidance and stress testing by 2026....
February Global Regulatory Brief: Risk, Capital, and Financial Stability
The February 2026 regulatory brief highlights four major initiatives: the RBI proposes a broader credit‑derivatives framework adding total‑return swaps and index products; MAS seeks tighter liquidity‑risk‑management rules for Singapore fund managers; the ECB releases 17 recommendations to simplify EU banking...
Achieve Review for 2026: Terms, Access and Customer Feedback
Achieve’s 2026 review highlights its hybrid lending model that blends unsecured personal loans with secured home‑equity products such as HELOCs and fixed‑rate home‑equity loans. The platform targets borrowers with mid‑600s credit scores, offering flexible credit requirements and a digital‑first application...
WisdomTree Gets SEC Nod for 24/7 Tokenized Money Market Fund – Bloomberg
WisdomTree received SEC exemptive relief to issue tokenized shares of its $730 million Treasury Money Market Digital Fund. The approval lets investors buy and sell shares at a constant $1 price around the clock, rather than the traditional once‑daily NAV pricing....
Major Settlement Overhaul for CHAPS
The Bank of England will extend CHAPS operating hours, introducing a voluntary early‑morning settlement window that begins at 01:30 GMT instead of the current 06:00 start. The change takes effect in September 2027 and is designed to enable earlier sterling...
BeneMoney Launches to Expand Employee Money Access
BeneMoney, formerly TrueConnect, has been acquired by Sunrise Banks and relaunched with a new name and ownership. The platform offers low‑cost, short‑term loans to employees through an employer‑sponsored benefit, eliminating credit‑score requirements. Loans are funded instantly via a BeneMoney card...
Aven Review for 2026: Terms, Access and Customer Feedback
Aven’s 2026 offering blends a home‑equity‑backed revolving line of credit with a credit‑card interface, letting homeowners draw only what they need and pay interest on the outstanding balance. The fintech’s digital‑first application speeds pre‑qualification and eliminates many in‑person appraisals, positioning...
Bloomberg Pro Tips: Fast-Forward Your Credit Research with CRAN
Bloomberg’s latest Pro Tips episode demonstrates how analysts can accelerate issuer credit research using CRAN, the Credit Research Analysis tool on the Bloomberg Terminal. The tutorial walks users through data retrieval, rating analysis, and key financial metrics in minutes. Bloomberg...
How To Use Strata: The Structured Yield Protocol Paying Double Digit Returns
Strata, launched on Ethereum in October 2025, is a structured yield protocol that tokenizes a shared collateral pool into senior and junior tranches. The senior tranche offers over‑collateralized, lower‑risk returns, while the junior tranche absorbs volatility for amplified yields that now...
When AI Shops on Your Behalf, Who Owns the Transaction?
AI‑driven “agentic commerce” is allowing autonomous systems to purchase goods and services on behalf of consumers. This shift challenges the long‑standing reliance on a consumer’s click as proof of intent, prompting Visa and Mastercard to test pilot programs for machine‑initiated...
Tap to Pay Starts
Open payments, branded as Tap to Pay, launched today on Sound Transit and Metro, allowing riders to use credit cards and digital wallets alongside ORCA cards. Early adopters report ambiguous on‑board confirmations, making it unclear which card is charged and...
Rate Launches RateFi to Make It Easier to Qualify for a Mortgage with Crypto Holdings
Rate has introduced RateFi, a new mortgage product that lets borrowers leverage their cryptocurrency holdings without liquidating them. The program treats verified crypto as both qualifying income and reserve assets, though any down‑payment must still be converted to U.S. dollars....
Meet ASKB: A First Look at the Future of the Bloomberg Terminal in the Age of Agentic AI
Bloomberg unveiled ASKB, a conversational AI interface now in beta on the Bloomberg Terminal, aiming to accelerate investment research. The agentic system taps Bloomberg’s massive data, news, and research libraries, delivering answers with transparent source attribution and even the underlying...
