Industry

U.S. Regulators Give Banks the Green Light for Digital Asset Activities

Chainalysis

"U.S. banking regulators (FDIC, Federal Reserve, OCC) have withdrawn previous restrictive statements on crypto assets, giving banks more freedom to engage with digital assets without prior approval. Banks can now more easily offer crypto services and provide banking to crypto businesses if they maintain proper risk management practices."

Industry

Coinbase X402 Payments Protocol to Make AI Agents More Autonomous

Cointelegraph

"Coinbase has introduced a new payments protocol for online payments that enables stablecoin transfers over standard internet protocols and AI agents to transact autonomously. Coinbase announced that it is launching a protocol called x402 for instant stablecoin payments directly over the internet communication protocol HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)."

Industry

Standards for Bank Tokens Proposed by Kinexys by JP Morgan, MIT

Ledger Insights

"Kinexys by JP Morgan, the bank’s blockchain arm, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Digital Currency Initiative have collaborated on a paper to explore standards for bank tokens on open blockchains. The authors suggest primarily relying on existing Ethereum standards, but propose two new ones they believe are needed for interbank payments."

Industry

Amazon Kindle’s iOS App Adds New ‘Get Book’ Button Following Apple Payments Ruling

TechCrunch

"Thanks to a recent ruling that ordered Apple to stop charging a 27% commission on purchases through iPhone apps, Amazon’s Kindle iOS app now has a “Get Book” button that makes it easier to buy titles. Amazon isn’t the only tech giant that’s taking advantage of the recent ruling, as Spotify started allowing users to access pricing information and external payment links last Friday."

Industry

FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees to Take Effect on May 12, 2025

Federal Trade Commission

"The Rule prohibits bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics used to hide total prices and mislead people about fees in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries. These unfair and deceptive pricing practices can harm consumers and undercut businesses trying to compete fairly on price."

Industry

Firms Agree to Fund Efforts to Create New Company to Deliver the Initial Phase of Work for Commercial Variable Recurring Payments

Open Banking

"A total of 31 organisations from across the open banking and payments industries have committed to fund initial efforts to create a new company that will carry forward work to establish cVRPs on a viable commercial footing, delivering competition, innovation and consumer choice in the payments landscape, all of which are key aims of the National Payments Vision.  This new entity will be wholly owned and run by industry."

Industry

Banks, Asset Managers, and Corporates Push Crypto and Digital Currencies Into the Mainstream Amid Shifting Financial Dynamics

Global Finance Magazine

"The largest bank in Italy, Intesa Sanpaolo, quietly purchased $1 million worth of bitcoin in early January. The move was not publicly disclosed; it surfaced in an internal bank memo. When pressed by reporters, CEO Carlo Messina described the purchase as merely a “test,” suggesting that Intesa may eventually acquire more bitcoin on behalf of some of its wealthy clients.  It could be a harbinger of things to come."

Industry

Chargeflow Introduces Connect: The AI-First Embedded Chargeback Solutions for the Payments Ecosystem

GlobeNewswire News Room

"Chargeflow, the leading chargeback automation platform for online commerce, announced the launch of Chargeflow Connect. This infrastructure-agnostic solution enables any payment providers, payment facilitators, ISOs, or fraud prevention platforms to offer natively integrated, end-to-end chargeback automation, alerts, and insights."

Industry

The Genius of the GENIUS Act

Banking Exchange

"When the US Senate Banking Committee approved the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act on March 13, it overwhelmingly voted to move forward with issuing and regulating stablecoins. With the bill poised to pass a full Senate vote and be signed into law by President Trump, payment stablecoin is likely to become a reality in the United States sooner rather than later."

Industry

Cryptocurrency May Be Evolving Into a Shadow Banking System

MSN

"A recent study published by political scientists at Freie Universität Berlin, Christopher Olk and Louis Miebs, indicates that the global cryptocurrency system has been undergoing significant transformations. The crypto system, which was originally intended as an alternative to currencies that depend on a central authority like the state or banks, has developed into a credit-based shadow banking system."

