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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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August 14, 2026
Top Post
A PayPal Sale Is Back on the Table: What We Know About Stripe, Advent’s Bid
Yahoo Finance
"Stripe and Advent are reportedly in talks to acquire PayPal, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton outlines what we know so far. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the struggling payment company is in talks to sell itself to Stripe and Advent. Two companies offered 60 50 per share in July or $53 billion, which PayPal, remember, turned down, but now the journal is saying the companies have been in negotiations since then. PayPal shares spiking on that headline just before the close, finishing the day up nearly 2%."
SEC Regulation: CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate Without Final Vote
Icobench
"In SEC regulation news today, the Senate adjourned on Aug. 8 without holding a final vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, also known as the CLARITY Act. The Senate is in recess until Sept. 14, according to the ABA Banking Journal."
On the web
European Central Bank: Crypto Payments Have Minimal Use Among Euro Area Merchants
Menafn
"Crypto acceptance is extremely limited: the ECB reports 0.2% of euro area businesses accepting crypto for online purchases. Cash still leads at physical locations, accepted by 92% of businesses with point-of-sale outlets. Mobile payments are the main growth area or in-person transactions, rising to 68% acceptance in 2026 from 36% in 2024. Crypto and stablecoins show little traction at physical points of sale, staying below 1% in both 2024 and 2026."
Why Capital One Built Its Multi-Agent AI Platform Around Open-Weight Models [Video]
Venture Beat
"Kel Vanee, MVP of machine learning engineering at Capital One, spoke with Sam Witteveen, Senior Technology Contributor at VentureBeat, about how the bank built a scalable multi-agent AI architecture around deeply customized open-weight models rather than relying on an off-the-shelf foundation model. "At Capital One, we're not just using AI, we're building AI," Vanee said."
India Expands Test of Digital Rupee
Big News Network
"New Delhi has extended the pilot scheme of Central Bank Digital Currency to two more federally administered territories India has expanded a pilot scheme that uses Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to transfer welfare payments to two federally administered territories, as it races ahead with testing the digital rupee among a wider audience."
Digital Assets 101: A Credit Union's Guide to Cryptocurrency, Stablecoins, Tokenized Deposits and Central Bank Digital Currency
Velera
"Digital assets are no longer just a conversation about cryptocurrency. Stablecoins, tokenized deposits and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are beginning to reshape how money moves, how payments settle and how financial institutions think about the future of banking. For credit unions, the question is no longer whether digital assets matter — it's how to prepare for what comes next."
From MiCA to GENIUS: Why Crypto's Next Regulatory Test Is Cross-Border Coordination
Finance Magnates
"The central debate in digital asset policy used to be whether to regulate. That question is settled. MiCA's transitional period ended July 1st, 2026; the UK finalized its cryptoasset rulebook on June 30th; the US celebrated the one-year anniversary of the GENIUS Act becoming law; and the SEC and CFTC issued joint guidance in mid-March that classified digital assets as digital commodities. What now keeps industry participants up at night is whether rules written in Washington, London, and Brussels can interoperate with one another."
Chime Explores Stablecoins for Consumer Banking App
Investing
"Chime Financial Inc. is exploring how to bring stablecoins into its consumer banking platform, in the latest sign that the new form of money is evolving beyond crypto markets and into everyday payments, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based fintech asked blockchain technology companies to submit proposals in late spring to provide "end-to-end" stablecoin wallet services, according to the report, citing people familiar with the plans and a document."
Citi Expands Customer Engagement and Commerce Media Capabilities with Addition of Kard
Citigroup
"Citi’s U.S. Consumer Cards business announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Kard Financial, Inc., a company that operates a commerce media and rewards platform that helps banks and fintechs deepen customer engagement through personalized offers. Kard provides a commerce media platform that connects financial institutions and merchants through verified transaction data and merchant-funded rewards."
Zelle® tag Adoption Tops 1 Million; Small Businesses Across America Enroll at a Rate of Nearly 3,500 Per Day in the First Half of 2026
Early Warning
"During the first half of 2026, small businesses enrolled in Zelle® tag at an average rate of approximately 3,500 per day, as enrollment tops 1 million small businesses. Small businesses with a Zelle® tag received nearly $5.8 billion across all of their enrolled payment credentials during the period, offering an early indication of how the feature can help businesses make it easy for customers to pay them."
PSD3 Is Coming: Is Your Payments Licence Ready for 2028?
FinTech Global
"According to Vixio, the third Payment Services Directive (PSD3) and its companion Payment Services Regulation (PSR) are nearing official publication in the EU, with entry into force expected in Q3 2026. That triggers a 21-month transition period, putting the compliance deadline at around mid-2028. Payent institutions (PIs) and e-money institutions (EMIs) face a substantial workload before then, from interpreting new requirements to demonstrating compliance across their operations. Among the key changes..."
