Fintech Stripe Enables AI Powered Gamma’s Monetization
Stripe is powering the rapid growth of Gamma, an AI‑driven presentation platform that recently topped $100 million in annual recurring revenue while staying profitable. By leveraging Stripe Checkout, Billing and Invoicing, Gamma eliminated the need to build its own payment infrastructure, allowing it to focus on AI product enhancements. The integration supports over 30 languages, local payment methods such as UPI and SEPA, and adaptive pricing, which has helped drive international adoption. More than 40 % of Gamma’s transactions now use Stripe’s Link wallet.
Securities Crowdfunding: There Are Over 230 ECSPR Platforms Operating in Europe
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) reports that 237 active ECSPR platforms are now operating across the EU, having raised €4.25 billion since the regulation took effect in 2021. France tops the market with 48 approved platforms, followed by Italy...
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...
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...
Blockchain Investigator Identifies Crypto Theft Network Linked to US Government Seizure Funds
TRM Labs disclosed a sophisticated crypto‑theft operation that has siphoned over $90 million, including $24.9 million tied to the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, after a Telegram “band‑for‑band” challenge inadvertently revealed wallet addresses. The network employed advanced laundering tactics—cross‑chain bridges, mixers, and both...
SUPERAGENT AI Launches Insurance Quoting AI Agent
SUPERAGENT AI unveiled the world’s first Quoting AI Agent, a tool that automates the traditionally labor‑intensive insurance quoting process. The agent gathers customer data, navigates multiple carrier rating engines, and delivers optimized quotes without human re‑keying. Early‑access sign‑ups are open...
Republic Europe Promotes Later Stage Investments
Republic Europe has launched the R Access series, a platform that gives individual investors direct exposure to later‑stage private companies. The first offering, a Kraken special‑purpose vehicle, aggregates existing private shares ahead of the crypto exchange’s anticipated 2026 IPO. By...
Redfin Finds Home Purchase Agreement Cancellations Rising
Redfin reports that roughly 40,000 U.S. home‑purchase agreements were cancelled in December, representing a 16.3% cancellation rate – the highest December figure since 2017. The rate rose from 14.9% a year earlier, driven by higher inventory and cost‑sensitive buyers. Atlanta...
How Kidas Adapts Fraud Protection In An AI World
Kidas, founded by gaming‑fraud veterans, now offers AI‑driven protection against multi‑channel scams that leverage deep‑fake audio, video and large‑language models. CEO Ron Kerbs says traditional filters miss sophisticated GenAI‑generated attacks, prompting the company to expand from Discord and gaming chat to...
UK Fintech GoCardless Teams Up with Communicate Telecoms to Streamline Payouts
Communicate Telecoms has upgraded its long‑standing GoCardless Direct Debit integration with the Same Day Settlement+ feature, which uses AI and machine learning to settle payments on the day they are charged. The new capability trims the typical two‑day payout lag,...
Checkout.com Expands European Fintech Presence with Acquisition of Blue EMI and New Vilnius Hub
Checkout.com announced the acquisition of Blue EMI, a Lithuanian e‑money institution that issues euro‑backed stablecoins, and the launch of a new technology centre in Vilnius. The deal, cleared by regulators, gives Checkout.com a licensed platform for stablecoin issuance and expands...
Raisin Consumer Banking Report Reveals Loyalty Low
Raisin’s 2026 State of Consumer Banking Report finds that 65 % of Americans have switched banks at least once, signaling a sharp decline in traditional loyalty. The study highlights that younger generations, especially Gen Z, are gravitating toward digital‑first banks, while all...
AI Dominant Theme in Forge Q1 2026 Investment Outlook
Forge’s Q1 2026 Investment Outlook shows AI cementing its dominance across private‑market capital flows, with mid‑ and late‑stage companies raising $154.9 billion in 2025—more than double 2024’s total. AI‑focused firms alone attracted $56.7 billion, highlighted by OpenAI’s $40 billion round and Anthropic’s $16.7 billion, while...
