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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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July 10, 2026
On the web
India Eyes AI-powered UPI Payments As NPCI Develops Protocol For Agentic Transactions
BW Businessworld
"The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is developing a framework that could enable artificial intelligence (AI) agents to independently initiate and complete Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions on behalf of users. The proposed framework is known as the Unified Agent Protocol (UAP). AI agents would undergo verification and registration before being permitted to access UPI payment rails. The protocol will validate whether an AI agent is legitimate, determine the scope of its authority and define transaction limits."
EU Parliament Greenlights Digital Euro
TechXplore
"EU lawmakers backed starting negotiations on creating a digital version of the euro, as the European Union races to introduce the currency. The EU first needs to agree on the legal framework underpinning the virtual currency before it is available for use. The EU believes a digital euro is the answer to cutting its dependence on U.S. payment systems like Visa and Mastercard, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. An overwhelming majority of lawmakers approved establishing a digital euro."
July 9, 2026
On the web
Hyundai Units Test Stablecoin Transfer With Tether, Avalanche
Bitcoin Foundation
"Hyundai Card, the card and payments unit of Hyundai, completed a proof-of-concept test for stablecoin -based transfers between Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Mexico, South Korean newspaper The Korea Herald reports . According to the report, Hyundai Motor America converted $20,000 into stablecoins and sent it to Hyundai Motor Mexico, where it was converted back into dollars, with the full transfer and verification process taking seven minutes instead of several hours through traditional banks."
July 8, 2026
Top Post
Canada’s Real-Time Rail Moves Closer to Launch: RTR By-Law Officially Published
McCarthy Tétrault
"On July 1, 2026, the federal government published Canadian Payments Association By-law No. 10 — RTR (the RTR By-law) in the Canada Gazette marking a milestone in the launch of Canada's Real-Time Rail system (RTR). The coming into force of the RTR By-law on August 24, 2026 is expected to coincide with a critical phase of RTR implementation. RTR in Canada is moving from planning to implementation, and instant, data-rich, 24/7/365 payments with anticipated launch set for Q4 of 2026."
On the web
Bank of England Warns of Agentic Commerce Risks
UK Authority
"Central banks, including the Bank of England, are facing a dual challenge as AI capabilities accelerate: enabling responsible adoption while transforming how they manage risks in an increasingly autonomous financial system, Sarah Breeden, the Bank of England deputy governor for financial stability said last week. One immediate concern, she said, is the step change in agentic AI’s cyber capabilities. While these tools can strengthen cyber resilience, they also increase the risk of attacks that could harm financial stability."
Revolut to Delist USDT as MiCA Regulations Take Effect
Tekedia
"The decision by Revolut to delist USDT on August 31 marks a significant development in the evolving cryptocurrency regulatory landscape. As one of Europe’s leading financial technology platforms, Revolut’s move reflects the pressure on digital asset service providers to comply with stricter regulations. Under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, digital asset providers must ensure that stablecoins satisfy specific authorization, reserve transparency, governance, and consumer protection requirements."
July 7, 2026
On the web
Why Does the RBI Want to Keep Cryptocurrencies Out of India’s Banking System?
Medianama
"The Reserve Bank of India has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that virtual digital assets such as cryptocurrencies threaten the economy and should not be legalised. RBI's arguments: Cryptocurrencies are privately issued assets outside central bank control and carry risk for terror funding and narcotics smuggling. Governing crypto held by offshore entities is challenges regulatory authorities. Countries like China have banned crypto activity, while European jurisdictions permit it under stringent regulation."
Brazil Makes Stablecoin Changes, Limiting Benefits. May Keep BRL Onshore
Ledger Insights
"In the past few months Banco Central do Brasil has made a series of regulatory changes and legislative proposals, with the combination significantly constraining the benefits of stablecoins for cross border payments. Momentum has accelerated in the past two weeks. The net effect is to make stablecoin transactions more costly and slower. Its moves could potentially curtail the circulation of Brazilian real stablecoins offshore, depending on the legislative outcome."
Ethiopia’s National Payments Switch Reports ETB 2.6 Billion Profit as Interoperable Transactions Reach ETB 1.26 Trillion
Tech Review Africa
"EthSwitch, Ethiopia's national payments switch, closed the 2025/26 financial year with gross profit before tax of ETB 2.6 billion, underscoring the accelerating adoption of digital payments across one of Africa's largest and fastest-growing financial markets. Among the year's key achievements was the launch of EthSwitch's new five-year strategic plan covering 2026/27–2030/31 and completed the full migration of person-to-person transfers onto the EthioPay Instant Payment System (IPS), advancing a modern interoperable payments ecosystem."