Education: Account 2 Account Payments
Opinium
"For more than a decade, Account-to-Account (A2A) payments have been portrayed as the next major evolution in payments. A2A payments are, at their simplest, the movement of money directly from one bank account to another. They encompass a range of payment mechanisms including traditional bank transfers, Faster Payments in the UK, SEPA Credit Transfers and SEPA Instant across Europe, ACH transfers in the United States, and increasingly, Pay by Bank experiences enabled through Open Banking in the UK."
August 13, 2026
Top Post
Banks Rush to Tokenize Deposits as Stablecoin Networks Beat Them to Shared Payment Rails
Tech Times
"America's biggest banks are building tokenized deposit infrastructure faster than at any point in the technology's history — and they are still a year behind the stablecoin consortia racing to control the same rails. New data published Wednesday by American Banker shows 24 of the 50 largest U.S. banks now have tokenized deposits on their radar as of Q2 2026, up from 19 the previous quarter with four institutions running live products and seven more in active pilot. The Clearing House shared network targets a first-half 2027 launch"
Three New Nacha Rules Approved
Nacha
"Nacha voting members have approved three new Nacha Rules—including one which took effect immediately, opening the ACH Contact Registry to the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). Another newly approved Rule will document the current set of characters that are accepted by the two ACH Operators. This Rule takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The third approved Rule creates an exception to a separate, upcoming Rule concerning funds availability."
On the web
PayPal Antitrust Suit Dismissed: No Private Route to Challenge Platform Fee Inflation
Tech Times
"A federal judge permanently closed the door on the most ambitious consumer antitrust challenge ever brought against PayPal's merchant payment rules, handing the company a complete legal victory on August 12 and revealing just how difficult it is for shoppers to prove that a payment platform's fees secretly inflated the prices they paid. The ruling, issued by US District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California, ended a nearly three-year legal battle in Sabol et al. v. PayPal Holdings Inc. et al. (No. 4:23-cv-05100)."
Matera Releases Open Source X9.150 Payment QR Code Implementation to Accelerate Industry Adoption
Yahoo Finance
"Matera, a leading provider of modern banking technology, today announced the release of an open source implementation of the ANSI X9.150 Merchant-Presented Payment QR Code Standard, making it easier than ever for financial institutions, fintechs and developers to begin working with the new interoperability standard."
Modern Treasury Adds Physical and Digital Check Payments to Its Unified Payments API
Modern Treasury
"Modern Treasury today announced that its Payment Service Provider (PSP) now supports payments via physical and digital checks. Rather than integrating a separate check printing vendor or maintaining distinct reconciliation workflows, developers can use a single API to route payments across ACH, wires, RTP, FedNow, push-to-card, stablecoins, physical checks, and digital checks. The result is less operational complexity, faster implementation, and consistent payment tracking across every rail."
Hong Kong Dollar Stablecoin HKDAP Goes Live on Ethereum, Institutions Only for Now
Tech Times
"Hong Kong's regulated stablecoin era moved to practice on August 12, 2026, when Anchorpoint Financial — one of the first two licensed stablecoin issuers in the territory — announced that HashKey Exchange joined as its first authorized distributor for HKDAP, its Hong Kong dollar-pegged token, and completed the first real minting and redemption cycle. The transaction, included fiat on-and off-ramping, marks the first circulation of a regulated HKD stablecoin under Hong Kong's Stablecoins Ordinance on a live public blockchain."
Account Takeover Fraud Mitigation Toolkit
The Federal Reserve
"Account takeover fraud has remained a persistent threat for financial institutions. Recent trends reveal not only an increase in account takeover fraud losses but also in the frequency and sophistication of account takeover schemes. The Federal Reserve supports the payments industry in the fight against account takeover fraud. This account takeover fraud mitigation toolkit offers a wide range of informative resources to help the industry."
MiCA Trap: 14 European Stablecoin Issuers Cut Off From Custodying Their Own Tokens
U Today
"Most European stablecoin issuers were not prepared for the MiCA regulation, severely limiting their commercial capabilities. According to ESMA's interim register, out of approximately 23 authorized issuers of electronic money tokens (EMTs), only nine companies have obtained full authorization covering both EMT issuance and CASP services. The remaining 14 players have found themselves caught in a regulatory trap. Meanwhile, Circle, the issuer of USDC and EURC, with Société Générale-Forge, has emerged as the main beneficiary of this fragmentation."
AI Agents Are About to Become Customers: Is the Payments Industry Ready?
The AI Journal
"Most people still think about AI as an assistant. You ask a question. It provides an answer. But the emerging generation of AI agents is designed to take action. The agent doesn’t simply provide information. It completes the task. Once that happens, AI moves from being part of the research process to becoming part of the transaction itself. And payments become critical infrastructure. See list of questions to consider with AI Agents."
