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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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December 18, 2025
On the web
Intuit and Circle Partner to Unlock the Future of Money Movement with Stablecoins
Intuit Inc.
"Intuit announced it has signed a multi-year, strategic partnership with Circle Internet Group, Inc., one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, to accelerate next-generation financial services powered by stablecoin technology. The agreement establishes a framework for Intuit to leverage Circle’s comprehensive stablecoin infrastructure and USDC across the Intuit platform."
SoFi Launches Fully Reserved Stablecoin to Power Financial Infrastructure for Banks, Fintechs, and Enterprise Partners
Business Wire
"SoFi Technologies, Inc. announced the launch of SoFiUSD, a fully reserved U.S. dollar stablecoin issued by SoFi Bank, N.A. SoFiUSD will enable SoFi to serve as a stablecoin infrastructure provider for banks, fintechs, and enterprise platforms. They will be able to leverage SoFi’s bank-grade infrastructure to streamline their operations with faster and more efficient money movement."
December 17, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard Boosts Africa Acceptance Network by 45% in 2025, Accelerating the Continent’s Digital Economy
Mastercard
"Mastercard has grown its acceptance network across Africa by 45 per cent in 2025 – a major milestone that brings millions more consumers and small businesses into the continent’s fast-expanding digital economy. This accelerated progress underscores the strong advancement of digital payments, technology, and innovation in Africa—a transformation that traditionally would have taken several years to accomplish."
On the web
Infographic: FedNow® Service Year In Review
FedNow
"The FedNow Service network has expanded to nearly 1,600 participants and is poised for continued growth. Momentum of the network is strong. Participating financial institutions are leveraging the service to meet demands, improve customer experience and gain a competitive edge. Check out our new infographic to see highlights from 2025."
AvidXchange Empowers ERP Partners with Accounts Payable as a Service
AvidXchange
"AvidXchange announced Accounts Payable as a Service, enabling ERP providers to deliver a fully integrated AP and payments experience that lets customers manage the entire process without leaving their ERP platform. Powered by AI-enhanced automation and backed by decades of AP expertise, AvidXchange connects customers instantly to its established payments ecosystem of more than 1.3 million suppliers – reducing setup time, accelerating supplier adoption, and driving scalable automation."
Amazon Pay Adds Support for Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments in India
Gadgets360
"Amazon Pay will now allow users to make UPI payments and send money to other users with biometric authentication in India, the company announced. This means that the app will no longer require users to enter their UPI PIN to complete transactions. The US-based tech giant claims that the new feature will enhance security, thanks to fingerprint and facial verification."
Cargill and J.P. Morgan Payments Transform Agricultural Payments in Brazil
J.P. Morgan
"The Pix implementation at Cargill presented an opportunity to further develop and evolve the payments process from the traditional electronic fund transfer system (TED) payment type and tap into the instant payment scheme that is increasingly being adopted across Brazil. By implementing Pix (Brazil real-time payments), an instant payment scheme created by the Banco Central do Brazil (BCB), through J.P. Morgan Payments, Cargill enabled real-time payment execution, optimized working capital cycles and helped ensure immediate fund availability for producers."
Digital Bank Monzo Gains a Full European Banking Licence
BetaNews
"UK-based digital bank Monzo has acquired a full banking licence from the Central Bank in Ireland, as well as from the European Central Bank. While Monzo’s European expansion is starting in Ireland, the digital bank has its eye set on numerous other European markets. There are already 14 million customers, including over 800,000 businesses, and this is a number that is due to increase dramatically in the coming months and years."
Deutsche Bank Launches Wero for More Simple and Sovereign Digital Payments in Europe
Deutsche Bank
"Deutsche Bank and Postbank are offering their clients the full range of functions of the new digital payment app Wero. Clients of both banks have been able to send and receive money in real time to family and friends across Europe with Wero, as well as pay in participating online shops. Postbank clients, who have already been able to transfer money to personal contacts with Wero since November 2024, have now been given the e-commerce function."
Akamai and Visa Collaborate to Build Trust in Agentic Commerce
Visa
"Akamai Technologies, Inc. announced a strategic collaboration with Visa to bring stronger identity, user recognition, and security controls to the emerging world of agentic commerce. Through its integration of Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s edge-based behavioral intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection, the companies will deliver the identity, authentication, and fraud controls required to let merchants confidently welcome AI agents with commerce intent into their digital storefronts."
