Wyoming Has Big Plans for Stablecoin
Wyoming became the first U.S. state to publicly sell a stablecoin, launching the Frontier (FRNT) token on Jan. 7 and generating $1.5 million in sales within the first week. The token, backed at 102 % by dollars and short‑duration Treasuries and operating across seven blockchains, is designed to fund public schools and reduce credit‑card interchange fees for businesses. State agencies are integrating FRNT into payment cards through a partnership with Signify Holdings’ Rain platform, enabling low‑cost transactions via mobile wallets. Lawmakers see the token as a model for broader government payments and disaster‑relief aid.
BitMart Supports UNICEF to Advance Youth Financial Literacy and Employability in Brazil
BitMart announced a partnership with UNICEF Luxembourg to support the Passport to Earning (P2E) initiative in Brazil, targeting youth aged 15 to 24. The contribution will fund financial‑literacy modules and digital‑skill training, helping participants manage money and prepare for the...
Want TradFi to Embrace Tokenization? Crypto's Distribution Strategy Must Mature
Dean Khan Dhillon argues that tokenization’s slow institutional uptake isn’t caused by regulation or technology but by a mismatched distribution approach. Crypto projects rely on viral, short‑term hype while traditional investors need repeated, credible exposure to evaluate new assets. The author proposes...
Trump Vows to Make U.S. the Crypto Capital of the World to Beat China
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he signed the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin‑focused bill, to cement America’s status as the world’s crypto capital and counter China’s ambitions. He highlighted ongoing Senate work on broader market‑structure legislation, promising near‑term signatures. Trump...
MEXQUICK Review 2026: An In-Depth Look
MEXQUICK has evolved from a niche short‑cycle derivatives exchange into a full‑stack trading infrastructure that embeds proprietary AI market‑making. The platform promises millisecond‑level latency, volume‑based execution fees, and built‑in risk controls tailored for high‑frequency traders. Its clean, data‑centric UI and...
Ondo Finance Brings 200+ Tokenized U.S. Stocks and ETFs to Solana
Ondo Finance announced the launch of its tokenized equities platform on Solana, adding more than 200 U.S. stocks and ETFs to the high‑speed blockchain. The rollout expands Ondo Global Markets beyond Ethereum and BNB Chain, making the protocol the largest...
Global Fintech Airwallex to Enable Arsenal Hospitality Payments and Improve Supporter Experience
Airwallex has become Arsenal Football Club’s Official Software Partner, embedding its Payments Acceptance platform into the stadium’s hospitality operations. The integration will streamline premium seating, corporate suite and VIP perk transactions, delivering faster, friction‑free payments for fans. The deal is...
Bitcoin Utility Blockchain VerifiedX Debuts ‘Venmo-For Crypto’ Payment App Butterfly
VerifiedX, the Bitcoin sidechain provider, launched Butterfly, a Venmo‑style crypto payment app. The service, built on VerifiedX’s layer‑1 blockchain, promises penny‑level transaction fees and an “undo” button to correct mistakes. Butterfly goes live through partnerships with Crypto.com, Moonpay and Blockdaemon,...
Argentine Exchange Ripio Bets on Peso Stablecoins Amid Cautious 2026 Outlook
Argentine crypto exchange Ripio is pivoting toward local fiat‑backed stablecoins and tokenized sovereign bonds as it repositions as a B2B infrastructure provider. The platform now issues peso, real and Mexican‑peso stablecoins on Ethereum, Base and World Chain, and has tokenized Argentina’s...
Bank of Italy Chief Says Banks, Not Stablecoins, Anchor Digital Money
Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta said commercial‑bank money will eventually be fully digital, joining central‑bank money as the core of the monetary system. He positioned stablecoins as a complementary, peg‑dependent tool rather than a primary anchor. Panetta also highlighted...
Central Banks vs Bitcoin: Who Deserves the Public’s Trust?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, French central bank governor François Villeroy de Galhau argued that trust in money must come from independent public institutions, not private crypto issuers. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rebutted, claiming Bitcoin’s decentralized protocol offers greater independence...
