Industry

Advancing in Tandem - Results of the 2024 BIS Survey on Central Bank Digital Currencies and Crypto

BIS

"Central banks' involvement in central bank digital currency (CBDC) work remained strong in 2024. Of the 93 central banks surveyed, 91% (85) were exploring either a retail CBDC, a wholesale CBDC or both. At an aggregate level, the exploration of wholesale CBDCs is at more advanced stages than exploration of retail CBDCs."

Industry

Is There Still an Opportunity for Biometric Payment Cards?

Biometric Update

"Biometrics has had a significant impact on payments, allowing secure and frictionless payment experiences on all payment channels, even enabling new channels to be supported. A very small percentage of the billions of payment cards that are shipped each year around the world are biometric-capable and many companies that developed technology for biometric payment cards are now struggling to survive, having to change tack to other markets and applications including physical access control."

Industry

Zil Money Transforms Spending Control with AI-Powered Virtual Card Features

The Globe and Mail

"Zil Money has introduced two innovative features in its Virtual Card suite: AI-powered receipt parsing and automated spending analysis reports. Businesses can now automatically track spending, with detailed breakdowns by category, merchant, and more, offering unparalleled visibility into financial transactions."

Industry

Metamask Crypto Wallet Plans $Musd Stablecoin With Stripe’s Bridge and M0

Ledger Insights

"MetaMask, the largest self custody crypto wallet, has unveiled plans to launch its own stablecoin MetaMask USD ($mUSD) later this year. The digital currency will be integrated across MetaMask’s ecosystem, spanning decentralized applications and DeFi protocols. The stablecoin will be issued via Bridge, a Stripe subsidiary focused on stablecoin infrastructure, which involves a partnership with M^0, a decentralized stablecoin protocol."

Industry

1st Commercial Credit Unveils Vendor Pay Express, Offering Suppliers Early Payments and Buyers Interest-Free Credit

PR Newswire

"Vendor Pay Express, Inc., an affiliate of 1st Commercial Credit, LLC, announced the official launch of its digital supplier payment platform, introducing a new approach to B2B transactions. Suppliers receive early payments, improving liquidity and strengthening cash flow, while buyers can maintain their negotiated net terms and access an unsecured line of credit to cover vendor payments—without incurring interest."

Industry

Banks Respond to CFPB’s Reopened Section 1033 Rulemaking

Bank Policy Institute

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today took a concrete step to comprehensively reexamine its prior 1033 rulemaking by issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking input on particular issues related to implementation of Section 1033."

Industry

Wyoming Makes Gov Fintech History With Launch of First US State-Issued Stablecoin

Global Government Fintech

"The US state of Wyoming has this week announced the ‘mainnet’ launch of its own stablecoin – the Frontier Stable Token (FRNT). FRNT is a groundbreaking digital money programme for the public sector as the first fiat-backed, fully-reserved stablecoin issued by a public entity in the US – an eye-catching development given that traditional stablecoins are issued by private companies."

Industry

Pritzker, Taking Aim at Trump, Crypto ‘Bros,’ Signs Laws to Regulate Digital Currency Industry, Crypto ATMs

Chicago Sun-Times

"Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills into law Monday that will allow the state to regulate the booming crypto industry. One of the new laws gives the state broad regulatory power over the crypto industry, and the other provides specific consumer protections surrounding kiosks that handle digital currency transactions. To prevent fraud, the state will cap daily transaction amounts at kiosks at $2,500 for new customers, limit transaction fees at kiosks to 18% and provide full refunds to new customers who get defrauded."

Industry

PenFed Credit Union Introduces Mobile Cash Deposit at Participating Retail Stores

PR Newswire

"PenFed Credit Union, one of the nation's largest federal credit unions, is partnering with InComm Payments to offer members mobile cash deposits at participating retail stores including Dollar General®, Walgreens, Kroger®, participating 7-Eleven® locations and many more. Using the PenFed Mobile App, checking account members can generate a one-time use barcode, show it to the cashier to scan and complete a cash deposit transaction."

Industry

Treasury Issues Request for Comment Related to the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act

Treasury

"The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Request for Comment required by the GENIUS Act, which furthers the Administration’s policy of supporting the responsible growth and use of digital assets, as outlined in Executive Order (E.O.) 14178 on “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology. In particular, Treasury asks commenters about application program interfaces, artificial intelligence, digital identity verification, and use of blockchain technology and monitoring.”"

