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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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October 16, 2025
On the web
Monetary Authority of Singapore Launches BLOOM Initiative to Extend Settlement Capabilities
Monetary Authority of Singapore
"The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced a new initiative – BLOOM (Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency), to extend settlement capabilities offered by financial institutions. Through BLOOM, MAS will collaborate with the financial industry to enable settlement in tokenised bank liabilities and well-regulated stablecoins, whilst effectively managing risks in the rapidly evolving digital settlement asset landscape, through standardised approaches."
October 14, 2025
On the web
OpenAI Partners With India’s Payment Authority to Bring UPI to ChatGPT
The American Bazaar
"India’s payment authority National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and fintech firm Razorpay have collaborated with OpenAI to launch AI-driven payments on ChatGPT. This initiative, which is in its pilot state, will enable people to make payments on ChatGPT via India’s homegrown payments network Unified Payments Interface (UPI)."
On the wires
EnKash Unveils India's First Unified Corporate Card Ecosystem for Businesses
PR Newswire
"EnKash, India's leading full-stack business payments and spend management platform, announced the launch of its Corporate Card Ecosystem. With this launch, EnKash introduces a unified ecosystem that integrates seamlessly with the company's broader product suite, including its award-winning Expense Management System, Corporate Cards, and UPI-based wallets for petty cash management solutions. Together, these create a completely new way for businesses to manage, track, and reconcile spends."
October 13, 2025
On the web
PhonePe PG, RuPay, and JioHotstar Collaborate to Simplify Subscription Payments with UPI AutoPay
Your Story
"At the Global Fintech Fest 2025, PhonePe Payment Gateway (PhonePe PG) unveiled its Subscription IQ, powered by UPI AutoPay on RuPay Credit Cards, in collaboration with JioHotstar. This initiative allows customers to set up UPI AutoPay mandates via RuPay Credit Cards, providing a seamless and reliable way to manage recurring subscription payments."
Monetary Authority of Singapore Launches PathFin.ai Knowledge Hub to Boost AI Adoption in Finance Sector
TNGlobal
"The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched the PathFin.ai knowledge hub to boost the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial sector. The knowledge hub features an initial set of successful use cases, curated by industry participants in key areas like sales and marketing, customer operations, risk management, and engineering and tech."
October 9, 2025
On the wires
African Trade Bloc COMESA Launches Digital Payments System
Reuters
"The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has launched a digital payments system to cut transaction costs by allowing businesses to settle deals in local currencies. COMESA, which has 21 member states including Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia, joins efforts by the African continent to push for local currency payments systems to cut trade costs by eliminating the need to convert local currencies into hard currencies, mostly U.S. dollars, for cross-border payments."
India Rolls Out Pilot for E-commerce Payments via ChatGPT
Reuters
"India's payments authority National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and fintech firm Razorpay have collaborated with Microsoft-backed OpenAI to launch AI-driven payments on ChatGPT. The initiative, currently in the pilot stage, will allow users to make purchases on ChatGPT, facilitated by India's homegrown payments network Unified Payments Interface (UPI)."
October 8, 2025
On the web
NPCI Piloting Agentic AI-Based Payments With UPI
Inc42 Media
"The National Payments Corporation of India is piloting an agentic AI framework for UPI, marking the next phase of what it calls “intelligent commerce”. The payments body showcased a live demo of the offering at the Global Fintech Fest 2025 today. The on-stage presentation featured Gemini, BigBasket, Google Pay, and Razorpay as partners. It opened with a simple use case – an AI assistant helping a user recreate a food recipe."
European Central Bank Selects Digital Euro Service Providers
European Central Bank
"The ECB has signed framework agreements with the following providers for the five digital euro components and related services: Alias lookup: (1) Sapient GmbH & Tremend Software Consulting S.R.L, (2) equensWorldline; Risk and fraud management: (1) Feedzai, (2) Capgemini Deutschland; App and software development kit (SDK): (1) Almaviva SpA & Fabrick SpA, (2) Sapient GmbH & Tremend Software Consulting S.R.L; offline solution: (1) Giesecke+Devrient, (2) To be announced in due course; secure exchange of payment information: (1) Senacor FCS, (2) equensWorldline"
Albania Starts Transactions Through SEPA, a Historic Step Towards European Integration
European Newsroom
"Albania, by becoming part of SEPA, joins 41 other European countries, including all EU member states, benefiting from a modern and efficient common financial market."