Lloyds Banking Group Pledges £2 Billion in Trade Finance to Assist UK Exporters
Lloyds Banking Group announced a £2 billion trade‑finance programme aimed at UK small‑ and medium‑sized enterprises and mid‑size corporates seeking to export. The funding sits within a broader £35 billion 2026 financing push and dovetails with the government’s £11 billion exporter support package....
BNB Smart Chain Rolls Out Fermi Hard Fork Upgrade
BNB Smart Chain has launched the Fermi hard fork, cutting block production time from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds. The upgrade, delivered via BSC client v1.6.4 and refined in v1.6.5, introduces new Blockchain Enhancement Proposals to boost efficiency. Faster block...
Estateguru Investors Reportedly Earned €8.3M in Past Year
Estateguru’s investors collectively earned €8.3 million in the past year as the platform deployed €66 million across 283 Baltic real‑estate projects. The average return on repaid loans hit 8.9%, and 97% of funded amounts have been fully repaid or remain on schedule....
Japanese Researchers Reduce Blockchain Delays in IoT Infrastructure
Japanese researchers at Chiba University introduced Dual Perigee, a lightweight peer‑selection algorithm that slashes IoT‑blockchain latency by roughly 48.5% versus the standard Ethereum approach and outperforms the earlier Perigee method by over 23%, all without extra computational overhead. Published in...
Group Formed to Challenge Congressman Ro Khanna, Supporter of Confiscation Tax in California
A grassroots coalition called “Pissed Off at Ro” has emerged to oppose Representative Ro Khanna’s backing of California’s proposed confiscation tax. The tax would levy a one‑time 5% charge on wealthy individuals’ holdings, including unrealized gains, and could be applied retroactively....
SEC, CFTC Joint Event Rescheduled for January 29th
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission have postponed their joint digital‑asset forum to Thursday, January 29, 2026, after originally planning it for January 27. The live‑streamed event will begin at 2 p.m. ET and feature a...
Yieldstreet Rebrands to Willow Wealth, Looks to Move Beyond Investor Loss of Over $200 Million
Yieldstreet has rebranded as Willow Wealth, aiming to shed the stigma of more than $200 million in investor losses reported in late 2025. The platform now offers evergreen private‑market funds and an in‑house robo‑advisor alongside traditional alternative assets. Mitchell Caplan, former...
Betterment Teams Up with Capitalize to Streamline 401(k) Rollovers
Betterment has partnered with fintech Capitalize to embed its rollover API into Betterment’s platform, enabling users to transfer old 401(k) accounts into a Betterment IRA with a few clicks. The digital integration automates the traditionally paper‑heavy rollover process, allowing investors...
Decentralized Oracle Network Provider Chainlink Acquires Atlas by FastLane
Chainlink has acquired Atlas, FastLane’s on‑chain order‑flow system, to strengthen its Secure Value Recapture (SVR) solution. The integration adds auction‑based liquidation handling to Chainlink’s oracle suite, extending SVR across Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Ethereum and HyperEVM. Atlas’s technology has already...
Swiss Stock Exchange SIX Now Supports ETF Issuer Inyova SICAV
Inyova SICAV has become the latest ETF issuer on the SIX Swiss Exchange, launching its inaugural Inyova Impact Investing Active Equity Fund EUR UCITS ETF. The fund trades in Swiss francs under ISIN LU3075459852 and follows an actively managed, impact‑focused strategy....
GeoComply Uses Device and Location Data to Stop Fraud
GeoComply’s digital identity platform, integrated with Dabble, combines device integrity, precise location, behavioural and network signals to enhance KYC. The partnership delivered KYC pass rates above 90% and uncovered large fraud clusters, including 250+ accounts from a single address and...
Euroclear to Launch Same-Day Settlement for Stock Loan Returns Within CREST System
Euroclear will introduce same‑day settlement for stock‑loan returns (SLRs) in its CREST platform on June 15, 2026. The new service lets lenders approve immediate settlement by raising transaction priority, otherwise defaulting to T+1. This change accelerates collateral release, cuts settlement risk and...
Mobility Fintech GoCab Closes $45m Funding to Expand Drive-To-Own Model
GoCab, a London‑based mobility fintech, closed $45 million in funding – $15 million seed equity and $30 million debt – led by E3 Capital and Janngo VC. The company provides a drive‑to‑own vehicle financing model for gig‑economy drivers and offers add‑on BNPL products,...
