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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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January 27, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Unveils Major AI Shopping Change Coming for CBA, Westpac Customers: ‘Australia’s First' Transaction
Yahoo Finance
"Global payments giant Mastercard announced it will expand its agentic payments technology further in Australia with the completion of Australia’s first authenticated agentic transactions, which are transactions completed by an 'AI agent', using Commonwealth Bank and Westpac cards. Mastercard’s ‘Agent Pay’ technology, which was launched in the US last year, allows shoppers to ask an AI agent to search, find and buy items for them."
On the web
Elavon Collaborates with Microsoft to Introduce Elavon Live Payments
MarketScreener
"Elavon is collaborating with Microsoft to introduce Elavon Live Payments, a payments app for Microsoft 365 offered through the Microsoft Marketplace. Driven by the omni-channel capabilities of the Elavon Payments Gateway (EPG), Elavon Live Payments enables businesses and professional service providers to securely send invoices and collect customer payments with just a few clicks on a computer or mobile device."
Checkout.com Acquires Blue EMI, a Licensed Issuer of Euro Stablecoins, and Establishes Lithuania Technology Centre
Checkout
"Checkout.com announced the acquisition of Blue EMI, a regulated electronic money institution authorised to issue euro stablecoins. The company is also establishing a technology centre in Lithuania. Blue EMI is authorised by the Bank of Lithuania to provide payment services and issue euro-backed stablecoins designed for institutional use cases."
Mastercard Launches Agent Suite to Ready Enterprises for a New Era
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced a suite of services to help customers integrate agentic AI into their operations and accelerate toward this next frontier. Mastercard Agent Suite will combine technical support with customizable AI agents. Customers will be able to build, test, and deploy fit-for-purpose agents from Mastercard Agent Suite."
Adyen and Raptor Team Up to Simplify Operations for Singapore’s Service Sector
Adyen
"Adyen announced its partnership with Raptor, an established point-of-sale (POS) provider serving over 7,000 service and hospitality businesses in Asia Pacific since its inception in 2001. With payments integrated into its POS offerings, Raptor users are able to generate their own consolidated payment reports – gaining a full view of the cross-channel journeys of their customers, including their payment preferences."
Meta to Test Premium Subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp
TechCrunch
"Meta plans to test new subscriptions that give people access to exclusive features on it apps. The new subscriptions will unlock more productivity and creativity, along with expanded AI capabilities. Meta said it will offer a premium experience on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that gives users access to features and control over how they share and connect, while keeping the core experiences free."
On the wires
Zelle® Widens the On-Ramp for Community Banks and Credit Unions: 337 New Bank and Credit Unions Went Live or Signed in 2025
PR Newswire
"Zelle® reported that in 2025 it continued to scale its network, expanding access to more community banks and credit unions seeking real-time payment capabilities: 337 financial institutions went live or signed up to bring Zelle to their customers during 2025. 97% were community banks and credit unions with assets of less than $10 billion and that serve a broad range of Americans."
January 26, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Launches Best-In-Class ‘Bin Sponsor Plus’ Programme to Support Next Generation of U.K. Fintechs
Mastercard
"Mastercard is introducing a new accreditation programme for BIN sponsors – established financial institutions which support Fintechs and any business interested in getting into payments by helping them to launch card programmes quickly and efficiently. The BIN Sponsor Plus programme is the first of its kind, intended to accelerate the growth of UK Fintechs and businesses entering the payments space by providing them with access to a vetted list of trusted partners and guidance on scaling efficiently. BIN Sponsorship provides a route to market without the time and investment associated with becoming an issuer."
On the web
The Financial Stability Implications of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Finance
BIS
"Remarks by Mr Tao Zhang, BIS Chief Representative for Asia and the Pacific, at International Financial Week, in conjunction with the Asian Financial Forum (AFF), Hong Kong, 26 January 2026."
January 23, 2026
On the web
Apple Cash Is Making Instant Transfers More Expensive Soon
9 to 5 Mac
"Starting February 18, Apple Cash instant transfers will cost more If you ever need to send an iPhone user some money, There are two aspects to the increase. The base rate of 1.5% is increasing to 1.7%, but the max fee is also going up. So if you’re transferring a large sum of money in an instant transfer, the new max fee will be $25, up from $15. And it will be easier to hit that maximum due to the higher 1.7% fee."
