Acquirers Are Sitting on a Gold Mine of Data. RS2 Thinks AI Is the Key to Digging It Up
RS2, a Frankfurt‑based payment‑processing infrastructure provider, released a white paper titled “AI in Merchant Acquiring: From Fraud Mitigation to Revenue Generation.” The paper argues that merchant acquirers sit on a massive, under‑utilized data set that AI can unlock to address long‑standing inefficiencies. It outlines practical AI applications ranging from real‑time fraud detection to dynamic pricing and revenue‑boosting analytics. RS2 positions artificial intelligence as a catalyst for a new operating model that could reshape the acquiring sector.
PayNearby Introduces Integrated UPI Cash Withdrawal Solution Through Retail Network
PayNearby has become the first Business Correspondent in India to launch a fully integrated UPI cash‑withdrawal solution, allowing users to pull physical cash from nearby retail outlets. The service is built in partnership with IndusInd Bank and supported by YES...
Global Inflation Fears Rise as Goldman Sachs Predicts ECB Rate Hikes and US Prices May Top 4%
Goldman Sachs now expects the European Central Bank to lift rates twice in 2026, with 25‑basis‑point moves likely starting in April. The bank also warns that U.S. consumer prices could climb above 4% later this year as geopolitical tensions stoke...
From Owning Assets to Controlling Systems: How Tech Came to Dominate the World’s Most Valuable Companies
Two decades ago the most valuable companies were oil, industrial and financial giants. Today the top of the list is occupied by Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia and Alphabet, whose market valuations far exceed those of traditional asset‑heavy firms. The shift stems...
The New Geography of Money: How Cross-Border Payments Are Being Reinvented
Cross‑border payments are undergoing a fundamental shift as fintech innovators replace legacy banking corridors with real‑time, low‑cost networks. New infrastructure—blockchain ledgers, API‑driven platforms, and regulated e‑money licences—cuts settlement times from days to seconds. Traditional banks are partnering with or acquiring...
The Rise of Virtual Credit in a Cashless Philippines: What It Means for Consumers
The Philippines is rapidly transitioning to a cashless economy, driven by e‑wallets, QR codes and online shopping. Alongside this shift, virtual credit products—instant, app‑based loans and digital credit cards—are gaining traction, with fintech platforms reporting double‑digit growth in approvals. Consumers...
Climate Science News: Controversial BOM Contractor Wins $16M Climate Data Deal Despite Backlash
Australia awarded a $16 million (≈$10.6 million USD) contract to Accenture Australia to build a new climate data platform for the Bureau of Meteorology. The deal, intended to modernize national climate science capabilities, has drawn sharp criticism from researchers concerned about vendor...
Nexi and Danish Banks Expand Partnership to Deliver SEPA Direct Debit Services
Italian payments leader Nexi has deepened its collaboration with three major Danish banks to roll out SEPA Direct Debit services across the Eurozone. The expanded partnership will enable merchants in Italy, Denmark and the wider EU to initiate and settle...
Revolut Surpasses $1 Billion in Onchain Transactions on Polygon as Crypto Adoption Accelerates
Revolut has crossed the $1 billion mark in cumulative on‑chain transactions on the Polygon network, underscoring its aggressive expansion into crypto services. The milestone reflects both the fintech’s growing blockchain footprint and the accelerating shift of retail users toward on‑chain finance....
G R Infraprojects Share Price in Focus After Securing ₹2,440 Crore NHAI Highway Project in Bihar
G R Infraprojects secured a National Highways Authority of India contract to build a segment of NH‑33 between Mokama and Munger in Bihar. The award is valued at ₹2,440.87 crore, roughly $295 million, and adds a multi‑year project to the company’s pipeline....
DNB and Two Partner to Bring AI-Powered Innovation to Nordic B2B Payments
DNB, Norway's largest bank, has teamed up with fintech firm Two to launch an AI‑driven platform for B2B payments across the Nordics. The collaboration will embed machine‑learning fraud detection, real‑time invoice reconciliation, and predictive cash‑flow insights into DNB's corporate banking...
AI Race Heats Up: Gemini Surges, ChatGPT Refocuses, and the Industry Enters a Pivotal “Inflection Year”
The AI landscape entered a decisive inflection year as Google’s Gemini model posted rapid growth while OpenAI’s ChatGPT pivoted toward enterprise‑focused features. Simultaneously, chip designer Arm announced its first in‑house AGI‑class CPU, backed by Meta, signaling a new hardware race....