PhonePe, Mastercard Partner to Launch Device Tokenization
Tech In Asia
"PhonePe has partnered with Mastercard to launch device tokenization for its payments gateway, aiming to boost security for online transactions. PhonePe, an India-based digital payments platform, said the new feature allows customers to save their card details once on the PhonePe app and use them across multiple merchants without reentering information. The device tokenization initiative leverages Mastercard’s network tokenization technology and aligns with recent Reserve Bank of India regulations allowing alternative authentication methods."
On the wires
India to Roll Out Biometric Authentication for Instant Digital Payments
Reuters
"India will allow users to approve payments made through popular domestic payments network, the Unified Payments Interface, using facial recognition and fingerprints starting October 8. Authentications will be done using biometric data stored under the Government of India's unique identification system - Aadhar."
October 7, 2025
On the web
PhonePe Launches Next-Gen SmartSpeaker With Integrated Card Payments
PhonePe has launched its new SmartPOD, a device merging POS and smart speaker
functions, enabling small merchants to accept both UPI and card payments. Designed
in India, it supports major card networks and offers features like dual displays and
celebrity voice confirmations. This move aims to boost digital payment adoption for
businesses of all sizes across India.
NTT DATA: Signs MoU with NPCI International Payments Limited for UPI Payment Acceptance Across Merchants in Japan
MarketScreener
"NTT DATA announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NPCI International Payments Limited, a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The MoU establishes the foundation to enable acceptance of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India's leading real-time payment system for Indian tourists in Japan."
UPI Fraud Clampdown: NPCI to End P2P Collect Requests From October 1; Banks, Apps Told to Block Pull Transactions Permanently
The Times of India
"National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has directed banks and payment apps to stop all peer to peer (P2P) ‘collect requests’ on UPI from October 1, 2025, in an effort to curb financial fraud. The move means that all banks and UPI apps — including PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm — will no longer be able to initiate, route, or process P2P collect transactions after the deadline."
On the wires
PayPal CEO: India’s UPI Is Its Platform’s First Onboard Payments System Partner
Reuters
"The operator of India's popular unified payments interface (UPI) is the first payments system partner onboarded on PayPal's platform PayPal World, CEO Alex Chriss said on Tuesday."
October 6, 2025
On the web
Shanghai Digital Yuan Center Propels China’s Ambition in Global Payment Systems
Yahoo
"The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has established a new digital yuan operations center in the nation’s financial hub, Shanghai, in a move to foster the internationalisation of the yuan."
October 3, 2025
On the web
BRICS Making Incremental Progress in Dollar-Free Trade
GIS Reports
"The growing influence of countries motivated to challenge the dominance of Western financial systems, particularly global reliance on the United States dollar, may result in a new financial network. The BRICS group has expanded significantly in recent years. Together, these nations represent roughly 45 percent of the world’s population and 35 percent of global gross domestic product. Their motivation to challenge Western financial dominance is multifaceted."
Hacker Attacks Force Central Bank to Curb Pix Innovations
Finsiders Brasil
"Recent hacker attacks have led the Central Bank ( BC ) to slow down Pix's innovation agenda and adjust its priority agenda. At the top of the list now is the "regulation of intermediaries" in the instant payment system. Initiatives such as Pix Installments , MED 2.0 , and hybrid billing (" bolepix ") continue to advance in the coming months. However, the regulator is postponing the development of solutions such as Pix as collateral and Pix duplicate payments until the 2026/27 biennium."
October 1, 2025
On the web
AI-Trained Payments Fraud Detection System Under Works, RBI Says
NDTV Profit
"The Reserve Bank of India is developing an artificial intelligence-trained fraud detection system to alert bank account holders about potential risky transactions to curb fraud. "It is in an experimental stage. We are making the software," Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in a press conference after the Monetary Policy Committee on Wednesday. The RBI's under-development 'Digital Payments Intelligence System' will be run by an entity, which will collect data from various sources to trace mule accounts and flag risks to both customers and banks, Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar explained."
