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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 27, 2026
Top Post
Swift Accepts Community Request to Extend Structured Address Migration for ISO 20022 Payment Messages
Swift
"Swift will apply a controlled extension of Standards Release 2026: Swift will defer all payments changes. For the structured address requirement, Swift over the coming weeks will consult with banks, central banks, and payment market infrastructures as well as with market practice groups and corporates to define the optimal timing and approach. It will provide an update by December, at the latest, as part of its governance cycle. Other payments changes planned for November will be phased separately."
On the web
Visa Expands Support for its Clients and the Industry as Organisations Navigate New AI Era of Cybersecurity
Visa
"Visa announced enhancements to its cybersecurity portfolio to help organisations identify and fix vulnerabilities more effectively. Unveiling the next evolution of the Visa Vulnerability Agentic Harness (VVAH), its open-source, model-agnostic framework, Visa is helping organisations significantly reduce the Mean Time to Adapt, the time between discovery and resolution of attack paths, with some resolutions shrinking from weeks to hours."
Retailers Rank Richer Payments Data as the Top Benefit of Payments Orchestration, New ACI Worldwide Research Finds
ACI Worldwide
"Access to richer payments performance data across all channels was the payments orchestration benefit retail payments professionals selected most often, at 47%, according to new research from ACI Worldwide. The research was commissioned and funded by ACI and designed and fielded by Retail Systems. The findings are published in the report, The Revenue Hidden in Plain Sight: Closing the Retail Payments Optimization Gap."
Regulating Stablecoin Issuance: Permissible Entities and Activities
BIS
"Regulatory approaches for stablecoin issuance differ significantly, particularly in terms of the types of entities allowed to issue them and the scope of activities permitted beyond core issuance. These differences are important since additional activities such as lending, staking or providing custody services can alter an entity's risk profile and influence the safeguards needed for its core issuance operations."
August 26, 2026
On the web
New Blackhawk Network Research Finds Banking Access Shapes the Consumer Payout Experience
Blackhawk Network
"Blackhawk Network released new research* showing that while survey respondents expect fast access to business payouts, banking access significantly influences how they prefer to receive and use those funds. Business payouts are funds organizations distribute directly to individuals, including insurance and warranty claims, rebates, refunds, legal settlements, returned security deposits, incentives and other business disbursements. Across all respondents, speed and immediate access emerged as shared priorities."
dLocal Launches dMoRe to Remove Operational Barriers Between Global Businesses and Emerging Markets
dLocal
"dLocal announced the launch of dMoRe, its Merchant of Record (MoR) solution designed to redefine how global enterprises scale across emerging economies. The new Merchant of Record solution combines dLocal’s established payment infrastructure with comprehensive legal, tax, and compliance capabilities, enabling merchants to launch in high-growth consumer markets within weeks instead of months."
Revolut Is Launching a Euro Stablecoin Into a Market Mica Handed to an American Company
TNW
"Revolut is launching a euro-backed stablecoin. The neobank is also one of the 36 firms the ECB picked for its digital euro pilot, which means it is now building the private euro token and helping test the public alternative to it at the same time. The regulatory backdrop is what makes this interesting. MiCA requires major stablecoin issuers to hold at least 60% of reserves in EU bank deposits, a rule designed to keep euro stablecoins anchored in Europe."
August 25, 2026
On the web
Block’s Neighborhoods Adds 30,000 More Sellers as Square and Cash App Help Build Local Commerce Network
Block
"Block, Inc. announced that Neighborhoods, the experience that connects Square sellers with Cash App customers to drive discovery, repeat visits, and local growth, has added 30,000 more sellers to the network, up nearly 10x from June. The expansion marks a new phase for Neighborhoods as Square and Cash App scale a local commerce network for both sellers and customers. Customers can earn Local Cash equal to 10% of their order subtotal, up to $10 per order, on qualifying purchases with participating Neighborhoods sellers, then redeem it on a future visit."
Stripe President Says Checkout Pages ‘Will Go Away’ as AI Commerce Expands
Business Insider
"AI agents are poised to radically reshape how we buy stuff online, a top Stripe executive predicts. "It's been very easy to get through a checkout page these days, but should you even need to go to one, or should you just be able to say buy it on a product display page? I think so," Will Gaybrick, Stripe president, technology and business, said during a recent episode of the "A16z Show. Gaybrick said internally, Stripe has shifted its view "from being a payments company with sort of add-ons to now being this multi-product platform.""
What Is Meta Pay? A Complete Guide to Meta’s Payment Platform
Business
"Meta Pay is gaining momentum as a payment platform for companies that practice social selling via Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Businesses can also add a Meta Pay button to their e-commerce websites to provide another payment option to customers. In this guide, we’ll explain how Meta Pay works."