Consensys Pushes for Balanced Cybersecurity Rules in FTC’s Nomad Case
Consensys submitted a comment letter to the FTC urging technology‑agnostic security standards in the agency’s settlement with Nomad Capital Labs over the 2022 $190 million bridge hack. The firm warns that prescriptive measures such as mandatory circuit‑breaker mechanisms could clash with...
US Authorities Recover Billions in Bitcoin (BTC) Allegedly Linked to Fraud Scheme, 9/11 Families and Other Victims Seek the Funds
U.S. authorities have taken control of more than 127,000 Bitcoin, valued at over $11.4 billion, in what officials describe as one of the largest crypto forfeitures ever. The coins originated from a mining operation run by Iran‑linked LuBian.com, which allegedly helped...
SEC Closes Chapter on Gemini Earn Dispute with Permanent Dismissal Following Complete User Repayments
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission permanently dismissed its lawsuit against Gemini Trust Company after the crypto exchange and its partner Genesis returned roughly $3 billion in assets to more than 200,000 Earn users. The dismissal, filed with prejudice, follows a...
26M+ Scammed By Fake QR Codes: NordVPN
NordVPN research finds more than 26 million people may have been lured to malicious sites via fake QR codes. Scammers embed these codes in “brushing” packages, a tactic that now delivers 26 % of all malicious links. Seventy‑three percent of Americans admit...
DXC Technology and Ripple Join Forces to Enable Digital Asset Integration in Banking
DXC Technology announced a strategic partnership with Ripple to embed blockchain‑based digital‑asset custody and payment capabilities into its Hogan core‑banking system. The integration lets banks manage stablecoins, tokenized assets, and cross‑border transfers without replacing legacy infrastructure. Ripple’s Payments and Custody...
Bitcoin, Clarity Act, FTC & NYSE: Web3 Thoughts of the Week
Bitcoin fell below the $94,000 threshold, testing support around $88,000 as geopolitical tensions and tariff news weigh on digital assets. The NYSE announced plans for 24/7 trading and on‑chain settlement, aiming to bridge liquidity gaps for real‑world assets. Meanwhile, the...
Experian, Credit Builders Alliance Partner to Improve Access for Underserved Consumers
Experian and the Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) released a study showing that adding a CBA tradeline propels 70% of previously unscored borrowers into prime or near‑prime credit within a year, far outpacing the 48% rate for the broader unscored population....
US Private Credit Market Expands Significantly in Early 2026, Report Reveals
PitchBook reports that US private credit assets under management are set to top $2 trillion in early 2026, driven by a steady decline in default rates and solid middle‑market earnings. Fourth‑quarter 2025 earnings rose 3.1 % thanks to strong consumer‑goods and technology...
US Department of Treasury Organizes Event for Trump Accounts Launch, Participants Include Michael Dell, Kevin O’Leary, Niki Manaj, Others
The U.S. Treasury is launching "Trump Accounts," a tax‑advantaged savings vehicle for children born between 2025 and 2028, offering a $1,000 government seed deposit and allowing up to $5,000 in annual contributions. The program, slated to go live on July 4, 2026,...
Circle Enhances Blockchain Interoperability, Tokenization, Payment Efficiency with Product Updates
Circle announced a suite of product upgrades that streamline blockchain interoperability, real‑world asset tokenization, and stablecoin payments. New Circle Contracts on the Arc Layer 1 let developers launch ERC‑20 tokens without writing Solidity, while integrated developer wallets and webhooks simplify transaction...
Digital Assets Firm Gemini Announces Closure of Nifty Gateway
Gemini announced the shutdown of its NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, with full closure set for February 23, 2026, while simultaneously launching a margin‑trading product offering up to 5× leverage on major crypto pairs. The NFT service will move into Gemini’s core wallet,...
Fintech Plaid Reports Growth in Open Banking Adoption, Improves Platform Security
Plaid reported a 55% increase in new European customers and a 53% annual rise in UK open‑banking payments as it expands its footprint across the continent. The fintech data‑connectivity provider added virtual‑account processing for over half of its European transactions...
