Industry

ABA, Associations Seek Extension of Comment Period for FDIC’s Genius Act Implementation

ABA Banking Journal

"The American Bankers Association joined four other associations to request that the FDIC push back the deadline for comment on its proposal to create a process through which banks can seek agency approval to issue stablecoins through a subsidiary. Comments on the FDIC proposed are currently due Feb. 17. The associations asked that the deadline be pushed back by either 60 days or 30 days after separate rulemaking is issued to address the capital, liquidity, risk management and other requirements."

Industry

Agentic Checkout Grows Across Major AI Platforms

The Keyword

"Agentic checkout is no longer an abstract idea discussed in demos. Over the past several months, major technology companies have begun rolling out tools that allow AI systems to guide, assist, or complete purchases inside chat and assistant interfaces. The growing sophistication of AI agents has made this possible, influencing the rise of agentic commerce. Companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have invested heavily in systems that can execute multi-step tasks rather than respond to single prompts."

Industry

Klarna Backs Practical Stablecoin Use as ACP Emerges as Industry Standard

The AI Journal

"Klarna’s launch of its own stablecoin using Stripe’s infrastructure marks one of the most significant developments in the fintech and payments sector this year. Not because it heralds a new consumer crypto trend, but because it reflects a shift towards grounded, commercially viable applications of blockchain technology. After years of predictions about mass consumer crypto adoption, Klarna’s announcement is notable for its focus on solving a real, well-documented problem rather than feeding the hype cycle."

Industry

50 Stablecoin Statistics That Matter in 2026

Stablecoin Insider

"50 essential stablecoin statistics for 2026: $312B+ market cap, $33T transactions, Visa adoption, remittances, lending & more. The guide to the rise of the internet's dollar."

Industry

Why Central Banks Should Embrace Stablecoins

OMFIF

"Stablecoins are no longer a niche experiment. They now have a market value in excess of $300bn, with annual transaction volumes surpassing Visa and Mastercard combined. That momentum is likely to accelerate following the Genius Act in the US, which introduces federal regulation and allows banks to issue stablecoins."

Industry

The New York Stock Exchange Develops Tokenized Securities Platform

Business Wire

"The New York Stock Exchange announced its development of a platform for trading and on-chain settlement of tokenized securities, which it will seek regulatory approvals. The platform is part of a broader strategy, which includes preparing its clearing infrastructure to support 24/7 trading and the integration of tokenized collateral. They are working with banks (BNY and Citi) to support tokenized deposits across clearinghouses to help members transfer and manage money outside of banking hours over different jurisdictions and time zones.

Industry

AI in Shopping: Implications and a Value-Creating Roadmap for Retailers

Snowflake

"Even a passing familiarity with the spate of announcements in recent months makes clear that while the AI-in-shopping foundation remains distinctly unsettled, the longer-term direction of travel is clear....While some retailers like Amazon are initially blocking shopping agents, that strategy is not a viable one for most other companies. As consumer behavior shifts and the path to purchase increasingly flows through AI tools, retailers will be confronted with rising complexity across three core operational areas: inventory and fulfillment; customer service; and returns."

Industry

Gaming Brand Goes Live With Truelayer’s Pay by Bank Technology

Open Banking Expo

"bet365, one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming brands, has gone live with TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank technology – giving players a faster, safer way to directly deposit from and withdraw to their bank accounts. In a major milestone for the igaming industry, bet365 has made Pay by Bank the recommended payment option in its checkout."

Industry

Education: Agentic Payments and Crypto’s Emerging Role in the AI Economy

Galaxy

"AI agents promise to transform the internet landscape. Already, continuous improvements in artificial intelligence have enabled agents to serve as coding assistants, shopping concierges, planning tools, and all other manner of subject-matter experts. They represent a powerful new primitive for how humans interact with the internet, mainly because they remove much of the need for humans themselves to directly engage with browsers and search engines."

Industry

Senate Banking Committee Cancels Crypto Market Structure Markup

Coindesk

"The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will no longer be marking up its crypto market structure bill Thursday, after crypto exchange Coinbase publicly withdrew its support for the legislation on Wednesday and other rifts in the negotiation had already put it on unsteady footing. The market structure bill, aimed at defining how federal regulators oversee the U.S. crypto industry, was postponed late Wednesday and a new date was not set, according to a statement from committee Chairman Tim Scott."