Iran War Sends Shockwaves Through Global Markets, Then a Relief Rally, What’s Coming Next?
The outbreak of war in Iran sent shockwaves through global markets, pushing South Korea's KOSPI to its worst session since 2008 and slashing Japan's Nikkei 225 by 10%. Oil prices spiked to briefly clear $115 per barrel before easing. Early...
Nevermined Unveils Card Delegation for AI Agents, Enabling Autonomous Payments
Nevermined introduced persistent card delegation, letting AI agents hold delegated credit cards and make real‑world payments without human approval. The feature embeds spending limits, duration controls and revocability directly into the infrastructure, mirroring corporate expense policies. By enabling continuous, automated...
3rd HR Forum Qatar
The third HR Forum Qatar reconvenes after two successful editions, serving as a pivotal gathering for senior HR leaders, policymakers, technology innovators, and workforce strategists across the Gulf. The event aims to shape the future of human capital management in...
BitGo and Susquehanna Crypto Open Prediction Markets to Institutional Investors for the First Time
BitGo and Susquehanna Crypto have launched a crypto‑backed prediction‑market platform aimed at institutional investors. The service lets firms trade on outcomes ranging from macroeconomic data releases to political elections using digital assets as collateral. Leveraging BitGo’s custodial and compliance infrastructure...
Travelex’s New Mobile Currency Store Can Be Ready to Trade in Minutes: Here’s How It Works
Travelex has introduced Nomad, a mobile currency store that can be set up and taken down in minutes, currently piloted at Zurich Airport. The self‑contained unit offers the same currency selection, live exchange rates and digital signage as traditional fixed...
OKX Launches 24/7 Stock Trading via Equity Perpetual Swaps With Crypto as Collateral
OKX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, announced the launch of 24‑hour equity perpetual swaps that let users trade U.S. stocks around the clock. The new products accept major cryptocurrencies as collateral, enabling leveraged exposure to equities such as...
Worldpay Becomes European Payments Initiative (EPI) Principal Member
Worldpay announced its admission as a principal member of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), the continent‑wide effort to build a unified, low‑cost payment scheme. The move gives Worldpay direct influence over EPI's governance and access to its expanding network of...
Tieto Reaches Databricks Silver Partner Status as Demand for Data Engineering and AI Platforms Grows
Finnish IT services firm Tieto has been awarded Silver partner status in the Databricks Partner Program. The designation reflects the company’s expanding work in data engineering, analytics and enterprise AI solutions built on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. As organizations...
APAC Crypto Adoption Skyrockets While India and U.S. Still Top the Ranks, Finds Recent Study
Global cryptocurrency adoption accelerated in 2026, with the Asia‑Pacific region experiencing a sharp surge in user activity. Despite the regional boom, India remains the world leader in overall crypto adoption, followed closely by the United States. The study, compiled by...
Chinese Consumers Can Now Use the Qwen App to Hail Rides and Pay with Alipay AI Pay
Alibaba’s Qwen app now lets Chinese users hail rides and pay through Alipay AI Pay, creating a single‑conversation commerce flow. The integration ties Qwen to ride‑hailing, food delivery and travel services, allowing price comparison, booking and payment without leaving the...
Santander’s Getnet Expands to Colombia, Strengthening Its Latin American Payments Network
Santander’s payments arm Getnet has launched its digital payments platform in Colombia, extending its pan‑Latin American network. The service offers a unified API‑based Single Entry Point that lets merchants connect once and operate across multiple markets, while also providing banking,...
Global Credit Risk & Debt Recovery Conference 2026
The Global Credit Risk & Debt Recovery Conference 2026 will convene July 1‑2 in Dubai’s Mövenpick Grand Al Bustan. Senior leaders, decision‑makers and innovators from banks and financial services will gather for two days of insight. More than 25 expert...
Top 10 Fintech Startups in Brazil (2026): Ranked by Users and Profitability
A new ranking of Brazil’s top ten fintech startups for 2026 highlights firms that excel in user base and profitability. The list spotlights innovators such as Stripe‑backed Tempo, which launched an AI‑driven payments protocol, and Valores a Receber, a platform...
