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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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August 13, 2026
Top Post
Three New Nacha Rules Approved
Nacha
"Nacha voting members have approved three new Nacha Rules—including one which took effect immediately, opening the ACH Contact Registry to the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). Another newly approved Rule will document the current set of characters that are accepted by the two ACH Operators. This Rule takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The third approved Rule creates an exception to a separate, upcoming Rule concerning funds availability."
On the web
Rise of AI Shopping Pushes Merchants to Protect Loyalty, Adyen Says
Yahoo Finance
"The increasing prevalence of AI chatbots handling consumer shopping is pushing merchants to uphold direct customer relationships over fears of losing their loyalty and repeated purchases. Adyen, has introduced a platform designed for enterprise merchants and AI-agent payments, and recently bought loyalty software firm Talon.One and billing provider Orb to strengthen its retention-focused services. These moves reflect the expectations that merchants will require robust tools to sustain customer retention and adapt to AI software companies charging usage-based fees."
Stablecoins Can Transform the Global South by Reimagining Digital Finance, Trade, and Development
Brookings
"Emerging markets are the key holders and users of stablecoins, and they are especially important in economies that have struggled to maintain resilience around payment systems and remittances. Stablecoin technology can help fix broken payment systems and increase financial inclusion and access, but they also present some financial stability risks. Consistent and clear regulation will be critical to maximize the impact of stablecoins and reduce risks such as deposit flight and illicit uses."
August 12, 2026
Top Post
Block Expands Square's Reach: Can Its Financial Strategy Pay Off?
TradingView
"Block Inc.’s XYZ Square is expanding its financial ecosystem to help small businesses. The refreshed Square Credit Card operating on the American Express network, offers unlimited 3% cash back on Square Bill Pay transactions and 1.5% on other purchases. The bigger change is the integration of the credit card with Bill Pay. Sellers can now use their Square Credit Card to pay expenses such as rent, insurance, marketing and inventory, even when vendors do not accept credit cards."
On the web
Coinbase Business Expands with AI Agent Payments and USDT Support
Crypto News
"Coinbase has announced new capabilities for its Coinbase Business payment service, introducing support for AI agent payments and $USDT (Tether) transactions. The move allows companies to accept payments from autonomous AI agents and from customers using the popular stablecoin, with settlements automatically converted to $USDC."
Solana Moves $650B in Stablecoins Onchain in One Month, Surpassing Ethereum
Crypto Briefing
"Solana processed $650 billion in stablecoin transactions in February 2026, the highest monthly stablecoin volume ever recorded on any blockchain. To put that number in perspective, it doubled Solana’s previous record set just four months earlier in October 2025. For the first time, Solana surpassed Ethereum in monthly stablecoin volume."
Gen Z Spotlighted in Newest Installments of Nacha Campaign Highlighting Direct Deposit and Direct Payment
Nacha
"From ease and convenience to safety and reliability, the benefits of both Direct Payment and Direct Deposit to members of Generation Z are highlighted in the latest installments of a campaign from Nacha. Featured on DirectDeposit.org and DirectPayment.org, the stories spotlight five Gen Zers for the ways they use Direct Deposit and Direct Payment—both powered by the modern ACH Network—to simplify their lives."
Sionic Launches Instant Bank Pay in U.S. Through Microsoft Marketplace
Business Wire
Sionic, a leader in real-time, bank-to-bank payments at the point of sale, announced the availability launch of its Instant Bank Pay service alongside Fraud Detection Service in Microsoft Marketplace, the unified online destination for customers to buy trusted cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents to meet their business needs. Sionic customers can now discover and deploy trusted solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, with smooth integration and streamlined management across Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft products.
On the wires
Bank of America Enters into a Joint Venture Agreement with Jio Financial Services Limited to Acquire up to 49.9% in Jio Credit Limited
PR Newswire
"Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL) and Bank of America Corporation (BofA) announced that they have signed a definitive agreement whereby BofA will acquire up to a total of 49.9% interest as a joint venture partner in JFSL's wholly-owned NBFC (non-bank financial company) lending subsidiary, Jio Credit Limited (JCL) through a preferential allotment of equity shares and warrants. The venture will combine JFSL's digital reach and knowledge of the Indian market with BofA's global financial services expertise."
