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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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January 30, 2026
Top Post
Deciphering the Alphabet Soup of Agentic AI Protocols
The Register
"MCP, A2A, ACP, or UTCP? It seems like every other day, orgs add yet another AI protocol to the agentic alphabet soup, making it all the more confusing. Below, we'll share what all these abbreviations actually mean and share why they are important for the future of AI. On the surface, all the protocols serve a similar purpose. They are all trying to standardize how AI agents communicate, with the main distinction often being what exactly they're trying to talk to."
On the web
Tether Takes the Fight to Circle With a New ‘Made in America’ Stablecoin
CoinDesk
"Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, is making its move into the U.S. domestic market with the launch of USAT, a dollar-backed token issued by Anchorage Digital Bank. The launch represents Tether’s first product specifically designed to operate within the U.S. federal stablecoin framework established under the GENIUS Act."
Singapore Debuts World’s First Governance Framework for Agentic AI
Computer Weekly
"Singapore has launched a governance framework for agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which are capable of independent reasoning and action, to address the growing security and operational risks posed by AI agents. Unlike generative AI, agentic AI systems can plan across multiple steps to achieve specific objectives. They can interact with their environment, such as updating customer databases or processing payments without direct human intervention."
AI, Deepfakes Are Top Risks for Financial Crime Specialists
BankInfoSecurity
"The financial system has a trust problem driven by artificial intelligence and deepfakes. Investigators looking to prevent fraud and other financial crimes will only face more challenges as criminals find new ways to use AI to swindle, according to the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists' Global AFC Threats Report 2026."
Education: Tokenized Deposits vs. Stablecoins: A Practical Guide for Banks and Credit Unions
Banking Exchange
"For U.S. bank executives, the era of regulatory ambiguity regarding digital assets effectively ended in July 2025. The signing of the GENIUS Act established a federal framework for payment stablecoins, transitioning them from speculative instruments into regulated financial infrastructure. To lead this transition, executives must understand the structural differences between the two primary instruments..."
On the wires
Payfinia and Deluxe Partner to Enable Paze® for ISVs, Embedding Payments Across Issuer and Merchant Ecosystems
Business Wire
"Payfinia, an independent payment services firm providing an open payments framework, announced a new partnership with Deluxe, a trusted Payments and Data company serving millions of small businesses and financial institutions. Together, the organizations are expanding access to Paze®, a digital wallet and online checkout experience developed by Early Warning Services and offered by leading U.S. financial institutions."
January 29, 2026
Top Post
Same Day ACH and Business-to-Business Payments Propel ACH Network Volume Growth in 2025
Nacha
"The ACH Network reached new highs in 2025 as both standard and Same Day ACH usage continued to grow, both in the number of payments and their value. Full year ACH Network volume totaled 35.2 billion payments, up nearly 5% over 2024. The value of those payments reached $93 trillion, an increase of almost 8%. Noteworthy milestones: December 2025 saw the ACH Network’s highest ever monthly volume of 3.22 billion payments, and the highest monthly volume of Same Day ACH payments of 172.1 million."
On the web
Stablecoins Aren’t a Crypto Strategy. They’re a Payments Strategy
Modern Treasury
"Stablecoins are no longer primarily associated with crypto trading or speculation. They are increasingly being used as core infrastructure in modern payment systems, powering real-world money movement at scale. Today, there is over $1 trillion in monthly stablecoin payment activity, according to Visa Onchain Analytics , driven by familiar payments flows like payroll runs, vendor payouts, cross-border settlements, and treasury movement. The speculation phase is over. Stablecoins are being adopted at scale because they function like traditional payment rails, thanks in large part to regulatory clarity."
Account Takeover Fraud: A Persistent Threat
Federal Reserve
"The wide availability of PII, new tools to automate account takeover, and the use of generative AI to make phishing and impersonation more convincing undoubtedly have contributed to the persistent threat of account takeover fraud. Given evolving uses for automation and AI in the fraud ecosystem, account takeover is likely to be a continued challenge for financial institutions and their customers for the foreseeable future. To help combat it, financial institutions can implement a layered approach to enhance account takeover detection and prevention."
White House to Host Meeting Between Bank and Crypto Next Week to Discuss Digital Asset Legislation
The Block
"The summit will be hosted by the White House’s crypto council and will focus on a looming issue that has become a major snag in the Senate Banking Committee — the treatment of stablecoin rewards, Reuters reported. Tensions between banks and crypto firms have intensified in recent months over how to address stablecoin rewards."