On the wires
Visa Joins MAS-Led BLOOM Initiative to Connect Traditional Payments and Stablecoin Networks
PR Newswire
"Visa announced its participation in BLOOM (Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency), a new initiative led by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) designed to extend settlement capabilities offered by financial institutions, including enabling interoperability between traditional payment systems and stablecoin-based payment rails. Nium is Visa's first partner to pilot the use of stablecoins for settlement under BLOOM."
August 24, 2026
On the web
MoneyPass Group Becomes Independent ATM Services Company
ATM Marketplace
"MoneyPass Group recently began operating as an independent company, leaving a joint venture between Bridgeport Partners and Fiserv Inc. This company will offer ATM and cash management services. The group will combine the MoneyPass Network, ATM Management Services and Cash Intelligence businesses within the joint venture. It runs a network of 37,000 surcharge-free ATM locations, serving more than 160 million cardholders. BridgePort Partners will hold a 51% ownership stake in MoneyPass Group while Fiserv will hold a 49% stake."
6 Ways to Future-Proof for FedNow’s Latest Update
RedCompass Labs
"Three years in, and the Federal Reserve has announced a set of additions to its instant payments service: payee name verification for FedNow, an industry-wide fraud forum, and enhanced ISO 20022 messaging. Around 1,800 financial institutions are now live, including seven of the 10 largest banks, reaching more than half of all US checking and savings accounts. Not a bad effort. Here are five of those announcements – plus one thing the Fed didn’t say – and what US banks can do about them."
August 21, 2026
Top Post
Walmart to Finally Start Accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay
TechCrunch
"Walmart said it will finally accept payments via both Apple Pay and Google Pay at its stores, including Walmart and Sam’s Club. The retail giant says that beginning August 24, it will begin adding Tap to Pay to its payment options at select Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations. It expects the feature to reach all stores and clubs by the end of the year, and will then roll it out to all its fuel stations by the middle of 2027."
On the web
The Agent Wallet That Tencent Is Currently Testing Has Been Preempted by Amazon.
European Central Station
"On June 17, 2026, WeChat Pay publicly introduced the under-test "AI Exclusive Card". But news broke out today that Amazon has launched this product first. On August 19, Amazon AWS announced that Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments has officially reached general availability (GA). Previously, it only had preview features for some simple paid scenarios, but now it allows AI Agents to independently purchase paid APIs, MCP services, digital content and model inference capabilities under user authorization and budget constraints."
Klarna Launches In-Store with Garage and Dynamite Across North America and the UK
Klarna
"Klarna is now available in-store at GARAGE and DYNAMITE locations across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. The expanded partnership brings the payment flexibility customers already enjoy online into more than 300 stores. Customers can now choose to pay in full or divide eligible purchases into interest-free installments directly at checkout using the Klarna app."
Beyond the PAN: What Merchants Need to Know About Network Tokens
Very Good Security
"Network tokens are becoming a dominant payment credential. Network tokens are designed to make transactions less disruptive, which is why there is an uptick in transactions using network tokenization. Instead of relying on the primary account number, or PAN, printed on a customer’s card, a merchant can use a payment credential issued through the card network. That credential can be managed throughout its lifecycle, restricted to an approved payment environment, and updated when the underlying card information changes."
August 20, 2026
On the web
Solana Stablecoin Active Addresses Hit Record 1.7 Million
CryptoRank
"Active addresses holding Solana-based stablecoins hit a record 1.7 million and total stablecoin supply on Solana reached $16.3 billion, including $6.8B in USDC, $2.9B in USDT and $1.2B in USDGO. This surge signals increasing crypto and DeFi adoption on Solana driven by low fees and high throughput, improving liquidity for trading, remittances and payments while potentially attracting greater regulatory scrutiny as the network competes with Ethereum and Tron."
Stablecoins Won’t Replace the Dollar: Mastercard CEO [Video]
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach explains to Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi how stablecoins could help suppliers in high-inflation countries and make difficult cross-border payments faster and more predictable, while also explaining why crypto still won't replace the dollar."
Stripe to Buy OpenRouter as Fintech Expands Deeper Into AI
CNBC
"Stripe said it’s acquiring OpenRouter, as the payments company expands into the artificial intelligence model market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the New York Times said the price tag is about $7.5 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to OpenRouter’s founders. The deal will “maximize profitability by routing their requests intelligently and spending their tokens efficiently,” Stripe CEO Patrick Collison said in a statement."
Stripe Launches Treasury In Australia To Unify Payments And Multi-Currency Money Management
SMBtech
"Stripe has launched its Treasury product in Australia, giving businesses a single platform to accept payments, hold and convert funds across multiple currencies and pay recipients in nearly 100 countries without leaving the Stripe dashboard. Businesses gain instant access to their revenue and can use it to pay suppliers, contractors and third parties using just an email address. The platform supports holding funds in AUD, USD, GBP and EUR, with instant conversion between ten supported currencies including HKD, SGD and NZD."
