Auto Finance Fraud Is Costing Dealers up to $20,000 per Incident
Auto dealers are facing a growing fraud problem that can cost up to $20,000 per incident, according to Experian research. The most common schemes involve income and employment misrepresentation, followed closely by synthetic and third‑party identity fraud. Fraud often surfaces only after the loan is funded, when payments stop or borrowers disappear, leaving lenders and retailers to absorb chargebacks and unrecovered balances. Experts stress that early, multi‑source verification and advanced detection tools are essential to curb losses and streamline the buying process.
CoinDesk Research: U.S. Leads Institutional Crypto, Asia Rules Trading Ahead of Consensus Miami
CoinDesk Research’s Global Digital Asset Adoption Index shows Asia leading in exchange trading volumes, stable‑coin transaction flows, and crypto ownership, while the United States dominates exchange‑traded products, custody infrastructure, and regulatory clarity. The report highlights a structural split: Asia’s retail‑focused,...
Brazil : New Law Updates Legal Framework for FX Market and Capital Flows
Brazil enacted Law No. 14,286, overhauling its foreign‑exchange and capital‑flow regulations after a year‑long transition ending 2022. The legislation consolidates fragmented statutes, permits residents and non‑residents to hold foreign‑currency bank accounts, and removes mandatory Central Bank registration for most capital inflows....
AU10TIX, Microsoft Partnership Reduces Reduces Fake Account Openings By 90%
AU10TIX and Microsoft unveiled OneVet, a joint solution that blends Azure Verifiable Credentials with AU10TIX’s AI‑driven identity intelligence. The platform automates partner account validation, delivering a 90% drop in fake account openings and cutting impersonation attempts. By issuing reusable, cryptographically...
Angelsta Unveils the Future of Startup Equity in MENA
Angelsta has launched the first regulated, AI‑powered exchange for tokenized startup equity in the Middle East and North Africa, creating a secondary market for pre‑IPO shares. By converting private‑company stock into blockchain‑based digital assets, the platform tackles the region’s chronic...
BitGo and PicPay Go Public in 'Uncertain' Fintech IPO Market
Digital‑asset custodian BitGo and Brazilian payments firm PicPay launched their IPOs in January 2026, pricing shares at $18 and $19 respectively and raising $212.8 million and $434 million. Both stocks rose on debut but slipped in the days after as a partial...
TokenPocket Announced as Platinum Sponsor for Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026
TokenPocket has been named a Platinum Sponsor of the Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026, linking its multi‑chain wallet platform with Asia’s leading blockchain gathering. The partnership highlights TokenPocket’s zero‑gas, cross‑chain transfer capabilities and its broader push into enterprise‑grade security and...
Blockchain.com, Ondo Partner on Tokenized Securities, ETFs for Europe
Blockchain.com has teamed up with Ondo Finance to launch a tokenized securities platform across 30 European Economic Area countries. The service brings 200 NYSE‑listed stocks and ETFs into Blockchain.com’s self‑custody wallet, complying with the EU’s MiCA regulations. Ondo, which launched...
Digital Bank Revolut Adds Business Payments Features for Australia Market
Revolut Business has rolled out a full suite of account‑to‑account, online and in‑person payment capabilities for Australian merchants. The launch follows a 235% surge in monthly transaction volume on the platform over the past year. A Revolut‑conducted survey found 83%...
Truist Launches AI-Enabled Platform to Automate Corporate Receivables
Truist Financial unveiled an AI‑enabled receivables platform that automates payment‑to‑invoice matching for corporate clients. Leveraging machine learning and business rules, the solution scans checks and electronic payments, extracts remittance data, and integrates with ERP systems for straight‑through processing. The platform...
How to Build a Future‑Proof Remote Trading Setup
Building a remote trading workstation requires a powerful, quiet computer, reliable internet, and ergonomic workspace. Traders should prioritize business‑grade towers with at least 32 GB RAM, SSD storage, and wired Ethernet, plus a 4G/5G hotspot as backup. Thoughtful multi‑monitor layouts keep...
Canada’s Investment Watchdog Rolls Out Crypto Custody Rules to Avoid Another QuadrigaCX
Canada’s investment regulator CIRO introduced a Digital Asset Custody Framework to tighten crypto custody standards after the QuadrigaCX collapse. The rules require tiered, risk‑based custody arrangements and give CIRO authority to act quickly on hacking, fraud or insolvency risks. Platforms...