Industry

Scammers in China Are Using AI-Generated Images to Get Refunds

WIRED

"Online shopping platforms have long depended on photos submitted by customers to confirm that refund requests are legitimate. But generative AI is now starting to break that system....This problem isn’t unique to China. Forter, a New York-based fraud detection company, estimates that AI-doctored images used in refund claims have increased by more than 15 percent since the start of the year, and are continuing to rise globally."

Industry

Mastercard, Visa and Revolut Lose Legal Challenge Over Card Fee Cap Plans [UK]

MSN

"Mastercard, Visa and Revolut have lost a legal challenge against the UK payments regulator's plans to introduce a cap on card fees on international transactions. The three firms brought a case at London's High Court after the Payments System Regulator (PSR) said in December 2024 that it would consult on introducing a cap on interchange fees."

Industry

Jamie Dimon Warns a ‘Parallel Banking System’ Is Emerging—and It Could Put Trillions in Deposits at Risk

Inc.

"Stablecoins that offer interest-bearing rewards may increasingly resemble bank deposits. But unlike traditional deposits, they lack the regulatory safeguards that undergird the banking system. That gap, according to Jamie Dimon, risks creating what he calls a “parallel banking system.”"

Industry

Recycling the Narrative on Cash

ABA Banking Journal

"Contrary to popular narratives, cash usage may be declining, but it is far from dead. Data from the Federal Reserve and industry studies show that cash usage remains significant for older and low-income consumers, unbanked households and as a contingency payment option. Consumers hold more cash than before the pandemic and rely on its reliability and anonymity, reinforcing the need for banks to maintain consistent cash access."

Industry

Banks Respond to Proposed Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates

Bank Policy Institute

"The Administration announced plans to issue an executive order imposing a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates. The Bank Policy Institute, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Financial Services Forum and Independent Community Bankers of America issued a joint statement: “We share the President’s goal of helping Americans access more affordable credit. At the same time, evidence shows that a 10% interest rate cap would reduce credit availability and be devastating for millions of American families and small business owners who rely on and value their credit cards, the very consumers this proposal intends to help. If enacted, this cap would only drive consumers toward less regulated, more costly alternatives. We look forward to working with the administration to ensure Americans have access to the credit they need.”"

Industry

Marshall, Durbin Reintroduce Credit Card Competition Act Backed by President Trump

Senator Roger Marshall

"On Tuesday, Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act, which was endorsed by President Trump early this morning. This legislation will increase competition in the credit card market and put an end to the Visa-Mastercard duopoly that is squeezing small businesses — and, ultimately, consumers."

Industry

Non-Traditional Payment Method Acceptance and Customer Surcharges Grow Significantly at U.S. Small Businesses, J.D. Power Finds

J. D. Power

"Rising consumer interest in digital wallets, debit and credit cards, BNPL and even cryptocurrency has small business owners accepting more forms of payment than ever before, which puts third-party merchant services providers at the center of their livelihoods. According to the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Merchant Services Satisfaction Study released, the manner and speed with which transactions are processed, as well as the ability to manage costs and avoid software and hardware glitches, have become critical drivers of satisfaction with merchant services providers."

Industry

Why Your Bank May Block Your Next Zelle Payment

NBC 7 San Diego

"Many banks are adding security measures and reminders to consumers who use Zelle. NBC 7 Responds contacted major banks and asked about their strategies to protect customers including Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others."

Industry

‘Pig Butchering-As-A-Service’ Provides Ready-To-Use Kits, Infrastructure

SC Media

"Two “pig butchering-as-a-service” (PBaaS) providers are detailed in a recent report by Infoblox, demonstrating how off-the-shelf kits, templates, panels and infrastructure facilitate global scams similarly to malware-as-a-service (MaaS) and phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS). Pig butchering is a type of online scam originating in China that involves soliciting increasing payments from victims over an extended period of time, often under the guise of legitimate investment opportunity."

Industry

NIST Calls for Public to Help Better Secure AI Agents

Bank Info Security

"The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking public input on how to secure agentic artificial intelligence systems as their use - and potential risks - expands across government and critical infrastructure networks."