Pix Will Have a “Dispute Button” for Cases of Scams and Fraud
Finsiders Brasil
"Amid the rise in scams and fraud, Pix continues to evolve on the security front. Starting this Wednesday (October 1st), Brazilians will have access to the " dispute button " in the apps of the financial institutions where they hold accounts. The feature, known in the market as the Special Return Mechanism ( MED ) self-service, will allow users to dispute transactions in cases of fraud , scam, or coercion."
September 30, 2025
On the web
noon payments and Visa Announce Global First with the Launch of Visa Payment Passkey [Middle East]
Visa Middle East
"noon payments, a leading digital payments platform in the region, and Visa announced the launch of Visa Payment Passkey, making noon payments the first globally as a payment service provider (PSP) to offer this innovative solution to its merchants and their customers. This strategic collaboration introduces Fast Identity Online (FIDO)-based authentication for payments, leveraging the biometric capabilities of consumer devices for ecommerce authentication, designed to create a smoother, more secure, and password-free online checkout experience for consumers and merchants in the Middle East."
On the wires
OKX Singapore Launches Stablecoin Payments at Local Grabpay Merchants
Reuters
"Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has launched a service allowing its customers to make payments in stablecoins to merchants on ride-hailing operator Grab's payments platform in Singapore. This marks the first time that GrabPay merchants in the city-state will accept direct stablecoin payments, highlighting the increasing adoption of the digital asset in the country."
September 29, 2025
On the web
Statement by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue on Payments Canada Membership Expansion
Canada
"The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, today issued the following statement regarding Canada’s financial system: “Today marks a significant step forward for the future of payments in Canada. “I am pleased to announce that legislative amendments to the Canadian Payments Act have officially come into force, expanding membership eligibility in the Canadian Payments Association, also known as Payments Canada, which owns and operates Canada’s core payment clearing and settlement systems."
UK and US Launch Joint Taskforce for Crypto Regulation
Banking Exchange
"The governments of the UK and US have agreed to establish a joint taskforce aimed at reducing barriers for banks and corporates raising capital and strengthening cooperation on cryptocurrency regulation. The Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future will be backed by UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. It will also be co-chaired by officials from both finance ministries and include participation from market regulators."
Kenya Plans To Slash Mobile Money Transaction Fees
The Kenyan Wall Street
"The Central Bank of Kenya is moving to slash the cost of mobile money transfers in a sweeping effort to reignite financial inclusion in a market that has long been the global model for digital payments. While volumes keep rising the number of new users is stagnating. The financial inclusion plan also targets to improve active bank account usage from 45.6% to 60% by 2028, expanding formal savings adoption from 68% to 75%."
Swiss National Bank, European Central Bank Explore Linking Up Instant Payment Systems
Reuters
"The Swiss National Bank and the European Central Bank are exploring interlinking their instant payment services, Switzerland's central bank said on Monday. "This initiative supports the general goal of making cross-border payments faster, cheaper, more transparent and more accessible," the SNB said in a statement."
September 26, 2025
Top Post
India Cracks Down on ‘Alarming’ Digital Payments Fraud With Strict New Rules
Yahoo Finance
"The Reserve Bank of India has issued new rules to tighten authentication standards for digital payments to curb rising fraud in the sector. The guidelines mandate stronger security protocols across all domestic digital transactions. All payment system providers, including banks and non-bank entities, are required to comply with the rules by April 1, 2026. The measures require at least one dynamic factor of authentication for all digital transactions, excluding card-present payments."
On the web
Thousands of Indian Bank Transfer Records Found Online
TechCrunch
"A data spill from an unsecured cloud server has exposed hundreds of thousands of sensitive bank transfer documents in India, revealing account numbers, transaction figures, and individuals’ contact details. The exposed files contained completed transaction forms intended for processing via the National Automated Clearing House, or NACH, a centralized system used by banks in India to facilitate high-volume recurring transactions, such as salaries, loan repayments, and utility payments."
Shanghai Digital Yuan Center Propels China’s Ambition in Global Payment Systems – Here’s How
Yahoo Finance-Cryptonews
The People’s Bank of China has established a new digital yuan operations center in the nation’s financial hub, Shanghai, in a move to foster the internationalisation of the yuan. The digital yuan hub comes amid growing tensions with the US trade and tech issues. The move looks to reduce reliance on a US dollar-dominated financial system.