SEC Quietly Eases Capital Rules for Stablecoins
The SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets issued guidance allowing broker‑dealers to apply a 2% haircut to proprietary holdings of payment stablecoins when calculating net capital. Previously many firms used a 100% haircut, effectively excluding stablecoins from regulatory capital. By...
Understanding Certainty of Fate in Faster Payments
The episode explains Certainty of Fate (CoF) – the need for clear, timely confirmation of success or failure for UK account‑to‑account (A2A) payments – and why it’s vital for merchants, consumers and payment providers. It outlines key challenges, including legacy...
Building an Effective Surveillance Lexicon Policy
Bloomberg’s February 2026 article outlines how compliance teams can build effective surveillance lexicon policies amid evolving AI and regulatory scrutiny. It defines lexicons, explains their precision and transparency, and highlights challenges such as language drift and false positives. The piece recommends...
Bankers Complain that Apple Has a Tight Grip on Mobile Payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay dominate Canada’s mobile payments, capturing roughly 90% of phone‑based transactions. The Canadian market, valued at about $1.39 billion in 2024, is forecast to surge to $20.48 billion by 2030. Major banks such as RBC, Scotiabank...
Nexi Unveils ‘Nexi Ready’ as Europe Embrace ‘Buy’ Model
Nexi Group has launched Nexi Ready, a fully managed digital‑issuing platform that lets banks, corporates and fintechs outsource technology, scheme compliance and day‑to‑day operations while keeping their brand and customer data. The service is positioned as a new “plug‑and‑play” issuing...
White House Talks Make Progress on Stablecoin Yields but No Deal Yet
Negotiations between banks and crypto leaders advanced during the White House’s third closed‑door meeting, but the core dispute over stablecoin yields remains unresolved. Industry representatives described the dialogue as constructive, emphasizing a need for consumer protection and U.S. competitiveness. The...
Friday Roundtable: ORCA Tap to Pay Begins on Monday
Sound Transit announced that ORCA’s Tap to Pay system will launch on February 23, 2026, allowing riders to tap a credit or debit card—or a mobile wallet such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay—directly at fare readers. The...
Inside Addi’s Mission to Build a Fairer Financial System in Colombia
Addi, a Colombian buy‑now‑pay‑later fintech founded by Santiago Suarez, was born from a personal loss in the 1999 financial crisis and aims to reshape credit with transparent, fee‑free products. By building a lean technology platform and a two‑sided merchant network,...
Trump Card Cap Adds to Clouds over US Consumer at Big Banks
U.S. banks posted robust Q4 consumer‑loan growth, but all warned that a proposed 10% credit‑card rate cap could restrict credit access and hurt borrowers. JPMorgan’s credit‑card revenue fell short of forecasts by 7.6% and the bank now expects card‑loan growth...
Britain’s Renewed Appetite for Credit Cards
The UK credit‑card market has rebounded, with net lending up 12.4% year‑on‑year in December 2025 and outstanding balances reaching a record £78 billion. Despite higher unemployment and elevated household debt, arrears sit at just 1.2%, and debt‑service ratios are roughly half...
Earn Yield From Stables and RWA Tokens on Kamino
Kamino has emerged as the second‑largest DeFi protocol on Solana, managing just under $2 billion in total value locked. The platform blends lending, automated liquidity vaults, and a Multiply feature that lets users leverage stablecoins and tokenized real‑world assets (RWAs). RWAs...
ZeroLend Shuts Down After Liquidity Dries Up Across Layer 2s
ZeroLend announced it will wind down after three years as liquidity on the Layer‑2 networks it served evaporated. TVL plummeted from a November 2024 peak of $359 million to roughly $6.6 million, a 98% decline, and the ZERO token is down 99%...
IHG Cobranded Visa Debit Card For UK With Revolut Coming In 2026
IHG announced a co‑branded Visa debit card with fintech firm Revolut, targeting UK consumers and slated for launch in late 2026. The new product replaces the IHG‑Creation credit card that was discontinued in 2023, and will be issued under the...