Peter Thiel and Galaxy-Backed Citrea Wants to Turn Idle Bitcoin Into a High-Speed Bank Account
Citrea, backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Galaxy Ventures, has launched its Bitcoin‑focused mainnet, aiming to create a credit market anchored directly to BTC. The platform introduces ctUSD, a Treasury‑backed stablecoin issued by MoonPay, designed for U.S.‑dollar settlement and compliance with the GENIUS Act. By enabling Bitcoin‑secured lending and trading without wrapped tokens, Citrea seeks to monetize idle BTC holdings. Over 30 Bitcoin‑native applications are prepared to leverage the new infrastructure for institutional‑grade finance.
ICE Launches Reddit Signals and Sentiment Tool for Investors
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has introduced Reddit Signals and Sentiment, a data‑analytics suite that converts millions of Reddit posts into structured market signals. The service, accessible via ICE’s consolidated data feed, provides real‑time and historical sentiment scores along with daily trend...
Starr Adopts Five Sigma AI to Transform Claims Operations
Starr, a global investment and insurance firm, has selected Five Sigma’s AI Claims Management Platform and its multi‑agent AI expert, Clive, to overhaul specialty claims operations. The AI‑native solution will embed intelligence across the entire claims lifecycle, from first notice...
Rogo Raises $75M in Series C Funding
Rogo, a New York‑based AI platform built specifically for finance, announced a $75 million Series C round. The financing was led by Sequoia Capital and featured participation from Henry Kravis, Wells Fargo, and existing backers such as Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global...
Payment Infrastructure for Products with High User Activity
High‑activity digital products embed payments directly into the user journey, turning transactions into a core interaction rather than a peripheral step. Speed, clarity, and uninterrupted flow become critical because any latency or ambiguity instantly erodes trust. These platforms generate dense,...
Seen Finance Signs with Nova Credit to Expand Access to Credit
Seen Finance, an affiliate of Snap Finance, announced a strategic partnership with Nova Credit to broaden credit access for qualified applicants. By integrating Nova Credit’s multi‑aggregator cash‑flow data platform, Seen can supplement traditional underwriting with richer financial insights. The collaboration...
EPC Issues RFI for Fraud Information Sharing Platform
The European Payments Council (EPC) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to find operators for a central fraud‑information sharing platform under its Frida scheme. The initiative anticipates the EU Payment Services Regulation (PSR) that will take effect in early...
ThriveCart Introduces Installment Payments
ThriveCart has launched ThrivePay Installments, a new payment option that splits purchases into 3, 6 or 12‑month installments using customers’ existing credit‑card limits while paying merchants upfront. The service taps the roughly $4.1 trillion of pre‑authorized credit in the U.S., aiming...
Movitz to Bring Global Verification of Payee to EU Banks with JPMorgan Kinexys
JPMorgan Chase has entered a partnership with Movitz Payments to launch the Kinexys Link solution across European banks. The service provides a single‑network connection for global payee verification, extending coverage to more than 70 countries. By integrating this platform, European...
Options Technology Introduces Quantum Computing Into Market Infrastructure Behind FX and CFDs
Options Technology has launched what it calls the first commercially accessible quantum computing node in New York City, linking it to its low‑latency global infrastructure. The service lets clients offload specific, high‑value workloads—such as large‑scale portfolio optimization and derivatives risk...
AI for Wealth Management Firm Zocks Lands $45 Million Investtment
Zocks, a privacy‑first artificial‑intelligence platform for wealth‑management advisors, announced a $45 million Series B round. The round was co‑led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and QED Investors, with participation from Illuminate Financial and existing backers such as Motive Partners, Expanse Venture Partners, Entrée...
Europe’s DeFi Tax Gap Won’t Last Forever, Says Ex-OECD Official
The EU’s DAC8 directive, aligned with the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), will obligate crypto exchanges and custodians to collect and report user activity data starting in 2026. The framework deliberately leaves decentralized finance (DeFi) out of scope because...
