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February 18, 2026
On the web
Gr4vy Partners With Sardine to Embed Fraud and AML Into Their Platform
Gr4vy
"Gr4vy announced a new integration with Sardine to fight financial crime. The integration allows Gr4vy customers to embed fraud solutions, including real-time transaction monitoring, fraud interdiction, and BSA/AML compliance tools, directly into their payment orchestration stack without additional development. The announcement comes as fraud becomes an ongoing operational reality for merchants, with 98% of businesses experiencing at least one form of fraud each year."
TreviPay Announces AI-Powered Growth Center to Help Enterprises Predict Buyer Behavior and Drive B2B Sales
TreviPay
TreviPay, a fully managed B2B payments platform, announced the availability of the Growth Center, a set of capabilities within the TreviPay Client Portal to help identify buyer growth opportunities more strategically and build stronger, longer-lasting supplier relationships. The new Growth Center enables businesses to explore buyer needs, spot trends and optimize key steps in the order-to-cash (O2C) process. The customizable add-ons will help businesses use their O2C programs to deepen buyer relationships and drive lasting engagement.
Ericsson and Mastercard Enhance Global Digital Money Movement and Accelerate Digital Financial Inclusion
Mastercard
"Ericsson and Mastercard announced a collaboration to reshape how money moves across the world. By integrating the Ericsson Fintech Platform (Mobile Financial Services) with Mastercard Move, Mastercard’s portfolio of money movement solutions, the collaboration will empower telecom service providers, banks and fintechs to expand digital wallet capabilities, launch new payment services and reach unbanked or underbanked communities."
Stripe Integrates Base Blockchain for Seamless AI Agent Payments with x402
CoinCentral
"Stripe has introduced support for the Base blockchain to enable AI agents to make quick and automated payments using USDC. The new x402 payment protocol allows AI agents to perform low-cost transactions without human intervention, streamlining billing processes. Businesses can monitor payments in real time via the Stripe dashboard, webhooks, or API, offering easy transaction tracking. Stripe’s integration with Base ensures fast settlements and low fees, making it suitable for frequent, low-value transactions."
Stripe-Owned Bridge Gains National Bank Trust Charter to Boost Stablecoin Offerings
Decrypt
"Bridge, the stablecoin company that was acquired by Stripe, has been granted conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust banking charter. Upon full approval, the firm would be able to custody digital assets, offer and issue stablecoins, and operate stablecoin reserves. The firm’s conditional approval follows that of other major stablecoin and crypto firms like Circle, Ripple, and Paxos, which received conditional approval from the OCC in December."
DBS Bank Trials Visa’s Agentic Commerce Tools in Asia Pacific First
National Technology
"DBS Bank has trialled Visa's agentic commerce suite in an Asia Pacific first. Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC) includes integrated APIs, a partner programme, and utilises the payment giant's infrastructure to facilitate the AI-driven transactions. The two companies are now planning to explore a wider range of agentic commerce transactions, such as online shopping and travel bookings and more."
On the wires
Wirex Launches Visa Direct Stablecoin Push-to-Card for BaaS Clients--Reaching 3B+ Cards
PR Newswire
"Wirex, a full-stack crypto card issuer and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, announced Stablecoin Push-to-Card, powered by Visa Direct. Wirex is taking stablecoin utility to the last mile — where payout experiences are won or lost. Via Wirex BaaS APIs, partners can embed Stablecoin Push-to-Card and deliver stablecoin-funded payouts directly to recipients' eligible cards worldwide, turning on a familiar "paid to card" experience inside their products."
February 17, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Completes Fully Authenticated Agentic Commerce Transaction in India
VARINDIA
"Mastercard announced the completion of a fully authenticated agentic commerce transaction on its payment network expanding the company’s global payment capabilities into the Asia Pacific region. Cards issued by Axis Bank and RBL Bank were used to complete the transaction. The purchase was processed through payment aggregators including Cashfree Payments, Juspay, PayU and Razorpay. Merchant participants included Swiggy, Instamart, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Tira and Zepto."
On the web
Merchant Steering of Consumer Payment Choice
Atlanta Federal Reserve
"This paper investigates the degree to which merchants influence consumers' choice of how they pay for transactions. Using data from the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payments Choice, we examine consumers' adherence to their preferred payment method when making in-person transactions. We also investigate whether merchants are able to steer consumers away from their preferred payment method."
ACI Connetic Accelerates Global Adoption as UK Banks Can Now Unite SWIFT, CHAPS and Faster Payments on One Cloud-Native Platform
ACI Worldwide
"ACI Worldwide announced a major step forward in the UK’s payments modernization journey as a leading UK retail bank chooses ACI Connetic, the industry’s first unified, cloud-native platform — for deployment. For the first time, UK banks can bring SWIFT, CHAPS, and Faster Payments together on one cloud-native SaaS platform, eliminating the fragmentation that has long driven operational cost, risk, and complexity."