Alkami Launches 1-Click SDK Manager
Alkami has introduced a One‑Click SDK Manager that lets financial‑institution developers self‑manage staging and production deployments. The tool consolidates validation, dependency checks, scheduling and rollout tracking into a single, guided workflow, cutting friction and accelerating time‑to‑market. By shifting deployment ownership...
Chainlink Is One of Crypto’s Most Undervalued Infrastructure Bets: Bitwise
Bitlink’s chief investment officer Matt Hougan argues Chainlink (LINK) is a vastly underrated crypto infrastructure asset. The decentralized oracle network, valued at roughly $10 billion, supplies real‑world data to stablecoins, tokenized securities, DeFi protocols and major financial institutions. Bitwise’s high conviction...
Morgan Stanley’s Crypto ETF Move – and the Risk of Getting ‘Institutional Crypto’ Wrong
Morgan Stanley has filed to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF, a Solana ETF that includes staking exposure, and an Ethereum Trust that offers staking rewards. This marks a departure from the bank’s traditional role of merely distributing third‑party crypto funds...
Bitpanda Expands Into Stocks and ETFs with Universal Exchange Push
Vienna‑based crypto platform Bitpanda is launching a universal exchange, adding roughly 10,000 stocks and ETFs to its app starting Jan. 29. The new offering provides real, non‑tokenized shares across the EU with a flat €1 fee per trade and no custody...
Trade Finance Is the Biggest Opportunity in Blockchain
Blockchain’s most compelling growth frontier is global trade finance, a $9.7‑trillion market plagued by paper‑based processes and a $2.5‑trillion financing gap for SMEs. By moving letters of credit, invoices and bills of lading onto immutable ledgers, blockchain can slash fraud,...
How Affordability Became America’s Conversation
Affordability has moved from a discretionary budgeting topic to a daily survival issue as rising prices on groceries, housing, healthcare, and transportation strain households across income levels. PYMNTS Intelligence research shows 87% of consumers cite everyday price hikes as a...
Adyen and Forage Team Up to Bring SNAP EBT Payments to U.S. Retailers
Adyen and Forage have announced a strategic partnership to enable SNAP EBT payments on Adyen’s U.S. commerce platform. The collaboration integrates Forage’s compliance‑focused EBT processing with Adyen’s unified payment APIs, allowing grocery, convenience and select food retailers to accept government...
Guavapay Founder Quits as Mastercard Takes Company to Court
Guavapay’s founder and chief executive stepped down as a director while the London‑based fintech braces for a High Court hearing. Mastercard has filed a winding‑up petition, alleging unpaid debts and breach of contract. The company is preparing a legal defence...
Younger Americans Back Crypto as Boomers Favor Traditional Banks: Survey
A January survey of 1,000 Americans reveals a stark generational divide in financial trust. About 40% of Gen Z and Millennials rate crypto platforms highly, while only 9% of Baby Boomers do the same, yet 74% of Boomers express strong confidence...
Datarails Raises $70M to Inject AI Smarts Into Excel-Based Finance
Datarails announced a $70 million Series C round, pushing its total funding above $175 million. The startup’s FinanceOS platform embeds AI directly into Excel, letting finance teams link data across ERP, CRM, and HR systems. Revenue surged more than 70 percent last year while...
As CFPB Retreats, State AGs and Bank Regulators Step Up
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is pulling back from enforcement, leaving a regulatory gap that state attorneys general and banking agencies are moving to fill. States are hiring former CFPB staff and enacting laws such as New York's FAIR Act...
How Younger AI-Native Generations Represent a Pivotal Moment for Banks
At Predict 2026, Mambu CEO Fernando Zandona highlighted how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are reshaping banking expectations, treating money as an expression of personal values. He argued that these AI‑native cohorts demand seamless, real‑time, embedded finance experiences. Zandona forecasted AI‑driven personalization and...
How Elvijs Plugis Is Rethinking Investment Through Execution
Elvijs Plugis argues that modern growth is limited by execution, not capital, especially in the 12‑24 months after funding. He promotes an execution‑led investment model that embeds ownership, governance, and operational authority before large capital deployments. The approach treats execution...
Long-Term Tax Planning Strategies for Golden Visa Holders Using Greece Residency by Investment
Golden Visa holders who obtain Greek residency by investment face distinct tax obligations that require proactive, long‑term planning. The article outlines how residency classification, income stream alignment, and asset‑holding structures influence reporting duties and liability. It emphasizes early design of...
