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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 12, 2026
Top Post
Support Builds for FedNow Cross Border Payments Extension
East & Partners
"Wise, Visa, Stripe and major industry trade groups have thrown their support behind the Federal Reserve’s plan to expand the FedNow instant payments system for cross border payments interoperability. Currently FedNow transactions can only be executed domestically between two US banks or credit unions. The FedNow service amendment would enable US banks to utilize FedNow to transfer funds through an intermediary or non-US correspondent bank with an aim toward speeding cross border payments."
On the web
Coinbase Business Expands with AI Agent Payments and USDT Support
Crypto News
"Coinbase has announced new capabilities for its Coinbase Business payment service, introducing support for AI agent payments and $USDT (Tether) transactions. The move allows companies to accept payments from autonomous AI agents and from customers using the popular stablecoin, with settlements automatically converted to $USDC."
Solana Moves $650B in Stablecoins Onchain in One Month, Surpassing Ethereum
Crypto Briefing
"Solana processed $650 billion in stablecoin transactions in February 2026, the highest monthly stablecoin volume ever recorded on any blockchain. To put that number in perspective, it doubled Solana’s previous record set just four months earlier in October 2025. For the first time, Solana surpassed Ethereum in monthly stablecoin volume."
Gen Z Spotlighted in Newest Installments of Nacha Campaign Highlighting Direct Deposit and Direct Payment
Nacha
"From ease and convenience to safety and reliability, the benefits of both Direct Payment and Direct Deposit to members of Generation Z are highlighted in the latest installments of a campaign from Nacha. Featured on DirectDeposit.org and DirectPayment.org, the stories spotlight five Gen Zers for the ways they use Direct Deposit and Direct Payment—both powered by the modern ACH Network—to simplify their lives."
Sionic Launches Instant Bank Pay in U.S. Through Microsoft Marketplace
Business Wire
Sionic, a leader in real-time, bank-to-bank payments at the point of sale, announced the availability launch of its Instant Bank Pay service alongside Fraud Detection Service in Microsoft Marketplace, the unified online destination for customers to buy trusted cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents to meet their business needs. Sionic customers can now discover and deploy trusted solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, with smooth integration and streamlined management across Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft products.
Why Europe Is Creating An Alternative To Visa & Mastercard [Video 0:00-7:57]
Mshale
In this video, an explanation of why Europe’s is developing a new digital payments network, how it aims to replace Visa and Mastercard, and whether it could work.
UPI Transaction Levy: How India’s Proposed Fee Is Linked to US Trade Concerns
The Kanal
"The Finance Ministry has introduced a Bill that would allow banks and payment system providers to charge fees for UPI and RuPay debit card payments. UPI is used in India because transactions are convenient and generally involve zero transaction charges for users. RuPay is also an Indian card network that has expanded its presence in the domestic payments market. According to the report, US payment companies Visa and Mastercard raised concerns about the loss of business as Indian consumers increasingly use UPI instead of card payments."
On the wires
Bank of America Enters into a Joint Venture Agreement with Jio Financial Services Limited to Acquire up to 49.9% in Jio Credit Limited
PR Newswire
"Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL) and Bank of America Corporation (BofA) announced that they have signed a definitive agreement whereby BofA will acquire up to a total of 49.9% interest as a joint venture partner in JFSL's wholly-owned NBFC (non-bank financial company) lending subsidiary, Jio Credit Limited (JCL) through a preferential allotment of equity shares and warrants. The venture will combine JFSL's digital reach and knowledge of the Indian market with BofA's global financial services expertise."
August 11, 2026
Top Post
RBC, BMO to Sell Moneris to Francisco Partners in $1.44 Billion Deal
MSN
"The Royal Bank of Canada and BMO Financial Group agreed to sell jointly owned Moneris Solutions to technology investment firm Francisco Partners in a deal valued at C$2 billion ($1.44 billion). Moneris, founded 25 years ago, is one of Canada's largest commerce solutions providers. BMO and RBC will each receive a 50% share from the sale. Moneris said that with access to Francisco Partners' global platform it will accelerate modernization and growth across small, medium and enterprise businesses in the Canadian marketplace.
On the web
Capital One Credit Card Shift to Discover Seen Limited
Investing
"Capital One’s conversion of credit card volumes to Discover is expected to be significantly smaller than the over $100 billion initially suggested when the deal was announced, according to Bernstein analysts. The company converted approximately $70 billion in debit card volumes from Mastercard to Discover earlier this year. At the time of the deal announcement, Capital One indicated it would migrate $175 billion in total volumes to Discover Card by 2027, with roughly $70 billion from debit and over $100 billion from credit."
