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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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November 2, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Signs Partnership with OpenAI. CEO Says Agentic Commerce Is Still in “Early Days.”
Deployed
"Mastercard has signed a broad strategic partnership with OpenAI. CEO Michael Miebach said on the company's Q3 2026 earnings call on October 29, 2026 that the agreement includes the use of Agent Pay, Mastercard's payment product for AI agents, and goes well beyond it, covering payments, joint growth in services, and AI transformation. He said it takes two forms, machine-to-machine transactions and traditional e-commerce, and pointed to B2B card payments and micro-transactions as future opportunities."
On the wires
Tencent and Mastercard Sign MOU on Cross-Border Payment Interoperability and Agentic Payments
PR Newswire
"TenPay Global, Tencent's cross-border payment platform, and Mastercard have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore cross-border payment interoperability and opportunities in agentic payments, the companies announced. The proposed collaboration aims to make cross-border commerce more connected. For international visitors, that means more ways to pay using familiar digital wallets and issuer apps at QR-enabled merchants. For merchants, it creates opportunities to serve international customers."
October 27, 2026
On the wires
From Followers to Founders: Beast Industries and Mastercard Help the Next Generation Own Their Path to Prosperity
Mastercard
"A new collaboration with Beast Industries aims to give creators the tools and support to turn big ideas into sustainable businesses."
October 23, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Stablecoin Compliance API Targets 60% of Transfers Legacy AML Cannot Trace
Tech Times
"Mastercard unveiled Stablecoin Security: a pre-transaction risk-scoring API that fuses the company's blockchain analytics capabilities with its card-era payment intelligence. Financial institutions that have hesitated to handle stablecoin payments — citing the difficulty of tracing funds through multi-step on-chain paths before a transaction is irreversible — can now integrate the risk score into existing fraud, compliance, and case management workflows via a single API connection."
October 21, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Max Makes Benefits Easy to Discover, Understand and Use
Mastercard
"Mastercard is introducing Mastercard Max, a new AI-powered benefits assistant that helps people get more value from the cards they carry. Cardholders no longer need to search for benefits on their own – Mastercard Max surfaces relevant benefits, provides timely guidance and helps them take action in the moments that matter most, all in one place and through the issuer’s direct channel."
October 15, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard and BVNK Launch Global Money Platform to Power a Multi-Money World
Mastercard
"Mastercard and BVNK announced the launch of Mastercard Global Money Platform, bringing together Mastercard’s global payments capabilities with BVNK’s stablecoin infrastructure through a single API. The launch marks the first major integration of Mastercard and BVNK capabilities since the acquisition of BVNK in August 2026. Payments leader Nuvei and modern card issuing platform Marqeta will be among the first to integrate Global Money Platform, alongside Ontop, Beem and Almond FinTech."
October 14, 2026
Top Post
Visa Lowers Interchange Fees for Tens of Thousands of Small Businesses, But New Credit Card Fees Are on the Horizon [Canada]
PR Newswire
"More small businesses will pay lower credit card processing fees when new Visa interchange rates take effect on October 24. In an agreement with the federal government, Visa and Mastercard lowered interchange fees for small businesses with sales under $300,000 for Visa and $175,000 for Mastercard. Visa is expanding its small merchant interchange rate to firms with up to $750,000 in annual Visa sales and lowering rates for all qualifying businesses. Mastercard's threshold remains at $175,000."
On the web
In-Vehicle Toll Payment Pilot Program (North Carolina)
NCDOT
"The N.C. Turnpike Authority is partnering with Volvo Car USA, Mastercard, Microsoft, RedHat and Cognizant to pilot an in-vehicle toll payment system in North Carolina. This pilot program will enable enrolled Volvo car owners to link their car’s vehicle identification number to a payment method, allowing automatic payments to be processed as soon as the customer’s car drives through a tolled section of roadway."
October 13, 2026
On the web
Mastercard to Introduce Offline Payments in Croatia
Croatia Week
"Mastercard will introduce new rules for offline card payments across Europe in 2027, allowing consumers to pay for essential goods even when electricity or internet connections are disrupted. All newly issued Mastercard cards in Europe will support offline payments from February 2027. By May 2027, all new payment terminals, as well as terminals replacing existing equipment, will also be required to support the technology."
Wex and Mastercard Partner to Launch Asia-Pacific’s First Unified Fleet Payments Network
Mastercard
"WEX and Mastercard announced a strategic partnership set to simplify fleet management operations and modernize fleet payments across Asia-Pacific. The strategic partnership marks a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region that will drive the next-generation payments infrastructure by bringing together universal fuel, vehicle fleet maintenance, tolling, parking and more, in a single payment experience. The program is projected to process billions of dollars in annual transactions as it expands across key regional markets."
