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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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January 27, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Unveils Major AI Shopping Change Coming for CBA, Westpac Customers: ‘Australia’s First' Transaction
Yahoo Finance
"Global payments giant Mastercard announced it will expand its agentic payments technology further in Australia with the completion of Australia’s first authenticated agentic transactions, which are transactions completed by an 'AI agent', using Commonwealth Bank and Westpac cards. Mastercard’s ‘Agent Pay’ technology, which was launched in the US last year, allows shoppers to ask an AI agent to search, find and buy items for them."
On the web
Mastercard Launches Agent Suite to Ready Enterprises for a New Era
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced a suite of services to help customers integrate agentic AI into their operations and accelerate toward this next frontier. Mastercard Agent Suite will combine technical support with customizable AI agents. Customers will be able to build, test, and deploy fit-for-purpose agents from Mastercard Agent Suite."
January 26, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Launches Best-In-Class ‘Bin Sponsor Plus’ Programme to Support Next Generation of U.K. Fintechs
Mastercard
"Mastercard is introducing a new accreditation programme for BIN sponsors – established financial institutions which support Fintechs and any business interested in getting into payments by helping them to launch card programmes quickly and efficiently. The BIN Sponsor Plus programme is the first of its kind, intended to accelerate the growth of UK Fintechs and businesses entering the payments space by providing them with access to a vetted list of trusted partners and guidance on scaling efficiently. BIN Sponsorship provides a route to market without the time and investment associated with becoming an issuer."
January 20, 2026
On the web
The New Rules of the Road for Agentic Commerce
Mastercard
"Mastercard joined forces with Google on its Universal Commerce Protocol, an open protocol that enables interoperability between AI agents and merchants. They continue to collaborate across the value chain, including Google’s Agent Payments Protocol and Agent2Agent Protocol, OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, and more to ensure these platforms meet the same standards for clear user intent, secure credentials and verifiable agent identity."
January 9, 2026
Top Post
Inside Agentic Commerce: A New Way to Transact Raises New Questions
Mastercard
"As AI agents shop and pay on behalf of consumers, the payments ecosystem is tackling challenges around intent, fraud prevention and accountability."
January 7, 2026
On the web
Mastercard: The Stories That Defined 2025: Stablecoins, Security and Speed
Mastercard
"This year, the Mastercard Newsroom’s most-read stories didn’t just chronicle breakthroughs. They captured the tension between innovation and uncertainty, as new payment models, fast-moving technology and regulatory shifts reshape how we think about trust, security and the future of money, considering not just what’s changing, but why it matters."
December 19, 2025
Top Post
Visa and Mastercard to Pay $167.5m to Settle Lawsuit Over ATM Fees
The Guaradian
"Visa and Mastercard have agreed to pay a combined $167.5m to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to keep ATM access fees artificially high. The proposed settlement was filed on Thursday in the federal district court in Washington and requires a judge’s approval. The accord would pay potentially millions of ATM users who were charged an unreimbursed access fee to withdraw cash from independent, non-bank ATMs. Visa would contribute about $88.8m and Mastercard about $78.7m to a settlement fund. The money would be distributed to eligible customers with qualifying ATM transactions made since October 2007."
On the web
Pay.UK and Vocalink Extend Contracts for UK Payments Backbone
Fintech Global
"Pay.UK and Vocalink, a Mastercard company, have agreed to multi-year extensions to their existing infrastructure contracts, a move designed to safeguard the continuity of the UK’s core interbank payment systems well into the early 2030s."
December 17, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard Boosts Africa Acceptance Network by 45% in 2025, Accelerating the Continent’s Digital Economy
Mastercard
"Mastercard has grown its acceptance network across Africa by 45 per cent in 2025 – a major milestone that brings millions more consumers and small businesses into the continent’s fast-expanding digital economy. This accelerated progress underscores the strong advancement of digital payments, technology, and innovation in Africa—a transformation that traditionally would have taken several years to accomplish."
December 16, 2025
On the web
Mastercard and LoanPro Announce Partnership to Modernize Lending
Mastercard
"Mastercard and LoanPro today announced a new strategic partnership to launch Loan on Card, a solution designed to enable lenders to deliver loans to approved consumer and small business borrowers through virtual and physical card-based experiences. Set to launch in 2026, Loan on Card will provide borrowers with instant access to funds that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted."