Visa, M-PESA Africa and Onafriq Launch Stablecoin Pilot in DR Congo
TechAfrica News
"A new partnership involving Visa, M-PESA Africa and Onafriq is set to pilot the use of stablecoins for cross-border mobile money transactions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It aims to transform international payments by using blockchain-backed digital currency to facilitate faster, affordable cross-border settlements. The pilot is designed to address challenges associated with traditional banking corridors, which are characterized by high transaction costs, lengthy processing times and limited accessibility."
July 6, 2026
On the web
Russia's Largest Bank Plans Crypto Wallet Launch As Moscow Clears Market Path
CoinDesk
"Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, plans to offer a cryptocurrency wallet and digital depository by December, bringing the financial institution into a market the country spent years trying to contain."
Ethiopia’s Payment Switch Clears $8 Billion
CIO Africa
"EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment switch, processed $8 billion (ETB 1.26 trillion) in interoperable digital transactions during the 2025/26 fiscal year, highlighting the rapid expansion of the country’s digital payments ecosystem. Announcing its results for the year ended 30 June 2026, the company reported gross profit before tax of $16.5 million (ETB 2.6 billion) and processed 387 million interoperable transactions across its network."
On the wires
Tilt Acquires Blipay, Bringing Its Proven International Credit Model to Brazil
PR Newswire
"Tilt, a leader in cash flow underwriting and a pioneer in financial product innovations for nonprime consumers, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Blipay, a Brazilian salary-advance lender with more than 6 million registered users. The deal gives Tilt an immediate presence in Latin America's largest consumer credit market, and marks the company's fourth market entry outside the United States, following Mexico, the Philippines, and India."
July 2, 2026
On the wires
Worldline, ING and Visa Complete a Live Agentic Payment Transaction in Europe
Yahoo Finance
"Worldline and ING announce the successful execution of a new live, end-to-end agent-driven payment transaction in Europe with Visa. The transaction illustrates how AI-enabled journeys can begin to operate securely within existing regulatory requirements, including Strong Customer Authentication."
PayPal Joins the European Payments Council
PayPal Newsroom
"PayPal has officially joined the European Payments Council (EPC), marking an important milestone in our commitment to the future of payments in Europe."
July 1, 2026
On the web
UPI Launches in Greece, Expands India’s Global Digital Payments Network to 10 Countries
"India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has been launched in Greece, marking another milestone in the country’s push to globalise its flagship digital payments platform. The latest expansion takes UPI’s international footprint to 10 countries, enabling Indian travellers to make instant and seamless digital payments abroad using familiar UPI-enabled applications."
June 30, 2026
Top Post
UK Watchdog Plans to Break Apple and Google’s ‘Effective Duopoly’ on Mobile App Stores
The Guardian
"The UK’s competition watchdog is challenging Apple and Google’s “effective duopoly” over mobile platforms by allowing developers to steer users away from their app stores to make purchases. The Competition and Markets Authority argues that consumers and app owners are being let down by Apple and Google restrictions on spending money outside their app stores. The regulator has described both tech companies as operating an “effective duopoly” with at least 90% of UK mobile devices running on their platforms."
On the web
Banks and UK Finance Working on a Voluntary Digital Verification Service
UK Finance
"UK Finance announces that it is supporting Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group and Santander to develop a financial services-led digital verification service. This service would aim to provide a simple and secure way for customers to verify personal details digitally through their banking app. Examples of how such a service could be used include making purchases online, verifying age and identity through online platforms, property transactions or opening an account online."
June 29, 2026
On the web
Visa Adjusts Europe Interchange Fees, Shares Steady Into Key Inflation Data
Ad-hoc News
"Visa Inc. has updated its interchange fee structure for certain cross-border consumer card transactions within the European Economic Area, according to recent regulatory filings and network notices. The NYSE-listed payments group remains under close European regulatory scrutiny as investors also eye upcoming US inflation data and its impact on broader equity valuation."
Why Meta’s Cred Investment Matters for WhatsApp Pay in India
The Economic Times
Meta's substantial investment in Cred and appointing its founder Kunal Shah as global head of WhatsApp signals a major push into India's fintech landscape. For Meta, with Shah at the helm, there is a chance that WhatsApp's position in India, its largest market, will go beyond messaging into payments, commerce, and business services.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA): Preparing Your Business for Card Surcharge Changes from 1 October 2026
CommBank
"From 1 October 2026, card surcharge rules are changing. Businesses will no longer be able to apply surcharges to designated debit, prepaid and credit card payments across eftpos, Mastercard, Visa and American Express networks."
