Join us in New York on September 29-October 1 for our next Payments Boot Camp and Advanced Payments workshop!
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.
Search Payments News
September 9, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Report Predicts That 1 in 10 People Will Routinely Use AI Agents to Shop and Pay by 2030
Mastercard
"More than one in ten online shoppers are expected to routinely use AI agents to purchase products on their behalf by 2030, according to futurists’ predictions in new Mastercard report "A Short History of the Future of Shopping and Payments." The report explores what everyday life is likely to look like by the end of the decade. This includes AI-assisted agents that can negotiate prices, smart watches and rings that show how products are performing after sale, and even physical AI agents walking through shop doors for the first time."
New Visa Research Finds Consumer Trust is Accelerating the Path to Agentic Commerce
Visa
"Visa announced the Visa Trust Index for agentic commerce, providing new insight into how consumers are navigating the next evolution of AI shopping and payments. While consumers are increasingly using AI across the shopping journey, only 23% of U.S. consumers trust GenAI to handle payment transactions on their behalf. However, confidence in agentic commerce shifts when payments brands come into consideration. Visa emerged as the most trusted brand for AI-powered payments."
On the web
Plaid Powers Meta’s New AI Agent, Muse
Plaid
"Meta’s new personal AI agent, Muse, launched with Plaid-powered account connections in its finance features. Muse is a fully personalized AI agent. It connects to the apps and services you already use, Plaid included, to help people manage all aspects of their lives, including personal productivity, health, shopping, and financial management. The Finance experience with Plaid offers proactive, personalized guidance that helps consumers take meaningful steps toward their financial goals and provides inspiration for where to begin."
dLocal Ghana Secures Enhanced Payments License to Deepen Local Operations
TechCabal
"The Ghanaian subsidiary of Uruguayan payments company dLocal has secured an Enhanced Payment Service Provider (EPSP) licence from the Bank of Ghana, allowing it to operate more of its payments business locally. The licence allows dLocal Ghana to provide local payment collections, merchant acquisitions, mobile-money acceptance, bank-transfer collections and local payouts through bank accounts and mobile-money wallets. The company had previously facilitated payment flows through its global platform and regulated third-party partners."
PhonePe and Visa Partner to Power Comprehensive Cardless Payments for Millions of Indians Globally
PhonePe
"PhonePe and Visa jointly announced the launch of three new payment solutions: Tap to Pay, Cross Border Scan to Pay, and Smart Accept. Unveiled on stage by leadership from both organizations at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026, the partnership makes PhonePe the first app in India to introduce Cross Border Scan to Pay for international transactions. Furthermore, PhonePe becomes the first app to enable a complete suite of three core Visa capabilities for consumers: Online Device Tokenization, Tap to Pay, and Cross Border Scan to Pay."
IXOPAY Launches Agentic Suite to Help Merchants Support Agentic Commerce and Automate Payment Workflows
IXOPAY
"IXOPAY launched the IXOPAY Agentic Suite, a flexible set of tools designed to help merchants prepare for both new agentic buying experiences and the growing role of AI in payment operations. The suite includes Payment Agent, which provides protocol-agnostic connectivity between agentic shopping experiences and existing payment infrastructure; Universal Tokens to preserve transaction context so merchants can confidently participate in agentic commerce while reducing risk; and Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server."
Chime Announces Agreement to Acquire Stride Bank
Chime
"Chime® announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Stride Bank, N.A. for $590 million in cash. Stride is a nationally chartered bank that has been Chime's bank partner for more than seven years. Upon closing, Stride will become Chime Bank, N.A. and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chime. The transaction marks an important milestone in Chime’s evolution from industry challenger to category leader."
On the wires
Visa and World Bank Group Announce New Risk-Sharing Initiative to Expand Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets
Business Wire
"Visa and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focused on the private sector, are partnering on an innovative risk-sharing initiative designed to help expand financial inclusion by increasing access to digital financial services in emerging markets. Under the agreement, IFC will share credit settlement risk for Visa transactions associated with enrolled financial institutions, enabling these institutions to connect more underbanked consumers and small businesses to digital payments."
Rain Expands Global Payouts to More than 80 Countries in 50 Currencies
PR Newswire
"Rain announced an expansion of its global money movement technology platform, enabling partners to send payouts to more than 80 countries in 50 currencies, and plans to reach 95 countries and more than 60 currencies by the end of the year. The capability gives Rain's partners one way to pay others in the currency they actually use, from a single stablecoin balance. It supports business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), and consumer-to-business (C2B) payouts."