New York City FC Announces PazeSM Online Checkout from Early Warning as the First Founding Partner of Etihad Park
Early Warning
"New York City FC and Early Warning Services announced a multi-year partnership naming PazeSM the first Founding Partner of Etihad Park and the Official Online Checkout and Official Digital Wallet of New York City FC. As the Official Online Checkout of New York City FC and Etihad Park, Paze will be showcased on club channels and throughout the venue, including the newly named PazeSM City Square. The partnership begins in 2026, allowing both organizations to activate and engage well ahead of the new stadium’s 2027 opening."
On the wires
Nuvei Among the First Companies Licensed Under EU MiCAR
PR Newswire
"Nuvei announced that it has received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), positioning the company among the first to operate under the EU's regulatory framework for crypto assets. The MiCAR license enables Nuvei to provide regulated crypto-asset services across the European Union and passport those services across EU member states under a single regulatory regime. This simplifies expansion for merchants and platforms seeking to deploy crypto-enabled payment and settlement capabilities across multiple European markets."
December 16, 2025
Top Post
Visa Launches Stablecoin Settlement in the United States, Marking a Breakthrough for Stablecoin Integration
Visa
"Visa Inc. announced the launch of USDC settlement in the United States, marking a major milestone in the company’s stablecoin settlement pilot program and strategy to modernize its settlement layer underpinning global commerce. For the first time, U.S. issuer and acquirer partners can settle with Visa in Circle’s USDC, a fully reserved, dollar-denominated stablecoin. Initial banking participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have started settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain. Broader availability in the U.S. is planned through 2026."
On the web
FDIC Proposes Application Process for Banks Seeking to Issue Stablecoins
ABA Banking Journal
"The FDIC proposed rulemaking to establish a process under which banks and savings institutions can seek agency approval to issue stablecoins through a subsidiary, as allowed by the GENIUS Act passed by Congress earlier this year. According to a staff summary of the proposal, institutions would be required to submit applications with a description of the proposed payment stablecoin and the proposed activities of the subsidiary of the applicant..."
OCC Approves Trust Charters for Stablecoin Firms: What It Means for Regulated Digital Payments
Modern Treasury
"On Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced it has granted conditional approval for five digital-asset firms—including major stablecoin platforms and institutional custody providers—to establish national trust banks. This development arrives in the wake of the GENIUS Act, which introduced clearer guardrails for stablecoin reserves, disclosures, and operational standards. While these charters do not permit deposit-taking or provide FDIC insurance, they represent major federal action in defining a supervised pathway for stablecoin issuance, custody, and blockchain-based payments."
Announcing 2026 Federal Reserve Financial Services Fees and Payment System Enhancements
Federal Reserve
"Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) customers can expect in 2026 ongoing enhancements to the services, including, helping combat payments fraud: Payee Name Verification an addition to the FedDetect Notification Services; A FedNow pilot program is underway for an upcoming network intelligence tool that will allow financial institutions sending transactions over the FedNow Service to do a “pre-check” on receiver accounts before making an instant payment & support of expanding APIs. To continue providing a level of service, some prices are being adjusted, and some are unchanged."
Klarna Launches Agentic Product Protocol: The Open Standard That Makes 100M+ Products Instantly Discoverable by AI Agents
Klarna
"Klarna announced the launch of its Agentic Product Protocol, a new open standard that makes every product on the internet easily discoverable and understandable by AI agents. As AI becomes the new interface for commerce, Klarna’s Agentic Product Protocol gives AI systems access to a live, structured feed of more than 100 million products and 400 million prices standardized across 12 markets. The protocol establishes the structured foundation that allows agents to find, compare, and recommend real products."
Mastercard and LoanPro Announce Partnership to Modernize Lending
Mastercard
"Mastercard and LoanPro today announced a new strategic partnership to launch Loan on Card, a solution designed to enable lenders to deliver loans to approved consumer and small business borrowers through virtual and physical card-based experiences. Set to launch in 2026, Loan on Card will provide borrowers with instant access to funds that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted."
December 15, 2025
Top Post
PayPal Submits Applications to Establish an Industrial Bank to Expand Access to Financial Services for U.S. Small Businesses
PayPal
"PayPal Holdings, Inc. announced it has submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish PayPal Bank, a proposed Utah-chartered industrial loan company."
On the web
Stablecoins and Financial Stability
Richmond Federal Reserve
"The United States has introduced a new stablecoin regulatory framework, but concerns over the cryptocurrency’s place in the global economy remain. Skeptics and supporters alike agree that stablecoin adoption is likely to increase in the coming years. An important question, however, is whether it will attract new users looking for a new form of payment."
