ADX Taps Saal.ai to Build AI-Powered Market Data Platform
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) announced a partnership with AI specialist Saal.ai to develop a next‑generation, AI‑powered market data dissemination platform. The new system will replace ADX’s legacy infrastructure with a unified, scalable solution that delivers real‑time and periodic data to brokers, vendors and investors across multiple channels. Built on ADX’s existing digital backbone, the platform aims to improve flexibility, governance and enable advanced analytics. The collaboration underscores ADX’s broader strategy to modernise market infrastructure and boost the UAE’s financial market competitiveness.
Armenia’s Fintech Awakening Is an ‘Open Goal’ the UK Cannot Afford to Miss
FinTech Armenia’s CEO Stefan Lucas urges the United Kingdom to view Armenia as an emerging fintech hub and an “open goal” for British investment. He highlights a recent UK‑Armenia strategic partnership, a near‑finalized peace framework with Azerbaijan, and a surge...
Nigeria: From Policy Reform to Regulatory Enforcement in the Race for a $1T Economy
Nigeria has transitioned from policy‑focused reforms to active regulatory enforcement as it pursues a $1 trillion economy. Between 2022 and 2025 the government passed the Nigeria Startup Act, Electricity Act and the 2025 Investments and Securities Act, which are now being...
Invest Qatar Showcases Ecosystem Growth at Web Summit Qatar 2026 via Startup Qatar Pavilion
Invest Qatar will host the Startup Qatar Pavilion at Web Summit Qatar 2026, highlighting the nation’s fast‑growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. The pavilion will unite key agencies such as QFZ, QFC, MCIT, QDB and Media City Qatar to streamline setup, licensing, funding...
London Reforms Set to Spark IPO Surge After Historic Slump, Says deVere
London has introduced sweeping capital‑markets reforms that replace EU‑era prospectus rules with a new Public Offers and Admissions to Trading regime. The changes aim to simplify listings, cut disclosure costs and speed deal timelines after a historic IPO drought –...
TrueLayer and Stripe Tap Into Finnish E-Commerce with Kustom Checkout Deal
TrueLayer and Stripe have extended their Pay by Bank service to Finland by embedding it in Kustom’s checkout platform. The rollout instantly equips more than 24,000 Kustom merchants with a direct‑bank payment option that eliminates card details. Finland’s high online‑banking...
GoHenry Launches Free Financial Education Lessons on YouTube to Bridge Curriculum Gap
GoHenry, the UK‑focused children’s money app, has released more than 80 bite‑sized financial education videos on its YouTube channel, offered free to the public. The lessons, adapted from its in‑app “Money Missions,” cover budgeting, saving, compound interest and investing, and...
Global Asset Manager Mirae Asset Eyes Fund Tokenisation in UAE with Ctrl Alt Deal
Mirae Asset Global Investments, managing over $350 billion, signed an MoU with UAE fintech Ctrl Alt to explore tokenising investment funds. The partnership will develop a compliant framework for issuing and managing tokenised funds under the UAE’s VARA regulations, starting with...
Maximise Return on Equity Through Data Mediation
Audax Financial Technology urges banks to adopt embedded finance and become data mediators to lift stagnant return on equity. While China and Korea have already scaled such models, most global banks are still in the early, ‘jogging’ phase of a...
DLocal Powers HONOR’s Peru Debut as E-Commerce Sales Set to Hit $59.5bn
Cross‑border payments platform dLocal has partnered with Chinese AI device maker HONOR to launch the brand’s first website in Peru. The deal gives HONOR access to a suite of local payment methods—including credit‑card installments, bank transfers, cash and the Yape...
Nationwide Taps Moneyhub to Bring AI Spending Insights to 16 Million Members
Nationwide Building Society has partnered with Moneyhub to embed its AI‑driven categorisation and enrichment engine across its 16 million UK members. The technology will transform raw transaction data into granular insights, delivering detailed merchant information, location tags and real‑time fraud alerts....
Transforming EDI with AI: Faster, Smarter, Scalable
Artificial intelligence is reshaping electronic data interchange by adding speed, flexibility, and intelligence to a technology that has long been hampered by rigid formats and manual error handling. AI‑driven platforms such as Comarch EDI now offer real‑time validation, automated data...
