TZERO, North Capital to Unveil ATS Connector Agora
tZERO Group and North Capital Investment Technology have launched Agora, a technology network that links alternative trading systems (ATS) to broaden market access for tokenized and private securities. The platform lets securities listed on one ATS be traded by qualified subscribers of another, while each ATS retains control over its matching engine, settlement, and compliance. The initial phase connects tZERO’s ATS with North Capital’s PPEX ATS to validate routing and integration, with plans to add third‑party ATSs and liquidity providers later this year.
Payments Fintech dLocal Plans Business Expansion Into Asian Markets
dLocal, the Uruguay‑based fintech known for simplifying cross‑border payments in Latin America, announced a multi‑year expansion into Asia that will begin in 2026. CEO Pedro Arnt called the continent a strategic priority, outlining plans to boost sales teams, open new...
Global Payments Finalizes Worldpay Acquisition
Global Payments Inc. has finalized its $43 billion acquisition of Worldpay from FIS and GTCR, while divesting its Issuer Solutions unit back to FIS. The merger creates a commerce‑solutions powerhouse serving over 6 million merchants and handling $3.7 trillion in payments across 175...
France: AMF Plans to Tackle AI in Finance, Tokenization, More in 2026
The French securities regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), unveiled its 2026 agenda, centering on confidence‑building measures across the financial sector. AI governance sits at the core of the plan, with a finalized roadmap slated for the year. The...
YouHodler’s Tony Severino Shares 2026 Crypto Predictions for BTC, ETH and More
YouHodler analyst Tony Severino predicts 2026 will be Bitcoin’s pivotal year, with the $74,000 support zone acting as a litmus test for a continued bull market. He warns that failure to hold $100,000 could signal a shift to a bear...
Republic Shares Update on 2025 Activities
Republic released its 2025 activity update, spotlighting the launch of Mirror Tokens—digital assets that track private‑company securities—issued under Reg D for accredited investors. The platform reported $500 million in reservations of interest, with SpaceX tokens as the first listing. Across its verticals,...
Bilt Introduces Credit Cards with Mortgage Rewards
Bilt has launched Bilt Card 2.0, adding three credit cards—Blue, Obsidian and premium Palladium—that let users earn points on mortgage payments for the first time. The cards also introduce Bilt Cash, a new rewards currency that pays 4% on everyday non‑housing spend....
Digital Assets: Figment, Ledger, Lombard Partner to Enable Earning Opportunities for Bitcoin Holders
Figment, Ledger and Lombard have launched a joint solution that lets Bitcoin holders earn yields while keeping their coins in self‑custody. The system swaps deposited BTC for Lombard’s LBTC token, which accrues rewards via the Babylon Bitcoin Staking Protocol. Figment...
YouHodler’s Tony Severino Looks Back on 2025 and Crypto Investing
Tony Severino of YouHodler reviews 2025, highlighting the end of synchronized global liquidity expansion as central banks diverged, raising funding costs and prompting a broad deleveraging. He notes that crypto, once buoyed by cheap capital, became highly sensitive to macro...
FTC Seeks Contempt Ruling Against Payment Processor for Breaching Decade-Old Fraud Prevention Order
The Federal Trade Commission has asked a Nevada federal court to hold payment‑processor Cliq Inc., its CEO Andrew Phillips and CTO John Blaugrund in contempt for breaching a 2015 court order that mandated strict fraud‑prevention controls. The agency alleges Cliq...
Walmart Backed Fintech OnePay Achieves $4 Billion Valuation Milestone
Fintech firm OnePay, backed by Walmart, announced a valuation exceeding $4 billion following an employee share‑buyback program. The new figure doubles the $2.5 billion valuation set after a $300 million funding round led by Walmart and Ribbit Capital in late 2024. OnePay’s super‑app...
Blockchain Analytics Platform Nansen, Katana Partner to Provide Enhanced On-Chain Insights
Nansen has partnered with Katana, a high‑performance DeFi blockchain, to embed its analytics suite into the network via a dedicated Growth Dashboard. Katana has processed over 11 million transactions in six months, averaging more than 100 000 daily swaps and serving 35 000+...
Swiss Retail Banking Report : Incumbents Embrace Digital Innovations, Neobanks Tailor Services to Individual Consumers
Swiss retail banks continue to dominate digital maturity, with UBS retaining the top spot in the latest Digital Index, followed by Raiffeisen, Swissquote and Revolut. Legacy institutions excel in website performance, social media engagement and mobile app visibility, while neobanks...
