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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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June 5, 2026

Top Post

JPMorgan, Citi, and BofA Build Blockchain Network to Challenge Stablecoins Dominance

Coinpedia Fintech News

"The stablecoin market has grown from a crypto experiment into a potential threat to traditional banking. Therefore, now, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi, and other major lenders are jointly preparing a blockchain-based deposit network designed to keep customer money inside banks. According to reports, America’s largest banks are working on a shared tokenized deposit network that could launch in the first half of 2027 through “The Clearing House”, a payments company owned by major U.S. banks."

On the web

OQC, JPMorganChase and AMD Commence Research Collaboration to Develop New Quantum-AI Platform in London

JPMorganChase

"OQC, JPMorganChase and AMD today announced a research collaboration leveraging a new and dedicated Quantum-AI Data Centre, built by OQC in London. JPMorganChase researchers will test near-term quantum and hybrid quantum-classical computing applications via a secure enterprise environment to examine how quantum computing, AI and high-performance classical infrastructure can work together on complex financial services challenges."

Colorado Bill To Cut Sales Tax from Interchange Calculation Vetoed

Digital Transactions

"Colorado’s SB 26-134, a bill that would have eliminated sales tax as part of the interchange-fee calculation, has been vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis. SB 26-134, similar to the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, would have taken effect Jan. 1, 2028, had Polis approved it. The contentious Illinois law, which has been delayed again to a July 1, 2027, implementation, differs in that it also excludes gratuities."

Visa And Mastercard Collaborate On New Stablecoin Platform

Yahoo Finance

"Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard are reportedly close to introducing a new stablecoin platform. Media reports say that global payment network Stripe and U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: $COIN) also plan to participate in the stablecoin platform. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to another asset, usually the U.S. dollar."

Adyen Selected as Payment Services Provider for GOV.UK Pay

Adyen

"The Government Digital Service (GDS) has appointed Adyen as the new payment services provider (PSP) for non-Crown card payments and pay by bank services. GOV.UK Pay, the government’s online payment service built by GDS, enables public sector organisations to take payments quickly, securely and accessibly. The new agreement will see public sector organizations, including local councils, armed forces and police, transition from Stripe to Adyen for their GOV.UK Pay processing."

Small Business Sales Edge Upward in May as Foot Traffic Continues to Slow, Fiserv Data Shows

Fiserv, Inc.

"Fiserv, Inc. has published the Fiserv Small Business Index for May 2026, indicating that U.S. small business sales growth in May was driven primarily by higher average ticket sizes amid persistent cost pressures, while consumer foot traffic continued to soften. Small business sales rose (+0.7%) year over year, driven by average tickets that climbed +3.1% compared with 2025. Transactions declined (-2.4%) year over year, marking the seventh consecutive month of declining foot traffic. Compared with April, sales were flat (+0.0%) and transactions declined slightly (-0.2%)."

Introducing Cash App TAGS: A New Way to Pay

Business Wire

"Cash App is launching a new payment form factor that’s changing the shape of money. Cash App Tags are NFC-enabled, physical payment accessories that let customers pay without having to reach for their phone or card. The first-edition Cash App Tag—the pearlescent Cash App Wand—is now available for Cash App Card holders to purchase in the app, while supplies last."

Education: J.P. Morgan Payments: How Payments Ate the World [Video]

JPMorgan

"It’s 2010. The fastest way to move money on the same day from New York to London is to catch a flight and carry it with you. Over 90% of all transactions globally still happen in cash. Ecommerce is a niche industry, and sales are less than five percent of global retail. It’s crazy that this was only 15 years ago. Now, two-thirds of all payments globally are digital—around 1.5 trillion transactions per year. With a simple tap of a card people can pay for a practically limitless array of goods and services from virtually any location on the planet. So how did we get from there to here? This is the story of how payments ate the world..."

June 4, 2026

Top Post

Bank of America to Launch Cross-Border Real-Time Payments, Expanding Global Payment Choice [Video]

Bank of America

"Bank of America announced plans to launch a cross-border real-time payments solution that will enable its corporate, commercial and financial institution clients to send and receive funds instantly through Swift or the bank’s flagship digital platform, CashPro®. The service will offer real‑time payment tracking, full-principal preservation and lower costs. The service is expected to launch next quarter and will support high‑volume, low‑value international payments and use cases such as international remittances, gig‑worker payouts, and e‑commerce marketplace vendor payments, among others."