Enhancing Cross-Border Payments: State of Play and Way Forward
BIS
"The G20 Roadmap for enhancing cross-border payments has created significant momentum. Most international policy actions are completed, providing a solid foundation for addressing persistent cross-border payment challenges and fostering a more inclusive global payments ecosystem. However, it is unlikely that the end-2027 targets envisaged by the G20 will be achieved on time, and improvements in outcomes for end users have so far been modest."
Stripe Launches the Agentic Commerce Suite to Help Every Business Thrive in the Ai-Enabled Commerce Era
Stripe
"Stripe introduced the Agentic Commerce Suite, a solution to help businesses get ready to sell through multiple AI agents. Businesses including ecommerce platforms will use Agentic Commerce Suite to capitalize on the new paradigm of agentic commerce. Stripe recently launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), an open standard for agentic commerce."
Visa Launches ‘Stablecoins Advisory Practice’ to Help Banks and Businesses Build Strategies
Visa
"Visa announced the launch of its Stablecoins Advisory Practice. The new value-added service offering by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) provides actionable insights and recommendations to guide banks, fintechs, merchants, and businesses of all sizes on market fit, strategy, and implementation. As the stablecoin market cap surpasses $250 billion, Visa’s settlement volume has accelerated, reaching a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November 30. Businesses are turning to Visa’s new Stablecoins Advisory Practice to unlock growth opportunities."
JPMorgan Launches Tokenized Money-Market Fund on Ethereum: WSJ
The Block
"JPMorgan Chase is rolling out its first tokenized money-market fund on Ethereum, seeding the private vehicle with $100 million of its own capital, according to the WSJ. The move adds to a growing push by major financial institutions to bring traditional investment products onchain following recent U.S. regulatory developments."
December 12, 2025
On the web
Mobile & Digital Wallets: Updated U.S. Landscape and Strategic Guidance (2025 Edition)
U.S. Payments Forum
"The U.S. Payments Forum developed a white paper to provide clear, timely guidance for stakeholders navigating today’s rapidly evolving mobile and digital wallet landscape. The paper outlines the dominant wallet models in use today—including device wallets, EMV® Secure Remote Commerce (Click to Pay), platform and PSP server wallets, QR code wallets, and emerging crypto/Web3 wallets—and explains the technologies that enable them. Topics include interaction methods, credential storage, tokenization, cloud-based architectures, passkeys and biometrics, and the growing role of mobile identity credentials such as mDLs."
Alipay and Rokid Open Up ‘Look-And-Pay’ Smart Glasses Function to Developers
South China Morning Post
"Alipay and artificial intelligence glasses maker Rokid have jointly unveiled a smart glasses payment solution on the Rokid Lingzhu AI development platform, giving developers an easy path to build payment functions into their applications.Based on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-source standard that connects AI applications to external systems, the service allowed developers to easily integrate pre-built capabilities, such as receiving payments, by adding plug-ins."
OCC Approves Paxos Application to Convert to OCC Trust; Paxos to Complete Conversion Imminently to Become a Federally Regulated Blockchain Infrastructure Provider
Paxos
"Paxos, the leading blockchain infrastructure platform for innovative institutions and enterprises, announced it has received approval to convert its New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) limited purpose trust charter to a national trust charter overseen by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Upon conversion, all of Paxos Trust Company’s US-based activity will be subject to OCC supervision."
Bidding Farewell to the Penny – Square Enables Cash Rounding in the U.S.
Square
"To help sellers get ahead of the transition away from the penny, and ensure a smooth holiday shopping season, Square is now piloting cash rounding functionality with sellers in the U.S. This functionality is already offered in Australia and Canada, which haven’t had pennies in circulation since 1992 and 2013, respectively. Cash transactions will be automatically rounded to the nearest 5¢. Square enables back-end transaction reporting to assist sellers with reporting the total dollar amount of tax collected."
Mastercard Unveils Open Finance Business Solutions in Australia to Power Small Business Growth Through Secure Real-Time Data Sharing
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced the launch of Open Finance Business Solutions, a suite of tools that helps small and medium-sized enterprises harness real-time financial data to work smarter, save time and drive sustainable growth. The launch comes as Australia sharpens its focus on productivity and smarter data sharing, with the Productivity Commission estimating that a mature data-sharing regime could unlock up to $10 billion in annual gains."
December 11, 2025
On the web
Apple Wins Ability to Charge Fees on External Payment Links as Appeals Court Modifies Epic Injunction
MacRumors
"Apple should be able to collect a reasonable commission on purchases made using external links included in iOS apps, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled (via Reuters). The U.S. Court of Appeals partially reversed sanctions imposed on Apple after Apple was found to have willfully violated an injunction in the ongoing Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle."
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