MoneyGram Expands on Solana with Global Crypto-to-Cash Service
MoneyGram
"MoneyGram is bringing its cash-to-crypto infrastructure to Solana (SOL), extending the money-transfer company's push into blockchain rails to connect stablecoins and digital wallets with its sprawling global cash network. MoneyGram Ramps has become available to wallets, exchanges and developers building on Solana. The service lets users convert cash into digital assets or cash them out through MoneyGram's payment network without each crypto app having to build its own connections to banks and cash outlets."
JPMorgan, Citi, UBS and Central Banks Wrap Up Real-Value Trials of Tokenized Cross-Border Payments in Project Agorá
Crowdfund Insider
"A coalition of global financial institutions and central banks has successfully finished real-value testing under Project Agorá, examining how tokenization can streamline wholesale cross-border payments. The trials, coordinated by the Bank for International Settlements, involved processing monetary transfers using digital representations of commercial bank deposits and central bank reserves. They executed roughly 30 transactions spanning 17 different scenarios, moving a total of approximately around $1 million across six currencies."
Square Credit Card Levels Up: Rewards Built for Small Businesses and a New Way to Pay Vendors
Block
"Square announced an expansion of its Square Credit Card program and a new Square Bill Pay capability that enables sellers to fund vendor payments with their Square Credit Card, regardless of whether the vendor accepts cards. The updates give sellers a powerful way to manage cash flow, business expenses, and vendor payments from a single platform. Operating on the American Express network, the refreshed Square Credit Card now features unlimited 3% cash back on Square Bill Pay transactions and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases."
Algorithmic Shopping Is Here. Is Your Company Ready?
Harvard Business Review
"Executives have spent years preparing their organizations to use AI internally. The next challenge is preparing for AI as the customer. As intelligent shopping agents evaluate, compare, and purchase products on behalf of consumers, companies must rethink how they compete. Success will depend on structured data, technical infrastructure, organizational capabilities, and executive alignment. Leaders should assess their organizations across five critical areas: strategy, data readiness, commercial capabilities, talent, and governance."
ABA Viewpoint: The Genius Act Rules Are (Almost) Here. Here’s What Banks Should Do
ABA Banking Journal
"Congress gave federal regulators until July 18, 2026, to finalize the Genius Act’s implementing rules. That deadline came and went without a coordinated final package, but don’t mistake the delay in establishing final rules of the road for stablecoin for a reprieve. Here’s the short version of what’s expected in the final rules, and what banks should consider."
End of an Era for South Africa’s National Payments System
MyBroadband
"The Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) has transferred some of its functions, staff, and intellectual property to the South African Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank said in a statement that the transfer was effective from Tuesday, 11 August 2026 and was part of an important change in how South Africa’s national payment system (NPS) is managed. “The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is in the process of withdrawing its recognition of PASA as a payment system management body (PSMB),” it said."
Apple Pay Might Finally Launch in India, but Without UPI Support: 3 Key Things to Know
India Today
"Apple Pay could finally be making its long-awaited India debut, with the service reportedly set to arrive by September-end or October. The initial version is expected to focus on credit cards running on networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The reason is that bringing UPI to Apple Pay would require approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), along with a banking partner that can sponsor the transactions. Apple therefore appears to be taking a card-first approach instead."
Why Agentic Payment Logic Belongs at the Payment Layer and What It Means for Merchant Control in an AI‑Driven Economy
Unite AI
"Integration is largely optimized at the level of connectivity between systems, rather than where decisions are executed. But the way a transaction is structured, routed, and controlled across systems has not been fundamentally reconsidered, further pushing the problem onto the merchant. Where should agentic payment logic live? If embedded in the shopping cart, the logic sits too close to the platform layer. If it sits with payment service providers, merchants retain execution but lose how transactions are routed across their systems."
Regulators Reject Bunq's US Bank Charter Bid for a Second Time
Startup Fortune
"The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency denied bunq's application for a national bank charter in a decision dated August 4, 2026. The agency said the Amsterdam-based fintech raised significant supervisory and compliance concerns, including questions about capital, management experience and whether the proposed bank could run safely in the US. That's blunt language. It also gives you the point of the story before bunq files another form: the US market isn't treating a big European user base as proof that a bank is ready."
Crypto Regulation in Brazil 2026
TradingView
"In 2026, Brazil finished building one of the most comprehensive crypto regulatory frameworks in Latin America. The Central Bank of Brazil BCBUSD confirmed that three landmark resolutions took effect February 2, requiring every crypto company serving Brazilians to get authorized like a bank. Months later, the same regulator moved to close a stablecoin-based loophole in cross-border payments, and the tax authority is rolling out a new monthly crypto reporting system. This report covers all of it."