DeFi Protocol MakinaFi Exploit Analyzed by Blockchain Security Firm CertiK
Blockchain security firm CertiK dissected a sophisticated exploit on the MakinaFi DeFi protocol that drained approximately 1,299 ETH, valued at $4.13 million. The attacker leveraged massive flash loans to manipulate Curve pool valuations, inflating the protocol’s share price and extracting USDC from...
Equifax Report Indicates Positive Shifts in Consumer Financial Wellbeing
Equifax released its third‑quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which rose to 61.6 – a 0.35% quarterly increase and a modest 0.14% gain year‑over‑year. The index shows the first quarterly improvement for consumers with VantageScore 4.0 below 580, whose score jumped over...
TRM Labs Examines Rise of Crypto ETPs and Institutional Adoption of Digital Assets
TRM Labs highlights crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) as a fast‑growing bridge between traditional markets and digital assets. The SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETPs in early 2024, followed by Ethereum versions in 2025, unlocked regulatory confidence and real‑time pricing for...
UK’s Role in Combating Cryptocurrency-Driven Fraud Becoming Increasingly Important : Analysis
The UK is emerging as a global leader in combating cryptocurrency‑enabled fraud, with Chainalysis reporting $14 billion in worldwide losses in 2025 and UK fraud accounting for over 40 % of reported crimes. Crypto‑related investment scams surged to more than 17,000 incidents...
American Fintech Council (AFC) Warns States Against Harmful, Profit-Driven Database Mandates
The American Fintech Council (AFC) has released a report warning state regulators against expanding mandatory lending registries to cover earned‑wage‑access (EWA) services. The council argues that existing registries, designed for high‑interest short‑term loans, are ill‑suited for EWA and would force...
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Partners with AWS, Launches Digital Settlement House
London Stock Exchange Group unveiled its Digital Settlement House (DiSH), a 24/7 platform that merges blockchain‑based and traditional payment rails for real‑time cash and asset settlement. In parallel, LSEG partnered with Amazon Web Services to migrate its market‑data feed to...
Payments Canada Announces Integration of ISO 20022 Messaging Standard Into High-Value Payment Platform
Payments Canada has completed the integration of the ISO 20022 messaging standard into its Lynx high‑value payment platform, finalizing the transition on November 22, 2025. By October 2025, 98% of domestic payment messages had already migrated, demonstrating rapid industry adoption. The new data‑rich MX...
Brazil’s Central Bank Orders Liquidation of Fintech Firm Despite Mubadala’s Acquisition Attempt
Brazil’s central bank ordered the extrajudicial liquidation of Will Bank, a fintech formerly tied to the collapsed Banco Master. The decision came after failed attempts to sell the lender, including a bid from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. Regulators...
Juniper Square Report Highlights Major Fundraisers Amid Evolving Private Markets Ecosystem
Juniper Square released its 2025 Fundraisers market update, adding private credit to the analysis of top capital raisers for the first time. The report spotlights GPs across private equity, real estate, venture capital and private credit that leveraged the firm’s...
NASAA Wants to Stop Non Exchange Secondary Trading Under Reg A
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has publicly opposed the Restoring the Secondary Trading Market Act, which seeks to pre‑empt state regulation of off‑exchange secondary trades for Regulation A and Regulation CF securities. The bill, currently in markup, aims to improve...
Italy’s Axyon AI Teams Up with Asset Management Firm Eolas Capital
Italy’s Axyon AI has teamed up with Boston‑based Eolas Capital to accelerate the rollout of its AI‑driven investment tools across North America. The partnership leverages Eolas’ marketing, sales and distribution expertise to introduce customizable signals, forecasting models and AI‑generated indices...
Safeguarding Autonomous AI Agents: Accertify’s Conrad Kennington Discusses Issues, Opportunities
Accertify’s AI chief Conrad Kennington warns that autonomous shopping agents erode traditional fraud signals, creating new vulnerabilities. As agents automate purchases, token‑based transactions strip away behavioral context, making fraud detection harder. Kennington stresses the need for fresh data points, device...