European B2B Buyers Want AI, but only if It Removes Friction
European B2B buyers are increasingly adopting AI, with nearly 80% using it regularly in procurement and payments, according to TreviPay’s survey of 550 buyers across the UK and key European markets. The technology is most prized for enhancing decision‑making, fraud prevention and automating manual tasks, especially in invoicing, onboarding and payment administration. However, persistent friction—incorrect invoices, poor ERP integration and slow approvals—still hampers buyer satisfaction, and pay‑by‑invoice remains a critical factor in supplier loyalty. Suppliers that combine AI‑driven efficiency with seamless, friction‑free processes are poised to win repeat business in 2026.
Visa Extends Real-Time Money Movement Into Mainland China
Visa announced a partnership with UnionPay International to extend Visa Direct’s real‑time money‑movement capabilities into mainland China. The integration will give senders access to more than 95% of UnionPay debit cardholders when the service launches in the first half of...
Search to Checkout: How Alphabet Is Building Agentic Commerce
Alphabet announced a $175‑$185 billion AI‑focused capital plan for 2026, positioning artificial intelligence as the backbone of its commerce, cloud and enterprise offerings. The company highlighted intense compute constraints as it scales Gemini, which now handles over 10 billion tokens per minute...
From Promissory Notes to Stablecoins: Inside Russia’s Shadow Payments Network
Western sanctions removed Russian banks from SWIFT, prompting the rise of a shadow payments network centered on Kremlin‑linked firm A7. The company combines imitation banknotes, promissory notes, and a rouble‑pegged stablecoin (A7A5) backed by Promsvyazbank deposits, moving over $100 bn in...
The Evolution of POS: From Terminals to Touchpoints
The point‑of‑sale has shifted from a simple card‑reading box to a cloud‑connected, software‑defined hub that drives payments, loyalty, inventory and analytics in real time. SoftPOS enables any NFC‑enabled smartphone to act as a full‑service terminal, expanding acceptance to micro‑merchants and...
The Global Wallet War: Who Will Own the Customer?
Digital wallets have evolved from simple payment tools into comprehensive consumer interfaces that combine payments, identity, loyalty, and credit. Big Tech, banks, and fintechs are racing to own this hub, each leveraging distinct strengths—device ecosystems, trust, and agility. Ownership of...
Open Banking Continues to Outperform on Fraud
Open Banking’s latest financial‑crime report shows fraud rates of just 0.013 % of transactions, far below the 0.045 % industry average, and an improved performance versus 2024. While overall fraud remains low, Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams now represent 74 % of Open...
AI Is Rewriting the Economics of Merchant Acquiring
Merchant acquiring, long seen as a low‑margin commodity, is poised for a strategic revival as artificial intelligence reshapes its economics. Capgemini’s World Payments Report highlights that global acquiring revenues could double from $25 bn to $50 bn within a decade, driven not...
SEPA Instant Payments Set to Surpass Traditional Transfers by 2030
New Celent‑Plaid research projects SEPA Instant Credit Transfers will overtake traditional credit transfers by 2030, reaching roughly 18% of euro‑zone transactions by 2035. The EU’s 2027 Instant Payments Regulation forces banks, EMIs and payment institutions to support instant euro payments,...
Blockchain: From Regulatory Ambiguity to Operational Blueprint
Regulators across the EU and U.S. are moving from vague crypto principles to concrete rules, compelling financial firms to redesign blockchain systems for auditability and legal accountability. The EU’s MiCA framework now demands identifiable issuers, risk controls, and one‑to‑one reserve...
Agentic Commerce and the Quiet Return of Guest Checkout
Agentic commerce is reshaping digital transactions by letting AI‑driven software agents select products, optimise pricing and initiate payments without direct shopper input. In this new model, the once‑dismissed guest checkout is re‑emerging as a friction‑free, network‑centric payment option. EMVCo’s Secure...
How Real-Time Payouts Are Stress-Testing US Banking Infrastructure
US betting platforms are generating millisecond‑level payout demands that outpace the legacy ACH system, prompting banks to adopt real‑time rails like FedNow. Federal Reserve data shows FedNow transaction volume topped $20 billion in Q4 2024, underscoring the rapid shift toward instant settlement....
Everything You Should Know About Making Payments on Telegram
Telegram has transformed from a chat app into a multi‑billion‑dollar payment hub, offering built‑in checkout, third‑party bots, and cryptocurrency transfers. Users can purchase subscriptions, digital services, and send peer‑to‑peer funds without leaving the conversation. The platform’s emphasis on speed, low...
Swift to Build Shared Blockchain Ledger for Tokenised Assets
Swift is adding a blockchain‑based shared ledger to its global payments network after successful interoperability trials that coordinated tokenised bond issuance, settlement and lifecycle events. The trials involved BNP Paribas, Intesa Sanpaolo and Société Générale and demonstrated delivery‑versus‑payment using both fiat and the...
Cards Are No Longer Enough: Businesses Need a Full Payment Engine in 2026
In 2026, corporate cards have shifted from a competitive edge to a basic entry point for business spending. Companies that rely on a patchwork of card providers, invoicing tools, FX solutions, and spreadsheets face limited cash‑flow visibility, manual reconciliations, and...