Pismo and Visa Launch AI-Native Payments Solution With Vivi Money in Australia
Global cloud banking platform Pismo and payments giant Visa have partnered with Australian fintech Vivi Money to launch an AI‑native payments solution in Australia. Built from the ground up with artificial intelligence, the platform delivers adaptive, real‑time services such as...
Could an EV Charger Be the Key to Increasing Your Bookings?
Hospitality operators are increasingly adding electric‑vehicle (EV) charging stations as a differentiating amenity, mirroring the evolution of Wi‑Fi and complimentary breakfast. Recent surveys show that EV‑ready hotels attract more bookings, especially from the growing segment of eco‑conscious travelers. Property owners...
27th Connected Banking Summit – North Africa, Egypt 2026 Powering Inclusive Digital Banking and Technology-Enabled Financial Infrastructure in North Africa
The 27th Connected Banking Summit convenes in Egypt in 2026, targeting inclusive digital banking and technology‑enabled financial infrastructure across North Africa. The agenda spotlights AI‑native payment solutions, exemplified by Pismo and Visa’s partnership with Vivi Money in Australia, and the...
Huawei and YowPay Launch Open Banking Smartwatch POS App
Huawei and fintech YowPay have introduced what they call the world’s first open‑banking smartwatch point‑of‑sale (POS) application. The solution lets merchants capture bank‑to‑bank payments directly from a Huawei smartwatch, removing the need for traditional card terminals or card‑based hardware. Built...
Klarna Hits 1 Million Merchants: BNPL Giant Signals Continued Global Expansion
Swedish buy‑now‑pay‑later provider Klarna announced it has surpassed one million merchants worldwide, a 47% increase from the previous year. The growth includes roughly 285,000 new merchants in 2025, with 115,000 added in the fourth quarter alone, and a 91% surge...
Six Months After Launch at ING Germany, Wero Hits Major Adoption Milestones and Strengthens European Payment Collaboration
Six months after its launch at ING Germany, the Wero digital wallet has surpassed 500,000 activations, while the European Payments Initiative (EPI) now counts over 50 million users across its markets. Expansion plans include a Luxembourg rollout in 2026 and a...
Global Markets Jolt as Iran War Escalates: Kharg Island, Energy Prices and Stock Volatility Under the Spotlight
Recent fintech developments highlight rapid innovation and regulatory friction. A new study shows traders are already profiting from stablecoin yield strategies while U.S. lawmakers debate the practice. Ortec Finance unveiled GLASS PRISM, a strategic asset‑allocation platform, as the U.S. pushes...
Fraud Rising in Auto Finance as Lenders Question Effectiveness of AI Tools
Fraud in auto finance is accelerating, with lenders reporting a sharp uptick in sophisticated schemes. A recent InformedIQ survey of over 2,500 industry executives revealed growing skepticism about the ability of current AI‑driven detection tools to keep pace. While many...
Fintech News Digest: New Islamic Neobank Plans African Launch, Payments Shake-Ups in Europe and the Freelancer Economy, and a $35M...
The fintech digest highlights a new Islamic neobank preparing to launch across Africa, promising Sharia‑compliant digital banking services. Europe sees payment‑industry turbulence as Mastercard strengthens China ties and Airwallex scales its European footprint, while a freelancer‑focused platform secures a $35 million...
Experian and OpenAI Bring Credit Data at Consumer Fingertips With OpenAI Integration
Experian has partnered with OpenAI to embed its credit‑score benchmark tool inside ChatGPT for UK consumers. The integration lets users query average credit scores by postcode and age group, presenting anonymized, aggregate data in natural language. By avoiding personal data...
Crypto Industry Digest: Ripple Eyes Australian Expansion, WhiteBIT Enters Ghana Sandbox, Bitget Reports Reserve Growth
Ripple announced plans to acquire Australian blockchain payments firm BC Payments, positioning the company to launch a suite of crypto‑payment solutions in the country. WhiteBIT secured entry into Ghana’s regulatory sandbox, allowing it to offer fiat‑on‑ramps and trading services locally....
Bank of America Reports 30 Billion Digital Client Interactions in 2025 as AI and Mobile Usage Grow
Bank of America announced that its digital banking platforms logged roughly 30 billion client interactions in 2025, encompassing logins, AI‑driven solutions, and automated alerts. This volume marks a 14% rise from the prior year, underscoring accelerating adoption of mobile and AI...
