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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 16, 2026
On the web
Mobile Payments on the Rise, Cash Continues to Decrease [UAE]
Visa Middle East
"Across the UAE, payment habits continue to rapidly evolve, with more consumers embracing faster, more secure digital experiences. Visa’s third edition of its ‘Where Cash Hides’ report¹ shows 68% of UAE consumers are largely non-cash users, making most of their payments with payments cards or mobile devices. This is an increase of 7% compared with last year, highlighting a clear move away from relying on cash."
On the wires
Visa Supports Chinese Cardholders to Add Cards to Apple Pay for a More Convenient and Secure Payment Experience
PR Newswire
"Visa announced its support for Chinese Visa cardholders to pay with Apple Pay. Together with Apple, Visa will enable Chinese cardholders to add Visa cards from participating banks to Apple Pay and make payments at overseas Visa-accepting merchants, in-store, in-app and online. Today, 79 percent of in-person transactions globally are made contactlessly with NFC."
January 14, 2026
On the web
Visa Partners With BVNK to Enable Stablecoin Payouts on Visa Direct
Decrypt
"Payments giant Visa has partnered with London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK to enable stablecoin-funded payouts across Visa Direct, expanding the network’s payment options beyond traditional fiat rails. Under the partnership, BVNK will power stablecoin payments for Visa Direct, Visa’s $1.7 trillion money-movement platform."
Visa 2026 Global Economic Outlook: AI Adoption and Shifting Trade Patterns Drive Economic Transformation Beneath Steady Growth
Visa
"Visa forecasts structural economic transformation driven by AI adoption, supply chain rewiring and accelerating business investment that supports stable 2.7% global growth. Global GDP projected to grow 2.7% in 2026, with surface stability masking fundamental shifts in trade, technology and demographics; Rise in business investment gains should offset softening consumption; Small businesses outpace consumers in AI adoption, with AI-integrating firms showing significantly higher transaction growth"
January 9, 2026
On the web
Visa’s New Stablecoin Payout Pilot
The European Business Review
"Visa’s recent announcement of a new pilot program marks a significant step in the crypto world, where businesses will be able to make USD-backed stablecoin payouts directly to vendors’ wallets. This pilot, in simple terms, enables companies to make payments in traditional fiat currencies, while recipients can choose to receive their payments in a US dollar-pegged stablecoin, such as USDC."
January 8, 2026
On the web
Visa Launches Card-Based Trade Payment Platform
VIR
"Visa announced a partnership with VPBank, Shinhan Bank Vietnam, and MB to launch the Global Trade Payment Platform (GTPP), described as the market’s first global card-based solution for trade payments, enabling Vietnamese importers to pay South Korean suppliers using Visa Commercial Cards."
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."
Visa Partners with Aldar to Complete First End to End Voice-Enabled Agentic Payment in the Region [UAE]
Visa Middle East
Visa and Aldar announced a strategic collaboration that marks the first live implementation of Visa Intelligent Commerce in the region, introducing end-to-end, voice-enabled agentic payment experiences. The first transaction saw a customer pay their real estate service charges on the Live Aldar mobile app, through an AI agent who took the customer through a simple, consent-led flow, confirming their details, and completing the transaction within seconds. The transaction used an Emirates NBD Darna Visa Credit Card, a co-branded credit card linked to Aldar’s digital loyalty platform, Darna.
December 18, 2025
Top Post
Visa and Partners Complete Secure AI Transactions, Setting the Stage for Mainstream Adoption in 2026
Visa
"Visa Inc. announced a major milestone in the evolution of AI-powered commerce: hundreds of secure, agent-initiated transactions have now been successfully completed in collaboration with partners across the ecosystem. This breakthrough signals that 2025 will be the final year consumers shop and checkout alone, as AI agent-driven payments rapidly transition from experimentation to mainstream adoption."
December 17, 2025
On the web
Akamai and Visa Collaborate to Build Trust in Agentic Commerce
Visa
"Akamai Technologies, Inc. announced a strategic collaboration with Visa to bring stronger identity, user recognition, and security controls to the emerging world of agentic commerce. Through its integration of Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s edge-based behavioral intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection, the companies will deliver the identity, authentication, and fraud controls required to let merchants confidently welcome AI agents with commerce intent into their digital storefronts."