August 11, 2026
Top Post
RBC, BMO to Sell Moneris to Francisco Partners in $1.44 Billion Deal
MSN
"The Royal Bank of Canada and BMO Financial Group agreed to sell jointly owned Moneris Solutions to technology investment firm Francisco Partners in a deal valued at C$2 billion ($1.44 billion). Moneris, founded 25 years ago, is one of Canada's largest commerce solutions providers. BMO and RBC will each receive a 50% share from the sale. Moneris said that with access to Francisco Partners' global platform it will accelerate modernization and growth across small, medium and enterprise businesses in the Canadian marketplace.
On the web
Capital One Credit Card Shift to Discover Seen Limited
Investing
"Capital One’s conversion of credit card volumes to Discover is expected to be significantly smaller than the over $100 billion initially suggested when the deal was announced, according to Bernstein analysts. The company converted approximately $70 billion in debit card volumes from Mastercard to Discover earlier this year. At the time of the deal announcement, Capital One indicated it would migrate $175 billion in total volumes to Discover Card by 2027, with roughly $70 billion from debit and over $100 billion from credit."
MoneyGram Expands on Solana with Global Crypto-to-Cash Service
MoneyGram
"MoneyGram is bringing its cash-to-crypto infrastructure to Solana (SOL), extending the money-transfer company's push into blockchain rails to connect stablecoins and digital wallets with its sprawling global cash network. MoneyGram Ramps has become available to wallets, exchanges and developers building on Solana. The service lets users convert cash into digital assets or cash them out through MoneyGram's payment network without each crypto app having to build its own connections to banks and cash outlets."
Square Credit Card Levels Up: Rewards Built for Small Businesses and a New Way to Pay Vendors
Block
"Square announced an expansion of its Square Credit Card program and a new Square Bill Pay capability that enables sellers to fund vendor payments with their Square Credit Card, regardless of whether the vendor accepts cards. The updates give sellers a powerful way to manage cash flow, business expenses, and vendor payments from a single platform. Operating on the American Express network, the refreshed Square Credit Card now features unlimited 3% cash back on Square Bill Pay transactions and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases."
Why Agentic Payment Logic Belongs at the Payment Layer and What It Means for Merchant Control in an AI‑Driven Economy
Unite AI
"Integration is largely optimized at the level of connectivity between systems, rather than where decisions are executed. But the way a transaction is structured, routed, and controlled across systems has not been fundamentally reconsidered, further pushing the problem onto the merchant. Where should agentic payment logic live? If embedded in the shopping cart, the logic sits too close to the platform layer. If it sits with payment service providers, merchants retain execution but lose how transactions are routed across their systems."
On the wires
Swift Announces Step Forward in International Money Transfers for Consumers in the US with Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Among First to Go Live
Business Wire
"Individuals and small businesses receiving money from family, friends or businesses abroad will get a faster, clearer experience as Bank of America and J.P. Morgan go live with a new initiative from Swift, the organisation that connects more than 11,500 financial institutions in over 200 countries and territories. The initiative sets a standard for international retail transfers so consumers experience several key benefits: The full amount arrives. It arrives faster, near instantly. The fee and exchange rate are known so there are no surprises."
August 10, 2026
On the web
Google Play Now Takes Venmo Payments
Engadget
"You can now pay for your Google Play purchases with Venmo. Google has added the service as a payment option in the Play store, letting you purchase apps, subscriptions or in-app content with either your Venmo balance or your linked cards and bank accounts. Google recently opened the Play store to outside billing in the US, the UK and Europe as part of its settlement with Epic Games."
Paytm Payment Gateway Integrates Claude for AI-Powered Payment Insights
VarIndia
"Paytm Payments Services Limited, has integrated Paytm Payment Gateway with Anthropic’s Claude through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Connector. The integration is designed to give businesses access to authorised payment information through conversational AI prompts, reducing the need to navigate multiple dashboards, reports or application programming interfaces (APIs) for routine payment-related checks."
