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Deals•Feb 26, 2026
Brink's to Acquire NCR Atleos in $6.6 Billion Deal
The Brink's Company announced a cash-and-stock acquisition of NCR Atleos for $6.6 billion, creating a leading financial‑technology infrastructure firm. The definitive agreement was signed on Feb. 26, 2026, with closing expected in the first quarter of 2027. The combined entity will generate about $10 billion in revenue and target $200 million in annual synergies.
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Deals•Feb 11, 2026
Bedrock Robotics Raises $270M to Scale Autonomous Construction Systems
Bedrock Robotics announced a $270 million fundraising round to expand its AI-driven autonomous construction equipment, aiming to address labor shortages and improve safety. The capital will be used to retrofit traditional machinery with AI systems for earthwork tasks. The raise...
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Deals•Feb 10, 2026
Equal Parts Secures $23M Series A Funding Led by Inspired Capital
Equal Parts, a platform that acquires independent insurance agencies, announced a $23 million Series A round led by Inspired Capital. The funding will fuel its growth network, supporting plans to acquire 25 agencies this year and target $1 billion in premiums within two...
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Deals•Feb 10, 2026
Agibank Slashes IPO Share Count and Price Range to $12-$13 Amid PicPay Share Drop
Brazilian fintech Agibank announced on Feb. 10 that it is reducing its U.S. IPO size from 43.6 million to 20 million shares and lowering the price range to $12‑$13, down from $15‑$18. The adjustment follows a 20% decline in competitor PicPay’s shares after...
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Deals•Feb 9, 2026
Beast Industries Acquires FinTech Step to Expand Financial Wellness
Creator-driven platform Beast Industries announced the acquisition of financial‑literacy app Step on Feb. 9, 2026. The deal combines Step’s technology and 7 million‑user base with Beast Industries’ audience reach to deliver financial wellness solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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Deals•Feb 9, 2026
NatWest Pays $3.6 Billion for Wealth Manager Evelyn Partners
U.K. banking group NatWest announced it will acquire wealth manager Evelyn Partners for about $3.6 billion (£2.7 billion). The acquisition, disclosed on Feb. 9, 2026, aims to expand NatWest's savings and investment services. Evelyn Partners is being bought from private-equity...
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Deals•Feb 7, 2026
Databricks Secures $7B in New Funding to Power AI Agent Database
Databricks announced a $7 billion financing round on Feb 7, 2026, comprising $5 billion in equity and $2 billion in debt, lifting its valuation to $134 billion. The capital will be used to expand its Lakebase serverless Postgres database for AI agents and its Genie conversational...
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Deals•Feb 4, 2026
Resolve AI Raises $125 Million for AI Agents That Maintain Software
Resolve AI announced a $125 million Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, taking its total funding above $150 million and valuing the startup at $1 billion. The capital will accelerate development of its AI agents that act as site‑reliability engineers, helping enterprises...
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Deals•Feb 4, 2026
EnFi Raises $15M to Expand AI Agents for Bank Credit Decisions
Boston-based fintech EnFi announced a $15 million fundraising round led by Fintop, with participation from Patriot Financial Partners, Commerce Ventures, Unusual Ventures and Boston Seed Capital. The capital will be used to deploy AI agents that automate credit analysis and...
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Deals•Feb 3, 2026
Experian to Acquire AI-Powered Mortgage Shopping Platform Own Up
Experian announced it will acquire Own Up, an AI-powered mortgage shopping platform, to expand its mortgage offerings within the Experian Marketplace. The acquisition was announced in a Feb. 3 press release and is expected to close within 90 days pending...
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Deals•Feb 2, 2026
Waymo Raises $16B in Funding Round, Valuation Climbs to $110B
Google-owned autonomous vehicle startup Waymo is close to finalizing a $16 billion funding round that would value the company at $110 billion. Google will contribute more than 75% of the capital, and the round is reported to be three times oversubscribed, underscoring...
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Deals•Feb 2, 2026
Varo Bank Secures $123.9M Series G Funding Led by Warburg Pincus and Coliseum Capital
Varo Bank, the all‑digital nationally chartered bank, announced a $123.9 million Series G round led by existing investor Warburg Pincus and new investor Coliseum Capital Management. The funding will support Varo’s next growth phase, including expansion of its AI‑driven lending products. The round...
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Deals•Feb 2, 2026
Fifth Third Bancorp Completes Merger with Comerica, Forming $294B Regional Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp and Comerica Incorporated closed their merger on Feb. 2, creating a $294 billion institution that becomes the ninth‑largest U.S. bank. The deal combines Fifth Third’s consumer digital platform with Comerica’s commercial franchise, expanding digital banking and embedded‑finance capabilities across...