Trump's White House Won't Tolerate Attacks on the President in Crypto Bill, Adviser Says
President Donald Trump's White House, through digital‑assets adviser Patrick Witt, has rejected Senate‑drafted anti‑corruption provisions that would single out the president and his family in the pending crypto market‑structure bill. Witt described the proposals, especially those from Sen. Adam Schiff,...
Digital Wallets Will Hold 'Totality' Of People's Assets, Says Franklin Templeton
At the Ondo Summit, Franklin Templeton’s head of innovation Sandy Kaul announced that future asset management will be “wallet‑native,” with all financial assets tokenized in digital wallets. A panel of senior managers from Fidelity, State Street and WisdomTree confirmed that...
Spotify to Use Checkout.com’s Global Acquiring Services
Spotify announced a partnership with Checkout.com to power its global payment infrastructure, leveraging the fintech’s Intelligent Acceptance, network tokenization, and authentication services. The arrangement will cover more than 180 countries, supporting Spotify’s 700 million monthly active users and 280 million paying subscribers....
Banks Say Core Provider Power Needs to Be Checked
Community banks and trade groups have urged the OCC to reconsider third‑party risk rules, citing the dominance of three core‑banking providers that serve over 70 % of institutions. They argue that vendor concentration drives rigid contracts, high integration costs, and unclear...
Socure Unveils Unified Risk Platform for Government Agencies
Socure announced SocureGov RiskOS, a unified risk platform for government agencies to modernize digital identity verification. The solution merges Socure’s existing public‑sector offerings with new AI‑powered analytics, replacing fragmented legacy systems with a single ecosystem. It leverages behavioral analytics, device...
Prediction Markets Chase Super Bowl Moment Despite States’ Regulatory Crackdown
Prediction market platforms such as Polymarket, Kalshi and Crypto.com’s new OG exchange are riding a wave of Super Bowl‑related activity, joining the $1.76 billion sports‑betting surge. The CFTC has stepped back from a restrictive 2024 rule proposal and is drafting fresh...
Meet the Big Tech Companies Banking on AI Infrastructure in Africa
Big tech firms are pouring billions into AI infrastructure across Africa, with Microsoft, Google, AWS, Oracle and Meta each launching multi‑billion‑dollar projects. Microsoft’s $1 billion geothermal data centre in Kenya and $285 million South African expansion illustrate its aggressive stance, while Google...
Stripe’s Stablecoin Expansion Faces Sanctions Scrutiny
Stripe’s 2025 acquisition of Bridge was intended to power a dollar‑backed stablecoin layer for faster, cheaper cross‑border payments. The Information reports that Bridge’s APIs were used in transactions linked to online scams and U.S. sanctions‑listed parties, prompting fresh compliance scrutiny....
Sea Global FX Launches as a New CFD Brokerage Focused on Execution, Transparency, and Trader Education
Sea Global FX has launched a new CFD brokerage platform that prioritizes transparent execution, system stability, and trader education. The service routes orders through external liquidity providers and publishes detailed execution policies and pricing structures. Operating under a St. Lucia registration,...
KAI Exchanges Launches 2026 New Year Carnival to Reward Global Users with Multi-Task Incentives and Guaranteed Prizes
KAI Exchanges has launched the “KAI New Year Carnival: New Plans, Full Rewards Unlocked,” a month‑long promotion running from Jan 29 to Feb 28 2026. The campaign offers guaranteed‑reward draws for every qualified participation, covering Bitcoin, token prizes and USAD contract trial funds....
When a Prepaid Issuer Goes Belly-Up, Who’s on the Hook?
The episode examines the fallout from Synergy’s sudden shutdown of its restaurant gift‑card program, leaving consumers with worthless prepaid cards and highlighting the lack of consumer recourse when such issuers fail. It details Costco’s voluntary refunds, despite no legal obligation,...
Neo Financial Secures $68.5 Million in Equity as It Adopts Big-Bank Funding Playbook
Neo Financial announced a CAD 68.5 million equity round led by Canadian institutional investors such as AIMCo and Northleaf. The funding coincides with the launch of a securitization program that will bundle its credit assets to generate liquidity, a practice common among...