December 16, 2025
Top Post
Visa Launches Stablecoin Settlement in the United States, Marking a Breakthrough for Stablecoin Integration
Visa
"Visa Inc. announced the launch of USDC settlement in the United States, marking a major milestone in the company’s stablecoin settlement pilot program and strategy to modernize its settlement layer underpinning global commerce. For the first time, U.S. issuer and acquirer partners can settle with Visa in Circle’s USDC, a fully reserved, dollar-denominated stablecoin. Initial banking participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have started settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain. Broader availability in the U.S. is planned through 2026."
December 15, 2025
On the web
Visa Launches ‘Stablecoins Advisory Practice’ to Help Banks and Businesses Build Strategies
Visa
"Visa announced the launch of its Stablecoins Advisory Practice. The new value-added service offering by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) provides actionable insights and recommendations to guide banks, fintechs, merchants, and businesses of all sizes on market fit, strategy, and implementation. As the stablecoin market cap surpasses $250 billion, Visa’s settlement volume has accelerated, reaching a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November 30. Businesses are turning to Visa’s new Stablecoins Advisory Practice to unlock growth opportunities."
December 4, 2025
Top Post
Circle Collaborates with Pismo and Visa to Launch Vietnam’s First AI-Powered PayLater Card
Visa
"Visa and Pismo today jointly announced a strategic collaboration with Circle Asia Technologies, a pioneering credit-led neobank in Southeast Asia, to unlock credit for millions in Vietnam. This will enable Circle to launch the nation’s first truly AI-powered PayLater card aiming to set new standards for transparency, personalization, and user experience in the financial industry. Scheduled for a phased rollout in early 2026, the card is being engineered to dismantle the barriers that have led to Vietnam’s low credit card penetration."
December 2, 2025
On the web
Visa Survey Finds AI and Crypto Poised to Transform U.S. Holiday Spending
Business Wire
"Visa Inc. released new survey data, revealing AI’s influence in shopping and spending, a generational shift in consumer spending behavior, and emerging payments trends this holiday season. "The data tells a fascinating story about the spending shift we're witnessing: shoppers are embracing AI and digital tools at remarkable speed, with nearly half of Americans now using AI to enhance their shopping experience," said Bruce Cundiff, vice president, Consumer Insights at Visa."
December 1, 2025
Top Post
Visa and AWS Enable Next-Generation Agentic Commerce Capabilities
Amazon
"Visa and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. announced a collaboration designed to empower developers and enterprises building towards agentic commerce. Visa will list the Visa Intelligence Commerce platform in AWS Marketplace, helping businesses and developers to connect seamlessly to a growing ecosystem of agentic commerce providers for next-generation reliable and secure payment experiences. AWS and Visa will also publish blueprints on the public Amazon Bedrock AgentCore repository designed for multi-network agentic retail shopping, travel booking, and payment reconciliation, enabling developers to create and connect complex workflows."
November 21, 2025
On the web
Agentic Commerce: The Threat Landscape
Visa
"From markets, to malls, to mobile, shopping is continuously evolving. The next major shift is AI agents that can buy and sell on our behalf. Agentic commerce is poised to transform how we shop. AI-powered shopping agents promise faster, smarter transactions — but where innovation leads; fraud often follows – fast. Agentic artificial intelligence — autonomous systems capable of initiating, adapting, and executing complex tasks without human oversight — is rapidly reshaping the cyber threat landscape."
Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security
Visa
"To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa released its Fall 2025 Biannual Threats Report, revealing five forces that are transforming the global payments security landscape. The report, produced by Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control (PERC) team, draws on intelligence from Visa's global network to identify how criminal operations are evolving with unprecedented speed, scale, and sophistication."
November 19, 2025
On the web
First Visa A2A Transaction Completed in the UK with Partners Kroo Bank, Utilita and Tink
VIsa
"Visa announced that Kroo Bank, Utilita and Tink have successfully completed the first commercial variable recurring payment (cVRP) through its Visa A2A solution in the UK, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of account-to-account (A2A) payments. The transaction, made to demonstrate an energy bill being paid to Utilita, was enabled through the Visa A2A open industry model. This transaction, along with multiple subsequent transactions, showcases the readiness of the solution to upgrade the A2A payment experience, ahead of its rollout in the UK."
November 12, 2025
On the web
Visa Direct Stablecoin Payouts Pilot Speeds Up Access to Funds for Creators & Gig Workers
Visa
"At Web Summit, Visa Inc. announced a breakthrough pilot allowing businesses and platforms to send payouts directly to recipients’ stablecoin wallets. For businesses using Visa Direct, payouts can be funded in fiat currency, while recipients can choose to receive their funds in USD-backed stablecoins like USDC, transforming the speed and accessibility of global payouts."