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Deals•Feb 2, 2026
TransUnion to Acquire Mobile Division of RealNetworks
TransUnion announced a definitive agreement to acquire the mobile division of RealNetworks, aiming to boost its communications solutions and fraud‑prevention portfolio. The deal, disclosed in a Feb. 2 press release, will bring AI, machine‑learning and real‑time analytics capabilities to TransUnion, with...
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Deals•Feb 2, 2026
Loop AI Secures $14M Series A Funding to Expand AI Platform for Restaurant Back Offices
Loop AI announced a $14 million Series A round led by Nyca Partners to expand its AI-driven platform for restaurant and retail back offices. The funding will be used to broaden its product suite and increase headcount, as detailed in...
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Deals•Jan 27, 2026
Mesh Raises $75M in New Funding Round, Hitting $1B Valuation
Crypto payments network Mesh announced a $75 million funding round that values the company at $1 billion. The round was led by Dragonfly Capital and will fund Mesh’s expansion into Asian, European and Latin American FinTech markets. The company previously raised...
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Deals•Jan 27, 2026
Anthropic Nears $20B Fundraising at $350B Valuation
Anthropic, the AI startup, is close to finalizing a new fundraising round that would raise $20B and value the company at $350B, according to the Financial Times on Jan. 27, 2026. The round follows a $13B Series F raise in...
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News•Jan 23, 2026
Gen X Spending Patterns Are Shifting as Costs Rise
Gen X, the 46‑61 age cohort, remains the highest‑spending group, averaging $96,941 in 2024. Rising inflation and living costs have forced 67% to trim grocery budgets and 52% to postpone major purchases such as cars or furniture. Financial strain is...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 23, 2026
Eight in 10 Small Businesses Want Credit and on Their Terms
A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 514 U.S. small‑to‑medium business leaders shows that 83% are confident they will be approved for a new business credit card, shifting the market focus from basic access to product flexibility. More than half of card...
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News•Jan 23, 2026
Amazon to Cut 14,000 Corporate Jobs in Second Round of Layoffs
Amazon announced a second round of corporate layoffs, targeting roughly 14,000 employees as early as Jan. 27. This follows an initial cut of 14,000 staff in October and brings the total planned reductions to 30,000, about 10% of its corporate...
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News•Jan 23, 2026
Affirm and Esusu to Launch Flexible Payment Option for Renters
Affirm and fintech platform Esusu are piloting a rent‑payment option that splits monthly rent into two interest‑free installments with no late fees. The service will be available to Esusu members, adding to the recently launched Esusu Pay tool. Esusu’s platform...
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News•Jan 22, 2026
Procter & Gamble Says Data and Technology Will Support Company’s Reinvention
Procter & Gamble’s new CEO Shailesh Jejurikar announced that data and technology will underpin the company’s near‑term performance boost and long‑term reinvention. The latest quarter showed flat organic sales overall, with beauty up 4% and health care up 3, while grooming,...
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News•Jan 22, 2026
Consumers Still Love Their Physical Cards Even as Digital Wallet Use Expands
Physical payment cards continue to dominate despite the rapid expansion of digital wallets, with over 80% of U.S. consumers still preferring cards at the point of sale. Contactless adoption is high—53% of shoppers favor tap‑to‑pay—but cards capture more than double...
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News•Jan 22, 2026
Financial Stress Drives a 17-Point Jump in Digital Wallet Use
A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 2,108 U.S. adults shows financial stress is driving a sharp rise in digital‑wallet usage. High‑stress consumers were more than twice as likely to use a wallet for their last retail purchase (28% vs. 11%) and...
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News•Jan 22, 2026
United Airlines Distinguishes Between Loyalty, Rewards Programs
United Airlines reported a 10% year‑over‑year increase in loyalty‑related revenue for Q4 and a 9% rise for the full 2025 fiscal year. Executive vice president Andrew Nocella emphasized the distinction between true loyalty programs and generic rewards, citing low member...