ClearBank Founder Andrew Smith Is Building "the Home of UK Sports Finance" With New Banking Venture Sporta
Former ClearBank founder Andrew Smith is launching Sporta, a dedicated banking platform for UK sports organisations. The venture aims to address chronic financial pressure on clubs—only 20% finish the year with a surplus—by offering AI‑native banking, loans and sponsorship tools....
Fidelity Investments Starts Its Own Stablecoin in a Massive Bet that Future of Banking Is on Blockchain
Fidelity Investments is launching the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), an Ethereum‑based stablecoin redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars, in early February. Backed by cash, cash equivalents, and short‑term Treasuries, the coin will be issued by Fidelity Digital Assets, a federally chartered...
Traditional Banks Set to Increase Engagement with Digital Assets : Analysis
Elliptic’s 2026 forecast predicts traditional banks will move digital assets from experimental projects to core offerings. Major institutions such as JPMorgan, BNY Mellon and Citi are already piloting tokenized funds, crypto custody and stablecoin initiatives. A wave of clearer regulations...
Stablecoin Player Fitpo Achieves Dual Authorisation Status
Fitpo, a regulated payment infrastructure for stablecoins, announced it received a Crypto‑Asset Service Provider (CASP) licence from France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The approval grants Fitpo dual authorisation status, complementing its existing licence in another jurisdiction. This regulatory clearance enables...
No More Unexpected Tax Bills, Business Owners Are Using Gelt Tax Software
In 2023 the IRS levied over 14.2 million estimated‑tax penalties, amounting to $7 billion, catching many founders off guard with surprise bills. The problem stems from a reactive, annual‑only tax approach that ignores the IRS’s pay‑as‑you‑go requirement. Gelt, an AI‑native tax firm,...
For Wall Street’s Most Sophisticated Trading Firms, the Next Alpha Is Onchain
Wall Street’s high‑frequency trading firms are shifting their edge from physical data‑center proximity to on‑chain infrastructure. By running validators, designing low‑latency nodes, and participating in blockchain governance, they aim to capture the next source of alpha in decentralized finance. Early...
WisdomTree Expands Tokenized Fund Access to Solana in Multichain Push
WisdomTree announced that its full suite of tokenized funds will now be available on the Solana blockchain through its WisdomTree Connect and WisdomTree Prime platforms. Both institutional and retail investors can mint, trade, and hold these real‑world asset tokens directly...
WisdomTree Brings Its Full Tokenized Fund Lineup to Solana
WisdomTree announced that its entire catalog of tokenized exchange‑traded products is now available on the Solana blockchain. The move expands the firm’s multi‑chain deployment, adding Solana to its existing presence on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base and Optimism. Institutional and retail...
BeeXpay Expands Its Crypto-Funded Payment and Digital Travel Services Through Regulated Partners
BeeXpay announced an expansion of its crypto‑funded platform to deliver broader payment and digital travel services through regulated third‑party partners. The rollout adds eSIM connectivity for international data, while payment cards remain issued by licensed financial institutions. Future integrations will...
Digital Banking : Brazil’s Nubank Plans to Invest in Long-Term Business Expansion Efforts
Nubank announced it now serves over 112 million customers, covering roughly 61 % of Brazil’s adult population, and reports record revenue per active user in Q3 2025. The fintech is allocating more than R$2.5 billion over the next five years to expand and modernize...
Mastercard Showcases Agentic Payments in Australia with CBA and Westpac Onboard
Mastercard has rolled out its Agent Pay technology in Australia, following a US launch last year. The first Australian transactions used a Commonwealth Bank debit card to buy cinema tickets and a Westpac credit card to book Thredbo accommodation, both completed...
MGAA Sets Strategic Priorities for 2026
The Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA) unveiled its 2026 strategic plan, emphasizing expanded member value, enhanced technical training, deeper market engagement, and a stronger voice for delegated underwriting. The agenda includes new market research, a relaunch of the POLI learning...
Sokin Secures $100 Million Debt Facility
Sokin, a global business‑payments platform, secured a $100 million long‑term debt facility from Oxford Finance. The capital will accelerate its expansion across North America, Asia, the Middle East and South America and fund new embedded‑payments products. The deal follows a $50 million...