Revolut Scraps US Bank Acquisition in Push for Standalone Licence, Reports Say
Sifted
"Revolut has scrapped plans to buy a US lender and instead apply for its own American banking licence, reports say. Europe’s most valuable fintech had previously sought to acquire a US bank as a means of attaining a US licence, but is now betting on the Trump administration’s light-touch regulatory approach to win approval on its own, the Financial Times reports."
Checkout.com Powers Digital Payments Behind Freenow by Lyft’s Journeys Across Europe
Checkout
"Checkout.com has announced a new partnership with Freenow by Lyft, the European taxi app, to deliver reliable and high-performing digital payments across all nine of its European markets. Operating in more than 180 cities across Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Greece, Austria and Ireland, Freenow offers a broad range of mobility options within a single app, from taxis and private hire vehicles to e-scooters, e-bikes, e-mopeds, carsharing, and public transport."
Education: Making Sense of the AI Shopping Protocol Moment
PayPal
"Over the past year, agentic commerce has moved rapidly from idea to reality. Instead of browsing websites themselves, customers are increasingly asking AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and others to discover products, compare options, and even make purchases on their behalf. To support these experiences, the industry is developing new technical specifications—known as protocols—that define how AI agents, merchants, and payments systems interact. Here’s a clear look at what agentic commerce protocols are, how the landscape is shaping up, and what it means for merchants navigating what comes next."
On the wires
Affirm Submits Applications to Establish Industrial Loan Company
Business Wire
"Affirm announced that it has submitted applications to the Nevada Financial Institutions Division and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish Affirm Bank, a proposed Nevada-chartered industrial loan company. The proposed bank subsidiary would enable Affirm to continue scaling responsibly while having an FDIC-insured institution. This would help Affirm expand access to honest financial products to more consumers."
Equifax Introduces Enhanced Synthetic Identity Fraud Detection
PR Newswire
"Equifax® announced the launch of Synthetic Identity Risk, a next-generation fraud detection product that leverages AI capabilities to help businesses identify and prevent synthetic identity fraud. This new product leverages sophisticated machine learning algorithms to uncover fraud patterns that traditional methods may miss, detecting and flagging potential fraudulent activity before it impacts a company's bottom line."
January 22, 2026
Top Post
Capital One to Acquire Brex
Capital One
"Capital One Financial Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Brex, in a combination of stock and cash transaction valued at $5.15 billion. Brex is a modern, AI-native software platform offering intelligent finance solutions that make it easy for businesses to issue corporate cards, automate expense management and make secure, real-time payments. The company also leverages AI agents to help customers automate complex workflows to reduce manual review and control spend."
EBay Updates Legalese to Ban AI-Powered Shop-Bots
The Register
"eBay has decided to ban agentic shopping bots from its digital bazaar. The company’s decision emerged in an update to its user agreement posted on January 20th, which insists users must not use “buy-for-me agents, LLM-driven bots, or any end-to-end flow that attempts to place orders without human review” on the site, unless eBay grants approval."
On the web
IXOPAY Launches New TokenEx Packages, Setting the Standard for Token-First Payments in the Era of Agentic Commerce
IXOPAY
"IXOPAY announced the launch of three new TokenEx tokenization packages: TokenEx Core: A token-first foundation that combines Universal Tokens and Network Tokens. TokenEx Connect: Adds pre-built payment service provider integrations that enable faster multi-processor strategies, smarter routing, and operational flexibility at scale. Alternative Payments: A turnkey package beyond cards by enabling popular local and alternative payment methods to improve conversion without added integration complexity."
Volante Technologies Introduces Multi-Cloud Resiliency Service to Ensure Non-Stop Payments Processing During Major Cloud Outages
Volante Technologies
"Volante Technologies announced the launch of its premium Multi-cloud Resiliency Service, engineered to keep financial institutions’ payment operations running seamlessly during major cloud provider outages. Built on Volante’s proven cloud-native payments platform, the service provides true cross-cloud continuity, eliminating single-cloud/provider dependency for the payments layer."
PayPal to Acquire Cymbio, Accelerating Agentic Commerce Capabilities
PayPal Newsroom
"PayPal announced it has agreed to acquire Cymbio, a multi-channel orchestration platform that helps brands sell across agentic surfaces, including Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, and other e-commerce channels. PayPal previously partnered with Cymbio as part of its agentic commerce services, a suite of solutions that allows merchants to attract customers and drive sales in the new era of AI-powered commerce."
