America’s #1 Choice for Banking Expands Its Lead with the Launch of Chime Prime
Chime announced Chime Prime, a premium membership tier for customers who receive at least $3,000 in monthly direct deposits. The tier offers 5% cash back on a chosen spending category, a 3.75% APY on savings, travel perks, fee‑free overdraft and early‑pay advances. Chime also upgraded its lower‑tier Chime Plus, raising cash‑back to 2% on the same category. The rollout builds on Chime’s J.D. Power‑ranked lead as America’s top new‑checking‑account provider.
Crowdfunding: Reg CF Contracted Dramatically in Q1 2026
Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) activity plunged in Q1 2026, with total capital commitments dropping 28% year‑over‑year to $87.8 million. New issuers fell 32% to 187 filings, the lowest quarterly count in years, while closed offerings fell from 485 to 258. Despite fewer deals,...
How Raiffeisen Bank International Is Thinking About Digital Catch-Up
Raiffeisen Bank International is tackling its digital lag by focusing on process redesign rather than chasing GenAI hype. Vanja Tokic, head of Digital Channels and Conversational AI, stresses the difficulty of moving AI from proof‑of‑concept to regulated production. The bank...
Bitget Now Offers Crypto Card Enabled by Visa
Bitget has teamed with Visa and DCS to launch the Bitget Card across Asia Pacific markets, initially as a digital‑only offering with a physical version slated for release in a few months. The Visa‑powered card enables instant crypto‑to‑fiat payments, aiming to...
CMB Monaco Accelerates Digital Transformation with Avaloq
CMB Monaco, a Monaco‑based private bank, has completed migration to an integrated platform that combines Avaloq’s core banking suite with BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth. The cloud‑based SaaS solution streamlines front‑, middle‑ and back‑office workflows, adds AI‑driven portfolio analytics and delivers a...
Fintech Bytes: Zocks Rolls Out MCP Capability for General AI Tools
Zocks introduced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector, allowing advisors to feed client‑specific data directly into general‑purpose AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, eliminating manual copy‑paste and compliance risks. eMoney expanded its premium client portal branding controls across web...
Webull UK Scraps Commission on US and HK Shares
Webull UK, a subsidiary of Webull Corporation, announced it will no longer charge commissions on trades of US and Hong Kong shares. The move coincides with the launch of a flexible Stocks and Shares ISA, giving UK residents tax‑efficient access...
Liquidity CEO Discusses UAE’s Strategic Advantage Despite Regional Turmoil
Liquidity, an AI‑driven fintech lender with a multi‑billion‑dollar portfolio, operates its largest office in Abu Dhabi and a second hub in Tel Aviv. Amid escalating US‑Israeli strikes on Iran, more than half of its staff are located in the conflict...
Cash App Users Can Now Pay Over Time on P2P Transfers
Cash App introduced a pay‑over‑time feature that lets users split peer‑to‑peer transfers into short‑term installment plans. The service charges a 7.5% fee and allows weekly repayments for up to six weeks, with a minimum transfer of $25. It is the...
Circle and Sasai Fintech Collaborate to Expand Access to USDC Across Africa
Circle Internet Group, the issuer of USDC, has struck a strategic partnership with Sasai Fintech, a unit of Cassava Technologies, to accelerate stablecoin adoption across Africa. The collaboration will integrate Circle’s full‑stack USDC platform into Sasai’s existing payment corridors, mobile...
Payment News Digest: Infrastructure, Control & Scale in Focus
The payments ecosystem is undergoing rapid transformation as Xero, Checkout.com, Paysend and other players roll out new services. Xero introduced online bill‑payment capabilities for U.S. small businesses, leveraging its recent Melio acquisition. Checkout.com and Paysend announced upgrades that enhance cross‑border...
Wyclef Jean and Jaeson Ma’s D2C Service OpenWav Launches Snafu-Backed Indie Artist Financing Platform
OpenWav, the direct‑to‑fan platform co‑founded by Wyclef Jean and Jaeson Ma, has unveiled OpenWav Artist Bank, a financing service that offers independent musicians cash advances ranging from low five figures to high seven figures. The program, built with AI‑driven catalog...