On the web

Flutterwave Partners With Blockchain Network Tempo to Cut Costs on African Payments

Tech Labari

"Africa’s largest payments company is betting on blockchain to fix one of the continent’s most persistent financial headaches: the high cost and slow speed of moving money across borders. Flutterwave, which processes transactions across 34 African countries, announced on Wednesday a partnership with Tempo, a blockchain network backed by Stripe and Paradigm, to build a stablecoin-based infrastructure for cross-border payments into and across Africa."

New Gold-Backed Visa Card Lets Users Earn 6% Cashback

Yahoo Finance

"Popular digital assets company Tether announced the launch of a gold-backed neobanking Visa card in collaboration with the digital banking and investment platform Fasset on June 3. Tether said the card allows users to earn 6% cashback in the form of its XAUT stablecoin."

Instant Payment Platform Tops One Million Daily Transactions: EthSwitch

The Reporter Ethiopia

"EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment switch, said its instant payment platform processed more than one million transactions in a single day, marking a milestone in the country’s push to expand digital payments and financial inclusion. The platform, EthioPay-IPS, handled transactions worth more than five billion Birr on the record day. The announcement comes as Ethiopia accelerates efforts to modernize its financial sector and expand digital financial services."

Visa and Brale Explore Private Stablecoin Settlement for Institutional Payments

Visa

"Visa announced a collaboration with Brale to explore stablecoin-based settlement using SBC, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin issued by Brale, on the Canton Network. The proof of concept will evaluate how privacy-enabled blockchain infrastructure can support faster, more programmable settlement while helping financial institutions and payment companies maintain control over the visibility of sensitive settlement transaction data."

CORA Group Acquires Finastra’s Phoenix Core System, Malauzai Digital Banking and Fusion Analytics Businesses

Finastra

"CORA Group, a portfolio of Jonas Software, an operating group of Constellation Software, announced that it has acquired Finastra’s U.S. Mid-Market banking business, which includes core banking, digital banking and related businesses. The solution brands include: Phoenix Core Banking System, MalauzAi Digital Banking, Analyzer IQ, and Enterprise Content Management (ECM)."

Fireblocks Flow: Enabling Merchants to Accept Stablecoin Payments

Fireblocks

"Fireblocks Flow, is a stablecoin acceptance infrastructure for PSPs and fintechs. Plug Flow into the checkout or deposit flows already running, and start accepting stablecoins and crypto from any wallet and settle in the stablecoin of your choice. Businesses will increasingly receive payments in stablecoins. Consumers will keep paying from whatever wallet or asset they use. Flow is the infrastructure that makes both possible."

June 3, 2026

Top Post

Cuba to Suspend Visa, Mastercard Transactions Due to U.S. Sanctions, Central Bank Says

The Globe and Mail

"Cuba will suspend Visa and Mastercard transactions starting June 6, its central bank said, citing sanctions imposed by the United States that in recent days have led a swath of foreign businesses to sever ties with the Caribbean island. Cuba’s central bank said a foreign partner that had previously processed credit card transactions for Cuba had decided to limit operations following a U.S. executive order on May 1 that vastly broadened sanctions on commerce with Cuba."

On the web

UK House of Lords Urges Fewer Restrictions on Bank Issued Stablecoins

Ledger Insights

"The UK’s House of Lords has been conducting an inquiry that is reviewing regulatory proposals for UK stablecoins and the Financial Services Regulation Committee published a report recommending a lighter touch on several fronts. It welcomed the Bank of England’s proposed backstop lending facility for systemic stablecoins, but made three priority suggestions. They believe the requirement that systemic stablecoins park 40% of reserves at the central bank is onerous, and suggest remunerating central bank deposits."

Anthropic Scales Claude Mythos to Critical Infrastructure in 15+ Countries

TechCrunch

"Anthropic is expanding Project Glasswing, its joint industry initiative to find and fix critical software vulnerabilities using AI, to about 150 new organizations across more than 15 countries, the company said Tuesday. The expanded group includes organizations in countries friendly to the U.S., including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, according to Financial Times, citing a person familiar with the matter."

Mastercard Expands Settlement Capabilities to Include Stablecoin, Intraday, Holiday and Weekend Options

Mastercard

"Mastercard announced plans to expand its settlement capabilities with additional intraday, weekend and holiday card settlement, supporting both fiat currencies and on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins. ARQ, CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank and Nuvei are expected to be among the first to support stablecoin settlement optionality in the United States and Latin America, with further expansion planned through 2026."