ANNA Money Secures £10m to Scale AI ‘Auto Accountant’ as MTD Deadline Looms
ANNA Money has raised £10 million in growth debt from Flashpoint Ventures to accelerate its AI‑driven “Auto Accountant” platform. The fintech now reports £30 million in annual recurring revenue and serves over 50,000 UK small businesses each month. Its proprietary AI already...
Thunes and UnionPay International Launch Instant Transfers to Mainland China
Thunes has partnered with UnionPay International to create a direct technical link that enables instant, pay‑to‑card transfers into mainland China. The integration routes funds in RMB straight to UnionPay debit cards across 79 major Chinese banks, delivering real‑time or within‑12‑hour...
Dotfile and Bastion Partner to Bring AI-Powered Compliance to Enterprise Stablecoins
Dotfile, an AI AML compliance platform, has partnered with Bastion, a NYDFS‑regulated stablecoin provider, to deliver an AI‑powered onboarding and risk‑management solution for enterprise‑grade stablecoins. The joint offering combines comprehensive KYC/KYB verification, automated sanctions and PEP screening, and multi‑jurisdictional due‑diligence...
The Rise of Digital Assets: A Conversation with Yoni Assia
In a Fintech Times podcast recorded at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, eToro co‑founder and CEO Yoni Assa discusses the broker’s transformation from a traditional‑finance pioneer to a leading digital‑assets platform. He outlines how eToro expanded its offering to more than...
NEO PAY and Wio Bank Join Forces to Streamline SME Financing in the UAE
UAE payment provider NEO PAY has teamed up with digital bank Wio Bank PJSC to launch a point‑of‑sale (PoS) lending product for small and medium‑sized enterprises. The solution taps real‑time sales data from merchants’ PoS terminals to deliver fast working‑capital...
US Senate CLARITY Act Stalls Over Stablecoin Yield Restrictions
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee postponed the markup of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after key industry figures, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, withdrew support. Central to the dispute is a proposed GENIUS amendment that would bar exchanges from...
UK CFOs Facing ‘Automation Deficit’ as Fragmented Systems Stall Progress
Corpay’s new research of 150 UK CFOs uncovers an "automation deficit" – while 99% plan to automate finance by 2025, fragmented legacy systems stall progress. Integration challenges top the list, cited by 47% of respondents, followed by resistance to change...
ADIB Names Winners of UAE Cybersecurity Innovation Challenge to Drive Digital Resilience
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) announced the three winners of its UAE Cybersecurity Innovation Challenge—Corgea, Nothreat and DTEX Systems—selected from more than 50 global applicants. The competition, run with the UAE Cyber Security Council and DIFC Innovation Hub, featured 10...
IXOPAY Launches ‘Token-First’ Packages to Tackle Payment Stack Fragmentation
IXOPAY introduced three TokenEx tokenization packages—Core, Connect and Alternative Payments—to make token‑first payments the default for enterprise merchants. The bundles aim to curb payment‑stack fragmentation, lower PCI‑DSS scope and eliminate processor‑owned token lock‑in. Core provides universal tokens, Connect adds 20+...
Open Banking Limited Marks 8 Years as Usage Surges to 33 Million Monthly Payments
Open Banking Limited celebrated its eighth anniversary, highlighting that open banking has moved from a regulatory mandate to a core UK financial infrastructure. The latest data shows 33 million account‑to‑account payments in November 2025 and more than 16.5 million active user connections. The...
First Abu Dhabi Bank Launches ‘World-First’ Fitness and Payment Ring with Mastercard
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has introduced the FAB Rewards Active Credit Card, a joint venture with Mastercard that bundles a contactless payment ring with fitness tracking. The ring uses tokenisation technology from Tappy and syncs with the FAB Mobile...
UK Tech Funding Drops 11% in 2025, but Late-Stage Capital Remains Resilient
UK tech companies raised $15.3 billion in 2025, an 11 percent drop from the previous year, yet the market retained its rank as the world’s second‑largest tech funding hub behind the United States. Deal volume contracted 35 percent, but late‑stage financing proved resilient,...
Ziina and Lean Technologies Execute UAE’s First Live Customer-Initiated Open Finance Payment
Lean Technologies and UAE payments platform Ziina have completed the country’s first live customer‑initiated Open Finance payment. The transaction, run under the Central Bank of the UAE’s Open Finance framework, lets users move money instantly between bank accounts via regulated...
