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February 23, 2026
Top Post
Walmart Says AI Users Build 35% Bigger Baskets Than Others
Modern Retail
"Walmart customers who use the company’s Sparky AI-powered shopping assistant have an order value that’s about 35% higher than those who don’t, newly appointed Walmart CEO John Furner said in the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. In addition to its AI shopping features on its website and mobile app, Walmart is also partnering with OpenAI and Google to simultaneously invest in AI shopping through a partnerships approach. This is in contrast to Amazon, which has focused on investing in its own AI capabilities rather than working with other tech companies."
On the web
Paysafe Unveils Strategic Partnership with Spreedly
Spreedly
"Paysafe announced a strategic partnership with Spreedly. Under the partnership, Spreedly’s global payments orchestration platform has integrated Paysafe as an acquirer to process credit card and debit card payments for online merchants targeting Europe, North America and other global markets. Spreedly’s Open Payment Platform, which boasts connectivity to 140+ different payment gateways plus 40+ unique payment methods, now includes the Paysafe Gateway."
Shopify Says AI Shopping Will ‘Not Bypass’ Its Checkout
Retail Brew
"Shopify says it is ready for shopping that happens inside AI chats, but not without its popular payment tool. Products from Shopify merchants will now get discovered and bought entirely within conversations taking place on ChatGPT or Claude. But the company said AI shopping will still have to go through Shopify’s checkout. AI-powered shopping orders jumped 15x since January 2025, according to Shopify."
Fintech GoCardless Introduces MCP : An AI-Native Solution for Bank Payment Integration
Crowdfund Insider
"GoCardless has launched its Model Context Protocol (MCP), a tool that lets developers and merchants interact with its bank payment platform using everyday natural language. MCP enables users to connect their preferred large language models—such as those powering tools like Claude or GitHub Copilot—directly to GoCardless. Through simple conversational queries, merchants can receive instant responses, retrieve real-time payment data, and accelerate the process of embedding GoCardless into their websites, apps, or platforms."
Stablecore Joins the Jack Henry™ Fintech Integration Network to Bring Stablecoins and Digital Assets to Banks and Credit Unions
Business Wire
"Stablecore, the digital asset core for banks and credit unions, announced that it has joined the Jack Henry™ Fintech Integration Network (FIN). This strategic milestone enables Jack Henry's approximately 1,670 bank and credit union core clients, as well as the more than 1,000 financial institutions on the Banno Digital Platform™, to deploy institutional-grade, fully-compliant digital asset products directly within their existing core ecosystems."
FIS Launches 24/7 AI Assistant to Ease Risk Models Management
FIS
"Actuaries spends a substantial amount of their time searching for information buried in technical documentation on risk modeling. Global financial technology leader FIS ® is changing that with the launch of its Insurance Risk Suite AI Assistant, a generative AI tool that instantly answers complex questions about building and maintaining risk models—in any language."
February 20, 2026
On the web
New BofA Rewards™ Program to Reach Millions More Clients with Expanded Benefits
Bank of America
"Bank of America announced plans to launch BofA Rewards, a no fee loyalty program designed to reward and recognize clients for their full relationship across their Bank of America banking and Merrill investing accounts. Starting May 27, millions of clients can enroll in the new program to unlock benefits on eligible credit cards, cash back deals, banking services, curated experiences and more."
PhonePe Rolls Out AI-Powered Feature to Pay Via Voice or Text
The Economic Times
"PhonePe has introduced a new AI feature. Users can now use voice or text commands to complete tasks within the app. This simplifies payments and navigation. The feature uses Microsoft Foundry technology. It understands user intent for payments, purchases, and support. This launch coincides with India hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026. Big AI investments are also being announced."
On the wires
TNS Launches TNSPay SmartRoute to Put Merchants and Acquirers in Control of Payment Routing
Business Wire
"Transaction Network Services (TNS) announced the launch of TNSPay SmartRoute, an intelligent transaction routing solution that lets merchants, acquirers, processors and FinTechs balance performance, cost and uptime on their terms – across data centers, hosts and even multiple processors. With a secure, multi-tenant portal, teams can set and update routing rules in real time, automate failover and gain deep operational visibility through visual network mapping and full audit trails."
February 19, 2026
Top Post
Square Expands Partner Ecosystem in 2026, Empowering Sellers With Connected Tools, Insights, and Expertise to Accelerate Growth
Square
"Square announced that it is expanding its partner ecosystem in 2026, further solidifying its standing as the provider of choice for sellers and partners alike. With key partners including Amazon, Apple, Intuit QuickBooks, and Uber Eats choosing Square, the company is reinforcing its commitment to providing sellers with the best-in-class tools needed to succeed."