December 12, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Unveils Open Finance Business Solutions in Australia to Power Small Business Growth Through Secure Real-Time Data Sharing
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced the launch of Open Finance Business Solutions, a suite of tools that helps small and medium-sized enterprises harness real-time financial data to work smarter, save time and drive sustainable growth. The launch comes as Australia sharpens its focus on productivity and smarter data sharing, with the Productivity Commission estimating that a mature data-sharing regime could unlock up to $10 billion in annual gains."
December 8, 2025
On the web
TenPay Global and Mastercard Collaborate to Enable Fast and Secure Remittances to Weixin Pay
Mastercard
"TenPay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform, and Mastercard Move, Mastercard’s money movement business, have announced a collaboration to facilitate fast, secure and transparent digital remittances directly to Weixin Pay, a leading mobile payment service within the Weixin ecosystem in China. Through Mastercard Move, eligible senders around the world will be able to send salaries and family support directly to Weixin Pay Wallet Balance or linked bank cards in Weixin Pay."
December 3, 2025
On the web
Six Payment Trends for 2026
Mastercard
"If there’s a topline trend to 2026, it’s how payments are evolving, becoming more personalized, predictive and seamlessly interoperable between traditional and new payment platforms: Top trends: securing agentic commerce; connecting crypto to fiat commerce; doubling down on digital identity; redefining consumption for the circular age; personalizing payments, benefits and risk; enabling the instant economy for everyone, everywhere."
December 1, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard SpendingPulse: US Black Friday Retail Sales up +4.1% YoY as Holiday Momentum Builds
Mastercard
"According to preliminary insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse™, U.S. retail sales excluding autos were up +4.1% on Black Friday, November 28 compared to Black Friday 2024. Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales, representing all payment types, and is not adjusted for inflation."
November 24, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard Unveils New Open-Loop Mobility Product
Fintech Global
"Mastercard has reinforced its position at the forefront of mobility innovation with the launch of its enhanced open-loop transit solution. The company’s open-loop transit solution allows riders to tap into public transport systems using existing Mastercard debit or credit cards, as well as digital wallets on mobile phones or wearables. This removes the need for dedicated travel cards, physical top-ups or supplementary ticketing systems, enabling seamless journeys across metros, buses, trains, trams and ferries."
November 20, 2025
On the web
Mastercard’s 2030 Vision Builds an Intelligent Future for Payments
The Asian Banker
"At the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, Sandeep Malhotra, executive vice president of core payments for Asia Pacific at Mastercard, outlines how the firm is reshaping regional payments infrastructure through tokenisation, interoperability and AI‑ready systems amid accelerating digital transformation."
November 19, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Brings Agentic Payments to Life with Majid Al Futtaim in the UAE
Mastercard
"In a world where artificial intelligence is reshaping how people shop, pay, and connect, Mastercard is introducing Agent Pay in the UAE, and today marked its first transaction outside the US. As part of this pilot phase in the UAE, Mastercard is collaborating with Majid Al Futtaim, a leader in shopping malls, communities, retail, and leisure across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and with fintech Dataiera."
November 13, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard and Thunes Bring Stablecoin Payouts to the Mainstream
Mastercard
"Mastercard and Thunes have teamed up to accelerate global money movement for banks, payment service providers and end-users by expanding stablecoin wallet payout capabilities. Through this strategic collaboration, announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival , Mastercard Move will facilitate near real-time payouts to stablecoin wallets via Thunes’ Direct Global Network, harnessing the speed, liquidity, and 24/7 availability of regulated stablecoins."
November 12, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Champions Password-Free, Number-Free Checkout Across Asia Pacific by 2030
Mastercard
"At the Singapore FinTech Festival, Mastercard announced its ambition to make online shopping across Asia Pacific password-free and number-free by 2030. While more than a third of Mastercard transactions worldwide are already tokenized, achieving that vision in the world’s largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market — projected to exceed USD 7 trillion by 2030[1] — will require collective action. Mastercard is rallying banks, merchants, digital wallets, and technology partners to enable secure, tokenized payments powered by biometric authentication. This eliminates manual card entry and static passwords, making checkout faster and safer for consumers."
November 10, 2025
On the wires
Visa and Mastercard Near Settlement With Merchants, Would Lower Fees, WSJ Reports
Reuters-WSJ
"U.S. payment firms Visa and Mastercard nearing a settlement with merchants by lowering fees stores pay and giving them more power to reject certain credit cards, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with matter. Visa and Mastercard would trim interchange fees, typically 2% to 2.5% per transaction, by an average of about a tenth of a percentage point over several years, the Journal reported citing sources. The companies would also ease rules that currently require merchants accepting one network credit card type to accept all of them."
