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A leading payments industry news source for more than 17 years. Glenbrook curates the news and keeps you abreast of the important daily headlines in payments.
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November 14, 2025
On the web
Africa’s Digital Payments Gain Momentum: SIIPS 2025 Reveals $2 Trillion in Instant Payments Driving Growth and Inclusion
AfricaNenda
"Africa’s digital payments landscape is expanding at a record pace, marking a turning point towards more inclusive interoperable financial systems. The State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems (SIIPS) 2025 Report, released by the AfricaNenda Foundation, in partnership with the World Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), reveals how instant payment systems (IPS) are driving economic participation, innovation, and opportunity across the continent."
Bank of England Consults on Systemic Stablecoins
Paul Hastings Insights
"As part of the UK’s rapid overhaul of its digital assets regulatory regime, the Bank of England this week issued a consultation paper on the bank’s 'Proposed regulatory regime for sterling-denominated systemic stablecoins.'"
On the wires
Visa Expands Visa Intelligent Commerce Across Asia Pacific, Prepares for AI Commerce Pilot by Early 2026
PR Newswire
"Visa today announced significant strides in expanding Visa Intelligent Commerce across Asia Pacific, accelerating the region's push into agentic commerce – a new era where AI-powered agents shop and pay on behalf of consumers."
Citi Completes Landmark Fiat-to-Digital Currency Payment Settlement Workflow Trial with Swift
PR Newswire
"Citi and Swift today announced a landmark trial that proves the feasibility of settling payments between fiat and digital currencies, in a Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) workflow. The trial demonstrates a powerful hybrid model for interoperability between traditional financial systems and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) networks."
November 13, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard and Thunes Bring Stablecoin Payouts to the Mainstream
Mastercard
"Mastercard and Thunes have teamed up to accelerate global money movement for banks, payment service providers and end-users by expanding stablecoin wallet payout capabilities. Through this strategic collaboration, announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival , Mastercard Move will facilitate near real-time payouts to stablecoin wallets via Thunes’ Direct Global Network, harnessing the speed, liquidity, and 24/7 availability of regulated stablecoins."
On the web
Why McDonald’s Is Rounding Up on Cash Payments
Inc.
"McDonald’s told CBS News they’ll be taking on a rounding method when it comes to customers paying in cash. Reason being? The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia pressed its last penny on Wednesday, leaving McDonald’s and other stores to figure out how to deal with the fallout. Order totals will be rounded to the nearest five cents. So if a customer’s order totals $10.17, they’ll pay $10.15. But if instead it comes out to $10.18, they’ll be asked to pay $10.20. Other chains are curving more to the customer’s advantage. GoTo Foods, the parent company of Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Carvel said that it’s “recommending that franchisees round cash transactions in the guest’s favor.” Wendy’s and Midwestern convenience chain Kwik Trip are hopping on a similar train."
ChatGPT Joins PhonePe: AI To Transform UPI Payments Across India
Patna Press
"In a major leap for India’s fintech sector, PhonePe has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI, aiming to integrate ChatGPT-powered AI features into its digital payments app. The move marks the beginning of a new era where artificial intelligence meets everyday transactions, making UPI interactions smarter, faster, and more conversational. Through this collaboration, users will be able to access AI-driven suggestions and assistance directly within the app."
2025 American Express Shop Small Impact Study Results
American Express
"Sixteen years after creating Small Business Saturday®, American Express continues to champion the small businesses that fuel local economies across the country. Ahead of Small Business Saturday on November 29, the 2025 American Express Shop Small Impact Study1 reveals what is top of mind for U.S. consumers and small business owners this holiday shopping season."
PayPal Relaunches in the UK: Smarter Way to Pay Online and Now In-Stores With Game-Changing PayPal+ Loyalty Programme
PayPal Newsroom
"PayPal is relaunching as a unified payment experience for customers to shop online and now in-stores. PayPal customers across the UK can access the new PayPal+ loyalty programme, with PayPal Debit and Credit Cards also available. PayPal's first ever loyalty programme is available to British customers before anyone else in the world. Consumers can sign-up to PayPal+ for free in the PayPal app and start earning points on both online and in–store purchases."
Telcoin Makes U.S. Banking History with Approval to Launch the First Regulated Digital Asset Bank
Business Wire
"Telcoin announced its final charter approval from the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance to launch Telcoin Digital Asset Bank, the first Digital Asset Depository Institution in the United States. The charter positions Telcoin to become the first true blockchain bank, directly connecting U.S. bank accounts to regulated “Digital Cash” stablecoins."