On the web
Visa to Acquire Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay in Argentina
Visa
"Visa announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Prisma Medios de Pago S.A.U. and Newpay S.A.U. in Argentina from Advent International. Prisma provides credit, debit and prepaid card issuer processing. Newpay is a multi-network infrastructure provider that operates real-time payments services, the Banelco ATM network and the bill payment platform PagoMisCuentas."
Visa’s Olympics Monopoly Highlights Europe’s Payment Headache
CNBC
"Anyone trying to buy a souvenir at the official Olympic stores at the Milano Cortina Games will have been exposed to an issue troubling Europe's policymakers: the dominance of foreign payment providers and the fading role of cash. Under a sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee dating back to 1986 and extended to 2032, Visa is the sole card provider at the Games, with signs reading "Card payment? We accept only Visa" and staff offering prepaid cards on the spot."
eBay Launches Pay by Bank in the UK
Retail Systems
"eBay has launched Pay by Bank, allowing customers in the UK to pay for items directly from their bank accounts. The online auction site said that shoppers will be able to authorise transactions through their own banking apps, which will ensure payments are instant and secure. Additionally, the move will ensure that customers do not need to manually enter card details. To implement the service, eBay has partnered with Open Banking network TrueLayer."
February 18, 2026
On the web
Adobe Commerce Commits to Agentic Commerce Standards
Adobe
"Adobe Commerce is committed to supporting agentic commerce standards, including Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). Adobe Commerce is moving towards supporting UCP and ACP by making merchant product catalogs, pricing, and inventory machine-readable by AI agents and available to the latest LLM surfaces like Gemini and ChatGPT. These capabilities are intended to enable seamless and secure transactions through both protocols."
NPCI & Anthropic Test AI-Driven Shopping: Order Groceries & Food via Claude Using UPI Payments [Video]
YouTube
"The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is venturing into the future of "agentic commerce" through a new pilot program with the AI firm Anthropic. This collaboration allows users to delegate shopping tasks such as ordering groceries from BigBasket or food from Swiggy directly to the Claude AI assistant, which then completes the transaction seamlessly via UPI. Currently running in a closed user group, the service marks a significant shift from simple conversational AI to an end-to-end fulfillment ecosystem where the AI handles discovery, ordering, and real-time payments in a single workflow."
Modern Treasury Launches Payments: An Integrated Payment Service Provider (PSP) for Fiat and Stablecoins
Modern Treasury
"Modern Treasury introduced Payments, an integrated payment service provider (PSP) that helps companies build modern money movement experiences. The PSP accelerates teams that embed fiat and stablecoin payments into their products, leveraging Modern Treasury’s banking, blockchain, and compliance infrastructure to get to market faster. Modern Treasury Payments enables companies to programmatically open payment accounts and make payments via ACH, wire, RTP/FedNow, push-to-card, and stablecoins, including USDG, USDP, and USDC (USDT coming soon)."
Gr4vy Partners With Sardine to Embed Fraud and AML Into Their Platform
Gr4vy
"Gr4vy announced a new integration with Sardine to fight financial crime. The integration allows Gr4vy customers to embed fraud solutions, including real-time transaction monitoring, fraud interdiction, and BSA/AML compliance tools, directly into their payment orchestration stack without additional development. The announcement comes as fraud becomes an ongoing operational reality for merchants, with 98% of businesses experiencing at least one form of fraud each year."
TreviPay Announces AI-Powered Growth Center to Help Enterprises Predict Buyer Behavior and Drive B2B Sales
TreviPay
TreviPay, a fully managed B2B payments platform, announced the availability of the Growth Center, a set of capabilities within the TreviPay Client Portal to help identify buyer growth opportunities more strategically and build stronger, longer-lasting supplier relationships. The new Growth Center enables businesses to explore buyer needs, spot trends and optimize key steps in the order-to-cash (O2C) process. The customizable add-ons will help businesses use their O2C programs to deepen buyer relationships and drive lasting engagement.
Ericsson and Mastercard Enhance Global Digital Money Movement and Accelerate Digital Financial Inclusion
Mastercard
"Ericsson and Mastercard announced a collaboration to reshape how money moves across the world. By integrating the Ericsson Fintech Platform (Mobile Financial Services) with Mastercard Move, Mastercard’s portfolio of money movement solutions, the collaboration will empower telecom service providers, banks and fintechs to expand digital wallet capabilities, launch new payment services and reach unbanked or underbanked communities."
