Explore leading edge topics in the payments industry with the live, virtual Advanced Payments workshop on May 19-20.
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.
Search Payments News
May 1, 2026
On the web
Feedzai Launches New Benchmarking Report for Banks to Evaluate Fraud Management Performance
Feedzai
"Feedzai launched the industry’s first report for financial institutions to benchmark and assess their fraud management performance. Feedzai’s inaugural State of Fraud Performance report focuses on digital payments in the European region, drawing on Feedzai’s global transaction and data depth to provide “like-for-like” comparisons of banks with similar fraud challenges."
Experian Launches Agent Trust for AI-Led Commerce
IT Brief
"Experian has launched Agent Trust, a framework to verify links between consumers and AI agents in digital transactions. The system is aimed at AI-driven commerce. It introduces what Experian calls a “Know Your Agent” framework, designed to tie an agent's actions to a verified consumer identity and record transaction risk in real time. The framework includes Human-to-Agent Binding, an Agent Trust Token and an Agent Registry that tracks behaviour and other risk signals."
Discover Dropping Two Apple Wallet Features
MacRumors
"Discover is planning to eliminate some of the Apple Wallet integrations that it introduced in 2023, according to letters that cardholders are receiving. As of June 4, 2026, Discover users will no longer be able to see their total card balance and transaction history in the iPhone's Wallet app, or use the Pay with Rewards feature in Apple Pay."
April 30, 2026
On the web
Paypal’s New CEO Makes Venmo a Standalone Business Unit as Potential Buyers Circle
CNBC
"PayPal is separating Venmo into its own standalone unit for the first time, part of a broader reorganization that creates three distinct segments, CNBC has learned exclusively. The restructuring comes as PayPal faces takeover interest from potential buyers, including Stripe, with Venmo considered the company’s most valuable and most acquirable asset."
On the wires
PNC Bank Expands Treasury Management Capabilities with New Property and Casualty Insurance Payments Solution
PR Newswire
"PNC Bank announced the expansion of its Treasury Management insurance payments offering to support property and casualty insurance payments. This offering helps insurers streamline complex, multi-party claims payments with greater speed, flexibility and transparency. The enhanced solution builds on PNC's existing Claim Payments & Remittances (CPR) platform, which has supported healthcare-related insurance payments since 2018."
PayPal Announces Strategic Reorganization to Accelerate Growth
PR Newswire
"PayPal Holdings, Inc. announced a strategic reorganization of its business and executive leadership team to accelerate execution of its long-term growth priorities, streamline decision-making, and drive innovation. As part of the reorganization, PayPal will transition to a simplified three-business operating model: Checkout Solutions & PayPal, Consumer Financial Services & Venmo, and Payment Services & Crypto."
April 29, 2026
On the web
Stripe: Everything Announced at Sessions 2026
Stripe
"This morning at the Stripe annual conference, Stripe Sessions, the company shared 288 new products and features with more than 9,000 business leaders and builders. They noted we’re making Stripe even more programmable; protecting and propelling your business with the strength of the Stripe network; and building economic infrastructure for AI. Here’s everything announced."
FIS Launches New Platform Giving Banks Control Over Digital Money
FIS
"FIS has announced Lyriq™, a platform purpose-built for regulated financial institutions, with compliance, access controls, and auditability built into the core infrastructure. Lyriq keeps tokenized deposits, stablecoins and other digital assets on issuing bank balance sheets, integrates with existing core banking systems regardless of provider, and enables 24/7 settlement with transactions that complete fully or fail cleanly."
OnePay and Tempo Partner to Reimagine Next Generation of Payments
OnePay
"OnePay and Tempo, the payments-first Layer-1 blockchain incubated by Stripe and Paradigm, announced a partnership aimed at stablecoin-powered payouts and account funding for OnePay’s Banking product. OnePay already powers instant payouts and direct deposit access for millions of workers and consumers."
Visa Accelerates Stablecoin Momentum: Adding Five Blockchains for Settlement
Visa
"Visa announced that it is adding five blockchains to its global stablecoin settlement pilot, expanding how issuers and acquirers can settle with the network. As stablecoins move into mainstream payment flows, Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot now supports nine blockchains and has reached a $7 billion annualized stablecoin settlement run rate, up 50% since last quarter. Visa is adding support for five additional blockchains: Arc; Base; Canton; Polygon; and Tempo."
BILL Launches New Travel Offering to Help SMBs Take Control of Travel Spend
Bill
"BILL announced the launch of BILL Travel, a new BILL Spend & Expense product that brings booking, budgets, card controls and expense management into one connected workflow. BILL also announced additional Spend & Expense innovations that build on its vision for a more connected spend management experience."