Industry

Lithic Integrates Visa’s Latest API to Upgrade Cardholders and Generate Revenue for Issuers Faster

Business Wire

"Lithic, the card issuing processing platform powering next-generation financial experiences, announced its integration with Visa Account Level Management (ALM) over Visa’s Card Program Enrollment (VCPE) API. Visa ALM evaluates spend across multiple cards under a single account to determine premium program eligibility. This shift from BIN-level to account-level assessment helps improve program economics while accelerating benefit delivery."

Industry

No Summer Holiday for RTP As Volume Increases

Digital Transactions

"Real-time payments over the RTP network from The Clearing House Payments Co. LLC, increased over both the Memorial Day and July 4 weekends, with Memorial Day volume at 860,268 transactions valued at $2.6 billion, compared with 677,061 transactions at $307.9 million for the 2024 holiday. TCH advises that it raised its transaction limit on Feb. 9 to $10 million from $1 million."

Industry

Cross-Border Money Transfer Corridors: Where Is the Real Volume?

Finance Magnates

"Cross-border money transfer refers to the flow of money from one country to another. It is often linked to immigration and remittances (money migrants send back home) as an indication of an informal yet substantial socioeconomic relationship between countries. For context, as the number of international migrants increased from 174 million to 281 million between 2000 and 2020, remittances spiked from $128 billion in 2000 to $831 billion in 2022, according to the UN World Migration Report 2024."

Industry

Retailer Stablecoins: How They Threaten Credit Unions

CU Insight

"Retailer-issued stablecoins—digital currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar and controlled by merchants—are no longer just a tech curiosity; they pose a direct challenge to the $90 billion interchange fee system that has long subsidized credit union operations and member rewards programs. Major retailers are already experimenting with payment alternatives that bypass traditional networks. Amazon's partnership with Venmo, Target's collaboration with Sezzle, and Starbucks' stored value program all aim to reduce reliance on Visa and Mastercard's duopoly."

Industry

Why Circle and Stripe (And Many Others) Are Launching Their Own Blockchains

CoinDesk

"Every day, there seems to be a new blockchain for stablecoins. Or at least that’s how it felt this week, when USDC (USDC) issuer Circle announced Arc, its own settlement network, shortly after payments giant Stripe accidentally revealed Tempo, built in collaboration with Paradigm. Stablecoins are poised to disrupt cross-border payments, while tokenization allows traditional instruments like bonds, funds and stocks trade around-the clock with faster settlements on blockchain rails, proponents say."

Industry

Apple Card Falls to Third in Customer Satisfaction Rankings, After Holding Top Spot for Four Years

AppleInsider

"The Apple Card isn't the customer service standout it once was, with new data showing satisfaction slipping as consumers chase richer perks elsewhere. The 2025 study gave Apple Card a satisfaction score of 624 out of 1,000. This was down from 654 in 2024. Apple Card is known for its no-fee structure and simplicity, making it a top no-annual-fee credit card in 2025. However, that isn't good enough in a rewards-focused market."

Industry

Behind Wall Street’s Abrupt Flip on Crypto

The New York Times

"In investor calls, public presentations and meetings with Washington regulators, financial executives are tripping over one another to unveil new plans —including the development of fresh cryptocurrencies under bank umbrellas and loans tied to digital assets.... But behind the scenes at major financial institutions — and in stark contrast to the public showboating among chief executives — fear is also rising that the rush into crypto may risk the safety of personal bank accounts in ways that Wall Street and Washington are just beginning to understand..." [Subscription Required]

Industry

NY Attorney General Sues Zelle Parent Company, Alleging the Payment Service Enabled Widespread Fraud

CNN

"New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday sued Early Warning Services (EWS), which operates Zelle, alleging the electronic money-transfer service fails to protect its users from “massive amounts of fraud.” The lawsuit alleges that EWS knew that key features of Zelle’s service made it susceptible to fraud, but it still failed to implement safety measures and allowed scammers to steal over $1 billion."

Industry

EMVCo Requests Feedback on Electric Vehicle Open Payments Solution

EMVCo

EMVCo, the global technical body for the payments industry, has released a draft document describing an interoperable open payment solution for electric vehicle (EV) charging. All interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide their feedback on the draft by Wednesday 03 September.

Industry

Eldorado Gaming Integrates Pix to Enhance Payment Experience for Brazilian Users

GlobeNewswire News Room

"Eldorado.gg, the world’s leading online peer-to-peer marketplace for digital game goods, has announced the integration of PIX, Brazil’s real-time payment system, into its local platform at Eldorado.gg/br/. The move is designed to enhance the user experience for Brazilian gamers by offering a fast, secure, and familiar payment option."