BRICS Is Talking Payments Links, From Fast Rails To CBDCs
Finimize
"BRICS members are weighing ways to link their instant payment networks – and possibly connect central bank digital currencies ahead of India hosting the 2026 BRICS summit. Talks are still preliminary, but the goal is to make cross-border payments cheaper and smoother. One option is to connect existing “fast payment” rails so a transfer can route directly between countries instead of bouncing through multiple intermediary banks. A bigger leap would be making central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) work across borders."
On the wires
Swift Announces Step Forward in International Money Transfers for Consumers in the US with Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Among First to Go Live
Business Wire
"Individuals and small businesses receiving money from family, friends or businesses abroad will get a faster, clearer experience as Bank of America and J.P. Morgan go live with a new initiative from Swift, the organisation that connects more than 11,500 financial institutions in over 200 countries and territories. The initiative sets a standard for international retail transfers so consumers experience several key benefits: The full amount arrives. It arrives faster, near instantly. The fee and exchange rate are known so there are no surprises."
August 10, 2026
Top Post
Brazil Finalizes 24 Hour Delay for Crypto, Stablecoin Transfers to Combat Fraud
Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise
"Banco Central do Brasil has finalized a rule requiring Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) to hold certain crypto and stablecoin transactions for up to 24 hours, giving them time to run compliance checks before processing the transfer. The delay applies where a customer’s transactions reach $10,000 or more, whether in a single transfer or in daily aggregate, and the destination is either an offshore virtual asset entity or a self hosted wallet. The rule takes effect on 1 January 2027."
On the web
Google Play Now Takes Venmo Payments
Engadget
"You can now pay for your Google Play purchases with Venmo. Google has added the service as a payment option in the Play store, letting you purchase apps, subscriptions or in-app content with either your Venmo balance or your linked cards and bank accounts. Google recently opened the Play store to outside billing in the US, the UK and Europe as part of its settlement with Epic Games."
The Global Payments System Is Breaking, and Stablecoins Are Stepping In
Newsweek
"Global commerce runs on payment rails that most businesses rarely question. Yet behind every tap, transfer and settlement lies a complex system that introduces friction at scale. According to the World Bank, cross-border payments continue to face challenges around speed, cost and complexity, with transactions often involving multiple intermediaries that can increase friction and delay settlement. This lag is not simply an inconvenience. It constrains liquidity, ties up working capital and limits the efficiency of international trade."
Merchants Welcome New Senate Cosponsors of Credit Card Competition Act
Merchants Payments Coalition
"The Merchants Payments Coalition welcomed the addition of three new Senate cosponsors of the Credit Card Competition Act. As the Senate prepared to leave Washington Friday night for its summer recess, Sens. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Angus King, I-Maine, signed on as cosponsors of the CCCA."
Bix Introduces Unified Financial Platform for Modern Payments [Europe]
Yahoo Finance
"Bix announced the launch of its unified financial platform, bringing together self-custody digital asset management, payment capabilities and European banking services within a single application. The platform is designed to simplify financial management by integrating services that have traditionally been offered through separate providers. The platform enables users to maintain control of their digital assets while accessing payment functionality through the Visa network for eligible cardholders."
Paytm Payment Gateway Integrates Claude for AI-Powered Payment Insights
VarIndia
"Paytm Payments Services Limited, has integrated Paytm Payment Gateway with Anthropic’s Claude through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Connector. The integration is designed to give businesses access to authorised payment information through conversational AI prompts, reducing the need to navigate multiple dashboards, reports or application programming interfaces (APIs) for routine payment-related checks."
On the wires
Adding Pix Lifts Global Merchant Revenue by up to 37% in Brazil, EBANX Data Shows
Globe Newswire
"International companies that add Pix to their checkout in Brazil see revenue rise by as much as 37% and reach an average of 25% more customers within six months of integration, according to internal data from EBANX , a technology company connecting global businesses to emerging markets through payments. That sample includes U.S.-headquartered merchants, whose results track with the broader group. As of May, EBANX has processed Pix payments for more than one-third of the system's users."
Adyen Expands Global Partnership with Toast into U.S.
PR Newswire
"Adyen announced an expansion of its partnership with Toast, the digital technology platform built for hospitality, restaurants, and retail businesses. As part of the agreement, Adyen and Toast will expand their relationship into the U.S. to support Toast, which in the last 12 months ending June 30, 2026 facilitated more than $215 billion in gross payment volume (GPV) across approximately 180,000 locations worldwide."
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