ProgressSoft Secures Business Banking Win at FF Awards 2025
ProgressSoft, a global real‑time payment provider, won the Business Banking category at the 2025 FF Awards in London. The award recognizes its Corporate Banking Suite, which unifies real‑time payments, liquidity, cash management, trade finance and automated workflows on a modular,...
Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Taps AlHuda CIBE for Islamic Banking Overhaul
Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Limited (PPCBL) has signed an advisory agreement with the AlHuda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics (AlHuda CIBE) to convert its operations to a fully Shariah‑compliant model. The Dubai‑signed pact outlines end‑to‑end support, including a Shariah...
Indonesia’s Payment Revolution: Behind the Breathless Rise of QRIS and the Road to 2030
Stanchion Payments’ latest Voices from the Market report highlights Indonesia’s QRIS as the cornerstone of its fast‑growing mobile‑first payment ecosystem. The QR code standard now connects tens of millions of consumers with more than 30 million merchants, enabling sub‑second transactions and...
Do Digital Payments Really Promote Financial Inclusion? What the Evidence Shows
Academic research shows digital payment platforms can expand access to basic financial services, especially in developing economies, by lowering distance, time, and transaction costs. However, technology alone does not guarantee inclusion; reliable mobile connectivity, affordable devices, and digital skills are...
Fintech Awards London 2026 Launches at House of Lords with S&W as New Headline Sponsor
The Fintech Awards London 2026 officially launched at an exclusive ceremony in the House of Lords, signalling the sector’s growing prominence. S&W announced its partnership with Aon as a new headline sponsor, underscoring confidence in the UK fintech ecosystem. The...
DFSA Shifts to Firm-Led Assessment in Major Crypto Token Framework Update
On 12 January 2026 the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) rolled out a major amendment to its crypto‑token regime in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The update eliminates the regulator’s central “Recognised Crypto Tokens” list and requires firms offering trading, custody or...
MariBank Launches S$1 Physical Gold Investment Fund for Singapore
Digital bank MariBank, a Sea Limited subsidiary, has introduced Mari Invest Gold, a physical gold fund with a S$1 minimum investment. The product, backed by Lion Global Investors and custodied by Standard Chartered, stores 99.5% pure gold bars in Singapore...
Cross River Selected as Initial Banking Partner for Visa’s Stablecoin Settlement Pilot
Cross River Bank has been chosen as the inaugural banking partner for Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot, which will settle Visa card transactions using Circle’s USDC on the Solana blockchain. Partnering with technology provider Highnote, the program moves stablecoin settlement from...
ACE Money Transfer Leverages Irish License for Strategic European Expansion
ACE Money Transfer, a UK‑based remittance firm, is using its Irish payment‑institution licence to launch a pan‑European expansion. Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, the company plans to replicate its Irish growth across the continent under the EU Payment...
Nigeria’s Fintech Regulatory Landscape: What Global Investors Should Know
Nigeria is rapidly reshaping its fintech regulatory framework through several landmark statutes. The Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 streamlines company registration, while the Investments and Securities Act 2025 expands the SEC’s authority over digital finance. New SEC rules bring...
Emirates NBD Issues World’s Largest Dual-Tranche Blue-Green Bond by a Financial Institution
Emirates NBD has issued a $1 billion dual‑tranche sustainable bond, the world’s largest blue‑green bond from a financial institution. The offering comprises a $300 million blue tranche with a three‑year tenor and a $700 million green tranche with a five‑year tenor under its...
Zodia Custody Becomes First Global Custodian to Support Australia’s AUDM Stablecoin
Zodia Custody announced it will provide institutional‑grade custody for AUDM, the Australian dollar‑backed stablecoin issued by Macropod. This makes Zodia the first global custodian to support Australia’s first licensed stablecoin, integrating the token into its cold‑storage infrastructure. The partnership gives...
The Future of Stablecoins: A Global Financial Shift
Mark Walker and Aishwary Gupta explore how stablecoins are reshaping the global financial system, highlighting their role in bridging fiat and crypto markets. They examine the rapid growth of dollar‑pegged tokens, which now hold over $150 billion in circulation, and the...