October 9, 2026
On the web
Mastercard to Introduce Offline Payment Rules Across Europe
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard will enforce new technical requirements across Europe starting in early 2027 to ensure payments can proceed during telecommunications or electricity outages. The measure follows an April 2025 blackout across Spain and Portugal, which left an estimated 55 million people unable to process digital transactions."
October 2, 2026
On the web
ECB’s Digital Euro Development Targets Visa and Mastercard’s 47% Market Share
The Cryptonomist
"Visa and Mastercard already process nearly half of every euro spent on cards across the eurozone, a dominance that has pushed European officials to build an alternative: a new European Central Bank digital currency known as the digital euro. A 12-month pilot of the digital euro is set to start in the second half of 2027, with 36 finance firms including Deutsche Bank, Revolut, Adyen and UniCredit taking part. Businesses across the euro area will be required to accept the digital euro, both in-store and online, by 2029."
September 30, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Advances Agentic Commerce With New Trust and Intelligence Services
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard announced an expansion of Agent Pay, its agentic payments program, with new trust and intelligence services that provide greater context for AI-initiated transactions. By bringing together identity, intent, behavioral and fraud insights, the services give financial institutions and merchants a clearer, shared understanding of AI-driven activity – enabling smarter authorization decisions, less friction and more seamless experiences for consumers. These services form the intelligence layer of Mastercard's Agent Pay Trust Framework."
September 25, 2026
On the web
Mastercard: From AI-Powered Planning to the Christmas Eve Rush: What to Expect This Holiday Season
Mastercard
"Holiday shopping may still be weeks away, but the 2026 season is setting up to be one of the strongest in years, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute’s annual holiday forecast for the U.S. MEI expects U.S. retail sales, excluding automobiles and gas, to increase 5.5% year over year between November 1 and December 24, based on SpendingPulse insights, which represent in-store and online spending across all forms of payment. That would mark the strongest holiday growth since 2022."
September 24, 2026
On the web
Sofi and Mastercard’s New Stablecoin Partnership Is a Big Deal. Here’s Why. [Video]
Yahoo Finance
Mastercard and SoFi have a new stablecoin partnership. Scott Melker outlines the details in the video.
September 23, 2026
On the web
Mastercard: Changing Lanes: Cross-Border Payment Providers in New Race to Win Small Business Loyalty
Mastercard
"Nine in 10 (91%) small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) trading internationally are set to switch their current cross-border payment provider in the next two years, according to Mastercard’s new Money in Motion report. The findings point to a fast-changing market, as SMEs look for more efficient ways to move money across borders."
September 22, 2026
On the web
BVNK Expands Multi-Chain Stablecoin Infrastructure with Stellar Integration
BVNK by Mastercard
"BVNK announced the integration of the Stellar blockchain into its stablecoin payments platform, giving businesses access to another high-speed, low-cost payment rail through BVNK’s single platform and API. The integration gives BVNK’s customers an additional route for moving stablecoins globally, while enabling businesses to access multiple blockchain networks through a single API. This abstracts much of the technical complexity of connecting to individual blockchain networks."
Moov Launches Moov Money, a New P2P Solution Built Using the Debit Cards Americans Already Carry
Business Wire
"Built in collaboration with Mastercard and Visa, the new solution enables participating banks and credit unions to deliver secure P2P payments while keeping deposits and customer relationships at their primary institution. Turnkey integration with Jack Henry’s Banno Digital Platform™ gives over 1,000 banks and credit unions more choice in P2P payments"
SoFi Becomes First National Bank to Go Live with Stablecoin Settlement across Mastercard’s Global Payments Network
Business Wire
"SoFi Technologies, Inc. and Mastercard announced that stablecoin settlement is now live across SoFi Bank, N.A.’s debit and credit card program, bringing stablecoin settlement through SoFiUSD, issued by a federally regulated bank, to Mastercard’s global payments network following the companies’ partnership announced in March. As part of the launch, SoFi Bank is migrating its entire $25 billion card program to stablecoin settlement of transactions using SoFiUSD. Transactions are live on the blockchain today."
Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers Bank Establish Secure Agentic Commerce Benchmark
The Fast Mode
"Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers Bank announced Canada’s first successful deployment of a landmark agentic commerce transaction involving an AI-powered commerce platform, card issuer and payments network, demonstrating how AI-powered shopping experiences can prioritize consumer control, transparency and security."