Apple, Tencent Agree to 15% Fee on Wechat Mini Game Purchases: Bloomberg
Capital Brief
"Tencent Holdings has agreed to allow Apple to handle payments and take a 15% cut of purchases made in WeChat mini games and apps, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. The context: The deal has been negotiated by the two firms for over a year and opens a new source of revenue for the iPhone maker. Apple had been demanding that Tencent close loopholes used by app makers to push users to external payment systems – circumventing Apple’s usual 30% commission."
Uber Implements New Payment System
Retail Systems
"Ride sharing service Uber has overhauled its payment system in partnership with Checkout.com.Through the agreement, Checkout.com will provide acquiring and gateway services for Uber’s services on its platform across multiple markets worldwide. Uber said it implemented the technology to combine global coverage with local expertise and support its expansion in the digital economy."
Coinbase Abandons $2 Billion Acquisition of Stablecoin Firm BVNK
Yahoo FInance
"Coinbase has ended negotiations to acquire stablecoin startup BVNK, according to a Fortune report on Tuesday. Sources told the publication that the proposed deal was valued at approximately $2 billion. Both the American crypto exchange and Mastercard had been in advanced discussions to acquire BVNK, the UK-based fintech firm that builds stablecoin infrastructure. Coinbase and BVNK then entered exclusive negotiations."
Atlanta-Based App Aims to Speed Payments for Immigrant Small Business Owners
CBS News
"An Atlanta fintech startup launched by an immigrant entrepreneur is transforming how small immigrant-owned businesses manage payments and cash flow. Pagarva, a mobile point-of-sale app built for multilingual immigrant micro-businesses, recently raised capital through Atlanta's new Pinnacle Innovation Accelerator and is now scaling across the metro area. The app allows merchants to accept cards, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PIX, and more in a multilingual interface with no extra hardware. It also offers instant bank payouts and tax reporting tools.."
Global Payments Launches Modular Countertop Designed for Genius
Global Payments Inc.
"Global Payments introduced the industry’s first modular, countertop point-of-sale device, setting a new standard for flexibility, durability and speed in retail and restaurant environments. The device is purpose built for Genius, Global Payments' flagship POS platform."
On the wires
Introducing Cash App Releases: See What’s New
Business Wire
"Cash App has rolled out 11 product updates and made more than 150 improvements to meet the way that millions of people earn, manage, and share money. The brand’s first-ever bundled release includes more flexible banking* benefits, AI-powered navigation, the ability to send and receive stablecoins, and more - all underpinned by robust safety features"
November 12, 2025
Top Post
Ant International Launches World’s First Iris Authentication Feature in Smart-glasses Payment Solution
Business Wire
"In a global first, Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation, and financial technology provider, has added iris authentication features to Alipay+ GlassPay, its AR glasses-embedded payment solution, through partnerships with leading smart glasses producers."
On the web
Amazon Business Unveils Next Generation AI Solutions to Help Organizations and Small Businesses Save Time and Money
US Press Center
"At Amazon Business’ Reshape conference, Amazon announced a number of new AI-powered solutions including the Amazon Business Assistant to help organizations discover savings, automate routine tasks, and make spending easier and more efficient. These innovations, all powered by Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s fully managed service for building and scaling generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications, represent the next step in Amazon Business’ smart business buying journey."
Visa Direct Stablecoin Payouts Pilot Speeds Up Access to Funds for Creators & Gig Workers
Visa
"At Web Summit, Visa Inc. announced a breakthrough pilot allowing businesses and platforms to send payouts directly to recipients’ stablecoin wallets. For businesses using Visa Direct, payouts can be funded in fiat currency, while recipients can choose to receive their funds in USD-backed stablecoins like USDC, transforming the speed and accessibility of global payouts."
Mastercard Champions Password-Free, Number-Free Checkout Across Asia Pacific by 2030
Mastercard
"At the Singapore FinTech Festival, Mastercard announced its ambition to make online shopping across Asia Pacific password-free and number-free by 2030. While more than a third of Mastercard transactions worldwide are already tokenized, achieving that vision in the world’s largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market — projected to exceed USD 7 trillion by 2030[1] — will require collective action. Mastercard is rallying banks, merchants, digital wallets, and technology partners to enable secure, tokenized payments powered by biometric authentication. This eliminates manual card entry and static passwords, making checkout faster and safer for consumers."