Pagos Expands MCP Server to Enable Conversational Access to Harmonized Payments Data
AI Journal
"Pagos, an AI-powered payments intelligence company, announced a major expansion of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, enabling merchants to access their own verified and harmonized payments data directly through AI chat agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. This new capability transforms the way businesses view, query, and analyze their payments data."
B2B Cross-Border Payments: Expert Insights on Faster Payments Adoption Report
Faster Payments Council
"This report published by the FPC Cross-Border Payments Work Group, sponsored by Mastercard, explores the most pressing challenges facing B2B cross-border payments and practical strategies for addressing them. While cross-border B2B transactions remain critical to global trade, many organizations still contend with friction around settlement speed, liquidity management, foreign exchange, compliance, data quality, and fraud risk."
UnionPay Partners With NCR Atleos for Cashzone ATMs
ATM Marketplace
"UnionPay has partnered with NCR Atleos to enable cardholders to use surcharge free Cashzone ATMs in the U.K. Based in Shanghai, UnionPay issues cards in 84 countries and regions. With the partnership, cardholders can access cash at up to 13,000 Cashzone ATMs."
Stablecoin Issuer Quantoz Payments Becomes Visa Principal Member
Cryptopolitan
"Quantoz, a European stablecoin issuer, partnered with VISA to offer white-label card solutions to third parties. Quantoz is a certified stablecoin issuer for the Euro area, offering USD and Euro-backed tokens. Quantoz Payments will receive the status of a BIN-sponsor for VISA card issuance. The platform is now a direct VISA principal member and will be able to issue cards on behalf of third-party fintechs and platforms."
On the wires
Payoneer to Launch Stablecoin Capabilities, Powered by Bridge, Bringing Secure, Always-On Digital Money to Global Businesses
PR Newswire
"Payoneer announced plans to launch a suite of stablecoin capabilities embedded within the Payoneer platform. Powered by Bridge, a leading stablecoin infrastructure platform and a Stripe company, these new capabilities will enable businesses to securely receive, hold, and send stablecoins as part of their day-to-day global financial operations."
February 16, 2026
On the web
Visa’s Olympics Monopoly Highlights Europe’s Payment Headache
CNBC
"Anyone trying to buy a souvenir at the official Olympic stores at the Milano Cortina Games will have been exposed to an issue troubling Europe’s policymakers: the dominance of foreign payment providers and the fading role of cash. Under a sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee extended to 2032, Visa is the sole card provider at the Games, with signs reading “Card payment? We accept only Visa” and staff offering prepaid cards on the spot. By the next Winter Games in France in 2030, people could have another option if the European Central Bank meets its goal of launching a digital euro in 2029."
PayPal Makes Solana Default for PYUSD Stablecoin Payments
Live Bitcoin News
"PayPal has named Solana as the default blockchain for PYUSD stablecoin payments, marking a new step in its digital asset strategy. The company said the integration aims to provide faster settlement and near-zero transaction costs for users worldwide."
Klarna Launches on Google Pay in the UK
Klarna
"Klarna is now available on Google Pay in the UK. Google Pay users in the U.K. can choose Klarna’s interest-free payment options at checkout. Klarna on Google Pay will offer Google Pay’s UK consumers the flexibility of Klarna pay in 3 interest-free installment payment method."
February 13, 2026
Top Post
Fiserv Introduces INDX, a Real-Time Cash Settlement Platform for Digital Asset Companies
Fiserv, Inc.
"Fiserv, Inc. announced the launch of INDX, a real-time cash settlement platform that helps digital asset companies securely store and transfer US dollars in real-time 24x7x365. INDX is redefining fiat operations for digital asset companies by distributing their funds across the Fiserv Deposit Network, an ecosystem of more than 1,100 insured US-based financial institutions. This keeps cash securely off-chain while delivering the real-time settlement speed and operating windows demanded by digital asset companies."
On the web
Adyen and Uber Expand Global Partnership and Launch Uber Kiosks
Travel Daily News
"Adyen and Uber have expanded their partnership to new markets and supporting the rollout of Uber kiosks in airports, hotels and venues. New geographies include the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and the Caribbean. The collaboration also includes expanded local acquiring capabilities in markets such as Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. In parallel, Uber is adopting additional local and high-growth payment methods through Adyen, including Pix in Brazil, AfterPay in Australia and WeChat Pay globally."
Grab Accelerates Financial Services Roadmap with Acquisition of Digital Investing Platform, Stash Financial, Inc.