TaxTec, Proxymity and Label Launch End-to-End MiKaDiv Fix
TaxTec, Proxymity and Label announced a strategic partnership to deliver the industry’s first fully connected, end‑to‑end solution for MiKaDiv withholding‑tax compliance. The joint offering links issuer, custodian and investor data, validates it across the custody chain, and produces schema‑driven regulatory...
Money Transfer App Duc Exposed Thousands of Driver’s Licenses and Passports to the Open Web
The Canadian fintech Duc App left an Amazon‑hosted storage bucket publicly accessible, exposing over 360,000 files that included driver’s licenses, passports, selfies and transaction spreadsheets. The data was stored without encryption, allowing anyone with the URL to view and download the...
Best Apps to Trade Gift Cards in Nigeria
Gift card trading has surged in Nigeria, with users converting unused cards into naira or cryptocurrency. A new 2026 ranking evaluated dozens of platforms and identified Apex Network as the top overall app, citing its broad card support, instant wallet...
DoorDash, Family Dollar Expand SNAP Payments for Online Grocery Orders
DoorDash and Family Dollar announced that SNAP recipients can now use EBT cards to pay for eligible groceries and household items through the DoorDash app at participating Family Dollar stores. The service is live in 48 states and Washington, D.C.,...
Coinbase Wins Initial Bank Regulator Nod for Trust Charter, Boosting Custody Push
Coinbase received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust company charter, a key step toward becoming a federally regulated crypto custodian. The OCC requires the exchange to build compliance infrastructure, hire key...
What Are Firms Getting Wrong with Perpetual KYC?
Perpetual KYC (pKYC) promises continuous, automated risk monitoring, contrasting with static, periodic checks. While the market is expanding—valued at $1.2 bn in 2024 and projected to reach $6.5 bn by 2033—many firms misinterpret pKYC as merely increasing review frequency or adding data...
Stearns Bank Advances Omnichannel Transformation with Prelim Account Opening
Stearns Bank N.A. has chosen Prelim’s omnichannel account‑opening platform to unify its in‑branch and digital onboarding processes. The fintech solution integrates with the bank’s Fiserv Premier core, automating everything from application intake and identity verification to account issuance while preserving...
LSEG Launches Workspace Top 50 to Track Market Trends
LSEG has introduced Workspace Top 50, a monthly feature that ranks the most searched commodities and equities among finance professionals worldwide. The list is published within the LSEG Workspace platform and shared on LinkedIn, offering a quick view of emerging...
How Block Is Bringing Installments to Cash App
Block announced that Cash App will offer a buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) installment product to its U.S. user base. The service provides instant credit decisions, allowing purchases to be split into equal weekly payments with interest only on the remaining balance. Integration...
Navan Launches AI-Powered Audit Engine for Expense Risk Screening
Navan unveiled an AI‑driven Audit Engine that adds over 45 configurable checks to its travel‑and‑expense platform, enabling real‑time fraud, compliance and policy violation detection. The system automatically approves roughly 75% of transactions, directing finance teams to the remaining 25% that...
Sharpton Cites BNPL Racial Disparities
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton urged state attorneys general to broaden their buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) investigation, arguing the products disproportionately harm Black and Brown consumers. The inquiry, launched by seven states, already targets major players such as Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, PayPal,...
A Four-Way Deadlock Is Now Blocking the US Clarity Act Crypto Bill — and Each Side Can Stop It
The CLARITY Act, designed to create a federal market‑structure framework for crypto, is stalled by a four‑way deadlock. Senate and industry supporters push for a workable regulatory path, while bank‑aligned critics seek to block stablecoin yield that could erode deposit...
Pagaya (PGY) Targets 50% Profit Growth with AI Lending Platform
Pagaya Technologies (NASDAQ:PGY) announced at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference that it targets $100‑$150 million in GAAP net income by 2026, representing roughly 50 % profit growth. The company will rely on its AI‑driven lending platform, powered by a trillion‑record application dataset,...