Fiserv and Affirm Join Forces to Bring Flexible Payments to Debit
Affirm
"Fiserv, Inc. announced an exclusive collaboration with Affirm to bring pay-over-time capabilities to debit card programs for financial institutions. This collaboration empowers thousands of Fiserv U.S. bank and credit union clients to meet growing consumer demand for flexible payment options without needing to build new lending products."
The Financial Conduct Authority Launches Long-Term AI Review
Banking Exchange
"The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a review into the implications of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) for consumers, retail financial markets, and regulators. The review will seek views across the development of more autonomous and agentic systems, and how these advances could reshape markets and firms, influence competition and market structure, and affect the UK’s competitiveness."
BIS International Banking Statistics and Global Liquidity Indicators at End-September 2025
BIS
"Global cross-border bank claims expanded by $832 billion in the third quarter of 2025, reaching $45 trillion. The $730 billion Q3 2025 increase in cross-border bank credit was led by lending to borrowers in the United States ($284 billion); non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) were a prominent counterparty globally, especially those in the United States ($157 billion)."
UAE Approves First USD-Backed Stablecoin for Payments
Asia Business Outlook
"The first stablecoin in the UAE backed by US dollars, USDU, is now approved. It was created by Universal Digital, an Abu Dhabi-based registered crypto company, using the Central Bank of the UAE's Central Bank Payment Systems (CBPS). Every USDU is equivalent or one full US dollar (1:1) and is backed by reserves held in 'onshore' banking establishments in the UAE including Emirates NBD, Mashreq and Mbank."
On the wires
Nu Secures Approval to Establish US National Bank
Business Wire
Nu announced that it has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) of the United States for the formation of a de novo national bank, Nubank, N.A. Once fully approved, the national bank charter will allow Nu to operate under a comprehensive federal framework, facilitating the launch of deposit accounts, credit cards, lending and digital asset custody.
January 28, 2026
Top Post
UPI To Debut In Japan As India’s Digital Payments Network Expands Global Footprint [Video]
YouTube
"India’s Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, is set to debut in Japan, marking a significant step in the global expansion of India’s flagship digital payments platform. Japanese IT services firm NTT Data has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India to enable UPI acceptance in Japan on a trial basis during fiscal 2026, initially targeting Indian tourists visiting the country."
On the web
Amazon Says It’s Closing Down Its Palm-Scanning System After Not Enough People Used It
Business Insider
"Amazon will be discontinuing Amazon One, its palm-authentication service, across all retail businesses. Users will be able to continue to use Amazon One at supported retail locations until June 3, Some locations may phase the services out before this date. The services will remain available to patients for check-in at healthcare locations until further notice. "In response to limited customer adoption, we're discontinuing Amazon One, our authentication service for facility access and payment," said an Amazon spokesperson."
PayPal: Crypto Goes Mainstream: 4 in 10 U.S. Merchants Accept Digital Assets
PayPal Newsroom
"Cryptocurrency payments are quickly moving into the mainstream of U.S. commerce. According to new research from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Americans understand and use crypto with confidence, and PayPal, nearly 4 out of 10 (39%) of merchants already accept cryptocurrency at checkout, and more than four in five merchants (84%) believe crypto payments will become common within the next five years, signaling a shift in how businesses respond to evolving customer preferences."
Fidelity Investments Starts Its Own Stablecoin in a Massive Bet That Future of Banking Is on Blockchain
Coindesk
"Fidelity Investments is launching its first stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), based on the Ethereum network. FIDD will be backed by reserves of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term U.S. Treasuries managed by Fidelity, in line with the new federal GENIUS Act's standards for payment stablecoins. The stablecoin targets use cases such as 24/7 institutional settlement and onchain retail payments, putting Fidelity in direct competition with dominant issuers like Circle’s USDC and Tether’s USDT while laying groundwork for future onchain financial products."
Visa Spending Study Shows How Americans Will Use AI to Plan, Book and Spend on Winter Sports
VIsa
"Visa released new U.S. insights from its multi-market Winter Sports Study, revealing a strong resurgence in winter travel interest ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics - and marking the first Winter Games where Gen AI is widely used by consumers for research and planning. The research shows that as interest in winter sports surges and domestic travel remains strong, AI is rapidly moving into the mainstream of how people discover destinations, plan trips and shop for winter experiences."