Industry

The AI Platform Shift and the Opportunity Ahead for Retail

Google

"At the National Retail Federation (NRF), CEO Sundar Pichai shared how Google is helping retailers grow in the AI platform shift. Announcements included a new protocol for agentic commerce, a new Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, and service expansions for Wing. The following is an abridged transcript of his remarks."

Industry

Senate Unveils Updated Market Structure Bill Limiting Stablecoin Rewards on Idle Holdings

The Block

"Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has released an amended crypto market structure bill reflecting months of bipartisan negotiations. The bill seeks to bar digital asset providers from paying interest just for holding a stablecoin, but would allow activity-based rewards tied to actions like transacting, staking, providing liquidity or posting collateral."

Industry

Ingenico, Samsung, and Talus Bring a Mobile Business Operating Solution to North America

PR Newswire

"Ingenico, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. ,  and Talus, have partnered to bring a modern mobile business operating solution to the North American marketplace. With Ingenico SoftPOS tap-to-pay capabilities, the Talus mobile app transforms NFC-compatible Samsung mobile devices into payments terminals. No dedicated payments hardware is required."

Industry

Americans Carry $1.21 Trillion in Credit Card Debt, with 73% Tied to Essentials and Median Interest Rates at 25.3%

Yahoo Finance

"Americans now carry a record $1.21 trillion in credit card debt – with 73% tied to essential living costs – as median interest rates reach 25.3%. In new research released today, Academy Bank reveals how persistent financial pressures are pushing households to rely more heavily on credit cards for everyday expenses, with the average user carrying a $5,595 balance. The bank's latest white paper, "Managing High-Interest Debt: How Cash-Out Refinances Can Help Homeowners Find Relief," analyzes national debt trends."

Industry

Etsy Enables Direct Purchase in Microsoft Copilot AI Assistant

Chain Store Age

"Etsy is expanding its capability to let customers shop and make purchases within AI agents. The e-commerce retailer is partnering with Microsoft and payment processing provider Stripe to make eligible items available for purchase directly in Copilot Checkout on web browser for signed-in Microsoft users in the U.S. With this offering, Etsy is building on a partnership it launched with ChatGPT, the generative AI model from research and deployment company Open AI, in fall 2025."

Industry

Visa and JPMorgan Use Solana Rails But One Risk Still Worries Banks

Yahoo Finance

"Major financial institutions, including JPMorgan and Visa, are increasingly turning to for real-world money settlements. One metric continues to raise questions among institutions: the degree of control over the network. Solana has hundreds of validators, but stake distribution matters more. The Nakamoto Coefficient, a measure of how many entities could theoretically disrupt the network, stands around 20-30 based on recent data. This indicates that a limited number of validators control a significant portion of staked SOL."

Industry

Penny Shortage Pushes Fed to Restart Coin Deposits

Axios

"The worsening U.S. penny shortage has prompted the Federal Reserve to resume accepting penny deposits on Jan. 14 at more coin distribution locations. The move could ease checkout friction for cash-paying shoppers, where a lack of coins has led to rounding, confusion and longer lines. The move is limited and does not restart penny production. It falls short of a fix, retailers say."

Industry

Education: Beyond Bitcoin: The Blockchain Story

Barclays

"Blockchain is a digital ledger that securely records and verifies transactions in a distributed network. The system’s decentralised structure ensures transparency, security and trust without the need for intermediaries. Given blockchain’s close association with cryptocurrencies, blockchain companies offer indirect exposure to crypto markets. However, as the technology expanded into new sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain companies now deliver more than just crypto exposure.

Industry

Survey: Gen Z, Millennials Are Ditching the Credit Card for Other Payment Methods

US News

"A U.S. News survey shows that younger consumers are less inclined to use credit cards than baby boomers are. A significant percentage of respondents either missed a credit card payment or overdrew their checking account in the past year. Almost half of respondents mistakenly believe that debit cards help build credit."

Industry

NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL and Accenture Launch Universal Wallet Infrastructure [Video]

Business Wire

"NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL and Accenture are teaming up to develop and scale the Universal Wallet Infrastructure (UWI), a groundbreaking platform designed to deliver enterprise-grade digital trust services. The jointly developed infrastructure empowers organizations to issue, verify, and manage credentials and tokens across digital identity, money, assets, and documents—ensuring seamless interoperability across enterprises, governments, industries, and geographies."