Kraken Launches Opt-In Rewards Program for xStocks Tokenized Equities
Kraken announced an opt‑in rewards program for its xStocks tokenized equities, granting holders up to 1% annual rewards. The initiative targets crypto‑native investors by offering yield on U.S. stocks and ETFs that trade 24/7 on‑chain. xStocks bring familiar equity products...
Du Pay, GCash Digital Wallets Unite to Elevate OFW Remittances
du Pay, the digital financial arm of UAE telecom operator du, has signed an MoU with the Philippines' leading super‑app GCash to streamline remittances for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the UAE. The collaboration enables near‑instant transfers from du Pay...
AI Agents Are Coming for Money Launderers
DailyPay, an earned‑wage‑access platform handling about $30 billion annually, has deployed agentic AI from ComplyAdvantage to bolster its anti‑money‑laundering (AML) operations. The autonomous AI agent gathers and summarizes transaction data, feeding it to human analysts who retain final decision authority. According...
In a Nutshell – New Termination Provisions for PSR Contracts
The UK’s Payment Services and Payment Accounts (Contract Termination) (Amendment) Regulations will come into force on 28 April 2026, updating the 2015 framework. The amendments introduce mandatory notice periods and transition assistance for users when payment‑service contracts are terminated. Firms must revise...
Fintech Startup Sekond Wants to Bolster Advisors’ Private Markets Arsenal with Liquidity Monitoring Tool
Fintech startup Sekond has introduced a free liquidity monitoring tool aimed at private‑market advisors. The platform aggregates redemption schedules, cash‑flow forecasts, and liquidity buffers for semi‑liquid funds such as private‑credit, REITs, and interval funds. By offering real‑time insight, the tool...
Visa Direct Partners with Moonrise by Lunar to Unlock Real-Time Payments Across the Nordics
Visa Direct has teamed up with Moonrise, the Banking‑as‑a‑Service platform built by Nordic challenger bank Lunar, to tap local payment rails in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The partnership adds virtual accounts, domestic clearing, pay‑ins and pay‑outs to Visa’s global API,...
TradingView Introduces AI Chart Copilot
TradingView launched the AI Chart Copilot, an AI‑powered assistant that lives in a browser side panel alongside its charts. The tool instantly delivers technical breakdowns—moving averages, RSI, MACD, support/resistance and a rating—plus news, earnings and fundamental data for any asset....
Concerns Mount over Core Provider Issues
Banks and trade groups are urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to strengthen oversight of core banking service providers, citing delayed system updates that jeopardize regulatory compliance. The three dominant vendors—Fiserv, Fidelity National Information Services, and...
Global Payments Tops TSG’s 2026 Directory Rankings
Global Payments vaulted to the top of TSG’s 2026 Directory after acquiring Worldpay, processing roughly $2.8 trillion across 53 billion transactions in 2025. The five largest U.S. acquirers together handled nearly $9 trillion, accounting for about two‑thirds of total card volume, while the...
SoFi to Offer Combined Fiat and Crypto Enterprise Banking
Fintech lender SoFi announced the launch of SoFi Big Business Banking, an enterprise platform that lets companies manage fiat and cryptocurrency transactions within a single, nationally chartered bank. The service offers 24/7 settlement, supports the SoFiUSD stablecoin and major crypto partners such as...
What a Bank-Client Relationship Looks Like when Banks Control the Data Behind the UX
Grasshopper introduced its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in August 2025, partnering with digital‑banking platform Narmi to let clients feed financial data into AI tools such as Claude or ChatGPT without exposing core banking systems. MCP acts as a secure...
FOS Responds to the Mills Review
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) responded on 2 April 2026 to the FCA’s Mills Review, which examined AI’s long‑term impact on retail finance. Early analysis suggests AI contributed to roughly 35% of initial assessment responses, improving consumer argument clarity but also creating...
Regulating BNPL – FCA Issues Directions and Notification Form for TPR
On 1 April 2026 the UK Financial Conduct Authority refreshed its Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later (BNPL) webpage, issuing formal directions for the temporary permissions regime (TPR). Firms may submit a notification form to register for temporary permission starting 15 May 2026, pay a £280 fee (approximately $356),...