JPM Coin: A New Era for Stablecoins in Asia's Fintech Scene
Onesafe
"JPM Coin's arrival signals a significant shift in the stablecoin world, introducing fresh standards for compliance and institutional trust. This change presents both challenges and opportunities for Asia's fintech startups, who must adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape. In this post, let's unpack how JPM Coin's entry is reshaping the stablecoin market, what hurdles smaller players might face, and the new doors it opens for institutional adoption."
Visa Launches Scan to Pay for QR Payments Across APAC
Tech in Asia
"Visa has launched its Scan to Pay QR payment solution across Asia-Pacific, allowing millions of merchants to accept payments through widely used digital wallets and payment apps. The rollout is part of a broader Visa Pay initiative that connects participating digital wallets to Visa-accepting merchants worldwide."
Bank of America to Invest $4bn in Digital Transformation
Banking Exchange
"Bank of America has pledged to accelerate its investment in AI, automation, and digital banking as part of its strategy to fuel growth across all business lines. At Bank of America's first ‘Investor Day’ in 15 years, the bank outlined its commitment to “next-generation technologies”, revealing that it will spend $4 billion in technology code initiatives as part of its $13 billion total annual expenditure."
On the wires
Ant International’s Antom Launches AI‑Powered MSME App for Finance and Business Operations
Business Wire
"Antom, a leading provider of merchant payment and digitisation services under Ant International, today announced EPOS360, an app that brings point-of-sale (POS) system, payments, banking, lending, and growth support together to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) move from setup to scale efficiently."
November 11, 2025
On the web
How Visa is Preparing for the Agentic Commerce Era
Retail TouchPoints
"In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein sits down with Rob Cameron, Global Head of Acceptance Solutions at Visa, to explore how the rise of agentic AI, is shaping the future of commerce, and with it payments. Rob shares how Visa is preparing for this shift with its Trusted Agent Protocol. This conversation dives deep into the payment infrastructure that will be required to enable this next era of ecommerce."
Bank of England Launches Consultation on Regulating Systemic Stablecoins
Bank of England
"The Bank of England published a consultation paper setting out its proposed regulatory regime for sterling-denominated systemic stablecoins. Such stablecoins are a new type of digital money designed to maintain a stable value and could be used for retail payments and wholesale settlement in the future. This marks a significant step in preparing for a future where new forms of digital money may be widely used for payments alongside existing ones."
Anchorage Digital Selects Modern Treasury to Power Money Movement Infrastructure
Business Wire
Modern Treasury announced that Anchorage Digital — a leading global crypto platform for innovators and investors — will use Modern Treasury’s infrastructure to power its money movement and ledgering. Anchorage Digital provides institutional-grade trading, staking, governance, custody, stablecoin issuance, and settlement for digital assets. With Modern Treasury, Anchorage Digital can automate money movement via multiple financial providers through a single platform and automate payment flows across wires, ACH, and real-time rails.
Extend and PNC Bank Collaborate to Modernize Commercial Card Payments for Businesses
Business Wire
"Extend, a leading artificial intelligence-powered spend and expense management platform, and PNC Bank announced new modern payment capabilities for PNC’s commercial clients. By enrolling their existing PNC Bank commercial cards, businesses can access Extend’s mobile and web platform—unlocking a full suite of digital tools to control, manage, and optimize business spend within minutes."
On the wires
Paystand Acquires Bitwage to Make Stablecoins Enterprise-Grade for Global B2B Finance
Business Wire
"Paystand, the leading blockchain‑powered B2B payments network, announced it has acquired Bitwage, the leading platform for stablecoin‑enabled cross‑border payouts. The deal positions Paystand to deliver enterprise‑grade stablecoin settlement and FX across its network, which has processed more than $20 billion in payment volume for 1,000+ enterprises and more than one million businesses worldwide."
Episode Six and Fireblocks Join Forces to Deliver Unified Payments Solution Bridging Traditional and Digital Finance
Business Wire
"Episode Six and Fireblocks announced the co-development of a unified payments solution at Singapore Fintech Festival. The payments solution seamlessly integrates traditional and digital finance, bringing fiat, stablecoins, loyalty points, and other digital assets onto a single, programmable platform, empowering financial institutions to operate across asset classes with speed, security, and flexibility."
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