On the wires
Jack Henry Rapid Transfers Delivers Competitive Edge to Banks and Credit Unions
PR Newswire
"Banks and credit unions are giving high marks to Jack Henry™ Rapid Transfers, the new cloud-native solution from Jack Henry™ that enables fast, secure me-to-me money movement for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Through integrations with Visa Direct and Mastercard Move, the solution uses debit card rails to enable users to quickly and securely move funds from virtually any external financial institution, neo-bank, brokerage, or crypto exchange into their primary bank or credit union accounts."
January 21, 2026
On the web
Regions Bank Selects Worldpay to Transform Business Payments
Regions
"Regions Bank announced a major collaboration with payments technology company Worldpay®, a Global Payments company. This new collaboration is designed to enhance how Regions’ business clients, ranging from small businesses to major enterprises, accept payments and manage cash flow operations."
Fiserv and Sumitomo Mitsui Introduce Clover Suite of Products, Enabling Digital Commerce for Millions of Merchants
Fiserv, Inc.
"Fiserv, Inc. announced a new strategic partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited (SMCC) to bring Fiserv’s Clover®suite of products to the country. This collaboration will bring an integrated payments and business management platform to millions of retail, food & beverage and professional service small businesses (SMBs) in Japan, driving digital transformation, improving operational efficiency, and accelerating adoption of cashless payments."
Amex Expands Pay Over Time Auto-Enrollment to Business Green, Gold and Platinum Cards
CNBC
"While Amex is traditionally known for its pay-in-full card model, the company is making adjustments to its card lineup to accommodate the changing needs of business owners. Pay Over Time is a buy now, pay later feature that applies to eligible purchases. Amex states that annual fees, cash advances, including cash and other cash equivalents, certain insurance premiums and any other fees owed to American Express are not eligible for Pay Over Time."
On the wires
TreviPay Launches Pay by Invoice for Issuers Enabled by Visa Credentials
Business Wire
"TreviPay announced the launch of its Pay by Invoice solution for Visa-issuing banks, enabling issuers to capture a greater share of the $58 trillion North American B2B payments market. Through this collaboration with Visa, a world leader in digital payments, TreviPay’s order-to-cash automation technology combines with Visa’s commercial payment capabilities to help issuers move fragmented B2B spend into strategic, issuer-financed, invoice-based transactions."
UnionPay at Davos: Transforming Cross-Border Payments with Connectivity and AI
PR Newswire
"Against the backdrop of global economic realignment, UnionPay, one of the world's largest card payment organizations, is focusing on cross-border network connectivity as a practical entry point. UnionPay is innovating to foster an open and inclusive international payments ecosystem—built on multilateral collaboration, interoperability, and shared value. At the same time, it is exploring the responsible application of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence in payments, seeking solutions that offer efficiency, security and financial inclusion."
January 20, 2026
On the web
The New Rules of the Road for Agentic Commerce
Mastercard
"Mastercard joined forces with Google on its Universal Commerce Protocol, an open protocol that enables interoperability between AI agents and merchants. They continue to collaborate across the value chain, including Google’s Agent Payments Protocol and Agent2Agent Protocol, OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, and more to ensure these platforms meet the same standards for clear user intent, secure credentials and verifiable agent identity."
Block, Inc. Surpasses $200 Billion in Credit Provided to Customers, Continuing to Address Global Lending Gaps
Block, Inc.
"Block, Inc. announced it has provided access to more than $200 billion to customers in global lending across its portfolio of credit products, including Cash App Borrow, Afterpay, and Square Loans.¹ Through this work, Block is proving that with the right technology, inclusive lending and responsible risk management aren't opposing forces; rather, they're the foundation of sustainable credit for the next generation."
On the wires
PayPal Introduces Free DIY Tax Filing for PayPal Debit Card Customers
PR Newswire
"PayPal announced a new partnership with april, a leading embedded tax technology platform, allowing U.S. PayPal Debit Mastercard® customers to file their 2025 federal and state tax returns for free using april's DIY tax filing service, saving approximately $1603 in typical costs. With this partnership, PayPal keeps financial management in one convenient destination while expanding the suite of financial tools that help customers get more out of their money."
January 19, 2026
On the web
Worldline and YouLend Launch Cash Advance to Unlock Fast, Seamless Capital for Europe’s SMBs
Worldline
"Worldline and YouLend announced the launch of Cash Advance, an innovative financing solution designed to empower small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with fast, data-driven access to capital. Cash Advance enables merchants to apply for funding through a simple, fully integrated user experience - eliminating traditional friction, paperwork, and uncertainty."
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