Littlepay, Google, and Go-Ahead Launch Global First for Prepaid Transit Passes in Digital Wallets
Littlepay, Google and the Go‑Ahead Group have launched the world’s first prepaid transit passes that can be bought and used directly from Google Wallet on Brighton & Hove Buses. The solution uses Littlepay’s Card As Authority to Travel (CAATT) model, linking a digital wallet to a travel right at the moment of tap‑on. The pilot taps into Go‑Ahead’s 5,000‑vehicle fleet and over 45 million annual transactions, positioning the system for rapid expansion across other operators. The partnership builds on Google Transit Insights, adding monthly ticket purchasing and future concession verification capabilities.
Checkout.com CPO on What’s Next for the Payments Company that Processed $300bn Last Year
Checkout.com processed over $300 bn in e‑commerce volume in 2025 and posted its first full‑year profit, cementing its position as a leading enterprise‑focused PSP. Chief Product Officer Meron Colbeci said the firm will now make measured bets on three growth pillars: agentic...
The Rise of Digital Payments in Latin America
Digital payments in Latin America have surged, with electronic transactions tripling between 2019 and 2023 across six economies. Surveys show that in 16 of 17 countries, a majority now prefers cashless methods, driven by convenience, safety and a booming fintech...
Why Fintechs Are Transitioning From Partners to Principals in Banking
Fintechs are moving from reliance on partner banks to seeking their own banking charters, highlighted by three high‑profile applications in Q1 2026—Affirm, Payoneer and Upstart. Direct supervision by regulators, though demanding, promises operational certainty compared with fragmented licensing. The new charter...
Palantir and Moder Partner to Transform Mortgage Industry
Palantir Technologies and Moder announced a strategic partnership to co‑develop an AI‑powered mortgage operations platform, with Freedom Mortgage as the first pilot customer. The solution uses Palantir’s Ontology to translate regulatory guidelines into configurable, testable, auditable rules that integrate with...
Innovate Finance Warns Bank of England Proposals Could Kill the GBP Stablecoin and Risk ‘Dollarisation’
In a submission to the House of Lords, Innovate Finance warned that the Bank of England’s draft rules would effectively prevent the launch of a GBP‑denominated stablecoin. The proposal includes strict user‑holding limits, a requirement that 40 % of backing assets...
Digital ID Wallets: How Banks Are Leading the Next Frontier in Secure, AI-Driven Financial Services
Banks are positioning themselves at the forefront of digital identity wallets, integrating AI-driven biometric verification to combat fraud. Industry analysts, like Lorena Roman of Raiffeisen Bank International, stress that collaboration among banks, regulators, and tech firms is essential for scaling...
Ex-Klarna Executive Joins Tide’s C-Suite
Bernie Miles, a former Klarna executive and ex‑CTO of PPRO, has been appointed chief data and technology officer at fintech platform Tide. In his new role, Miles will steer Tide’s transition to an AI‑first business‑management platform that bundles credit, accounting,...
Funds Are Watching Prediction Markets But Not Using Them Yet, Report Finds
Institutional investors are increasingly monitoring prediction markets as a source of alternative data, but adoption remains limited. Hedge funds and macro investors show clear interest, yet few have integrated these signals into regular investment workflows. Polymarket and Kalshi dominate the...
2C2P, M-Pay Partner for Sun PhuQuoc Airways' Payment Experience Across Asia
2C2P and M‑Pay have teamed up to launch the Payment Air Controller (PACO), a payment‑orchestration platform for Sun PhuQuoc Airways (SPA). The solution aggregates cards, digital wallets, QR codes and direct‑debit options through a single API, enabling smart‑retry routing across multiple...
POS Agents Made Cash Accessible. Now It’s Time to Rethink Them
POS agents have been vital for financial inclusion in Nigeria, providing cash access and basic banking services to the informal sector. However, rising fees and anti‑agent sentiment are eroding trust, as withdrawals through agents can now cost more than ATM...
Zopa Bank Continues Its Transformation with Further Growth
Zopa Bank added half a million new customers last year, bringing its total base to 1.7 million, and posted a 90% profit jump to £65 million. Sales rose 24% to £377 million and deposits grew 17% to £6.4 bn. The fintech‑turned‑bank leveraged its in‑house tech...