Shopify Expands Cross-Border Ecommerce Tools for Canadian Retailers
Retail Insider
"Shopify is expanding its Managed Markets cross-border ecommerce offering to Canadian merchants, giving eligible retailers and brands access to infrastructure designed to simplify international selling as duties, taxes and customs requirements become more complex. The Canadian expansion is being supported by Global-e Online, the cross-border ecommerce technology company behind the merchant-of-record infrastructure used by Shopify Managed Markets."
A Fintech App Built by Crypto Exchange Kraken Just Launched a Cash Back Debit Card in Bid for Consumer Wallets
CNBC
"Kraken is launching a cashback U.S. debit card, vying for a place in consumer wallets as crypto evolves from an asset class into infrastructure for mainstream financial products. The card, called the Krak Card and issued by the affiliate money app of the same name, offers up to 2% cash or bitcoin back, with the rate increasing based on the value of assets a customer holds. Rewards are paid directly as money rather than points. It also lets customers spend directly from more than 600 currencies and crypto assets."
August 19, 2026
Top Post
AWS Launches AI Agent Payment Service With USDC Support
Bloomingbit
"Amazon Web Services has launched a service that allows artificial intelligence agents to make payments autonomously. AWS announced on August 19 the release of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, an autonomous payment service for AI agents. The company first previewed the service in May in collaboration with Coinbase and Stripe. The service enables AI agents to find and use paid data and application programming interfaces, or APIs, without human intervention and to pay for them directly."
On the web
Nium Launches Card Issuance in the United States
Nium
"Nium , the global infrastructure leader for real-time cross-border payments, today announced the launch of domestic card issuance in the United States, extending its multi-region issuing platform to North America. Businesses can now issue local cards across APAC, Europe, Middle East, and North America while maintaining access to Nium's global payment network spanning 190+ countries – all on a single platform. Nium issued more than 41 million card credentials in APAC, Middle East, and Europe in the past 12 month."
Modulr Becomes the Only Non-Bank Payment Service Provider with Direct Access to All Three Major UK Payment Schemes
Modulr Finance
"Modulr announced it has become a direct participant in CHAPS, the UK’s same-day high-value payment scheme, settling directly at the Bank of England. CHAPS is a critical part of the UK’s payments infrastructure, enabling high-value, time-critical payments. Settling CHAPS payments directly at the Bank of England gives Modulr greater control over its payment flows. Modulr is the only non-bank payment service provider with direct access to all three of the UK’s major payment schemes: Faster Payments, Bacs, and CHAPS."
Visa’s Search for a New Stablecoin Partner Reveals a Strategic Divide
Forkast
"Visa is currently shopping for a new stablecoin settlement and over-the-counter partner. The RFP requirements demand a partner that holds cryptocurrency-exchange licenses in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Singapore. The divergence in strategy between the two payment giants is stark. Mastercard has opted for vertical integration, buying its way into the infrastructure layer. Visa, is doubling down on its consortium-led approach, betting that the collective weight of the OUSD project will provide a more scalable path forward."
Coinbase CEO: x402 Payment Protocol for AI Agents Is ‘Going to Be Huge Eventually’
CryptoRank
"Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the open x402 protocol, built on HTTP 402, could enable AI agents to make autonomous stablecoin onchain payments for APIs and digital services and predicted agents will eventually far outnumber humans. If adopted, x402 could reshape crypto payments and DeFi access by enabling machine-to-machine settlement and challenging traditional card networks and CEX payment rails, but the protocol is nascent and requires developer and AI platform integration before meaningful adoption or market impact."
Personetics Partners with Plaid to Help Banks Win Account Primacy with Open Finance Intelligence
Personetics
"Personetics, the AI Cognitive Banking Platform, announced a partnership with Plaid, the data network powering the digital financial ecosystem. The integration gives banks and credit unions something they’ve rarely had before: a comprehensive view of a customer’s financial life, combining their own account data with transactions, liabilities, investments, and related financial activity from wherever a customer’s money lives."
HSBC and Standard Chartered Execute First Live Tokenised Deposit Transaction on Swift’s Ledger
Asset Servicing Times
"HSBC and Standard Chartered announced the completion of bank-to-bank tokenised deposit interoperability through the first live cross-border transaction on Swift’s blockchain-based ledger. The transaction — conducted through exchange of payment messages between the two banks using Swift’s ledger — was recorded as tokenised deposit obligations on both HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service (TDS) and Standard Chartered’s tokenised-deposit infrastructure."
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