How PayPal Uses Smart Strategic Shortcuts to Enter and Scale in New Markets
PayPal is accelerating its global footprint by employing a series of strategic shortcuts, including targeted acquisitions and partnership models. The recent purchase of Cymbio expands its Agentic Commerce Suite, giving the company a ready‑made platform for local merchant onboarding. Simultaneously,...
Pace Raises $10m to Automate Insurance Operations
Agentic AI startup Pace announced a $10 million Series A round led by Sequoia Capital to accelerate automation of insurance operations. The funding will be used to replace traditional business process outsourcing with AI systems that handle submissions, claims processing and other...
South Korea Regulator Backs Ownership Caps for Crypto Exchanges
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced it will impose ownership caps of roughly 15%‑20% on licensed crypto exchanges, aligning them with governance standards applied to securities markets. The proposal, part of the draft Digital Asset Basic Act, would shift...
Digital Euro Key to Payments Sovereignty in ‘Weaponised’ World: ECB Exec
European Central Bank executive Piero Cipollone said the digital euro is essential for payment sovereignty amid rising geopolitical tensions. He highlighted that cash now represents only 24% of transaction value, underscoring the need for a public‑money digital alternative. The ECB...
B-Next and Behavox Join Forces to Advance Capital Markets Compliance
b-next, a capital‑markets surveillance specialist, has partnered with AI‑focused Behavox to embed advanced analytics into its compliance suite. The deal grants b-next a license to Behavox’s artificial‑intelligence engine, enhancing trade surveillance, best‑execution monitoring, conflicts‑of‑interest controls, and personal‑account dealing solutions. Behavox...
Armundia Rolls Out New Modular Platform for Family Offices
Armundia Group, an international fintech firm, has launched a new modular platform tailored for single and multi‑family offices. The solution centralizes portfolio management, risk analytics, and regulatory compliance within a single, customizable interface. By leveraging cloud‑native architecture and open APIs,...
When Everything Works, Dig Deeper—Anton Khapankou’s HFT Testing Philosophy
The high‑frequency trading market surpassed $10 billion in 2025, driving demand for ultra‑fast, resilient platforms. Senior QA engineer Anton Khapankou explains how his "dig deeper" philosophy turns testing into a strategic defense against millisecond‑level failures that can cost millions. By embedding QA...
SkipCash Integrates PayLater for Seamless, Flexible Checkout
SkipCash, a leading Qatari digital payments provider, has integrated the licensed PayLater buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) service directly into its payment gateway and payment‑link offerings. The new feature enables merchants to present customers with flexible installment options at checkout without leaving the...
Almost 9 in 10 Firms Remain Vulnerable to Cyber Risks
KYND’s analysis of over 2,000 firms—including FTSE 350 and S&P 500 companies—found that 88 % of organizations with identified cyber‑risk exposures remain vulnerable for six months or longer. While 11 % of the sample faced actively exploited vulnerabilities, remote code execution (RCE)...
Nomura's Laser Digital Applies for U.S. National Trust Bank to Offer Crypto Custody
Laser Digital, Nomura’s digital‑assets division, filed an OCC application to launch a U.S. national trust bank that would provide crypto custody, spot trading and staking services under federal supervision. The bank would serve institutional clients and also hold U.S. government...
Bitget Appoints Oliver Stauber as EU CEO
Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange, has appointed Oliver Stauber as CEO of its European operations and will locate its EU headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Stauber brings deep regulatory and legal experience from previous leadership roles at KuCoin EU and Bitpanda....
Red Horse (RH) Launches On-Chain Membership Protocol to Turn Commitment Into a Verifiable Signal
Red Horse (RH) launched a Solana‑based on‑chain membership protocol that converts token locking into verifiable tiered membership. Users lock RH tokens in a non‑custodial contract, and their tier determines access, priority, and reward weighting across ecosystem programs. The tokenomics allocate...