Crypto.com Launches Prediction Market Platform in US
Crypto.com unveiled OG, a CFTC‑registered prediction‑market platform for U.S. users, offering contracts on sports, elections, finance and entertainment events. The service, powered by Crypto.com Derivatives North America, introduces margin trading on prediction contracts—a first for a publicly launched market. Co‑founder...
Know Your Customer Celebrates 10 Years Redefining Corporate Onboarding for Global Banks
Know Your Customer (KYC) marks its 10th anniversary as one of the few RegTech firms from the post‑2008 era still thriving. Founded in 2015, the company built a platform that pulls real‑time, registry‑sourced corporate data from 146 jurisdictions, delivering authoritative...
Mastering Enterprise IAM: Naveen Rudraradhya on Leading Global Identity and Access Transformation
Naveen Rudraradhya, an IAM veteran with an MBA in IT Business Management, led a global identity and access transformation that unified standards across regions while respecting local regulations. He replaced manual request channels with a single, automated portal linking HR...
VistaShares Launches Treasury ETF with Options-Based Bitcoin Exposure
VistaShares introduced BTYB, an actively managed ETF listed on the NYSE that blends U.S. Treasury securities with Bitcoin‑linked exposure. About 80% of assets are invested in Treasury instruments while the remaining 20% is generated through a synthetic covered‑call strategy using...
UK Asset Management Rules in Focus: What to Expect in 2026
The UK asset‑management regulatory landscape continued evolving in 2025, moving from policy design to concrete implementation. Zeidler Group published a guide outlining the latest FCA supervisory priorities, ESG disclosures, consumer‑duty rules, and governance expectations. It also highlights infrastructure reforms such...
Enterprise AI Strategy: Why Buy Often Beats Build
At the 2025 Central Park AI Forum, leaders debated whether enterprises should buy or build AI solutions, especially for legal and regulatory functions. Speakers highlighted that building tools often fails to deliver long‑term ownership, as maintenance and continuous updates are...
PayPal Shares Sink Amid Online Branded Checkout Headwinds
PayPal reported a modest 1% Q4 growth in its branded‑checkout payment volume, a sharp deceleration from the prior quarter, and its shares fell 18% on the news. The earnings release also announced a leadership transition, with board chair Enrique Lores...
U.S. Bank COO to Retire This Spring
U.S. Bank announced that its chief operations officer, Souheil Badran, will retire this spring after three years in the role. The bank has not yet identified a successor and says it will rely on its robust succession‑planning program, with Badran...
Revenue-Based Financing Enters Phase Two: How Technology Is Transforming a Hidden Asset Class
Revenue‑based financing (RBF) is moving from a proof‑of‑concept stage to a technology‑driven growth phase. Phase one proved the model using manual underwriting and limited scalability, while major platforms like PayPal and Shopify introduced sales‑linked funding. Phase two replaces static documents...
How AML Reform Is Reshaping Financial Crime Strategy
Australia’s AML and counter‑terrorism financing reforms will take effect on 31 March 2026 for existing entities and July 2026 for a new tranche of roughly 80,000 businesses, including real‑estate agents and lawyers. The amendment Act shifts supervision from checklist compliance to outcomes‑based, demanding...
Payments Canada to Focus on Enhanced Governance with New Chief Legal and Policy Appointment
Payments Canada announced Lisa Ford as its new Chief Legal and Policy Officer, effective February 17, 2026, to strengthen governance and integrate legal, compliance, and policy functions. Ford, a 2023 Women in Payments Thought Leadership Award winner, has shaped key legislation and...
Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) Aims to Enhance Governance Standards
The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has introduced a new General Code of Conduct aimed at decision‑makers across the financial sector. The code outlines five core principles—integrity, informed decision‑making, accountability, compliance, and fairness—to raise governance standards and ethical behavior. It...
European Central Bank (ECB) Releases Insights on Euro Area’s Economic Outlook
The ECB’s latest SAFE survey shows tightening credit conditions for euro‑area firms, with 12% reporting higher loan rates and 14% facing stricter collateral requirements. Despite the financing squeeze, external funding demand rose modestly and digital payments surged 7.7% to 77.7 billion...