AI Technology That Powers High-Speed Crypto Arbitrage Systems
Modern crypto arbitrage now hinges on AI‑driven, multi‑layered systems that combine rapid market scanning, latency optimization, and predictive spread modeling. Each layer operates independently—detecting price gaps, validating risk, and executing fragmented orders—to capture fleeting inefficiencies across exchanges. Continuous learning loops...
Top AI Training Data Providers to Watch in 2026
In 2026 AI success hinges on high‑quality, ethically sourced training data rather than sheer volume. Leading providers such as Scale AI, Appen, Shaip, Defined.ai, TELUS International, iMerit, and Sama differentiate themselves through domain expertise, rigorous governance, and support for generative‑AI...
Western Circle Combats Long-Standing Issues in the UK Lending Market With Consumer-Centric Values
Western Circle, the fintech parent of Cashfloat, has rolled out a values‑driven, AI‑powered lending model that promises faster, more transparent credit decisions for UK consumers. The firm’s proprietary engine delivers approval or rejection in an average of 2.49 minutes, a...
New SEC Submissions Press on Self-Custody and DeFi Regulation
The SEC’s Crypto Task Force added two written submissions that focus on self‑custody rights and dealer classification for tokenized and DeFi assets. One, filed by “DK Willard,” cites Louisiana’s HB 488 to preserve strong registration, transparency and anti‑fraud safeguards in upcoming federal...
Observing an Early-Stage Crypto Platform: A Personal Review of Synthesz
Synthesz is an early‑stage crypto wealth platform that advertises entry at $25 and daily returns ranging from 0.48 % to 1.83 % through an auto‑compounding “AutoPilot” system, MEV trading software, and a claimed $140 million insurance backing. The service also offers hardware‑wallet integration,...
Formulary Financial Emerges From Stealth to Reinvent Fund Administration
Formulary Financial has emerged from stealth with a $4.6 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures and backed by several other investors. The startup offers an AI-native fund administration platform that consolidates data, automates workflows, and delivers real‑time reporting across the...
PayTail Summit
The PayTail Summit gathered leading retailers, e‑commerce platforms and payment innovators to chart the next phase of retail commerce and digital payments. Speakers examined how real‑time settlement, tokenization and AI‑driven fraud tools are reshaping checkout experiences. Case studies highlighted buy‑now‑pay‑later...
Money Movement
Money Movement 2026 merges two flagship conferences, drawing a broad spectrum of banks, credit unions, regulators, PSPs, retailers, and fintech innovators. The event expects over 350 senior attendees and 150 leading companies, with two‑in‑three decision makers represented. Featuring more than...
Power Users Show Businesses How Agentic AI Goes Mainstream
The January 2026 PYMNTS "Agentic AI Report" finds that power users are rapidly embracing autonomous AI agents, while the broader consumer base remains wary of handing over control. Enthusiasm is strongest for low‑risk, reversible tasks, and drops sharply for financial...
UK Tech Funding Drops 11% in 2025, but Late-Stage Capital Remains Resilient
UK tech companies raised $15.3 billion in 2025, an 11 percent drop from the previous year, yet the market retained its rank as the world’s second‑largest tech funding hub behind the United States. Deal volume contracted 35 percent, but late‑stage financing proved resilient,...
BNPL Becomes a Lifestyle Tool as 53% Use It for Experiences
Buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) is moving beyond retail checkout, becoming a routine tool for experiences, travel, and even essential bills. A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 4,000 U.S. consumers shows 53% would choose BNPL for event tickets, up from 40% six months earlier....
Driving the Future of Enterprise Performance Through Digital Transformation
Digital transformation has shifted from a competitive edge to a strategic necessity, prompting enterprises to partner with specialist consulting firms. These partners blend strategy, AI, and cloud capabilities to turn ambition into measurable outcomes such as improved efficiency and customer...
Nansen Launches AI Crypto Trading Tools on Base, Solana
Nansen introduced autonomous crypto‑trading tools that let users place trades through AI‑driven conversational prompts on its mobile app. The feature, dubbed “vibe trading,” currently supports the Base and Solana blockchains and draws on Nansen’s massive on‑chain address database. Execution is...