Industry

The Future of $40 Trillion in Cross-Border B2B Payments

Financial IT

"Every year, around $40 trillion flows through cross-border B2B payments, forming a significant portion of the broader $194 trillion global payments market, yet the majority still moves on outdated rails. This traditional, inefficient banking infrastructure was never designed for what our global economy demands today. At the heart of traditional cross-border payments is a complex web of intermediaries."

Industry

The Majority of the US’s Largest Banks Have Embraced Crypto Services

Banking Exchange

"More than half of the 25 largest banks in the US are now either considering or actively rolling out crypto-related products. Bitcoin service provider River shared a status chart tracking these banking giants across two areas: custody and trading. The snapshot revealed that 13 of the largest banks have advanced from “not yet” to “exploring,” “announced,” or even offering limited access to crypto services, primarily targeting high-net-worth clients."

Industry

Sheetz Rolls Out Half-Price Crypto Payments, Eyeing Cost Savings and Customer Loyalty

Cryptones

"The company has launched a daily promotion offering customers 50% off purchases when they pay with Bitcoin or select cryptocurrencies. While the discount grabs attention, Sheetz insists it’s more than a headline play. By settling transactions directly in crypto, the company says it can cut payment processing fees by up to half – a shift that could meaningfully boost margins in a competitive retail market."

Industry

BankSocial Launches Tokenized Shared Branching Network, Aiming To Modernize Credit Union Payments

CUToday

"BankSocial’s new model replaces the traditional shared branching framework—where transactions rely on intermediary “acquirer” credit unions—with a peer-to-peer, real-time settlement system...The initiative is drawing inspiration from Zelle, the real-time payments network launched by a consortium of banks, but is tailored for the credit union philosophy, Reed said."

Industry

Corpay Partners With Circle Group to Expand Stablecoin Access

MSN

"Corporate payments company Corpay has joined forces with a subsidiary of fintech firm Circle Internet Group to incorporate the use of stablecoins in its cross-border payment services. The tie-up will enable the use of US Dollar Coin (USDC) within Corpay's payment infrastructure, granting businesses with the ability to access 24/7 settlement times and features of blockchain technology."

Industry

Marex is First Clearing Firm to Use Kinexys Digital Payments

Markets Media

"Marex Group plc, the diversified global financial services platform, announces a collaboration with Brevan Howard Digital to utilize Kinexys by J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys Digital Payments in order to reduce settlement risk and facilitate more efficient payments. Marex is the first clearing firm to use Kinexys Digital Payments’ blockchain deposit accounts to facilitate more streamlined processes with clients."

Industry

US Judge Vacates Fed’s Debit Card ‘Swipe Fees’ Rule, but Pauses Order for Appeal

Reuters

"A U.S. judge has vacated the Federal Reserve’s “swipe fees” regulation that capped the amount banks charge merchants for processing debit transactions, in a ruling favoring retailers that have long complained about paying inflated amounts.The court ruling, opens new tab, issued by a federal judge in North Dakota, will not take immediate effect, giving the Federal Reserve a chance to appeal the ruling."

Industry

ISO 20022 for Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus (CBPR+) - The End of Coexistence Is Approaching

Swift

"Four, three, two, one… the end of coexistence for ISO 20022 for CBPR+ (Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus) is almost here. As the November 2025 CBPR+ deadline rapidly approaches, financial institutions need to ensure they have adopted the ISO 20022 global payment standard or, at minimum, be prepared for the impact on their organisation."

Industry

Social Security Says It Will No Longer Send Paper Checks. What You Need to Know

CNN

"The Trump administration will soon stop sending out paper checks for Social Security beneficiaries, as part of an effort to fully modernize federal benefits payments. That means a little over half a million recipients — or 0.8% of all the program’s beneficiaries — must now choose another way to receive their benefits. There will, however, be some exceptions made. The Social Security Administration announced in mid-July that starting on September 30 it would no longer issue paper checks."

Industry

Handwave Lends a Hand to Retailers With Its European Alternative to Amazon’s Palm Payments

TechCrunch

"Paying with a handwave once sounded like science fiction, but contactless palm recognition service Amazon One has already been used more than 8 million times, according to the company. That’s Amazon, though, which explains why it has been deployed in Amazon stores and more than 500 Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S., but only 150 third-party locations. Meanwhile, fintech startups like Latvia’s Handwave are stepping onto the field, aiming to provide third-party retailers with a similar but independent solution for faster checkout while leveraging the giant’s role in popularizing biometric payments in the West."