ESMA Publishes Report on EU Securities Crowdfunding
ESMA released its 2024 EU crowdfunding report, showing 181 platforms raised over €4 billion across the bloc. Loan‑based projects dominated, accounting for 58% of activity, while equity offerings remained modest at 12%. France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Lithuania generated more...
Senate Banking Committee Still on Track for Markup on Crypto Infrastructure Legislation, Senate Agriculture Committee Happens End of Month
The Senate Banking Committee will hold a markup hearing on the crypto infrastructure bill on Jan 15, 2026, after dozens of amendments were filed, many focused on stablecoin yield rules. Incumbent banks fear interest‑bearing stablecoins could siphon deposits, prompting aggressive lobbying....
AML Needs an Update as Crypto Adoption Surges Across Europe : Analysis
Europe’s crypto boom is accelerating as the EU’s MiCA framework standardizes digital‑asset rules, prompting banks, fintechs and payment processors to embed cryptocurrencies into core services. In the UK, the FCA’s 2025 consultation papers CP25/25 and CP25/14 aim to align crypto...
Capital Ideas: Inside Crypto’s Institutional Shift and the Policy Gap Holding It Back, Eric Peterson of Kraken Shares Perspective
Crypto’s institutional engagement is maturing, even as recent price swings spark headlines. Eric Peterson of Kraken notes that liquidity and exchange reliability have held, indicating digital assets behave like a mature asset class within broader market cycles. He warns regulators still...
Senate Banking Committee Shares “Myth Vs. Fact” On Crypto Infrastructure Bill, the CLARITY Act
The Senate Banking Committee released a "Myth vs. Fact" brief on the CLARITY Act, a crypto‑infrastructure bill designed to replace fragmented oversight with clear, enforceable rules. The legislation distinguishes digital securities from commodities, assigns joint jurisdiction to the SEC and...
Lloyds Bank Comments on Potential Impact of Digital Assets on UK Financial Services Sector
London‑based Lloyds Banking Group says digital assets will reshape UK finance by 2026, moving from pilot projects to mainstream use. The bank is backing tokenized deposits, the Great British Tokenized Deposits initiative, and stablecoin‑based cross‑border payments to improve efficiency and...
Bitcoin L2 Protocol Spark Unveils Q2 2026 Roadmap
Lightspark’s Bitcoin Layer 2 protocol Spark announced its Q2 2026 roadmap, focusing on cost‑effective BTC acquisition, one‑tap cross‑chain swaps, and native stablecoins. The upgrades aim to deliver instant, low‑fee transactions while expanding interoperability with wallets, neobanks, and DEXs. By introducing user‑friendly token...
Cross River Bank Advocates for Maintaining Stablecoin Yield Regulations
Cross River Bank has urged the U.S. Senate to preserve the newly enacted GENIUS Act provisions that allow yields on stablecoin deposits. The bank argues that these rules create competitive parity between digital and traditional financial products and protect consumer...
Riskified Analysis Reveals 25% of Refund Dollars Are Abusive, Introduces “Dynamic Returns” To Safeguard Revenue
Riskified’s latest study of over one million 2024 refund requests shows that abusive refunds account for roughly 25% of the dollar value reclaimed, despite overall refunds representing only 1‑2% of order totals. High‑ticket purchases and early‑post‑purchase claims are disproportionately targeted,...
Private Securities Secondaries Topped $110 Billion in 2025 – Report
Private securities secondaries surged to $110 billion in 2025, eclipsing the $89 billion recorded in 2024, according to HarbourVest Partners. The growth reflects heightened investor demand for liquidity and the increasing prominence of GP‑led transactions within private market portfolios. Technological advances are...
Polygon Labs to Acquire Coinme, Sequence
Polygon Labs announced a $250 million acquisition of Coinme and Sequence. The Coinme deal will close in Q2 2026, while Sequence is expected to finalize this month, pending regulatory approvals. Coinme brings regulated stablecoin and crypto‑payment licenses across 48 U.S. states, and...
Netcapital Announces First Tokenized Offering as Markets Shift to Digital Securities
Netcapital, a FINRA‑regulated funding portal, announced its first tokenized offering, partnering with PureWave Hydrogen Corp. to issue a securities‑based token representing hydrogen‑drilling assets on the Mid‑Continent Kansas shelf. The revenue‑generating security is touted as the first of its kind, highlighting...