September 17, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Links up with Alchemy to Offer Agentic Shopping Option
Seeking Alpha
"Mastercard and Alchemy have teamed up to advance the use of agentic AI shopping for purchases, the companies said. Alchemy provides the tech that allows users to issue virtual payment cards to AI bots embedded with a slate of restrictions, such as spending limits and types of products that may be purchased. The company's AgentCard will support Mastercard payment credentials through an integration with Mastercard Agent Pay, giving developers a way to build AI agents that can safely complete purchases for users online, Alchemy said."
September 16, 2026
On the web
Mastercard and Trip.com Pave the Way for Agentic Commerce in the Travel Sector [Video]
Mastercard
"Mastercard and Trip.com have joined forces to showcase AI powered booking experiences for the travel sector. Powered by Mastercard’s Agent Suite for Merchants and in partnership with Network International, the organizations are showcasing how consumers will be able to search, book, and complete purchases through Trip.com’s AI agent TripGenie. By combining Trip.com’s travel ecosystem."
September 15, 2026
On the web
Google Pay to Add Device Biometrics for Mastercard Payments in India
Biometric Update
"Mastercard and Google Pay plan to allow users in India to authenticate eligible card payments with a fingerprint or face scan on their smartphones. The optional biometric authentication feature will be available through participating issuing banks to customers with an eligible Mastercard saved in Google Pay. Mastercard says it is intended for utility bills, mobile recharges, and eligible online merchant checkouts. The companies expect to begin rolling it out by the end of 2026."
September 10, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Launches Wallet Pay to Scale Digital Wallets Worldwide
Mastercard
"Digital wallets have rapidly evolved into robust, multi-service platforms, now serving over 4.3 billion users worldwide. With global usage set to top 6 billion by 2030, Mastercard is introducing Mastercard Wallet Pay, a global portfolio of solutions designed to foster interoperability and innovation for digital wallets across contactless (NFC), QR codes and online digital payments."
September 9, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Gives Merchants a Simpler Way to Build, Connect and Scale Ai-Powered Shopping Experiences
Mastercard
"New Mastercard Agent Connect solution and expanded Agent Suite for Merchants capabilities will help businesses create agent-powered shopping experiences, make products discoverable across AI ecosystems and support trusted agentic transactions while maintaining control. Mastercard can also help merchants prepare to support secure agentic transactions with Mastercard Agent Pay."
September 4, 2026
On the web
Education: Mastercard - What’s in the Cards?
Mastercard
"The credit card is one of the most recognizable totems of modern commerce. Billions and billions of cards have been produced over the decades, and while the dimensions have largely remained the same, new technology, design trends and concerns about accessibility and sustainability have evolved how they look, feel and work. Here’s a brief look at the changing face of cards."
August 20, 2026
On the web
Stablecoins Won’t Replace the Dollar: Mastercard CEO [Video]
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach explains to Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi how stablecoins could help suppliers in high-inflation countries and make difficult cross-border payments faster and more predictable, while also explaining why crypto still won't replace the dollar."
August 17, 2026
On the web
A Routine Mastercard Update Knocked Out Card Payments Across Australia
Startup Fortune
"On Saturday afternoon, you couldn't trust your Mastercard at the checkout in parts of Australia. Not to tap. Not through Apple Pay. Not through Android Pay. News.com.au reported that Downdetector showed more than 1,700 Mastercard outage reports by 3pm on August 15, 2026, as failed transactions hit shoppers and businesses during weekend trading."
August 7, 2026
On the web
Mastercard’s Trust Layer: The Compliance Bottleneck That Could Decide Who Wins Stablecoin Payments
Yahoo Finance
"The primary obstacle to global stablecoin adoption is not the speed of settlement, but the friction of compliance. Every transaction between disparate providers currently requires redundant verification, a process that fails to scale alongside the underlying network infrastructure. Mastercard and Borderless.xyz announced a pilot program designed to address this inefficiency. By deploying Mastercard's Crypto Credential framework across the Borderless.xyz network, the initiative introduces a standardized trust layer."
August 6, 2026
On the web
Mastercard’s Trust Layer: The Compliance Bottleneck That Could Decide Who Wins Stablecoin Payments
Forkast
"By deploying Crypto Credential across the Borderless.xyz network, Mastercard is betting it's over who controls verification at scale. Every transaction between disparate providers currently requires redundant verification, a process that fails to scale alongside the underlying network infrastructure. Mastercard and Borderless.xyz announced a pilot program designed to address this inefficiency. By deploying Mastercard’s Crypto Credential framework across the Borderless.xyz network, the initiative introduces a standardized trust layer."
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