MONEY20/20 Europe Day One: AI, Decacorns, and the Dawn of Agentic Commerce

Fintech Futures

"Money20/20 Europe has returned to the fintech conference circuit in Amsterdam this week with an agenda predominantly focused on AI and agentic governance, stablecoins, and innovation in payments. Here, FinTech Futures recounts the key highlights from day one, including panel coverage, major news announcements, and exclusive commentary from the industry’s biggest shakers."

Revolut Offers Visa and Mastercard with No Visible Card Number as a New Security Feature

NotebookCheck

"The neobank Revolut has rolled out a new security feature in its app. According to an in-app announcement, users ordering a new debit card—whether Visa or Mastercard—will no longer have the card number printed on the physical card. However, it will still be possible to opt for a card with the number printed on it if desired. When paying with this card in public, users no longer risk someone copying the card number, security codes, and expiration date, or filming them with a security camera, smart glasses, or a smartphone. The numberless card thus catches up with Apple Pay and Google Wallet."

2026 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice Reveals Stable Consumer Preferences amid Technological Change

The Federal Reserve

"Federal Reserve Financial Services recently released the 2026 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice , an annual study of U.S. consumers’ payment habits. The findings show that U.S. consumers’ use of payment methods has remained stable amid technological change and other activity in the payments ecosystem. For the sixth year in a row, cash was the third-most used payment instrument, accounting for about 1 in 7 payments."

Thunes Unlocks Real-Time Payments to the US from the Rest of the World

Thunes

"Thunes announced the launch of real-time payment capabilities into the United States. This expansion unlocks superior global payment capabilities for sending money to the US, combining lightning-fast transaction speeds, optimised cost efficiency, and flexible settlement choices all through a single API. Thunes has established a direct connection into a tier 1 US financial institution to natively support USD payouts via Automated Clearing House (ACH), Same-Day ACH, and real-time payments rails."

On the wires

XTransfer Partners with BBVA

PR Newswire

"XTransfer and BBVA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during Money20/20 Europe 2026 in Amsterdam to deepen cross-border payment infrastructure across Latin America and Europe. Under the MOU, XTransfer and BBVA will combine their respective strengths to explore the delivery of integrated cross-border financial solutions, spanning FX conversion, local payments and cross-border payments across Latin America, Europe and Hong Kong SAR."

June 2, 2026

On the web

Worldline and ING Complete a Live End-to-End European Agentic Payment in Production

Worldline

"Completed between an ING cardholder and a merchant in the Netherlands, the solution operates on the same underlying infrastructure across Belgium and runs across Mastercard network - leveraging their respective secure authentication and authorisation mechanisms. This milestone demonstrates that merchant AI agent-initiated and authenticated payments can function end-to-end, across multiple European markets."

Europe is Building the Foundations for Trusted Agentic Commerce

Mastercard

"Until recently, that experience would break at the moment of payment. Agentic commerce could help people decide, but not actually pay. That is the gap Mastercard Agent Pay is designed to address. In controlled, consent‑based scenarios, consumers can now authorise an AI agent to complete a purchase on their behalf, using credentials they already trust. A year on from announcing Agent Pay, Europe has moved from concept to reality. Today, all Mastercard issuers in Europe are enabled at a network level for Agent Pay."

UK Payments Initiative Launches New A2A Payments Scheme in ‘Defining Moment’

Open Banking Expo

"The UK Payments Initiative (UKPI), a consortium of banks and fintechs, has launched a payment scheme to enable widespread adoption of account-to-account (A2A) payments, in what is being hailed as “a defining moment” in the UK. Working with participating banks and ecosystem partners, UKPI’s scheme establishes a shared rulebook, commercial model and operational standards for flexible, automated, or recurring A2A payments, which are powered by Open Banking."

New York State Department of Financial Services and European Banking Authority Sign MOU to Enable Cross-Border Collaboration on Stablecoin Activity

Department of Financial Services

"The New York State Department of Financial Services announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the European Banking Authority to facilitate the exchange of supervisory and confidential information related to stablecoins. The MOU is intended to enhance the supervision of entities engaged in stablecoin activities, identify market trends and risks, and promote the integrity of the stablecoin market. This MOU relates only to the stablecoin-related activities of supervised entities, and not to other activities that supervised entities may undertake."

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