Inside FinSight Ventures’ Bet On A Pricey Yet Durable Indian Fintech Market
FinSight Ventures, led by Pavel Gurianov, has committed roughly $20 million per deal to Indian fintech and consumer super‑app companies, backing firms such as Razorpay, Easy Home Finance, Gupshup and Car Dekho after an initial fund‑of‑funds strategy. While Gurianov acknowledges that...
FedEx Corp (FDX) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
DLocal reported record‑breaking 2025 results, processing $41 billion in total payment volume (TPV), a 60% year‑over‑year increase, and surpassing $1 billion in annual revenue with a Q4 record of $338 million. Gross profit rose 37% to $116 million in Q4, while adjusted free cash...
Nomba Launches Global Payout API, to Help Nigerian Operators Cut FX Sourcing and Capital Lockups in Cross-Border Payments
Nomba has launched a Global Payout API that lets Nigerian cross‑border payment operators collect funds in naira or stablecoins and disburse them instantly to the UK, Europe, Canada and the DRC. The single integration removes the need for manual foreign‑exchange...
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Best Bitcoin Debit Cards for March 2026
Investopedia evaluated 15 Bitcoin debit cards against 16 weighted criteria and named Coinbase the best overall for U.S. customers, citing its 696 supported cryptocurrencies, competitive fees, and 4% cash‑back. Crypto.com earned the low‑fee and variety award with over 100 assets...
Bitcoin Depot’s ATMs Face Compliance-Related Ban in Connecticut
Bitcoin Depot, the world’s largest crypto‑ATM operator, had its Connecticut money‑transmission license suspended after regulators identified compliance breaches. The state found more than 1,000 instances where fees exceeded the legal 15% cap, resulting in roughly $150,000 in excess charges. Additionally,...
SEC Approves Nasdaq's Move to Support Tokenized Securities Trading
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Nasdaq’s proposal to let selected securities trade as blockchain‑based tokens, creating a pilot that integrates tokenized shares into the existing equity market. Eligible participants can settle trades on a distributed ledger while retaining...
Shopify’s USDC Integration Shows How Platforms Could Pick Stablecoin Favorites
Shopify has embedded USDC stablecoin into its core payments stack, allowing merchants to accept digital dollars at checkout without new providers. The integration, built with Stripe and Coinbase, lets shoppers pay via crypto wallets and gives merchants the option to...
Agentic AI Shopping Bots Are Coming. Banks Need to Be Ready
Agentic AI shopping bots from firms like Google, Amazon and Visa are poised to execute purchases and payments on behalf of consumers, thrusting banks into a new risk landscape. Existing charge‑back rules under Reg E and Reg Z may not apply, leaving...
CFOs Turn to AI for Pricing as Affordability Concerns Rise
CFOs are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to fine‑tune pricing as affordability concerns surge. Grant Thornton reports that 73 % of finance chiefs say price sensitivity is reshaping strategies, while 57 % observe heightened customer price awareness. Only 16 % have fully implemented...
ACI Worldwide Unifies Global Payments with Cloud-Native ACI Connetic for Cards
ACI Worldwide has introduced ACI Connetic for Cards, a cloud‑native suite that consolidates card issuing, acquiring, and ATM/self‑service functions into a single modular platform. The solution embeds real‑time AI‑driven fraud intelligence and supports the full transaction lifecycle for the 300 billion...
Token.io Unveils Account on File, Enhancing Pay by Bank
Token.io launched its Account on File feature, enabling Pay by Bank users to store a preferred bank and account as default for future transactions. The functionality removes up to two checkout steps, turning the experience into a one‑tap flow for...
Huawei and YowPay Launch Open Banking Smartwatch POS App
Huawei and fintech YowPay have introduced what they call the world’s first open‑banking smartwatch point‑of‑sale (POS) application. The solution lets merchants capture bank‑to‑bank payments directly from a Huawei smartwatch, removing the need for traditional card terminals or card‑based hardware. Built...