Thunes Expands Web3 Infrastructure with EURC to Enable Instant Euro Treasury Funding
Thunes
"Thunes announced the expansion of its stablecoin liquidity management capabilities with the launch of EURC prefunding. By integrating Circle’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)-compliant, euro-backed stablecoin EURC, Thunes is expanding its treasury funding capabilities and enabling its Network Members to optimise their treasury operations with 24/7 global value movement. Eligible Members can use EURC as their liquidity currency to prefund transactions and manage treasury flows with greater speed, flexibility and operational continuity."
Samsung, Hyundai Motor, Coupang Race to Pilot Stablecoins for Payments, Remittances, and Trade Finance
BigGo Finance
"Major South Korean conglomerates are shifting their view of stablecoins from a topic of interest to core business infrastructure, each finding applications in payments, settlement, and trade finance. Coupang, POSCO International, Hyundai Motor, and Samsung Electronics are each pursuing proof-of-concept (PoC) projects with distinct strategies, and industry observers say digital assets are beginning to be integrated into real business operations as institutional frameworks take shape."
American Express Expands Virtual Card Capabilities to Help Businesses Utilize Fast-Growing Commercial Payment Method
Business Wire
American Express announced new capabilities to help U.S. commercial customers with American Express® Virtual Cards. Amex Corporate customers can now create, manage and use Amex Virtual Cards in Amex’s software platform, @ Work, which customers can use to manage their Corporate Program. Customers who use Amex’s Business Travel Account with Virtual Payments (BTA), can now create, manage and use Amex Virtual Cards with solutions from Conferma, a leader in virtual payments technology.
Digital Euro and European Payment Independence: A Strategic Shift
Indexbox
The European Payments Alliance (EuroPA) and the European Payments Initiative (EPI) have signed an agreement to link their instant payment systems, creating potential reach of 380 million users in 15 European countries. EuroPA includes MB WAY (Portugal), Bizum (Spain and Andorra)... EPI's Wero covers Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. PagBrasil, is working on a system called RoamingPay that allows consumers to pay abroad in real time using their banking apps or digital wallets. PagBrasil aims to cover 10 countries by the end of 2026 and expand into Europe.
Flywire Expands Trustly Partnership to Deliver Open Banking Payments Across the U.S. and Canada
Flywire
"Flywire Corporation announced expanded support for open banking payments in the U.S. and Canada with Trustly, allowing payers to conveniently authorize secure, large domestic and cross-border payments directly from their bank accounts and in their local currency. When choosing to pay with Trustly Pay by Bank, payers simply use their existing online bank login credentials during checkout – with no need to re-enter bank account information to complete the transfer."
PayU Launches Accessible Checkout For Visually Impaired Users [India]
CIOL
"PayU has launched an accessibility-focused payments checkout for blind and visually impaired users, adding screen-reader optimisation, adjustable interface settings and visual accessibility features to its payment gateway. the company said the checkout is designed to help users with visual and cognitive accessibility needs complete online payments more independently. PayU also said merchants using its payment gateway can enable the accessibility features without changing their existing integrations."
Sardine Product Updates: July 2026
Sardine AI
"Catching the right signal, not just more of it, is what separates a strong risk program from a noisy one. This month's release sharpens exactly that. Screening now checks aliases and trade names alongside the name on file, and crypto risk monitoring flags a real shift in a wallet's risk instead of re-checking every transaction. FinCEN 314(a) processing also moves entirely inside Sardine, so a request that used to route through a separate vendor now runs from start to finish in one place. Here's what shipped in July."
Introducing Zilch Extra, Zilch Plus, Pay Monthly and Advance
Zilch
"Members earn more rewards on everyday purchases, unlock priority customer support access to Zilch Advance. Zilch Extra: turns an Open Banking connection into sharper offers, spending insights, and rewards. Zilch Plus: pays members up to 6% back in rewards when using debit, and up to 1% when using credit. Zilch Advance: uses AI-enabled open banking and income verification to give eligible customers access to up to £100 of their salary up to seven days before it arrives. Pay Monthly: expands options to spread the cost of purchases over time."
Rise of AI Shopping Pushes Merchants to Protect Loyalty, Adyen Says
Yahoo Finance
"The increasing prevalence of AI chatbots handling consumer shopping is pushing merchants to uphold direct customer relationships over fears of losing their loyalty and repeated purchases. Adyen, has introduced a platform designed for enterprise merchants and AI-agent payments, and recently bought loyalty software firm Talon.One and billing provider Orb to strengthen its retention-focused services. These moves reflect the expectations that merchants will require robust tools to sustain customer retention and adapt to AI software companies charging usage-based fees."
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