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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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March 26, 2026
On the web
Fannie Mae to Accept Crypto-Backed Mortgages for the First Time
MSN
"The mortgage-finance giant Fannie Mae will soon accept so-called crypto-backed mortgages for the first time, the latest expansion of cryptocurrencies into mainstream financial transactions. The mortgage company Better Home & Finance and the U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase Global unveiled a new mortgage product that allows home buyers to pledge their crypto holdings when getting a Fannie-backed mortgage, instead of selling the crypto to make a cash down payment."
EMVCo Publishes Electric Vehicle Open Payments Solution
EMVCo
"EMVCo has published Version 1.0 of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Open Payments Use Case document, which outlines an interoperable open payment solution for EV charging. The use case document explains how EMV Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) technology – which simplifies the digital payment process to help make it more consistent, convenient and secure – can be used to integrate card-based payments at EV charging stations supporting ISO 15118 Plug and Charge."
Tesla Rolls Out Centralized Payment Kiosks for Charging Stations
Kiosk Marketplace
"Tesla appears to be quietly changing how drivers pay at some of its newest V4 Supercharger stations, according to a report on the blog site Not a Tesla App, shifting away from individual credit card readers at each stall. New reports and photos show that, at select locations, those payment terminals have been removed and replaced with a single kiosk serving multiple charging posts."
Draft of CLARITY Act Seeks to Restrict Stablecoin Returns
Banking exchange
"The latest version of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, known as the CLARITY Act, would prevent platforms from offering returns on stablecoin holdings in ways that resemble traditional bank deposits. The measure would apply to a wide range of digital asset service providers, including exchanges, brokers, and their affiliates, and is intended to close loopholes by banning rewards considered “economically or functionally equivalent” to interest."
What Infrastructure Do Companies Use to Add Stablecoin Payments?
Crypto News
"Stablecoins are quickly becoming part of the global payments stack. Fintech apps use them to settle transactions faster. Remittance platforms use them to move money across borders. Payroll companies use them to pay global contractors. But while stablecoins settle on blockchain networks, users still interact with traditional financial systems. Someone still needs to convert fiat into stablecoins. Someone needs to handle compliance and identity verification. Someone needs to connect cards, bank transfers, and local payment methods to blockchain networks."
March 25, 2026
On the web
Synergetics Announces Broad Support for Emerging Agentic AI and Agent Payment Standards
PR Newswire
"Synergetics announced expanded support for a range of open and emerging standards that power autonomous AI agents and agent-native payment systems. The Synergetics platform supports a wide range of agent payment and transaction frameworks including X402, Google's AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol), Visa Internet Commerce (VIC), stablecoin and cryptocurrency payment rails, and programmable wallet infrastructure. These capabilities enable autonomous agents to securely perform tasks such as purchasing APIs, accessing datasets, executing commerce transactions, and settling payments across multiple financial networks."
OpenAI Reveals Updates to Its Agentic Commerce Experience for ChatGPT
Digital Commerce 360
"At the beginning of March, OpenAI made clear that its plans for checkout and agentic commerce in ChatGPT were going to change. Now, that vision is beginning to come into focus with newly unveiled details about how OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) will support product discovery and how Walmart’s ChatGPT app will work."
March 24, 2026
Top Post
The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026
GSMA
"The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money is widely recognised as the industry’s definitive reference point, providing an authoritative view of how mobile money is evolving globally. In 2025, the mobile money ecosystem continued to scale, consolidating its role as a core pillar of digital financial services. Double-digit growth in account adoption and higher active usage channelled more money through the ecosystem than ever before. Mobile money services processed over $2 trillion in 2025, a fifth more than the year before. Mobile money’s value proposition to people and businesses remains strong."
On the web
Entering the Era of the Headless Merchant
a16z crypto
"Stand up a traditional software business and you need a website, a checkout flow, user accounts, customer service, subscription management, a billing system, and a sales team or marketing budget to acquire customers. A headless merchant needs a good API and a thin layer of middleware. That is the business. This matters because of who the buyer is. An agent arrives with a task, a budget, and constraints. It evaluates the endpoint’s documentation, pricing, and reliability. If the service meets the criteria, it pays and moves on."
Gap Dives into AI Commerce with Checkout on Google Gemini and New Fit Guidance Tech
Retail TouchPoints
"Gap Inc. brands, including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, will soon be shoppable via Google Gemini through adoption of Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) . The company also announced that it is an early partner of Bold Metrics ’ new Agentic Sizing Protocol (ASP), which offers embedded fit guidance in AI-driven shopping experiences."