Digitalisation and Innovation - Opportunities and Risks for Financial Health
BIS
"Digital innovation is enhancing access to payments, credit, savings and insurance. But these benefits are emerging alongside new vulnerabilities: a global surge in scams and fraud, greater over indebtedness among some digital borrowers and the use of ill-suited investment products. This highlights the role of financial authorities in enhancing regulatory and supervisory frameworks to mitigate emerging risks, providing public infrastructures and services, and enabling responsible innovation that supports financial health outcomes."
On the wires
MoneyGram Modernizes Retail Solutions Globally, Advancing Unified, Omnichannel Experience
PR Newswire
"MoneyGram announced the global launch of modernized retail solutions, built on Stripe, marking a step forward in its strategy to deliver a unified, omnichannel experience for customers worldwide. Announced at Stripe Sessions in San Francisco, MoneyGram is continuing to modernize one of the world's largest physical payment networks. The launch upgrades its global retail footprint with a modern payments infrastructure and the best point-of-sale technology in the industry."
April 28, 2026
Top Post
Google: We’re Donating Agent Payments Protocol to the FIDO Alliance to Support the Future of Secure, Agentic Payments
"Google: We’re donating the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to the FIDO Alliance, a renowned industry association focused on creating open standards. Transitioning ownership to the FIDO Alliance ensures AP2 remains platform-agnostic and community-led, while accelerating adoption of secure agentic payments. Today on GitHub, we’re also releasing AP2 v.0.2, which introduces critical updates for autonomous transactions, including “Human Not Present” payments, which will allow agents to securely execute payments autonomously, like securing and purchasing limited-run tickets the moment they’re on sale, based on pre-authorized user instructions.
On the web
FIDO Alliance to Develop Standards for Trusted AI Agent Interactions
FIDO Alliance
"The FIDO Alliance announced initiatives to develop interoperable standards for agentic interactions and commerce. These initiatives include the formation of an Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group and efforts to develop specifications for agent-initiated commerce, drawing from initial contributions from Google (AP2) and Mastercard (Verifiable Intent). The FIDO Alliance’s agentic standards work will be carried out by its members through the newly formed Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group and the Payments Technical Working Group."
Block Launches Bitkey Wallet With Screen, Automatic Bitcoin Earning on Cash App, and Proof of Reserves
Block
"Block announced the launch of a Bitkey hardware wallet with a secure screen, alongside new Cash App features for earning bitcoin automatically, and Proof of Reserves across Block’s corporate treasury bitcoin holdings, and Cash App and Square customer holdings. The screen does more than verify transactions. It's the physical surface through which customers verify and authorize every security-critical operation in the wallet."
Ant International Unveils Protocol to Support AI-Driven Mobile Payments
TNGlobal
"Ant International has introduced a new Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP) to support the growing agentic commerce. The protocol can integrate digital wallets, banking applications, super apps, and other mobile platforms, extending functionality across devices ranging from smartphones to wearables. Current payment protocols for AI systems are largely built around traditional card networks. Merchants and digital wallet providers are seeking ways to streamline payment experiences, authenticate AI agents, and manage transactions without disruption."
Revolut to Open Store in Barcelona, Marking First Move Into Physical Retail
Tech EU
"Revolut is to open a retail store in Barcelona, marking its first move into retail bricks and mortar. Called Revolut Store, it will be located in the heart of Barcelona, according to Spanish media. According to Revolut, the idea behind the store is to make the Revolut brand more accessible and its products easier to discover. A spokesperson for Revolut, which is valued at $75bn, said: “This will not be a temporary pop-up, but a permanent space. A high-visibility, immersive space that will bring our ecosystem to life.”
On the wires
Ant International Launches PayTo Payment Solution for Australian SMEs
Business Wire
"Ant International announced an exclusive move to integrate PayTo into its Global Account Service in Australia. This solution enables Australian export SMEs to access a faster, cost-effective, and more secure alternative to account-to-account pull payments. The announcement is a collaboration with global leader in transaction banking, Citi. Citi's role as the initiator sponsor bank provides the foundation for the speed, security, and reliability of this new service."
Thunes and WireBarley Launch Real-Time Payment Solution for 1.1 Million Users Across Asia and Beyond
PR Newswire
"Thunes announced a strategic collaboration with WireBarley, a rapidly growing Asia-Pacific payment platform. The alliance represents a shared commitment to digital transformation and will fuel WireBarley's international expansion. Together, Thunes and WireBarley will provide real-time, seamless cross-border payments for businesses and individuals living abroad across major corridors, including South Korea, the U.S., Australia, and Vietnam."