Stablecoins Top $300 Billion as Institutional Usage Grows
Moody’s reports the global stablecoin market has crossed the $300 billion threshold. Settlement volumes surged 87 % to $9 trillion by the end of 2025. Regulatory clarity from the U.S. GENIUS Act and Europe’s MiCA has spurred 19 new stablecoin launches, primarily for...
World Liberty Launches $3.4B Stablecoin: How It Fits Into Onchain Credit Systems
World Liberty Financial launched World Liberty Markets, a DeFi lending platform built around its USD1 stablecoin, which now has a circulating supply of about $3.4 billion. The protocol uses smart contracts to let users deposit crypto assets as collateral and borrow...
Solana to Reach $2,000 by 2030 Despite Recent Plunge to $100, Says Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered’s crypto research head Geoffrey Kendrick projects Solana (SOL) to reach $2,000 by 2030, despite a recent dip to around $100. He trimmed his 2026 price target to $250 from $310 but sees a longer‑term surge driven by stablecoin‑based...
Safello Expands to Finland Where One-Tenth Holds Crypto
Safello, the Swedish crypto exchange, announced its launch in Finland, a market where roughly one‑tenth of the adult population already holds digital assets. The move introduces local fiat on‑ramps and a native app tailored to Finnish regulatory requirements. Safello aims...
Enclaive Secures €4.1m to Scale Confidential Computing Across Multi-Cloud
Berlin‑based enclaive closed a €4.1 million seed round led by Join Capital and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund to accelerate its Multi‑Cloud Platform (eMCP). The funding will boost sales, marketing, product functionality and international expansion. eMCP lets organisations run workloads in...
Bridging Financial Frontiers: ZOOMEX Launches “February XAUT Airdrop Event” To Redefine Digital Asset Experience with Fairness and Transparency
Zoomex, a global crypto exchange, launched the February XAUT Airdrop Event, rewarding new users with a $10 bonus and XAUT tokens for completing KYC and initial trades. The promotion uses a transparent, task‑based system and requires upgrading to the Unified...
Safe Project Reports $10M Revenue, Targets Break-Even and $100M ARR Path by 2030
The Safe Ecosystem Foundation announced that its smart‑account protocol generated over $10 million in annualized revenue for 2025, up from roughly $2 million in 2024, without any token subsidies. The network processed $600 billion in transaction volume—43 % of its total lifetime volume—in a...
Y Combinator Says That Startups Will Now Be Able to Receive Their Funding in Stablecoins
Y Combinator announced that, beginning with its Spring 2026 batch, startups can elect to receive the standard $500,000 investment in USDC stablecoins instead of cash. The option, driven by founder demand and the accelerator’s view of evolving financial infrastructure, aims...
Rails Taps Stellar to Launch Onchain Vaults for Institutional Derivatives Liquidity
Rails announced the launch of Institutional‑Grade Vaults on the Stellar network, enabling broker‑dealers and fintechs to access crypto perpetuals through a single backend. The solution separates the centralized matching engine from on‑chain custody, with client assets held in audited smart‑contract...
MetaMask Integrates Ondo to Offer 200+ Tokenized U.S. Stocks Inside Crypto Wallet
MetaMask has integrated Ondo Finance’s Global Markets platform to bring more than 200 tokenized U.S. stocks, ETFs and commodities into its self‑custodial wallet. The feature is limited to eligible mobile users in supported non‑U.S. jurisdictions, allowing them to buy and...
MetaMask Adds Tokenized US Stocks, ETFs, Commodities via Ondo
MetaMask is adding tokenized U.S. stocks, ETFs and commodities to its Ethereum‑based wallet through a partnership with Ondo Global Markets. Starting Tuesday, eligible non‑U.S. users can swap USDC for 1:1 Ondo tokens that track the value of 200 underlying assets....
Why some Payments Companies Want to Be Banks
Payments companies such as PayPal, Stripe, Affirm, Revolut and Checkout.com are applying for state and federal banking charters to gain direct access to credit‑card networks and eliminate reliance on partner banks. A special‑purpose charter, first granted to Fiserv, would let...
Why some Payments Companies Want to Be Banks
Fintech powerhouses such as Stripe, PayPal, Affirm, Revolut, Fiserv and Checkout.com are applying for federal or state banking charters. Analysts say the move promises greater control over payment settlement, cost savings and the ability to offer FDIC‑insured accounts. A special...