SWIFT Expands Blockchain Payments With 50+ Banks, Challenging XRP and XLM Use Case
CCN
"Over 50 banks are adopting a new framework designed to make cross-border retail payments faster, more transparent, and predictable. The initiative promises upfront fee transparency, full-value delivery, faster settlement, and end-to-end tracking. Up to 80% of payment delays occur after funds reach the destination bank, something SWIFT aims to fix with this new framework. As SWIFT improves speed, cost transparency, and introduces blockchain features, the core value proposition of crypto payment networks is being challenged."
March 23, 2026
On the web
Visa Targets AI Agents And European Merchants To Sustain Payments Role
Yahoo Finance
"Visa has launched its Agentic Ready program for AI driven payments, creating a pathway for agent initiated transactions within its Intelligent Commerce framework. The company has also entered into a collaboration with Ingenico to use the Visa Acceptance Platform to expand payment acceptance solutions and streamline certification for merchants across Europe."
New New York Law Bans Retail Stores From Refusing Cash as Payment [Video]
CBS News
"A New York State law that went into effect Saturday bans retail stores from refusing to accept cash as a form of payment."
On the wires
MoonPay Open-Sources the Wallet Layer for the Agent Economy
PR Newswire
MoonPay launched the Open Wallet Standard (openwallet.sh), an open-source standard that gives AI agents a secure, universal way to hold value, sign transactions, and pay for services across every major blockchain, without ever exposing a private key. The standard is available today on GitHub, npm, and PyPI, with over 15 organizations contributing. The standard launches with contributions from over 15 organizations spanning every layer of the industry.
March 20, 2026
Top Post
Banks Are Starting to Move Money on Chain
OMFIF
"‘Tokenisation’ has been the word on everyone’s lips for a few years. Referring to the representation of assets on blockchains, it promises instant, cheaper settlement, greater efficiency and improved liquidity management. But while the process of tokenising assets is underway, the market has yet to come to a consensus on the appropriate payment instrument. Reaping the benefits of tokenisation requires a way to represent cash on chain. While stablecoins can fill this role, it requires adjustment to get used to a new type of risk."
On the web
Walmart: ChatGPT Checkout Converted 3X Worse Than Website
Search Engine Land
"After testing 200,000 items in ChatGPT, Walmart found sharply lower conversions and will use its own integrated shopping experience. Walmart said conversion rates for purchases made directly inside ChatGPT were three times lower than when users clicked through to its website. Why we care. This suggests agentic commerce isn’t ready to replace traditional shopping. Sending users to owned environments still drives higher conversion rates."
March 19, 2026
On the web
Swipe Fees Reach Record $198.25B
Progressive Grocer
"Credit and debit card swipe fees charged by big banks and global card networks for merchants to process transactions have reached a new record of $198.25 billion, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC), a group representing retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, gasoline stations, online merchants and others working for a more competitive and transparent card system."
March 18, 2026
Top Post
Personal Shoppers for Everyone: How the Rise of Agentic Commerce Will Transform Online Retail [+Video]
EPAM
"The distance between seeing a product and buying it is collapsing. New user interface models are changing how consumers discover, engage with, and purchase from brands. At the center of this shift is Agentic AI, an advancement poised to fundamentally reshape the digital marketplace. This shift means brands risk losing their direct connection to consumers. As shoppers increasingly rely on AI-driven agents for discovery and purchasing, visibility will depend less on owned websites and more on the quality of content and product data that can be fed to these new systems."
March 17, 2026
On the web
OCC, Former Comptrollers Urge Court to Overturn Illinois Interchange Ruling
ABA Banking Journal
"An Illinois state law restricting interchange fees for certain payments threatens the national banking system by interfering with federal powers to regulate that system, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a group of 10 former comptrollers said in separate court filings last week. The Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, or IFPA, bans banks, payment networks and other entities from charging or receiving interchange fees in Illinois on the portion of a debit or credit card transaction attributable to tax or gratuity."
March 16, 2026
On the web
Elizabeth Warren Blocks Permanent CBDC Ban in Senate Bill
Bidget
"The US Senate has approved a major housing bill that includes a temporary ban on a Federal Reserve central bank digital currency. The bill blocks the creation of a US digital dollar until Dec. 31, 2030. A section near the end of the bill places direct limits on the Federal Reserve, stating that the central bank cannot issue or create a digital currency or any similar digital asset through financial institutions or other intermediaries during the ban period."
Elon Musk’s X Money Debit Card Spotted in Action in New Payment Video
Yahoo Finance
"Elon Musk‘s X Money payments service may have gotten a major boost as a user shared a video of making a transaction using the service’s debit card. On Thursday, user Josh Wood took to the social media platform X to share a video of him making a transaction at a chain gas station. “Recorded for posterity,” Wood said in the caption, showcasing the metal debit card touted by Musk."