April 27, 2026
Top Post
Raising the Limit to $10 Million Reflects the Demand for Same Day ACH
Nacha
"Ten is a very important number this year at Nacha and there’s a lot to celebrate. Topping the list is the tenfold increase to the dollar limit for Same Day ACH payments just approved by the Nacha membership. The current $1 million rises to $10 million on Sept. 17, 2027."
On the web
Western Union to Launch Stablecoin Next Month, With ‘Stable Card’ Planned for Global Consumers
The Block
"Western Union announced it will launch its stablecoin, USDPT, next month. Western Union is also launching a network connecting digital wallets to its existing retail infrastructure, and a stablecoin payment card for global consumers. USDPT is expected to launch in select countries with key agent partners for onchain settlement, enabling faster processing. Western Union also said that it is launching two services that will integrate the stablecoin into a broader ecosystem. One of them is the Digital Asset Network (DAN), leveraging USDPT and other digital assets to connect crypto wallets to Western Union's existing retail and agent network. "
Many Consumers Say ‘No Thanks’ to Agent-Based Payments
Digital Transactions
"It’s still early days for agentic commerce and it appears consumers may want to forestall such transactions until they get much more comfortable with the technology, suggests the Riskified Agentic Commerce Pulse report. Riskified, says the report, which surveyed 2,000 consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom, found that 61.5% of them have used AI tools to discover products and receive recommendations, though 55% of all respondents were not comfortable with AI agents making purchases on their behalf."
New Zelle® Survey Data: Boomers Built Main Street. Now They're Ready to Sell - But Gen Z and Millennials Aren't Buying.
PR Newswire
"A massive wave of small business owners is preparing to exit (often referred to as the "Silver Tsunami"), but the next generation isn't lining up to take over. New data from the 2026 Zelle Small Business Pulse Report reveals a generational disconnect between retiring owners and younger buyers that is putting small businesses at risk of closing. While nearly half (49%) of small business owners over 50 surveyed plan to exit within the next decade, most lack a succession plan – and many may not meet the expectations of a generation raised on fast, digital-first payments."
Cash App Is Targeting a New Kind of Customer: 6- To 12-Year-Olds
TechCrunch
"Cash App believes it has found a promising new demographic: children. The company is expanding its youth-focused services in an effort to build a relationship with Gen Alpha and the upcoming generation of adolescents in the U.S. The new program will let parents create financial accounts for children between the ages of six and 12. The children won’t have access to the app; accounts will be managed by their parents. The children, meanwhile, will receive a debit card linked to the accounts that they can use."
New Fed Data: Differences in Deposits at Large vs Small US Institutions
The Federal Reserve
"A new data release from the Federal Reserve Payments Study (FRPS) puts payments activity in the context of the transaction deposit accounts that fund payments. The release reports differences between the largest depository institutions (Top 100 DIs) and all others. While the Top 100 comprise a small fraction (less than one percent) of the nearly 10,000 DIs in the United States as of 2021, they account for most of the transaction deposit account balances, 64 percent by number in 2021 and 68 percent by value."
Discover Ending Pay With Rewards and Connected Account Support in Apple Pay
9to5Mac
"In a notice sent to cardholders, Discover says it will soon discontinue support for its Connected Account integration, as well as for the Pay with Rewards within Apple Pay feature. The company says it remains “committed to enabling use of Discover® Card in Apple Pay®,” which means that this move will not affect the core Apple Pay experience, as Discover cards will continue to work for both in-store and online purchases through Apple Pay as usual."
BIS: Tap a Card, Pay by Phone but Cash Still Holds Its Own
BIS
"The use of cashless payments continues to increase globally. Credit transfers are the fastest growing cashless payment method in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), while the growth in cashless payments in advanced economies (AEs) is mainly driven by growth in card payments.Fast payments are gaining ground and are a key driver behind the growth of credit transfers in EMDEs. Fast payments are increasingly used for small-value payments in both EMDEs and AEs."
On the wires
Global Merchants Partner with Ant International to Scale Internationally Amid rise of Agentic Commerce
PR Newswire
"Global businesses are partnering with Ant International to navigate the rapidly evolving commerce landscape in Asia and other international markets. As "agentic commerce"—where AI agents autonomously manage the shopping journey from discovery to settlement—reaches more consumers, Ant International is providing the essential payments and FinAI tools necessary for global merchants to scale across fragmented digital markets."
PayPal Brings New Commerce-Grade Identity Solution to Advertising Industry
PR Newswire
"Most identity solutions in advertising are built on estimates, guesswork, or probabilistic signals. PayPal changes that by introducing something different: PayPal Ads ID, an advertising identifier grounded in verified commerce relationships. The digital advertising industry has long struggled with a foundational identity problem. According to the 2025 State of the Industry report , only 21% of brands, agencies, and publishers say they are very confident that they can accurately identify and reach their target audiences across digital channels."