Fufuture Joins Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026 as a Secondary Exhibition Sponsor
Fufuture has become a secondary exhibition sponsor of the Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026, scheduled for April 20‑23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The partnership showcases its decentralized perpetual options protocol to a gathering of DeFi innovators,...
ERM Taps Auquan to Adopt Agentic AI to Assess ESG Risks
ERM, the world’s largest sustainability consultancy, announced a partnership with Auquan to integrate its agentic AI platform into ESG risk assessments for financial institutions. The collaboration will deploy autonomous AI agents that scan global news, regulatory filings, and stakeholder reports...
Bitget Wallet Shifts Toward an Everyday Finance App
Bitget Wallet is rebranding itself as an all‑in‑one everyday finance app, placing payments at the core of its refreshed interface. The update follows the wallet surpassing 90 million global users and reflects a broader industry shift from investment‑centric wallets to real‑world...
Etrading Software Signs Concession Agreement with the FCA for Delivery of Consolidated Tape
Etrading Software’s subsidiary ETS Connect UK has signed a concession agreement with the Financial Conduct Authority to become the official provider of the United Kingdom’s bond Consolidated Tape. The agreement launches the implementation phase, during which ETS Connect UK will design, build, and operate...
EToro Brings 24/5 Trading to Selected Smart Portfolios, Including BigTech and Magnificent-7
eToro announced that four of its Smart Portfolios—BigTech, Four‑Horsemen, Magnificent‑7 and Buybacks—will be tradable on a 24/5 schedule. The new window runs from Sunday 20:05 to Friday 16:00 ET, giving investors near‑continuous access to these thematic products. eToro also introduced...
Hype vs Responsibility in Building Fintech Products with AI
I work in fintech product, and I’ve been working on AI implementation for a while. One thing keeps
Inside Standard Chartered’s Approach to Running AI Under Privacy Rules
Standard Chartered has placed data‑privacy teams at the forefront of its AI strategy, making privacy requirements the starting point for model design, approval, and monitoring. The bank must navigate divergent data‑sovereignty laws, often deploying AI locally or using anonymised data...
Who Needs $6 Million in Cash? Asks Thai Central Bank Governor
The Bank of Thailand announced stricter cash‑withdrawal rules after investigators uncovered two large cash transactions totalling roughly $12 million just days before the national election. Governor Vitai Ratanakorn highlighted a 250 million‑baht withdrawal and a separate 200 million‑baht pull of 100‑baht notes, questioning...
Upvest Partners with Boerse Stuttgart to Bring Securitised Derivatives Trading to EU Banks
Boerse Stuttgart and Upvest have formed a partnership that lets European financial institutions offer securitised derivatives through the exchange’s platform. The exchange provides over 2.5 million derivative contracts and handles regulatory, settlement and risk functions, while Upvest supplies an Investment API...
Kin Launches Auto Insurance for Florida and Texas Homeowners
Kin, a direct‑to‑consumer insurtech, has introduced auto insurance for its existing home‑insurance customers in Florida and Texas, allowing policyholders to bundle coverage. The bundled offering promises up to a 20% discount on auto premiums and simplifies management through a single...
TerraPay Launches Payouts for Content Creators and the Gig Economy
TerraPay announced a partnership with MilX, the payments division of Air Media Tech, to launch instant cross‑border payouts for content creators and gig workers. The service will deliver earnings in local currencies across more than 70 markets via bank accounts, wallets...
EuroCTP Selects Equinix to Provide Consolidated Tape for EU Equities
EuroCTP has chosen Equinix to host its EU equity Consolidated Tape, using the FR2 data centre in Frankfurt as the digital backbone. The tape will aggregate real‑time pre‑ and post‑trade data from every EU venue, targeting a Q3 2026 launch and...
Plumery Taps Lokalise to Embed Enterprise-Grade Localisation Functionality
Plumery, a digital banking development platform, has partnered with localisation specialist Lokalise to embed enterprise‑grade translation and market adaptation capabilities directly into its platform. The integration enables financial institutions to launch multilingual digital banking journeys faster, with AI‑driven orchestration, compliance...