Stripe Integrates Base Blockchain for Seamless AI Agent Payments with x402
CoinCentral
"Stripe has introduced support for the Base blockchain to enable AI agents to make quick and automated payments using USDC. The new x402 payment protocol allows AI agents to perform low-cost transactions without human intervention, streamlining billing processes. Businesses can monitor payments in real time via the Stripe dashboard, webhooks, or API, offering easy transaction tracking. Stripe’s integration with Base ensures fast settlements and low fees, making it suitable for frequent, low-value transactions."
Stripe-Owned Bridge Gains National Bank Trust Charter to Boost Stablecoin Offerings
Decrypt
"Bridge, the stablecoin company that was acquired by Stripe, has been granted conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust banking charter. Upon full approval, the firm would be able to custody digital assets, offer and issue stablecoins, and operate stablecoin reserves. The firm’s conditional approval follows that of other major stablecoin and crypto firms like Circle, Ripple, and Paxos, which received conditional approval from the OCC in December."
DBS Bank Trials Visa’s Agentic Commerce Tools in Asia Pacific First
National Technology
"DBS Bank has trialled Visa's agentic commerce suite in an Asia Pacific first. Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC) includes integrated APIs, a partner programme, and utilises the payment giant's infrastructure to facilitate the AI-driven transactions. The two companies are now planning to explore a wider range of agentic commerce transactions, such as online shopping and travel bookings and more."
On the wires
Wirex Launches Visa Direct Stablecoin Push-to-Card for BaaS Clients--Reaching 3B+ Cards
PR Newswire
"Wirex, a full-stack crypto card issuer and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, announced Stablecoin Push-to-Card, powered by Visa Direct. Wirex is taking stablecoin utility to the last mile — where payout experiences are won or lost. Via Wirex BaaS APIs, partners can embed Stablecoin Push-to-Card and deliver stablecoin-funded payouts directly to recipients' eligible cards worldwide, turning on a familiar "paid to card" experience inside their products."
February 17, 2026
On the web
Merchant Steering of Consumer Payment Choice
Atlanta Federal Reserve
"This paper investigates the degree to which merchants influence consumers' choice of how they pay for transactions. Using data from the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payments Choice, we examine consumers' adherence to their preferred payment method when making in-person transactions. We also investigate whether merchants are able to steer consumers away from their preferred payment method."
ACI Connetic Accelerates Global Adoption as UK Banks Can Now Unite SWIFT, CHAPS and Faster Payments on One Cloud-Native Platform
ACI Worldwide
"ACI Worldwide announced a major step forward in the UK’s payments modernization journey as a leading UK retail bank chooses ACI Connetic, the industry’s first unified, cloud-native platform — for deployment. For the first time, UK banks can bring SWIFT, CHAPS, and Faster Payments together on one cloud-native SaaS platform, eliminating the fragmentation that has long driven operational cost, risk, and complexity."
Pagos Expands MCP Server to Enable Conversational Access to Harmonized Payments Data
AI Journal
"Pagos, an AI-powered payments intelligence company, announced a major expansion of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, enabling merchants to access their own verified and harmonized payments data directly through AI chat agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. This new capability transforms the way businesses view, query, and analyze their payments data."
B2B Cross-Border Payments: Expert Insights on Faster Payments Adoption Report
Faster Payments Council
"This report published by the FPC Cross-Border Payments Work Group, sponsored by Mastercard, explores the most pressing challenges facing B2B cross-border payments and practical strategies for addressing them. While cross-border B2B transactions remain critical to global trade, many organizations still contend with friction around settlement speed, liquidity management, foreign exchange, compliance, data quality, and fraud risk."
UnionPay Partners With NCR Atleos for Cashzone ATMs
ATM Marketplace
"UnionPay has partnered with NCR Atleos to enable cardholders to use surcharge free Cashzone ATMs in the U.K. Based in Shanghai, UnionPay issues cards in 84 countries and regions. With the partnership, cardholders can access cash at up to 13,000 Cashzone ATMs."
Stablecoin Issuer Quantoz Payments Becomes Visa Principal Member
Cryptopolitan
"Quantoz, a European stablecoin issuer, partnered with VISA to offer white-label card solutions to third parties. Quantoz is a certified stablecoin issuer for the Euro area, offering USD and Euro-backed tokens. Quantoz Payments will receive the status of a BIN-sponsor for VISA card issuance. The platform is now a direct VISA principal member and will be able to issue cards on behalf of third-party fintechs and platforms."
On the wires
Payoneer to Launch Stablecoin Capabilities, Powered by Bridge, Bringing Secure, Always-On Digital Money to Global Businesses
PR Newswire
"Payoneer announced plans to launch a suite of stablecoin capabilities embedded within the Payoneer platform. Powered by Bridge, a leading stablecoin infrastructure platform and a Stripe company, these new capabilities will enable businesses to securely receive, hold, and send stablecoins as part of their day-to-day global financial operations."
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