Industry

Growing Number of Retailers Adding on Extra Fees [Video]

NBC News/YouTube

"A growing number of retailers are adding on extra fees or surcharges to transactions. Some of the additional charges come with the cost of using a credit card to purchase while others are a result of tariffs. NBC News' Yasmin Vossoughian has more on the extra fees and the consumer reaction to the charges."

Industry

Why the Capital One/Discover Deal Is About Much More Than Payments

The Financial Brand

"The deal is as much a banking milestone as much as a major payments development, with reverberations that could impact everything from deposit generation to small business finance. Up next: Could Capital One make a grab for the Apple Card portfolio?"

Industry

Sam Altman’s Eye-Scanning Project Launches Cryptocurrency in the US

The Verge

"Beginning this week, Worldcoin (WLD) will be available in most of the US for the first time, including via exchanges like Coinbase. Those who scan their eyes at a World orb will receive 16 WLD. The Sam Altman co-founded startup behind the project, Tools for Humanity, is also working with Visa to release a debit card later this year that converts WLD to fiat currency at checkout."

Industry

The Request for Payment Promise for Real-Time Payments

Digital Transactions

"Request for payment on the RTP network from The Clearing House Payments Co. LLC has been a feature since the network launched 2017, but users’ increasing embrace of RfP is triggering more development of it. With real-time processing backing it, the RfP option allows billers and merchants to receive nearly immediate payment by sending a request through a network to customers and clients who have received services."

Industry

Fasten Launches the Fasten Rewards Visa Card, Offering Points and Rewards for Auto-Related Spending

Business Wire

"Fasten today launched the Fasten Rewards™ Visa Card, an innovative credit card designed to make car ownership more affordable for consumers, while giving dealers a unique tool to enhance customer loyalty. With the Fasten Rewards™ Visa Card, consumers earn rewards on every auto-related purchase, from monthly car loan or lease payments to gas, tune-ups, tolls, and more—maximizing savings on essential expenses."

Industry

New MetaMask Metal Payment Card: Self-Custody Crypto Card With Direct Payments Unveiled by CompoSecure, Baanx and MetaMask

GlobeNewswire News Room

"CompoSecure, Inc., a leader in metal payment cards, security, and authentication solutions, in collaboration with Baanx and MetaMask, announced the launch of the MetaMask metal payment card. The new cutting-edge payment solution bridges the gap between self-custody crypto and real-world spending. This metal card enables users to securely pay directly from their self-custody MetaMask wallets, eliminating the need for traditional banking intermediaries."

Industry

SuperCard X Enables Contactless ATM Fraud in Real-Time

Infosecurity Magazine

"A sophisticated mobile malware campaign using a new NFC-relay technique to steal payment card data has been uncovered by security researchers. Named “SuperCard X,” the Android malware operates under a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model and enables fraudsters to carry out unauthorized transactions through Point-of-Sale (POS) systems and ATMs."

Industry

10% Rebate: Bybit Card Introduces USDC Cashback

PR Newswire

"Bybit now offers cashback in both of the dominant USD-denominated stablecoins for Bybit Card holders. Starting Apr. 18, Bybit Cardholders will be able to diversify their cashback earnings into USDC. Once approved, new users will receive a virtual card compatible with Apple Pay or Google Pay."

Industry

Credit-Card Companies Brace for a Downturn

WSJ

"Credit card companies are bracing for a potential economic downturn and increasing reserves to cover expected future losses.  Delinquencies are rising and are in line with levels from before the pandemic.  Some firms are tightening lending or targeting affluent clients; Amex sees steady performance among high-income consumers. [Subscription Required]"

Industry

How is AI Revolutionizing the Payment Industry in 2025

RFID JOURNAL

"AI brings exciting opportunities in the payments industry, helping from fraud mitigation and better customer experiences to streamlined operations. But challenges remain—regulatory hurdles, data privacy concerns, and the need for modern infrastructure. In this article, we will delve into the benefits, challenges, and opportunities for key industry stakeholders looking to leverage the full potential of artificial intelligence in their payments business."