November 6, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard, Ripple and Gemini Test Card Payments on XRP Ledger
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard has joined forces with Ripple and Gemini to test a new way to settle credit card transactions using the RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger. The plan would connect Gemini’s credit card, which is issued through WebBank, to a blockchain-based system where settlement happens using RLUSD instead of the usual behind-the-scenes bank transfers. The project is expected to roll out in the coming months, once it clears regulatory reviews and participating partners are officially onboarded."
October 30, 2025
On the web
Real-Time Payments Systems: A Force for Transformation
OMFIF
"A vibrant, safe and innovative RTP ecosystem depends on conditions that are co-created by the public and private sectors. Success is defined by three core imperatives: security, interoperability and digital extensibility. A new report published by OMFIF and Mastercard, Future-proofing the architecture of real-time payments, finds that these three dimensions must be advanced in parallel to realise the promise of safe, inclusive and future-ready payments ecosystems that enable broad participation across stakeholders."
October 27, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Introduces First-Ever Threat Intelligence Solution to Combat Payment Fraud at Scale
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced Mastercard Threat Intelligence. The solution brings together Mastercard’s fraud insights and global network visibility with curated cyber threat intelligence from Recorded Future's platform to help payment fraud and merchant compliance teams at banks proactively detect, prevent, and respond to cyber-enabled fraud. Key features: card testing detection, digital skimming intelligence, merchant threat intelligence, payment ecosystem threat intelligence, and payment intelligence reports. "
October 24, 2025
Top Post
The Imposter’s Playbook [Video]
Mastercard
"Cybercriminals’ tactics are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, using the latest AI and deepfake technology to create convincing fakes of your voice, texts, emails, and even your face to trick your friends, colleagues and loved ones into sharing their personal information, account info and money. Episode 2 of Mastercard’s “Anatomy of a Scam” documentary series explores the rise of impersonation scams through the eyes of one loving Midwest family."
October 16, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard Is Supercharging Commercial Payments Innovation
Mastercard
"Mastercard is pioneering a future where consumer-grade simplicity can be the norm for B2B payments. As consumers, we book a ride or order a coffee, and the payment for these services is seamlessly embedded. Mastercard is introducing two new innovations – Commercial Connect API and clearing controls – to accelerate that same intuitive ease and unlock enhanced controls across B2B transactions."
October 15, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Adds Features for B2B Payments
CPA Practice Advisor
"Mastercard has announced two new innovations – Commercial Connect API and clearing controls – to accelerate the same intuitive ease consumers have and unlock enhanced controls across B2B transactions. The solution will address industry-wide challenges of expanding services requiring multiple APIs by simplifying integration even further through one, scalable connection."
Scaling Agentic Commerce With Trust
Mastercard
"As the digital economy evolves, a new frontier is emerging through agentic commerce, where AI agents can assist consumers with the buying process (agent-assisted commerce) as well as autonomously find and buy products, guided by the consumer’s intent (autonomous agentic commerce). This paradigm shift provides consumers and businesses with unparalleled convenience and efficiency — but it also presents new challenges related to trust, security and interoperability."
October 14, 2025
Top Post
Mastercard Launches Merchant Cloud to Simplify and Support Commerce Growth in Global Acceptance Ecosystem
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced Merchant Cloud, a next-generation payments platform. The platform offers scheme-agnostic solutions for credential tokenization, guest checkout, fraud protection, identity verification, and approval rate optimization. It also provides customers with a variety of gateway services, such as omnichannel experiences, efficient transaction routing, and access to data insights."
On the wires
Visa, Mastercard Agree to $199.5 Million Settlement in Merchants’ Class Action
Reuters
"Visa and Mastercard have agreed to pay a combined $199.5 million to settle a nearly decade-old class action that accused them of forcing merchants to swallow some of the costs of fraudulent transactions involving counterfeit, lost, or stolen cards."
October 13, 2025
On the web
Mastercard Payment Optimization Platform Uses the Power of Data to Drive More Approvals
Mastercard
"Mastercard unveiled a new service, the Payment Optimization Platform (POP), which is designed to improve approval rates for merchants using data to make intelligent decisions about transactions. Early pilot results show a 9% to 15% increase in conversions. Mastercard continues to roll-out POP with Adyen, NEOPAY, Tap Payments and Worldpay."
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