Industry

Chainalysis: Crypto Money Laundering Surged to $82 Billion in 2025

Coinspeaker

"Illicit cryptocurrency money laundering activity climbed to over $82 billion in 2025, marking an eightfold increase from $10 billion in 2020, according to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. The considerable growth reflects increased accessibility and liquidity of cryptocurrencies, associated with significant changes in laundering operations. Chinese-language money laundering networks (CMLNs) have surged to become dominant players."

Industry

Shopify Merchants Face 4% OpenAI Fee on ChatGPT Sales, Reports the Information

Internet Retailing

"Shopify merchants will reportedly pay a 4% fee on sales made via OpenAI-powered checkouts, on top of standard transaction charges, according to US tech and business publication The Information. While the fee had not yet been officially confirmed by OpenAI at the time of writing, news of the proposed 4% checkout charge prompted mixed reactions across LinkedIn."

Industry

CBA Releases White Paper Examining Agentic AI, Consumer Payments, and the Future of Regulation

Consumer Bankers Association

"The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) today released a new white paper, Agentic AI Payments: Navigating Consumer Protection, Innovation, and Regulatory Frameworks, examining how emerging agentic artificial intelligence tools could reshape consumer payments—and the opportunities and risks that evolution presents for consumers, banks, merchants, and policymakers."

Industry

Major European Banks Unite to Develop Euro-Backed Stablecoin

Digital Watch Observatory

"A consortium of 10 central European banks has established a new company, Qivalis, to develop and issue a euro-pegged stablecoin, targeting a launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The initiative seeks to offer a European alternative to US dollar-dominated digital payment systems and strengthen the region’s strategic autonomy in digital finance. Initial use cases will focus on crypto trading, enabling fast, low-cost payments and settlements, with broader applications planned later."

Industry

The $35 Trillion Illusion: Unpacking the Real State of Stablecoin Adoption

TechStory

"The research presents a clear and stark contrast in expectations for the industry as compared to reality; given the overall figure ($35 Trillion); one might think that this is a huge number where everybody is using it—however, the reality is that only about 1% (approximately $390 B) is actually being used for real payments. The majority of transactions in stablecoins still remain circular in nature; being made up mainly of people trading tokens, arbitragers executing trade-within-trade algorithmically via bots, and internal transfers that do not actually occur within the economy."

Industry

Shoppers Are Pulling Back From E-Commerce – Here’s Why

Chain Store Age

"Consumers are becoming less likely to engage with retailers online, with several economic and behavioral factors as key drivers. Daily online shopping frequency is dropping sharply, falling from 21% to 9% in the past year. The Salsify 2026 Consumer Research report also reveals that brick-and-mortar stores (60%) now outrank online marketplaces (57%) and social platforms (52%) among surveyed consumers for discovery of new products."

Industry

Consumer Credit Cards in 2026: Opportunities and Threats in a Complex Landscape

This Week in Fintech

"The U.S. consumer credit card market enters 2026 in a position of strength but facing mounting headwinds, including high interest rates, affordability concerns, regulatory scrutiny, and renewed political focus on interchange. According to the Nilson Report, U.S.-issued general-purpose credit cards generated $6.136 trillion in purchase volume in 2024, representing a 5.3% year-over-year increase. Outstanding receivables reached $1.346 trillion at year-end 2024, up 7.9% year over year, while the 30 largest U.S. issuers held $1.208 trillion in receivables at midyear 2025, up 4.8%. Federal Reserve data tells a similar story."

Industry

Kasada Launches AI Agent Trust to Secure Agentic Commerce

Yahoo Finance-Business Wire

"Kasada announced the launch of AI Agent Trust, designed to help brands securely manage the growing volume of AI agents and automated traffic interacting with their digital properties. As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of consumers – browsing products, comparing prices, and assisting with transactions – organizations face a new trust challenge."

Industry

New Reg E Liability: The AI Bought That, Not Me!

Lexology

"Artificial intelligence tools are expanding into every aspect of consumers’ daily lives. That proliferation has the potential to dramatically increase bank liability under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (“EFTA”) and Regulation E...Banks may unwittingly find themselves underwriting the risk that the agentic AIs get these transactions wrong. Banks are already well aware that under the EFTA and Regulation E, banks can end up being liable for losses resulting from unauthorized transactions from consumer accounts."

Industry

SEPA Instant Adoption in Europe Build It and They Will Come

ClearBank

"The EU Instant Payments Regulation’s (IPR) SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) mandate is a watershed moment for Europe’s payments market.  This research report examines the readiness of banks, electronic money institutions (EMIs) and payment institutions (PIs).  It also considers where the market is headed, the factors and developments that could influence real-time payment growth, and how firms are preparing to capture the SEPA Instant opportunity."

Industry

What’s the Future Hold for ATMs in 2026?

ATM Marketplace

"We are now firmly in 2026, and with it comes many opportunities for ATMs along with challenges. Although cash usage has plateaued, expenses surrounding cash management continue to rise. In addition, the potential of AI has yet to be fully realized. When looking at where ATMs are headed in 2026, it's important to take a holistic approach that takes into account hardware, software, peripherals, cash management and AI."

Industry

Acquired.com & Visa: Unlocking Real-Time Recurring Payment Solutions with cVRPs via Visa A2A

Acquired.com

"Recurring payments are the backbone of many businesses, especially those operating in subscription-based or recurring revenue models. Commercial Variable Recurring Payments (cVRPs) launched by Acquired.com are the next evolution in payment technology, enabling businesses to facilitate real-time, bank-to-bank transactions with unprecedented flexibility and transparency. Powered by Visa’s Account-to-Account (A2A) solution, cVRPs provide an alternative to legacy payment systems, combining the benefits of speed, efficiency, and customer control."

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

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

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."