Industry

Paydify Launches To Enable Businesses Worldwide To Accept Crypto Payments

The Daily Hodl

"Paydify, a universal gateway for any crypto payments, has officially launched to enable businesses to accept crypto payments from any wallet or blockchain network. Built to simplify fragmented blockchain infrastructure, Paydify turns complex crypto payments into a smooth checkout experience – with real-time stablecoin settlement and zero transaction fees."

Industry

Transaction Disputes What are They & Why Do Customers File Them?

Chargebacks911

"Transaction disputes are never good news for merchants… but they don’t have to be the end of the world, either. In this post, we’ll examine when and why this mechanism should be used, as well as how you can stop the next dispute before your customer calls the bank."

Industry

Stablecoins and Crypto Shocks: An Update

Liberty Street Economics

"Stablecoins are crypto assets whose value is pegged to that of a fiat currency, usually the U.S. dollar. In this post, we document the growth of stablecoins since 2019, including the evolution of the reported collateral backing major stablecoins. Then, we estimate the impact on the stablecoin industry of large bitcoin price increases that occurred between 2021 and 2025."

Industry

Bilt Rewards Expands Network of Homes Into Student Housing, Introduces Capability to Pay Student Loans With Bilt Points

Business Wire

"Bilt Rewards, the payments and commerce network that transforms housing and neighborhood spending into rewards and benefits, announced an expansion of its network of homes to include student housing properties, with American Campus Communities as its launch partner. Bilt is introducing a first-of-its-kind feature allowing members to redeem their Bilt Points toward eligible student loan payments."

Industry

Capital One and Discover Merger Gains Approval in Jawdropping Deal

EMARKETER

"The Capital One and Discover deal received the final regulatory approval and will close on May 18. Combined, the two companies will have $660 billion in assets...What this means: The megadeal will dramatically shake up the payments and banking industries. Capital One will switch some of its cards from Visa’s and Mastercard’s networks to the Discover network. This will shift competitive dynamics."

Industry

Agentic AI: The Evolution of Autonomous Fraud Detection

Global Banking & Finance Review

"Fraudsters have consistently positioned themselves at the cutting edge of technological innovation. With the recent explosion in AI capabilities—spanning large language models (LLMs), Generative AI, and now Agentic AI—criminal actors are leveraging advanced techniques to create deepfake images, video clones, and voice impersonations that deceive victims into transferring funds. Meanwhile, financial institutions face mounting pressure to evolve their fraud prevention systems beyond traditional rule-based or purely predictive models."

Industry

VantageScore Expands New Open-Banking Credit Score for Lending to Underserved Borrowers

VantageScore

"VantageScore announced the expansion of their groundbreaking VantageScore 4plus pilot program for lenders launched in partnership with Credit Builders Alliance. The pilot leverages the industry leading VantageScore 4.0 credit score with open banking data to deliver the new VantageScore 4plus credit score model."

Industry

What Magstripe Card Extinction Means for Banks

American Banker

"By 2029, no new Mastercard credit or debit cards will be issued with a magnetic stripe, according to the card network, and by 2033, Mastercard said magnetic stripes will be gone from circulation, except for prepaid cards in the U.S. and Canada. [Subscription Required]"

Industry

Payarc, AWS Collaborate to Enhance Payment Processing Operations with AI

Amazon

"Payarc is taking AI-powered payments to the next level, using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive unprecedented automation, intelligence, and efficiency across its platforms. By integrating AWS’s advanced AI and analytics, Payarc is delivering real-time insights, predictive churn analytics, and automated workflows that strengthen fraud detection, boost customer retention, and uncover new revenue opportunities."

Industry

ISO 20022: The Future View

Euromoney

"ISO 20022 promises smarter payments, faster reconciliation, and better data. We explore how banks are planning to use the rich and structured data to bring enhancements and new services to their clients."