Banks Leave Nonprofit Lending Market Untapped, Fintech CEO Says
The U.S. nonprofit sector controls nearly $14 trillion in assets and generates about $4 trillion in annual revenue, yet only 3 % of banks lend to these organizations. Fintech startup B Generous has created a marketplace that has processed 34,000 loan requests totaling $1.2 billion...
Private Credit Jitters Ripple to Fund with Consumer Loan Holdings
Stone Ridge Asset Management’s LENDX fund, which holds $2.4 bn of consumer and small‑business loans from fintech platforms, announced it will meet only 11% of the latest redemption requests, after offering a limited share repurchase. The fund’s portfolio includes BNPL exposure...
Kalshi Offers $1 Billion for a Perfect March Madness Bracket—Just as Warren Buffett Did 12 Years Ago
Prediction‑market platform Kalshi is reviving Warren Buffett’s 2014 March Madness stunt by pledging a $1 billion prize for anyone who submits a perfect bracket to the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament. The odds of a flawless bracket remain astronomically low—roughly one in...
New Zealand’s Regulators Expand Open Banking Efforts
New Zealand’s financial regulators are extending their open‑banking agenda beyond the December rules, mandating standardized APIs that let approved fintechs access customer data with consent. The reforms aim to tighten security, curb screen‑scraping, and create a level playing field that...
GCash Enters International Money Transfer Market
Globe Telecom’s e‑wallet GCash introduced GCash International Transfers, enabling users to remit funds to bank and e‑wallet accounts in at least 16 countries. The service promises same‑day credit in most destinations and next‑day delivery to the United States, with a...
Merchants Sound Alarm as Swipe Fees Hit $198B
Swipe fees in the United States surged to a record $198.25 billion in 2025, a 5.9% increase over 2024 and an 80% jump since the pandemic began. Credit‑card fees dominate, with Visa and Mastercard alone accounting for $118.8 billion, while total credit‑card...
Condor Software Raises $24M for Life Sciences Finance Platform
Condor Software announced a $24 million Series A round, led by Insight Partners, bringing its total funding to $36 million. The capital will accelerate development of its AI‑driven financial intelligence platform that unifies clinical, operational, and accounting data for life‑science firms. Early adopters—including...
Ethereum Foundation Deposits Another $7.5M in ETH From Its Treasury Into Morpho
The Ethereum Foundation announced a fresh deposit of 3,400 ETH—about $7.5 million—into DeFi lending protocol Morpho, bringing its total commitment to the platform to just under $19 million. The allocation follows the foundation’s June 2025 “Defipunk” treasury policy, which prioritizes permissionless, open‑source projects over...
Global Fintech Thunes Launches Stablecoin Payouts for Banks via Swift Connectivity
Thunes announced that its Pay‑to‑Stablecoin‑Wallets service now reaches roughly 11,500 banks through existing SWIFT connections, allowing instant payouts to stablecoin wallets without new technical integration. The offering supports major stablecoins such as USDC and USDT across more than 140 countries...
Klarna Hits 1 Million Merchants: BNPL Giant Signals Continued Global Expansion
Swedish buy‑now‑pay‑later provider Klarna announced it has surpassed one million merchants worldwide, a 47% increase from the previous year. The growth includes roughly 285,000 new merchants in 2025, with 115,000 added in the fourth quarter alone, and a 91% surge...
PayPal Introduces Stablecoin PYUSD to Users Across 70 Markets
PayPal has launched its dollar‑backed stablecoin, PayPal USD (PYUSD), in 70 international markets, allowing users to buy, hold, send and receive the token directly within their PayPal accounts. The stablecoin is issued by Paxos Trust Company and fully collateralized with U.S....
Digital Bank OakNorth Reports YoY Increase in Gross Originations with Considerable US Activity
OakNorth reported a pre‑tax profit of £223 million for 2025 and saw new loan originations jump 33% to £2.8 billion. The United States contributed 40% of fresh lending, underscoring rapid market penetration since its 2023 entry. Credit quality remained exceptional, with cumulative...
Six Months After Launch at ING Germany, Wero Hits Major Adoption Milestones and Strengthens European Payment Collaboration
Six months after its launch at ING Germany, the Wero digital wallet has surpassed 500,000 activations, while the European Payments Initiative (EPI) now counts over 50 million users across its markets. Expansion plans include a Luxembourg rollout in 2026 and a...