Grab
"Grab is expanding its international Financial Services footprint and accelerating entry into the mass-market investing segment by acquiring Stash, an AI-powered investing app. Acquiring Stash offers Grab access high-margin subscription-based revenue. This includes AI Money Coach, which serves as a financial companion offering guidance and execution tailored and adaptable to users’ life goals and financial circumstances."
Starbucks Taps Adyen to Power In-Store Payments Across 940+ European Stores
Adyen
"Adyen has partnered with Starbucks Coffee Company to transform its payment infrastructure in Europe and the UK. Adyen has partnered with Starbucks in a multi-market European rollout, which spans 943 Starbucks stores across the UK, Austria, and Switzerland, supported by 2,375 Adyen payment terminals. This expansion builds on an existing partnership between Adyen and Alsea, Starbucks’ licensee, for which Adyen already powers payments for Alsea Mexico."
Education: What Is Agentic Commerce?
IBM
"Agentic commerce is an approach to buying and selling in which AI agents act on behalf of consumers or businesses to research, negotiate and complete purchases, often without direct human intervention. With agentic commerce, AI-powered shopping assistants proactively gather requirements, scan multiple retailers in real time, evaluate products against user preferences and constraints, and make purchases or recommendations on the user’s behalf. Thus streamlining the process. Read on for Agentic Commerce Use cases."
February 12, 2026
On the web
Cash App to Sell Its Credit Score
Yahoo Finance - Payments Dive
"Digital payments company Block is working to expand the reach of its internal Cash App credit scores, betting that lenders will pay for more data about non-traditional payments and installment loans. A company spokesperson said Block will charge for the scores, but declined to reveal pricing."
Uber Eats Layers Agentic AI Into Grocery Shopping
EMARKETER
"Uber Eats is boosting its grocery delivery push with an AI assistant. The feature, called Cart Assistant, helps customers build a shopping cart using text or images, such as a handwritten grocery list or screenshot of recipe ingredients. It can automatically consider product availability and offer store-level details like prices and applicable promotions. Zooming out: The new tool is part of a larger effort from Uber to integrate agentic AI across its platform and provide more value to users,"
74% of Asia Pacific Consumers Already Use AI to Shop, But Trust and Transparency Hold the Key to Checkout: Visa Survey
Visa
"Visa released new survey findings on the state of digital commerce in Asia Pacific, revealing that while consumers are increasingly using AI to shop, concerns over security and transparency are creating hesitation at the crucial moment of checkout. With Asia Pacific’s rapid shift towards digital commerce and mobile-first shopping, the research shows that consumers are drawing a clear line between using AI to help them browse and trusting the same technology to handle their money and personal data. Demonstrating clearly how AI is used to spark discovery and securely handle payments is critical for consumers to feel confident using the technology to shop and pay."
Banks Caution Against Relaxing Standards for Fed Account Access to Preserve Financial Stability
The Clearing House
"The Bank Policy Institute, Financial Services Forum and The Clearing House Association responded to the Federal Reserve’s request for input on a special-purpose payment account, sometimes referred to as a “skinny master account.” This proposal would relax Federal Reserve master account access standards by introducing a new type of account aimed at payments companies. The associations warned that granting direct access to the Fed’s payment infrastructure to lesser-regulated institutions without sufficient guardrails could increase payment system risks and undermine financial stability."
American Express Launches Flexible Payment Option to Help Support Small Business Cashflow
American Express
"American Express announced the introduction of Flexible Payment Option (FPO), a feature designed to offer businesses greater ability to manage and control their cashflow needs with an instant line of credit. FPO is available for new American Express Business Platinum and Gold Cardmembers, providing them the option to repay their statement balance in full or pay a portion over time, with interest. Business Cardmembers also continue to get up to 54 calendar days interest free until their payment is due."
On the wires
Sabre, PayPal, and Mindtrip Partner to Deliver the Industry’s First End-To-End Agentic AI Experience for Travel
PR Newwire
"Sabre Corporation, PayPal Holdings, and Mindtrip, announced a strategic partnership to deliver a next-generation agentic AI experience that reimagines how consumers discover, plan, book, and manage travel. The collaboration unites Mindtrip's agentic consumer platform, PayPal's agentic commerce capabilities, and Sabre's enterprise-grade travel technology and agentic AI expertise. The companies are set to launch in Q2 2026."
February 11, 2026
On the web
Jack Dorsey’s Cash App Eliminates Fees on Large Bitcoin Purchases and Recurring Buys
Crypto Briefing
"Jack Dorsey-backed Cash App is eliminating fees on Bitcoin purchases exceeding $2,000 and all recurring buys, according to a recent announcement. The policy change, which targets both transaction fees and spreads, is part of a set of Bitcoin-focused updates aimed at making the leading digital asset more practical for everyday use, the team stated."
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