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Deals•Jan 22, 2026
TikTok and ByteDance Form Joint Venture with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX
TikTok and its parent ByteDance have signed agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to create a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, slated to close on Jan. 22, 2026. The partnership will secure TikTok’s continued operations in the United States and...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
Apple Prepares to Bring Apple Pay to India
Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India later this year, negotiating with Mastercard and Visa while seeking regulatory clearance from the Reserve Bank of India. The initial rollout will focus on card‑based contactless payments, with a later phase...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
Shopify Merchants to Pay 4% Fee on Sales Made Through ChatGPT Checkout
Shopify will enable AI‑driven sales through ChatGPT, charging merchants a 4% fee on transactions processed via OpenAI’s checkout, in addition to its own fees. The feature launches Jan. 26, letting sellers opt into or out of AI channels and making products...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
Regions and Worldpay Team to Help Businesses Manage Cash Flow
Regions Bank announced a partnership with payments technology firm Worldpay to create an integrated platform that streamlines payment acceptance and cash‑flow management for its business customers. The solution adds omnichannel processing, anti‑fraud tools, dispute and charge‑back handling, and compliance services,...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
Visa Launches A2A Payments Partnership With Acquired.com
Visa has partnered with Acquired.com to launch Visa A2A, an account‑to‑account payment solution for recurring and variable payments in the U.K. The service uses Faster Payments to settle transactions in real time while Visa supplies operational governance and a commercial...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
TikTok Courts Brands to Become Shop Sellers
TikTok is rolling out Project Horizon, a U.S. initiative that enlists 100 e‑commerce agencies to recruit established brands with at least $10 million in annual sales onto TikTok Shop. Each agency must sign up roughly 30 brands and help them generate...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
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...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
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...
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News•Jan 21, 2026
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....
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News•Jan 21, 2026
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,...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 21, 2026
Retention Is Name of the Game for Netflix’s AI Strategy
Netflix’s Q4 2025 earnings call revealed that the streaming giant is pivoting from pure growth to a retention‑centric model, using artificial intelligence as core infrastructure. With 325 million paid members and $45.2 billion in revenue, the company views churn reduction as the...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 20, 2026
Amazon Adds More Payment Options to Latest Smart Shopping Cart
Amazon is rolling out the next‑generation Dash Cart to dozens of Whole Foods stores across the United States by year‑end. The new cart adds credit‑card, mobile‑payment and Amazon‑linked payment options, expanding beyond its original Amazon‑only model. It also features a...
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News•Jan 20, 2026
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser Says Rate Cap Would Restrict Access to Credit
Citigroup Chair and CEO Jane Fraser told CNBC she does not expect Congress to back President Trump’s proposed 10% cap on credit‑card interest rates. Fraser argued that a hard cap would shrink credit availability for lower‑income consumers, contrary to the...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 20, 2026
U.S. Bancorp Says Embedded, Interconnected Payments Capabilities Are Key to Gaining Clients
U.S. Bancorp reported a record fourth‑quarter net revenue of roughly $7.4 billion, crediting its payments transformation as a primary driver. CEO Gunjan Kedia emphasized that embedded, interconnected payment capabilities are essential for attracting Gen Z clients and deepening relationships. The bank unveiled...
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News•Jan 20, 2026
Walmart’s PhonePe Gets Regulatory OK for Indian IPO
Walmart‑backed PhonePe has secured regulatory clearance for an Indian initial public offering, moving the fintech closer to a market debut. The IPO could raise up to $1.5 billion and value the company near $15 billion, reflecting its 45% share of UPI transaction...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 20, 2026
PayPal and April Team on Faster Tax Filing
PayPal has teamed with embedded tax platform april to let U.S. PayPal Debit Mastercard holders file their 2025 federal and state returns for free. april’s service pre‑fills data from uploaded documents and offers AI‑chatbot support, enabling most users to complete...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 20, 2026
Unpredictable Pay Cycles Break Financial Stability for America’s Hourly Workers
The PYMNTS podcast highlighted the Wage to Wallet Index, revealing that unpredictable pay cycles destabilize America’s 60 million hourly workers despite strong job security. Payroll’s two‑week lag creates a "Bill Pay Roulette" where fixed expenses outrun earnings, pushing many into high‑cost...
By PYMNTS
Deals•Jan 20, 2026
Walmart’s PhonePe Gets Regulatory OK for Indian IPO
India’s largest digital payments firm PhonePe, backed by Walmart, has received SEBI approval for its upcoming Indian IPO. The offering could raise up to $1.5 billion, valuing the company at roughly $15 billion, with existing shareholders Walmart, Microsoft and Tiger Global expected...
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News•Jan 19, 2026
A Nostalgic Look Back to 2016 With a PYMNTS Twist
The article revisits 2016’s payments optimism—mobile wallets, contextual commerce, chatbots, and platform‑centric models—through a PYMNTS lens, noting that adoption lagged the hype. Over the ensuing decade, the industry shifted from front‑end disruption to back‑end orchestration, emphasizing identity, authentication, and data‑driven...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 19, 2026
Mastercard Says Embedding Payments Is Key to Commercial Payments Acceptance
Mastercard says the future of commercial payments hinges on embedding payment options directly within corporate workflows. It labels this shift “adaptive commercial acceptance,” where ERP, procure‑to‑pay and vertical SaaS platforms dictate payment methods instead of traditional buyer‑supplier negotiations. The company’s...