September 8, 2026
Top Post
Visa Brings Onchain Lending Into Everyday Payments
Visa
"Visa announced a new approach to onchain credit designed to help stablecoin-linked card programs and fintechs access working capital using onchain lending infrastructure and Visa data. The announcement builds on Visa's broader stablecoin strategy, which includes the recent launch of Visa Stablecoin Platform, enabling stablecoin settlement, expanding stablecoin-linked card programs, and helping financial institutions access new digital asset capabilities. Today, more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs operate on Visa's network"
On the web
Block Applies to Establish Builders Bank, a National Trust Bank
Block
"Block, Inc. announced that it has submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. an uninsured national trust bank. If approved, Builders Bank would operate as a federally regulated national trust bank under OCC supervision and would provide custody and related fiduciary services, including for bitcoin and stablecoins. The charter would allow Block to support these activities through a consistent national framework as the business scales."
ChainIT Answered Who Authorized the AI Agent. Now It Answers: Do Current Compliance Evidence and Policy Permit It to Act?
Morningstar
"ChainIT, a digital verification and compliance platform, announced the release of "Provable Compliance: A Protocol for Runtime Compliance Evidence and Transaction-Specific Decisioning," a companion technical white paper describing the ChainIT Compliance Protocol within the ChainIT Transaction Truth Architecture. It addresses the operational question: Even when valid authority exists, does current compliance evidence and the organization's applicable policy permit this specific action to proceed now?"
Ant International Secures Payment Institution License from the Central Bank of Brazil
Yahoo Finance
"Ant International, the leading global digital payment, digitisation, and FinAI solutions provider, today announced that it has received a Payment Institution (PI) licence from the Central Bank of Brazil. Ant International provides cross-border payments and account services, embedded credit and treasury services, and other finAI and blockchain solutions to clients across Asia, Europe and the Americas. The licence will strengthen Ant International's local and cross-border payment capabilities in Brazil."
PayTabs to Acquire Amazon Payments Services’ MENA Operations
IBS Intelligence
"Saudi Arabia-based PayTabs Group has agreed to acquire Amazon Payment Services’ payments operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a transaction valued at more than $100 million. Approved by both parties, the deal will see Amazon Payment Services’ MENA operations integrated into PayTabs, expanding the FinTech company’s scale, processing capabilities, and market presence across the region. The acquisition strengthens PayTabs’ position as a leading payments infrastructure provider in MENA."
WeChat Pay Launches a Smart-Glasses SDK for Qr-Code Payments
TechNode
"WeChat Pay has launched a software development kit for smart-glasses makers, with Rokid AI Glasses among the first products to support it. Users can initiate a payment scan by voice, look at a QR code and slide the glasses’ temple to confirm the transaction. The SDK currently requires a connected smartphone and supports QR-code payments at places such as convenience stores, markets and street stalls."
DBS and Citi Partner to Enable Instant Cross-Border USD Payments with Tokenized Deposits
TNGlobal
"Singapore-based banking group DBS and US lender Citi have teamed up to enable instant cross-border USD payments with tokenized deposits. This was made possible with the first successful USD payment between Singapore and the United States executed over a weekend. The transaction, completed by DBS and Citi’s New York office on last Saturday, was executed using tokenized deposits via the Swift Digital Ledger."
Circle Expands Global Payments Infrastructure with Agreement to Acquire Singapore-based Cross-Border Payments Platform, Tazapay
Circle
"Circle Internet Group, Inc., the global financial technology firm and issuer of USDC today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tazapay, a Singapore-headquartered B2B cross-border payments infrastructure company focused on serving payment service providers and financial institutions. The deal is expected to close in 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals, including approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore."
IT Smart Systems and Feedzai Join Forces to Strengthen AI-Driven Payment Fraud Prevention
Feedzai
"IT Smart Systems (ITSS) today announced a strategic partnership with Feedzai, the global leader in AI-native financial crime prevention, uniting Feedzai’s advanced, AI-driven fraud prevention capabilities with ITSS’s deep expertise in digital banking integration and delivery. By bridging these capabilities, the partnership supports financial institutions in securing modern payment flows without compromising the user experience."
Mastercard and Flowcart Join Forces to Power Secure Card Payments Into Social Commerce in East Africa
"Mastercard has entered a strategic collaboration with Flowcart to embed secure, seamless card payments directly within social and conversational commerce journeys. Initially launching in Kenya, the collaboration will expand across East Africa and into key high-growth markets including South Africa, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, supported by broader scaling across pan-African markets."