British Business Bank Boosts Midlands SMEs with New ART Business Loans Partnership
The British Business Bank has added Midlands‑based ART Business Loans as the fourth accredited delivery partner for its Community ENABLE Funding programme. The partnership unlocks up to £7 million for West Midlands SMEs, contributing to a £150 million lending target over the...
HashKey Capital Announces Initial Closing of $250M Fund IV to Enable Blockchain Adoption
HashKey Capital announced the initial closing of its fourth vehicle, the HashKey Fintech Multi‑Strategy Fund IV, with $250 million in commitments and a $500 million target. The fund builds on Fund I’s more than 10× DPI, signaling strong investor appetite for blockchain exposure. It...
BNP Paribas Launches Unified Asset Management Platform for European Markets
BNP Paribas has launched a unified asset‑management platform that merges AXA Investment Managers, BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management and BNP Paribas Asset Management. The combined entity now oversees more than €1.6 trillion in assets, including a €1 trillion liquid‑assets franchise and a €300 billion alternatives...
Digital Bank OakNorth Extends £4 Million Revolving Credit Line to Verso Wealth Management
OakNorth has granted Verso Wealth Management a £4 million revolving credit facility to fund its aggressive acquisition strategy of independent financial adviser firms across the UK. The digital‑first lender, which has deployed $18 billion in financing, offers flexible, covenant‑light capital that preserves...
Coinbase Might Pull Its Backing From Key Market Structure Bill Impacting Stablecoin Transactions
Coinbase warned it may pull its backing from a pending market‑structure bill if the legislation curtails rewards for stablecoin users, a key component of its revenue model. The bill, slated for introduction Monday, could restrict such incentives to licensed financial...
Real Estate Focused Zillow Pushes Into Transactions Amid US Property Market Slowdown
Zillow is pivoting from lead‑generation fees to a performance‑based "success fee" model, taking up to 40% of agents' commissions on deals closed through its platform. CEO Jeremy Wacksman frames the shift as a move toward a more lucrative, integrated transaction...
DriveWealth’s Harry Temkin’s Excited About Fintech in 2026 – Here’s Why
DriveWealth chief digital officer Harry Temkin says 2026 will be a breakout year for embedded finance, driven by the firm’s API‑based brokerage‑as‑a‑service and fractional‑share technology. The platform lets investors buy as little as one cent of a stock, offers price‑improvement...
Enhanced Real Estate Services Introduced by ADGM’s Registration Authority to Support Regional Investors
Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Registration Authority has rolled out an integrated suite of smart real‑estate services, building on its 2025 digital platform. The enhancements introduce regulated off‑plan agreement terminations, reservation‑agreement registration, rapid SMART Valuation certificates, and upgraded leasing and broker...
Nuvei, FreedomPay Create Unified Payments System
Nuvei and FreedomPay have announced a partnership that combines FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce platform with Nuvei’s scalable payments infrastructure to deliver a single, unified payments solution for enterprise merchants. The joint offering enables brands to launch new in‑store and digital...
VC Firm Index Ventures Finalizes Mega-Exits, Plans Ahead for 2026
Index Ventures capped a landmark year with two blockbuster exits: a $2.2 billion windfall from Figma’s 2025 IPO and a pending multi‑billion‑dollar payout from Google’s acquisition of Wiz. These outcomes underscore the firm’s knack for early‑stage bets in high‑growth software and...
Consumer Fintech Chime Leverages AI to Enhance Financial Services
Chime announced a sweeping AI integration across its ChimeCore platform, now powering roughly 70% of member interactions through chat and voice tools. The AI rollout has more than doubled satisfaction scores since 2022 and cut service‑related costs by 60% by...
Financial Infrastructure Fintech Plaid Highlights Data Access, Risk Management Advancements in 2025
Plaid’s 2025 year‑in‑review highlighted the launch of over 220 new products and features aimed at fraud mitigation and credit services. The fintech expanded its network to more than 200 financial institutions, adding both emerging platforms like Ramp and established banks...
AI Enabled Tools Are Transforming Wealth and Asset Management Industry : Research
Artificial intelligence has become a strategic driver for wealth and asset managers overseeing $74.2 trillion in assets. A FNZ‑ThoughtLab survey of 500 institutions across 16 markets shows 73 % of executives deem AI essential and 88 % report positive outcomes, with many recouping...