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News•Jan 19, 2026
Brazilian FinTech Inter Gets Green Light to Begin Banking in US
Brazilian digital bank Inter has secured regulatory clearance from the Federal Reserve and Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation to launch a state‑licensed international banking branch in Miami. The new U.S. presence will allow Inter to offer regulated credit and banking...
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News•Jan 18, 2026
Monzo Expands Outgoing CEO’s Role After Investor Pushback
Monzo is broadening the role of departing CEO TS Anil after investors pushed back on his exit. While the bank announced in October that Anil would move to an advisory position and leave the board, the board now plans to...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 18, 2026
Sequoia Seeks Part in Anthropic’s $25 Billion Funding Round
Sequoia Capital is poised to join a multibillion‑dollar financing round for Anthropic, the AI startup that recently unveiled its agentic "Cowork" feature for Claude. The round, led by Singapore’s sovereign fund GIC and Coatue, aims to raise at least $25 billion...
By PYMNTS
News•Jan 17, 2026
PNC Says Automation Added 30 Points of Operating Leverage Since 2022
PNC Financial Services Group reported that automation delivered 30 basis points of operating leverage across its retail and care‑center operations between 2022 and 2025. CEO Bill Demchak said the bank expects another 40 points of leverage from AI between 2025...
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News•Jan 17, 2026
Department of Education Delays Involuntary Collections on Federal Student Loans
On Jan. 16, the U.S. Department of Education announced a temporary pause on involuntary collections for federal student loans to allow implementation of repayment reforms under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The reforms introduce simplified repayment plans and a...
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News•Jan 17, 2026
Pay.com Adds Paysafe as a Recommended Acquirer for Card Transactions
Pay.com has expanded its payment orchestration platform by adding Paysafe as a recommended acquirer for card transactions, alongside the integration of Paysafe’s Skrill, Neteller, and PaysafeCard eCash solutions. The partnership gives merchants access to Paysafe’s extensive network, which processed $152 billion...
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News•Jan 16, 2026
Earnings Show Banks Turning Transaction Banking Into a Platform Business
The 2025 earnings season showed major U.S. banks turning transaction banking into a digital platform rather than a back‑office utility. Investments in cloud‑native cores, APIs and event‑driven architectures now deliver real‑time cash visibility and faster cross‑border settlement. Executives highlighted revenue...
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News•Jan 16, 2026
JPMorgan Chase Forms Team Focused on Helping Companies Raise Private Capital
JPMorgan Chase announced the formation of a Private Capital Advisory and Solutions team to help companies raise private financing, including early‑stage equity, preferred stock and convertible bonds. The unit will link investors with firms seeking capital and explore secondary fund...
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News•Jan 16, 2026
China-Backed Cross-Border Payments Platform Has Processed 3.48 Billion Transactions
Project mBridge, a China‑backed cross‑border payments platform, has processed 3.48 billion transactions worth $55.49 billion as of November 2025, up from just 160 transactions in October 2022. The digital yuan now accounts for over 95% of settlement volume, reflecting its growing role...
By PYMNTS
Deals•Jan 15, 2026
BlackRock and Microsoft Raise $12.5B for AI Partnership
BlackRock announced that its AI partnership with Microsoft has raised $12.5 billion, bringing the collaboration closer to its $30 billion target. The partnership, which also includes Nvidia, xAi and UAE‑based MGX, aims to fund data‑center infrastructure for AI workloads. The capital raise...
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Deals•Jan 7, 2026
Anthropic Targets $10B Funding Round at $350B Valuation
Anthropic announced plans to raise $10 billion in a new funding round that would value the AI startup at $350 billion, nearly double its September 2025 valuation. The round is separate from its partnership with Microsoft and Nvidia, who have pledged a combined...
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Deals•Jan 7, 2026
Zilch to Acquire Fjord Bank to Accelerate European Expansion
Consumer payments platform Zilch announced plans to acquire Lithuanian challenger bank Fjord Bank, securing a European banking licence and establishing a new headquarters in Lithuania. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory...
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Deals•Jan 6, 2026
GTreasury Acquires Solvexia to Expand Financial Automation Capabilities
Ripple’s GTreasury announced the acquisition of Solvexia, a no‑code financial automation platform, to broaden its treasury management suite with end‑to‑end reconciliation and regulatory reporting. The deal, disclosed on Jan. 6 2026, adds analytics and compliance tools for both fiat and digital‑asset transactions....
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