Why Independent Retailers Are Replacing Legacy POS with Industry-Specific Systems
Independent retailers are abandoning generic legacy point‑of‑sale platforms for industry‑specific solutions that deliver greater flexibility, security, and operational control. Legacy systems, originally built as one‑size‑fits‑all, now hinder scalability, omnichannel integration, and data‑driven decision making. Specialized POS software such as Rapid’s...
What a Logbook Loan Is and How It Works
A logbook loan is a UK vehicle‑secured loan where the lender holds the V5 logbook while the borrower retains use of the car. Lenders typically advance 50‑70% of the vehicle’s value and often skip credit checks, making it attractive for...
Why Most Companies Don’t Know What They Spend on Software
Most companies entering the 2026 budgeting cycle cannot accurately quantify their software usage or spend, creating an operational blind spot. As tool stacks expand faster than governance processes, redundant platforms, unused licenses, and overlapping functionality proliferate. Founder Ghita El Haitmy highlights...
OnePay Launches “Swipe to Finance” With Klarna, Bringing Post-Purchase BNPL Into the App
OnePay has introduced “Swipe to Finance,” a post‑purchase buy‑now‑pay‑later feature powered by Klarna that lets eligible debit‑card users convert recent purchases into fixed‑term payment plans within the app. The tool expands OnePay’s suite of flexible payment options beyond checkout, offering...
Crypto Exchange OKX Reports YoY Increase in Digital Assets Trading Volume, DEX Activity
OKX reported a 16% year‑over‑year increase in centralized exchange trading volume and a 262% surge in decentralized exchange activity, pushing its user base beyond 120 million. The platform bolstered transparency with monthly Proof of Reserves showing $31.5 billion in assets and partnerships...
Ziina and Lean Technologies Execute UAE’s First Live Customer-Initiated Open Finance Payment
Lean Technologies and UAE payments platform Ziina have completed the country’s first live customer‑initiated Open Finance payment. The transaction, run under the Central Bank of the UAE’s Open Finance framework, lets users move money instantly between bank accounts via regulated...
Grayscale Files to Convert NEAR Protocol Trust Into ETF on NYSE Arca
Grayscale has submitted a preliminary prospectus to the SEC to transform its NEAR Protocol Trust into an exchange‑traded fund listed on NYSE Arca. The trust, which launched on the OTCQB in September, currently manages about $900,000 and its NAV per...
Trump’s Crypto Advisor Calls for Compromises to Pass Crypto Bill
Patrick Witt, the White House’s top crypto adviser, warned that the Senate’s crypto market‑structure bill must be rushed through while bipartisan compromises are still possible. He emphasized that a multi‑trillion‑dollar industry cannot operate indefinitely without a clear regulatory framework, and...
How Tokenized Real Estate Is Reshaping Access to Global Property Markets – Aria Oh
Tokenized real estate is emerging as a catalyst for global property investment, with industry forecasts projecting a market exceeding $10 trillion by 2030. Investor Aria Oh, leveraging cross‑industry experience from fashion, blockchain, and real‑estate markets in New York, Seoul, London, and Dubai,...
Crypto to Reach 50% of Fortune 500 in 2026: Ripple President
Ripple president Monica Long predicts that by the end of 2026 roughly 250 Fortune 500 companies will either hold crypto or run blockchain‑based financial products. She forecasts corporate balance sheets will contain over $1 trillion in digital assets, with half of the...
Fifth Third Says New Banking App Drives Engagement, Originations
Fifth Third Bancorp reported record net interest income and strong operating leverage in Q4, driven by aggressive branch expansion and digital upgrades. The bank added 50 new branches in 2025, including its 200th in Florida and 100th in the Carolinas,...
Tether Teams Up with Digital Assets Platform Bitqik to Support Stablecoin Focused Initiatives in Laos
Tether announced two strategic collaborations aimed at expanding stablecoin adoption and digital‑asset literacy in emerging markets. In Laos, it partnered with regulated platform Bitqik to deliver workshops, online resources and seminars targeting over 10,000 students and entrepreneurs. Simultaneously, Tether joined...