Open Banking : UK Finance Unveils Proposal for Wave 2 Commercial Variable Recurring Payments
UK Finance, backed by Deloitte, has published a commercial model for Wave 2 of commercial variable recurring payments (cVRP), extending Open Banking into high‑volume e‑commerce scenarios. The proposal outlines fee structures, purchase‑protection mechanisms and projected outcomes to lower merchant costs while...
Dublin Regtech Fenergo Assists SMBC America with Digital Onboarding
Fenergo has secured two high‑profile partnerships, deploying its client lifecycle management platform for SMBC Americas and development bank FMO. SMBC will use the solution to automate KYC, reuse verified data across entities, and speed up onboarding as part of a...
Malaysia’s Anti-Graft Chief Warns of Crowdfunding Abuse as NGOs Face Probe
Malaysia’s anti‑corruption chief, Azam Baki, warned that the absence of dedicated crowdfunding legislation has enabled abuse of public donations, prompting investigations into three prominent NGOs. He cited cases where money raised for mosque construction was redirected to family members, highlighting...
YouHodler CEO Ilya Volkov’s 2026 Crypto Predictions for Stablecoins, AI, Lightning, Bitcoin and More
YouHodler CEO Ilya Volkov predicts that by 2026 Bitcoin will shift from a speculative token to a macro‑hedge akin to gold, with sovereign funds and pension managers taking modest positions. The Lightning Network is expected to double cross‑border remittance volumes,...
Insurtech Cowbell to Focus on Business Growth, Global Expansion with Key Appointment
Cowbell, an adaptive cyber and specialty insurer, announced its “Next Cycle” initiative aimed at sustained growth, operational profitability, and aggressive global expansion. The plan follows its recent entry into Australia and includes five strategic drivers such as international cyber expansion...
WisdomTree Halts XRP ETF Launch Plans in the US
WisdomTree announced it is withdrawing its U.S. XRP exchange‑traded fund application, ending plans to launch the product domestically. The firm continues to offer a Physical XRP fund in Europe, listed on Deutsche Börse Xetra, the Swiss Exchange and Euronext. The...
Dead Coins : Over 50% of Cryptocurrencies Have Failed, Report Reveals
CoinGecko’s latest report shows that 53.2% of all cryptocurrencies tracked on GeckoTerminal have become “dead coins” as of Dec 31 2025, equating to 11.6 million failed projects. The surge accelerated in 2024‑2025, with 86.3% of total failures occurring in 2025 alone, driven by...
Fintech Infrastructure Platform Alpaca Expanded APIs, Clearing Capabilities in Past Year
Alpaca, the fintech infrastructure provider, reported a year of aggressive product and geographic expansion, adding advanced API features such as Level 3 multi‑leg options, high‑yield cash accounts, and a real‑time tokenization network. The company secured $52 million in Series C funding, obtained regulatory...
Fintech-Focused SPAC Lafayette Digital Prices $250m IPO in Nasdaq Debut
Lafayette Digital Acquisition Corp. I priced a $250 million IPO, selling 25 million units at $10 each on Nasdaq under the ticker ZKPU. Each unit contains one Class A share and a quarter of a redeemable warrant, with full warrants exercisable at $11.50...
DeFi Adoption: Chainlink Continues to Support Onchain Finance Heading Into 2026
Chainlink cemented its role as a backbone for on‑chain finance in 2025, expanding from government data feeds to major banking and tokenization projects. The U.S. Department of Commerce used Chainlink Data Feeds to publish macroeconomic statistics, while Mastercard, UBS and...
Anchorage Digital Marks 5 Years of Federal Regulation in Crypto Banking
Anchorage Digital celebrated five years since the OCC granted it the first federal bank charter to a crypto firm, proving that digital‑asset services can operate under strict U.S. banking supervision. The company built a crypto‑native compliance stack, attracted billions in...
KPMG Ireland Shares Updates on Credit Markets, Mission-Critical Infrastructure
KPMG Ireland’s latest reports highlight tightening credit markets, rising default rates and heightened borrower distress, especially for SMEs. They also flag power constraints as a decisive factor for data‑centre expansion, with grid‑access delays pushing firms toward hybrid energy solutions and...