FDIC Proposes Ban on Pass Through Stablecoin Insurance
Ledger Insights
"Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Travis Hill said the regulator is proposing a ban on pass through insurance for stablecoin reserves held at FDIC insured banks, and is inviting comments on the proposal. The GENIUS Act explicitly bans deposit insurance for stablecoins themselves. But there are two separate things here. There is the stablecoin, and then there is a deposit account holding reserves. Hill highlighted that the GENIUS Act is clear about the stablecoin itself, but doesn’t discuss the deposit accounts used for reserves."
March 12, 2026
On the web
The Long Road to Going Passwordless
BankInfoSecurity
"Passwords should have disappeared a decade ago. They haven't. Legacy systems, fragmented IT infrastructures and the complexity of modern hybrid environments have kept them alive and kept organizations vulnerable, said Guido Gerrits, vice president of identity and access management for Europe at Thales."
March 11, 2026
On the web
Coinbase-Backed AI Payments Protocol Wants to Fix Micropayment but Demand Is Just Not There Yet
Coindesk
"The x402 protocol aims to enable "agentic payments" by embedding stablecoin micropayments directly into the internet’s communication layer so AI agents and software can pay each other automatically. Despite a roughly $7 billion ecosystem valuation, onchain data shows that x402 currently processes only about $28,000 in daily volume, much of it from testing and "gamed" transactions rather than real commerce. Supporters argue that x402’s true utility will emerge as more AI-driven, pay-per-use services come online, but for now the narrative around agentic commerce is running ahead of actual adoption."
New Report Finds AI-Generated Identities Are Already Passing Digital Onboarding at Scale
Business Wire
"Identity verification systems across Latin America’s digital banking ecosystems are entering a structural risk phase as generative AI enables synthetic identities to be created faster than verification infrastructure can adapt, according to a new threat intelligence report released by DuckDuckGoose. The report, When Identity Becomes Generatable, analyzes generative AI and finds that identity creation has shifted from manipulation toward real-time synthetic human generation capable of passing onboarding and authentication systems."
March 10, 2026
On the web
ABA, Associations Seek Extension of Comment Deadline for OCC Genius Act Implementation
ABA Banking Journal
"The American Bankers Association today joined three other banking associations in requesting that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency extend the public comment deadline for a proposed rule to implement payment stablecoin legislation, saying the potential ramifications for banks merited a deliberative approach. The OCC last month released a nearly 400-page proposed rule to implement the Genius Act and requested feedback on more than 200 questions, many of which were multipart. The agency gave the public 60 days to comment on the proposal."
Why Banks Are Moving Beyond Single-Provider Stablecoin Payment Rails
CoinDesk
"Infrastructure providers are increasingly building network-based stablecoin payment systems instead of single-provider rails, said Borderless CEO, Kevin Lehtiniitty, in an interview on CoinDesk's Markets Outlook. Borderless recently partnered with wallet infrastructure provider Dfns to launch an institutional stablecoin off-ramp aimed at banks, fintechs and enterprises. The system routes stablecoin payouts through multiple liquidity providers across global markets. The goal is to convert stablecoins into local fiat currencies more reliably while avoiding dependence on a single vendor."
Report to Congress From the Secretary of the Treasury on Innovative Technologies to Counter Illicit Finance Involving Digital Assets
Treasury
"This report outlines the Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) findingsregarding the use and potential use of innovative and novel methods, techniques, and strategiesby financial institutions to counter illicit finance related to digital assets. It also makesrecommendations, including legislative, regulatory, and other proposals."
Top US Banks Weigh Suing Federal Regulator Over Crypto Banking Rules
The Guardian
"Some of the largest US banks are considering suing their financial regulator, arguing that a new raft of licenses for crypto, payment and fintech could put American consumers and the wider financial system at risk. The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), which represents 40 of the biggest US lenders including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, is understood to be weighing its legal options after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) failed to heed repeated warnings from influential banking groups and state regulators over its reinterpretation of federal licensing rules."
March 9, 2026
On the web
Real Time Payments: Are Your Systems Ready?
TechTarget
"IT leaders must support 24/7 availability, low-latency processing, APIs and event-driven architecture to handle instant payment settlement. Real time payments demand continuous monitoring, adaptive authentication and automated risk controls to detect unusual patterns and stop fraud. CIOs must integrate or replace batch-based systems, align governance across business and risk teams and prepare platforms to support networks such as FedNow Service."
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