AEON Launches Agentic Checkout, Powered by AI Card for Autonomous Commerce
Aeon
"AEON has launched Agentic Checkout, enabling AI agents to autonomously shop, check out, and pay across e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and Amazon. Powered by the AEON AI Card, Agentic Checkout gives agents controlled spending capabilities to turn user intent into completed purchases. The solution is natively integrated with Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)."
Stablecoins Could Enter M1 or M2, Fed Study Says
Crypto News
"Federal Reserve researchers proposed a framework on Sept. 4 for deciding how stablecoins and other blockchain-based financial products could fit within U.S. money supply statistics. Everyday payment use would support M1 classification, while short-term value storage would point toward M2. Tokenized bank deposits already appear within existing monetary aggregates because they remain legally conventional deposits. Retail tokenized money market funds are already included within M2 alongside traditional retail funds today."
September 4, 2026
Top Post
Anthropic Debuts Claude Features Focused on Agentic Commerce
Digital Commerce 360
"Anthropic made its ambitions to compete against OpenAI and Google in agentic commerce clear with the release of new features for Claude. The new Claude options will build on what Anthropic has already learned, observing how retailers have built and used custom agents with the existing platform. Anthropic will provide pre-built designs for agents. In conjunction with the rollout, Anthropic announced that Accenture, Mastercard, Visa and Shopify will all put Claude’s new agentic commerce capabilities to use in offerings for their clients."
On the web
Finzly Introduces Assure, AI-Powered Security, Assurance and Intelligence Layer
Finzly
"Finzly announced the launch of Assure, an AI-powered security and assurance layer as part of its Agentic Galaxy suite of AI capabilities, powering the infrastructure for BankOS, its modern operating system for banks. Rather than relying on point AI solutions stitched together after deployment, banks running BankOS get AI-powered security, compliance monitoring and operational resilience woven into the infrastructure they run their banking innovation on. The launch comes as AI changes the threat landscape for banks."
Payment Provider Blik to Block Illegal Gambling Transactions in Poland
Focus Gaming News
"The platform will block payments linked to operators on Poland’s register of illegal gambling sites. Poland. The Polish mobile payment provider BLIK has introduced a new measure to block transactions connected to illegal gambling websites, both within the country and abroad. Effective from September 1, the block is triggered when a payment is linked to a domain listed in the Ministry of Finance’s register of illegal gambling sites. BLIK is one of Poland’s most widely used payment systems"
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."
September 3, 2026
Top Post
Brazil, ECB Studying Instant Payments Link in Potential First Cross-Border Move for Pix, Sources Say
MarketScreener
"Brazil's central bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) are studying a potential link between their instant payment systems, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said, in a move that could mark the first cross-border expansion of Brazil's successful Pix platform. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discussions reflect a willingness by technical teams to assess whether such an interconnection is feasible. One source said a pilot project could be launched in 2028 if the initiative advances as planned."
On the web
UK Fintech Revolut Gains Conditional US Banking License
Yahoo Finance
"British digital bank Revolut announced it has won conditional approval for a US banking license, bringing it a major step closer to launching as a national bank in the United States. The approval by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency opens the door to Revolut eventually offering loans, credit cards and insured deposits to US customers directly. Revolut said it is working with authorities to launch the US bank in 2027. The fintech previously relied on partnerships with US banks to provide banking services. "
Monetary Authority of Singapore: Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Payment Services Act 2019 for Stablecoins Regulation
MAS
"This paper sets out proposed legislative amendments to the Payment Services Act 2019 to introduce the regulatory framework for stablecoins in Singapore, as well as proposals on further requirements taking into account stablecoin developments since 2023. MAS invites comments from interested parties on the proposals set out in the consultation paper."
Citi’s Services Business Pioneers Live Transactions on Swift’s Ledger, Collaborating with FAB and OCBC to Redefine Always-On Global Payments
Business Wire
"Citi announced that it has successfully processed live transactions on Swift’s blockchain-based ledger, marking a significant milestone in its strategy to deliver always-on, cross-currency, and interoperable payment solutions for its institutional clients. As the first U.S. bank to conduct live native ledger transactions, Citi has collaborated with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) on this global initiative."
FIS Launches Embedded Banking Platform, Letting Banks Deliver Accounts and Payments Inside Business Software
FIS Global
"FIS® announced the launch of FIS® Embedded Banking Platform, its first embedded finance offering built specifically for banks. The platform enables U.S. banks to offer banking services directly within the business software their corporate customers use daily. Corporate customers increasingly expect to do their banking natively inside the software they use to run their business every day, rather than switching to a separate banking portal."
Take us with you
Payments on Fire is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and other podcast apps and services.
Watch new video episodes on our YouTube channel.