Chainalysis: Crypto Money Laundering Surged to $82 Billion in 2025
Coinspeaker
"Illicit cryptocurrency money laundering activity climbed to over $82 billion in 2025, marking an eightfold increase from $10 billion in 2020, according to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. The considerable growth reflects increased accessibility and liquidity of cryptocurrencies, associated with significant changes in laundering operations. Chinese-language money laundering networks (CMLNs) have surged to become dominant players."
Next-Generation Treasury: Adyen and BCG Report Reveals How CFOs Can Turn Money Movement into a Strategic Growth Engine
Adyen
"The report shows that complexity and fragmentation have become a burden on corporate finance, turning the treasury function from a strategic asset into a bottleneck of system inefficiency and operational inertia. The report's core finding is clear: the growing number of banking and payment relationships an enterprise is forced to manage is directly hindering cash visibility, creating unnecessary burden on financial teams and ultimately muting returns on working capital."
Circle Expands USDC Payments Network to Europe, India
Altcoin Buzz
"The company announced that EU and India payouts are now live through a partnership with Saber money. The new corridors allow businesses and users to settle locally without navigating multiple integrations or complex banking arrangements. Europe payouts use euros via SEPA, the standard payment network across the region, while India payouts use INR through IMPS, RTGS, and NEFT, enabling near-instant settlement for local recipients."
On the wires
Papaya Global Launches Global Workforce Wallet Powered by Fireblocks
PR Newswire
"Papaya Global and Fireblocks announced a partnership to power real-time payouts for the world's banked and unbanked workforce. Banco Wallet, the new global workforce wallet, is powered by Fireblocks' secure digital asset infrastructure and unlocks payment capabilities for global employers, overcoming the limitations of legacy financial systems."
January 27, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Unveils Major AI Shopping Change Coming for CBA, Westpac Customers: ‘Australia’s First' Transaction
Yahoo Finance
"Global payments giant Mastercard announced it will expand its agentic payments technology further in Australia with the completion of Australia’s first authenticated agentic transactions, which are transactions completed by an 'AI agent', using Commonwealth Bank and Westpac cards. Mastercard’s ‘Agent Pay’ technology, which was launched in the US last year, allows shoppers to ask an AI agent to search, find and buy items for them."
On the web
Elavon Collaborates with Microsoft to Introduce Elavon Live Payments
MarketScreener
"Elavon is collaborating with Microsoft to introduce Elavon Live Payments, a payments app for Microsoft 365 offered through the Microsoft Marketplace. Driven by the omni-channel capabilities of the Elavon Payments Gateway (EPG), Elavon Live Payments enables businesses and professional service providers to securely send invoices and collect customer payments with just a few clicks on a computer or mobile device."
Checkout.com Acquires Blue EMI, a Licensed Issuer of Euro Stablecoins, and Establishes Lithuania Technology Centre
Checkout
"Checkout.com announced the acquisition of Blue EMI, a regulated electronic money institution authorised to issue euro stablecoins. The company is also establishing a technology centre in Lithuania. Blue EMI is authorised by the Bank of Lithuania to provide payment services and issue euro-backed stablecoins designed for institutional use cases."
Shopify Merchants Face 4% OpenAI Fee on ChatGPT Sales, Reports the Information
Internet Retailing
"Shopify merchants will reportedly pay a 4% fee on sales made via OpenAI-powered checkouts, on top of standard transaction charges, according to US tech and business publication The Information. While the fee had not yet been officially confirmed by OpenAI at the time of writing, news of the proposed 4% checkout charge prompted mixed reactions across LinkedIn."
Payments Canada Welcomes Payment Service Provider Members
Payments Canada
Payments Canada announced the admission of five new payment service provider (PSP) members: Wise Payments Canada Inc., an international money transfer platform; Float Financial Solutions, a corporate spend management solution; KOHO Financial Inc., a fintech offering smart spending and savings accounts; Element Financial Technology Inc, a bank-account-based payment solution provider; and Brim Financial Inc., an integrated financial services platform.
On the wires
Zelle® Widens the On-Ramp for Community Banks and Credit Unions: 337 New Bank and Credit Unions Went Live or Signed in 2025
PR Newswire
"Zelle® reported that in 2025 it continued to scale its network, expanding access to more community banks and credit unions seeking real-time payment capabilities: 337 financial institutions went live or signed up to bring Zelle to their customers during 2025. 97% were community banks and credit unions with assets of less than $10 billion and that serve a broad range of Americans."
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