Flutterwave Secures Nigerian Banking Licence After Crossing $40 Billion in Lifetime Payments
Flutterwave has obtained a national micro‑finance banking licence in Nigeria after acquiring open‑banking startup Mono, allowing it to hold deposits and issue loans directly. The move follows $40 billion in lifetime payments processed through its platform and eliminates reliance on third‑party...
Options Technology Adds Direct Connectivity to Japan Alternative Market
Options Technology announced direct, low‑latency connectivity to Japan Alternative Market (JAX), a new proprietary trading system, extending its AtlasFabric network across Japan and the broader APAC region. The integration gives institutional clients managed access to JAX market data and trading...
DIY Investors Increasingly Seek Human Advisors as Portfolios Grow: JD Power
JD Power's Canada Investor Satisfaction Study shows that 47% of affluent DIY investors with at least CAD 250,000 (≈US $185,000) plan to work with a human financial advisor within a year, especially those with children. Fintech platforms like Wealthsimple still lead on innovation...
Experian Uncovers Fraud Paradox in Financial Services’ AI Adoption
Experian’s 2026 Future of Fraud Forecast warns that AI agents, once a defensive tool for banks, are being weaponised by fraudsters, creating a machine‑to‑machine mayhem where liability is unclear. FTC data shows consumers lost over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024,...
The 6 A.m. CFO: How TreviPay’s Joel Campbell Starts His Day
TreviPay CFO Joel Campbell starts his day with a latte, a habit he adopted after his daughter introduced him to coffee. He uses a calm, problem‑solving mindset to address unexpected disruptions, then implements preventive controls. Recently, Campbell stepped beyond traditional...
Paymentology and Bank Zero Partner to Expand Access to South Africa’s Financial Ecosystem
Paymentology has partnered with South Africa’s branchless Bank Zero to accelerate digital banking access, merging Paymentology’s global card‑processing expertise with Bank Zero’s app‑first platform. The alliance will let fintechs, retailers, SMEs and digital platforms issue flexible Mastercard cards through a...
Wirex and Utorg Partner to Bring Seamless Crypto-to-Card Spending to 2M+ Global Users
Wirex, a full‑stack crypto card issuer, has partnered with fintech platform Utorg to embed its Banking‑as‑a‑Service (BaaS) stack into Utorg’s ecosystem. The integration gives Utorg’s 2 million users in over 190 countries access to non‑custodial virtual and physical debit cards, EUR/USD...
Binance Launches 13 New AI Agent Skills
Binance unveiled 13 new AI Agent Skills, extending the platform’s artificial‑intelligence layer to every major product line. The upgrade lets agents trade COIN‑M futures, options, and portfolio‑margin contracts, run institutional‑grade TWAP and POV algorithms, and manage fiat on‑ramps, P2P, and...
Tapcheck Teams with Paychex to Deliver Seamless Embedded On-Demand Pay Solution Giving Instant Access to Worksite Employees
Tapcheck Inc. has partnered with Paychex to embed its on‑demand pay technology directly into the Paychex HR PEO platform. The integration lets eligible workers instantly move a portion of earned wages to a bank account or a free Tapcheck Mastercard...
Ghana Turns National ID Into Payment Tool
Ghana has embedded a digital wallet into its national ID, the Ghana Card, allowing online, in‑store, ATM and cross‑border payments in over 200 countries via the MyCitizens app or USSD *402#. The move targets the country’s low 0.6% credit‑card penetration...
AUSTRAC Directs Audit of Payment Platform MHITS Limited over AML/CTF Concerns
AUSTRAC has ordered payment platform MHITS Limited to appoint an external auditor to verify its anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorism financing (AML/CTF) compliance. The directive follows a broader supervisory campaign that previously targeted WorldRemit and Airwallex and issued sector‑wide warnings about...
Germany and Italy Propose EU ‘Kill Switch’ for Global Stablecoins
Germany and Italy have tabled a joint proposal to give the EU a “kill switch” for foreign stablecoins that operate through multi‑issuer, cross‑border structures. The draft would require the European Banking Authority to ban any token whose home‑country regulatory regime...