November 11, 2025
Top Post
Visa Unveils 2025 Creator Report; Introduces Creator Agent Pilot with Karat
Visa
"Visa is using the scale of its network to help creators easily and securely pay and get paid, access capital and grow their enterprises with the same tools and resources available to small businesses worldwide. Visa’s new creator-research, Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report is a comprehensive study of the creator economy spanning five regions. In tandem with the report, Visa introduced plans to explore a potential agentic pilot program with Karat Financial. Karat is a fintech leader in the creator space, providing credit cards and business banking tailored to creators."
On the web
How Visa is Preparing for the Agentic Commerce Era
Retail TouchPoints
"In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein sits down with Rob Cameron, Global Head of Acceptance Solutions at Visa, to explore how the rise of agentic AI, is shaping the future of commerce, and with it payments. Rob shares how Visa is preparing for this shift with its Trusted Agent Protocol. This conversation dives deep into the payment infrastructure that will be required to enable this next era of ecommerce."
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 4, 2025
On the web
Visa and Transcard Collaborate to Deliver Advanced Embedded Working Capital Solutions in Freight & Logistics
Visa
"Visa and Transcard announced the launch of a next-generation embedded finance platform, designed to power payments and working capital solutions in the freight and logistics industry. Visa and Transcard are also collaborating on agentic initiatives for the B2B segment. This alliance puts embedded credit and working capital solutions in the hands of freight forwarders and airline carriers on WebCargo by Freightos, a leading digital booking and payments platform in the freight industry."
October 27, 2025
On the web
From Automation to Autonomy: How Agentic AI is Revolutionizing Payments
Visa
"Payments have evolved from the universal reliance on cash to cards, which brought enhanced security and convenience, and driving global card transactions to $3.12 trillion in 2025, or roughly 10% of global GDP. Agentic AI promises a transformative leap by enabling frictionless, autonomous payments. The retail and e-commerce Agentic AI market is projected to reach $175 billion by 2030, signaling a fundamental shift in how payments and AI interplay"
Visa Unveils Key Partnerships and World-class Payment Innovations at Global Fintech Fest, 2025
ptinews
"Visa unveiled a range of cutting-edge solutions at the recently concluded Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2025. Across the three days Visa made multiple announcements and product launches, highlighting their commitment to shaping the next chapter of digital payments in India, focusing on security, cross-border convenience, and the transformative potential of AI."
October 17, 2025
Top Post
Visa: Stablecoins Beyond Payments: The Onchain Lending Opportunity
Visa
"With the GENIUS Act now signed into law, financial institutions both domestically and globally are deepening their exploration of stablecoin products and technologies. Among the key questions we encounter daily are: “What are the use cases?” and “What capabilities do stablecoins offer that traditional fiat currencies cannot?” The natural starting point for this exploration is viewing stablecoins as a new payments infrastructure, evaluating their potential benefits — such as instant, 24/7 settlement — particularly in the context of cross-border payments and remittances."
October 14, 2025
Top Post
Visa Introduces Trusted Agent Protocol: An Ecosystem-Led Framework for AI Commerce
Visa
"Visa Inc. unveiled Trusted Agent Protocol, establishing a foundational framework for agentic commerce that enables secure communication between AI agents and merchants during every step of a transaction. Trusted Agent Protocol ushers in a new era where AI can search, compare and pay on behalf of consumers. With the release of this protocol – developed in collaboration with Cloudflare – Visa reinforces its commitment to supporting seamless interactions in the evolving ecosystem of intelligent payments."
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 8, 2025
Top Post
Visa: Transforming Payments With Generative AI Technologies
Visa
"Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is no longer just a futuristic concept. It is here, is becoming increasingly common, and is set to radically transform how we interact with technology in all areas. Payments is no exception. In this deep dive into What’s influencing payments in 2025: 10 recommendations on business strategy, Visa investigates GenAI, how it is shaking up payments, its economic impact, and what the future may hold for this revolutionary technology."
October 6, 2025
On the web
Visa: American Mood Trend
Visa
"A top-of-mind issue impacting American consumers’ moods is the integration of generative AI solutions into their lives, and how that integration may continue to evolve. Generative AI is in the transition period from a niche technology to a mainstream tool, with more than one-fifth of consumers who use AI solutions now indicating they do so every day, according to the Visa Business and Economic Insights quarterly consumer survey."
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