June 26, 2026
On the web
The European Banking Authority Consults on a Draft Methodology for Setting Fines Under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)
European Banking Authority
"The European Banking Authority (EBA) published a Consultation Paper with a draft methodology for setting fines in its role as supervisor under MiCA. The objective is to ensure that fines imposed on issuers of significant crypto-assets are consistent, proportionate and transparent, and effectively support compliance with the regulatory framework."
Africa’s Largest Lender Wins China Approval to Clear Yuan Payments Across 19 African Countries in Major Trade Shift
Business Insider Africa
"China has authorised Africa’s largest lender, Standard Bank, to jointly clear yuan transactions across 19 African countries. The move gives businesses across the continent direct access to China’s onshore financial system for the first time. It comes as China deepens trade and investment ties with Africa while promoting wider international use of the yuan. Businesses are expected to benefit from faster settlements, lower transaction costs and reduced dependence on the US dollar."
After 6 Months, Recurring Pix Payments Enabled by EBANX Already Account for 28% of Nord Security’s Payment Volume in Brazil
EBANX
"Nord Security, a global cybersecurity solution provider, partnered with EBANX, to offer Pix Automático to its Brazilian consumers. Launched last year by Brazil’s Central Bank, Pix Automático is the recurring feature of Pix, the country’s instant payment system. Six months after being integrated by Nord Security via EBANX, Pix Automático already accounts for 28% of the company’s total payment volume (TPV) in Brazil and has been adopted by 35% of its user base in the market."
June 25, 2026
Top Post
The Retail Payments Infrastructure Board Launches Consultation on the Next Generation UK Payments Infrastructure
Bank of England
"Today marks a milestone in the modernisation of the UK's payments landscape, with the Retail Payments Infrastructure Board launching a consultation on the future design of the UK's next-generation retail payments infrastructure. The infrastructure will provide a secure foundation for innovation, greater choice and more seamless payments, while supporting emerging forms of digital money. This consultation will help inform the ‘blueprint’ for the future infrastructure, which will then be delivered by the new industry led ‘Delivery Company’."
On the web
Safaricom Quietly Integrates Fuliza into M-PESA GlobalPay Visa for International Shopping
Streamline
"In a profound enhancement to Kenya’s digital payments infrastructure, Safaricom has silently activated functionality allowing its M-PESA GlobalPay Virtual Visa Card to draw funds directly from the Fuliza overdraft facility. The integration decisively resolves the most glaring friction point for digital consumers transacting across international borders, ensuring that minor wallet deficits no longer trigger humiliating transaction failures on global e-commerce platforms."
June 24, 2026
On the web
Mastercard and Privatbank Complete Ukraine’s First Payment Executed by an AI Agent
Mastercard
"Mastercard and PrivatBank have completed Ukraine’s first agentic transaction, through Mastercard Agent Pay. Mastercard’s agentic framework process brings AI agents into the payment flow as visible, governed participants – ensuring that every transaction is secure, transparent, and trusted. The milestone confirms PrivatBank’s technical and operational readiness to support emerging AI-driven transaction models."
June 23, 2026
Top Post
European Parliament Backs Long-Awaited Digital Euro to Reduce US Dominance in Payments
Euro News
"The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee approved the digital euro, as the EU seeks to reduce reliance on US-controlled payment systems. According to European Central Bank data, US payment giants Visa and Mastercard account for 61% of card payments in the euro area and almost all cross-border card transactions. The digital euro is one measures put forward to strengthen Europe's autonomy."
June 22, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Sees Africa’s Digital Future Taking Shape
CIO Africa
Africa’s payments landscape is entering a new phase, one that extends beyond digital transactions and into intelligent, interconnected financial ecosystems. According to Victor Ndlovu, Vice President and Head of Business Development for East Africa at Mastercard, the continent’s next chapter will be defined by broader financial inclusion, seamless cross-border payments, and the emergence of AI-powered commerce.
Bank of England Launches Policy Statement and Draft Rules on Regulating Systemic Stablecoins
Bank of England
"The Bank of England published its policy statement and draft Code of Practice (rules) for systemic stablecoin issuers, marking a key. The policy statement and draft rules reflect feedback from last year’s consultation. The framework supports safe innovation, enabling UK issued stablecoins to develop as trusted forms of digital money. The Bank has made targeted revisions to the proposals consulted on last year. These include: backing assets & Temporary issuance guardrails:"
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