AI Finance Converges: Upstart Seeks Bank Charter as Santander Deploys Agentic Payments Across Latin America
Upstart, the AI‑driven lender from Silicon Valley, announced it will apply for a U.S. bank charter, allowing its machine‑learning underwriting to operate within a regulated balance sheet and expand into new loan segments. At the same time, Santander launched an...
The Global Rise of Instant Payments: How Real-Time Rails Are Reshaping Finance Across Every Region
Instant payments are moving from niche services to a global standard, with real‑time rails now covering most major economies. Regulatory mandates, consumer expectations for immediate settlement, and fintech innovation are accelerating adoption across Europe, Asia‑Pacific, Africa and Latin America. By...
Inflation Holds Steady but Economic Pressures Persist as Americans Question Real Income Growth
U.S. inflation has plateaued, with the consumer price index rising about 3.2% year‑over‑year in March, down from the double‑digit peaks of 2022. Core price pressures, however, stay above the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal, keeping monetary policy on hold. Meanwhile, wage...
Why Payment Technology Is Now Central to the Restaurant Experience, Especially on Mother’s Day
Lloyds Merchant Services’ latest research shows contactless payments, mobile wallets and integrated point‑of‑sale systems are reshaping the restaurant experience, especially on high‑traffic days like Mother’s Day. The study found a 45% year‑over‑year rise in contactless transactions within hospitality and a...
Interview with Karolina Aleksandrova, ProMoney Founder & Organiser of the Baltic Payment Forum
PaySpace Magazine Global interviewed Karolina Aleksandrova, founder of ProMoney and the driving force behind the Baltic Payment Forum held in Vilnius on March 3, 2026. The event marked the fourth consecutive year the forum attracted more than 300 C‑level executives...
Why CFOs Are Rethinking How Businesses Control Vendor and Subscription Spending in 2026: Expert Commentary
CFOs are shifting vendor and subscription spend management from a reactive back‑office task to a strategic priority in 2026. Rising inflation, post‑pandemic budget tightening, and an explosion of recurring SaaS contracts have exposed the limitations of manual expense processes. Finance...
Akurateco Payment Hub Partners with Kushki to Expand PSP Access Across Latin America
Payment infrastructure provider Akurateco announced a strategic partnership with Latin American payments firm Kushki to broaden PSP connectivity across the region. The deal integrates Kushki’s suite of local payment rails into Akurateco’s Payment Hub, giving merchants, PSPs and fintechs a...
TD Bank Expands Embedded Banking with Workday Integration for U.S. Business Clients
TD Bank announced a new embedded banking solution that integrates directly with Workday’s cloud‑based ERP for U.S. business clients. The service lets companies access credit, payments and cash‑management tools within Workday’s workflow, reducing manual hand‑offs. Early adopters will receive a...
TransUnion and Google Cloud Power AI‑Driven Credit Intelligence with New Analytics Agent
TransUnion has teamed with Google Cloud to launch an AI‑driven analytics agent that fuses TransUnion's credit data with Google’s Vertex AI and BigQuery services. The new solution delivers real‑time credit intelligence, cutting underwriting decision times by roughly half while boosting...
The Consent Gap: When Big Tech Decides You’ve Already Agreed
Big‑tech platforms are increasingly assuming user consent through pre‑checked boxes, hidden terms, and default data‑sharing settings, a practice dubbed the "consent gap." Recent regulatory scrutiny in the EU and US highlights how these implied agreements bypass genuine user choice, leading...
How to Calculate Mortgage Payments: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
The article provides a step‑by‑step guide to calculating mortgage payments, breaking down the PITI components and presenting the standard fixed‑rate formula. It walks readers through a detailed 30‑year, $320,000 loan example, showing how interest rate and term affect monthly obligations....
Brex Is Now in the ChatGPT App Marketplace So You Can Ask Anything About Your Expense Data
Brex has entered the ChatGPT app marketplace, becoming one of the first fintech solutions available in OpenAI’s ecosystem. ChatGPT Enterprise users can now ask natural‑language questions about their company’s spending, balances, and expense policies directly within the chat interface. The...
Airwallex Launches Yield Accounts in the U.S., Supercharging Business Payments With Interest-Earning Balances
Airwallex has introduced Yield Accounts for U.S. businesses, enabling companies to earn interest on idle balances held within its payments platform. The product is built into the existing Airwallex treasury suite, offers FDIC insurance up to $250,000 per account, and...