Hub71 Strengthens UAE-Ireland Ties with Venturewave Capital Partnership
Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech hub, has signed a strategic partnership with Ireland’s Venturewave Capital, marking the first Irish venture‑capital partner for the ecosystem. The alliance targets reciprocal growth pathways for startups in both regions, emphasizing impact sectors such as...
FinTech Australia Welcomes Productivity Commission’s Call for Universal Open Banking
FinTech Australia welcomed the Productivity Commission’s final inquiry report on data and digital technology, which estimates the Consumer Data Right (CDR) could add up to $10 billion to Australia’s GDP each year. The report rejects a de‑minimis exemption for small banks,...
Maalexi to Launch World’s First Agricultural Asset Token Exchange on Avalanche
Maalexi, an Abu Dhabi‑based agri‑trade fintech, is launching MAATEX, the world’s first agricultural asset token exchange built on the Avalanche blockchain. The platform will issue Maalexi Agri Tokens (MATs) that represent insured, audited and legally owned commodities, enabling instant cross‑border...
Ziina Launches ‘Violet’ Lifestyle Membership to Cut Currency Fees and Boost Loyalty
Ziina, the UAE’s leading digital wallet, unveiled Ziina Violet, a subscription‑based lifestyle membership priced at AED 100 per month. The service promises over AED 850 in monthly value by eliminating foreign‑exchange fees on the Ziina Card and bundling discounts from partners such...
Nant Global Finance Launches Fully Integrated Blockchain-Enabled Capital Markets Platform
Nant Global Finance (NANT) unveiled a fully integrated blockchain‑enabled capital markets platform that combines U.S. broker‑dealer, exchange, and transfer‑agency capabilities. The rollout follows the acquisition of GlobexUS Holdings, BlockAgent, and Equity Stock Transfer, with pending purchases of AOS, Digital Offering...
Arab Financial Services Launches SoftPOS in Egypt Following Central Bank Approval
Arab Financial Services (AFS) has secured a Central Bank of Egypt license and launched its SoftPOS solution nationwide, turning any NFC‑enabled Android smartphone into a fully licensed tap‑to‑phone payment terminal. The technology eliminates the need for traditional point‑of‑sale hardware, offering...
Visa and Akamai Join Forces to Secure the Next Era of ‘Agentic Commerce’
Visa has teamed with cybersecurity leader Akamai to launch a trust layer for the fast‑growing “agentic commerce” market, where autonomous AI agents shop on behalf of users. The collaboration embeds Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol into Akamai’s behavioral‑intelligence platform to verify...
Payment Accessibility Is Now Business Critical: New Report Reveals Billions Excluded at the Checkout
Castles Technology’s new report warns that billions of consumers are excluded from modern point‑of‑sale systems due to visual, motor, hearing and cognitive impairments. The study estimates UK retailers lose £70 billion each year as disabled shoppers abandon purchases, and highlights the...
TON Foundation Taps OpenPayd for Global Fiat Infrastructure
The TON Foundation announced a partnership with OpenPayd to provide a single‑API global fiat infrastructure for its blockchain ecosystem. The integration will enable seamless multi‑currency treasury management and faster grant disbursements across borders. TON’s blockchain, embedded in Telegram’s Mini App...
DTCC Partners with Digital Asset to Tokenize U.S. Treasuries on Canton Network
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has teamed with Digital Asset and the Canton Network to launch a tokenized version of U.S. Treasury securities. The partnership follows a recent SEC no‑action letter that clears the regulatory path for real‑world...
Transparency Analytics Secures Second Funding Round to Transform Private Credit Ratings
Transparency Analytics announced its second funding round, led by Deciens Capital and joined by investors such as Allianz Life Ventures, Mouro Capital, FJ Labs, SUM Ventures, and Core Innovation Capital. The fintech aims to bring quantitative, real‑time ratings to the...
Solflare Debuts In-Wallet AI Assistant to Bring ‘Intent-Based’ Trading to Solana Users
Solflare, a leading non‑custodial Solana wallet, unveiled the alpha version of Solflare AI, an in‑wallet large‑language‑model assistant, at Solana Breakpoint 2025. The tool lets users issue plain‑language commands to execute trades, set price alerts, and pull live social‑sentiment data without...