African Freelancers Get Paid in Dollars. Hurupay Makes Sure They Keep Them.
Hurupay, a Kenya‑born, US‑incorporated fintech, offers African freelancers virtual dollar, euro and pound accounts backed by stablecoins, enabling fast cross‑border payouts. Since its 2023 launch, the company has processed over $50 million, achieving marginal profitability with roughly 40% profit margins. After...
Binance Introduces Loans to Support Bitcoin Mining Operations
Binance has revamped its loan offering with a Flexible Loan product that allows users to borrow as little as $1 worth of crypto while keeping their collateral fully active in earning rewards. The loan is over‑collateralized, fee‑free, and features interest...
How Business Lending Culture Lost Its Way
The piece argues that alternative business lending has drifted from fueling growth to becoming a lifeline for struggling SMEs. Over 90% of surveyed firms use loans to cover rent, payroll or existing debt rather than to expand, turning credit into...
How Currency Overlay Is Reshaping Portfolio Management in 2025
Currency volatility surged in 2025 as the U.S. dollar slipped roughly 10% against major peers, marking its steepest decline since 2017. Asset owners are responding by centralising currency‑overlay functions, integrating hedging decisions across equities and fixed income within a Total...
Tech Disruption as a Day Job - Lloyds Banking Group CEO Charles Nunn on AI, Digital Transformation, and Why His...
Lloyds Banking Group says its digital bank has expanded by 50%, now serving 23 million digitally active retail customers who generate roughly 7 billion interactions annually. The group has hired 9,000 new engineering and tech staff and already runs 800 AI models,...
Closing the Gap: Theta Lake’s Reconciliation Tools
Regulatory frameworks across the US, Canada, Europe and the CFTC impose strict record‑retention periods, ranging from one to seven years, leaving firms little margin for missing communications. Gaps in data ingestion trigger regulator scrutiny and can signal heightened operational risk....
Inside Funding Societies’ Strategy to Help SMEs Grow Through Stronger Institutional Funding
Funding Societies is refocusing its Indonesian platform on established small‑and‑medium enterprises with clear cash‑flow histories, moving away from ultra‑micro borrowers. The fintech leverages growing partnerships with institutional investors, who now supply the bulk of its capital after retail participation waned....
UWE Bristol and FinTech West Partner to Bridge the Fintech Talent Gap in the South West
University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has entered a strategic partnership with FinTech West to close the fintech talent gap in the South West. The collaboration will see FinTech West co‑design UWE’s MSc FinTech programme, linking students to...
AI Compliance Platform Steward Secures $5m Funding
Steward, an AI‑first compliance platform managing $100bn of investor assets, closed a $5 million financing round led by Motive Partners with participation from Outward VC and prominent angels. The funds will expand product capabilities and scale the team across its New...
PixlPay Announces Partnership with Factor4 to Expand Gift Card Solutions for Businesses
PixlPay, an Arkansas‑based payment processor, has partnered with Factor4 to integrate its omnichannel gift‑card and loyalty platform into PixlPay’s point‑of‑sale ecosystem. The collaboration enables merchants to launch branded gift‑card programs that can be sold and redeemed in‑store, online, and via...
TaxStreem Aims to Simplify Tax Compliance for Nigerian Businesses
TaxStreem has launched a digital platform that consolidates fragmented financial data—from bank accounts, email, WhatsApp Business and invoicing tools—into a single interface for Nigerian businesses. The system automatically applies relevant tax rules, calculates liabilities in real time, and files returns...
Amadeus Links UnionPay Payments to Airline Booking Channels
Amadeus’s Outpayce unit partnered with UnionPay International to embed UnionPay cards directly into airline payment systems via the Xchange Payments Platform. Native acceptance across direct and indirect booking channels is slated for the first half of 2026, with a global...
Zoyk: Cost-Effective Payment Processing for Small Businesses in Southern Africa
Zoyk has launched an integrated payment platform aimed at small businesses across Southern Africa, unifying mobile‑money, card and online transactions into a single gateway. The solution offers real‑time dashboards, QR‑code links and Android‑based POS hardware, eliminating the need for multiple...