New Payment App Launches on 1 September in Luxembourg
RTL Today
"The new European digital payment app Wero will replace Payconiq from 1 September, offering more functionality. First it was Digicash, then Payconiq, and now Wero. The new digital payment system was due to launch in Luxembourg in July, but the date was pushed back to 1 September. From 1 September, customers of the participating banks – Spuerkeess, Raiffeisen, Post, BGL BNP Paribas and BIL – will be asked to download the Wero application and connect their bank account."
Revolut Receives French Banking Licence
Disruption Banking
"Revolut Bank S.A. (RBSA) has been granted a full banking licence marking a historic milestone in Revolut’s European journey. Revolut already serves about 30M customers across Western Europe, with close to 8 million joining in 2025 alone. The French banking licence strengthens the group’s position as one of Europe’s largest retail banks."
USAA Pens Deal with Bank of America to Share Tech After Years of Lawsuits
MySA
"The super-regional bank known for serving military veterans has taken a different approach to patents. USAA has found a less litigious resolution – it’s entered a licensing agreement with Bank of America to share technological advancements across banks. USAA announced that it entered into a licensing agreement with Bank of America. Now both companies can use the technology they’ve spent years developing across industries, including machine learning, security, mobile check deposits, payment processing and AI."
On the wires
Adyen Expands Global Partnership with Toast into U.S.
PR Newswire
"Adyen announced an expansion of its partnership with Toast, the digital technology platform built for hospitality, restaurants, and retail businesses. As part of the agreement, Adyen and Toast will expand their relationship into the U.S. to support Toast, which in the last 12 months ending June 30, 2026 facilitated more than $215 billion in gross payment volume (GPV) across approximately 180,000 locations worldwide."
August 7, 2026
On the web
Africa: PayPal Expands PYUSD Stablecoin to 27 Additional Markets
APA News
"PayPal has announced the expansion of its PYUSD stablecoin to 27 additional African markets, a strategic move aimed at facilitating cross-border payments and remittances while strictly adhering to local regulatory frameworks. The rollout brings the total number of global markets where PYUSD is available to 70, significantly bolstering PayPal’s operational footprint within Africa’s rapidly expanding digital financial ecosystem."
Varo Bank Expands Fee-Free In-Store Cash Add Capabilities Nationwide
MarketScreener
"Varo Bank, N.A., the first all-digital, nationally chartered consumer bank in the U.S., recently announced the launch of fee-free digital cash add capabilities for Varo customers across more than 2,000 Kroger Family of store locations. Powered by Green Dot’s embedded finance platform and money processing network, this expansion launched as a four-week pilot program (ending on August 18, 2026) supported by a comprehensive co-marketing campaign reaching both existing and prospective customers."
Mastercard’s Trust Layer: The Compliance Bottleneck That Could Decide Who Wins Stablecoin Payments
Yahoo Finance
"The primary obstacle to global stablecoin adoption is not the speed of settlement, but the friction of compliance. Every transaction between disparate providers currently requires redundant verification, a process that fails to scale alongside the underlying network infrastructure. Mastercard and Borderless.xyz announced a pilot program designed to address this inefficiency. By deploying Mastercard's Crypto Credential framework across the Borderless.xyz network, the initiative introduces a standardized trust layer."
Shopify’s 13x AI-Referral Surge Hides the Real Agentic Commerce Story
Yahoo Finance
"Shopify's Q1 2026 commerce data reveals a stark shift in how consumers navigate digital storefronts. AI-referred orders grew nearly 13x year-over-year...Shopify's Agentic Storefronts, powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), facilitate selling directly through AI platforms. However, as noted in in previous coverage of Settlement Architecture Convergence, the technical ability to execute a transaction is only half the battle. The other half is the governance and trust layer, which remains the primary bottleneck for agentic commerce."
Arriving Now: AI-Powered Toast Ordering on Google Maps
Toast
"Toast, the global technology platform built for restaurant and retail businesses, announced an expanded integration with Google that brings agentic food ordering to Ask Maps, a conversational AI feature within Google Maps. When a diner asks—by voice or text—for a restaurant recommendation or specific food request, Ask Maps can now put a Toast restaurant's menu directly in front of them and carry that request all the way through to a completed order."
August 6, 2026
On the web
Klarna Goes Live with J.P. Morgan Payments, Opening Flexible Checkout to U.S. Merchants
Klarna
"Klarna announced its first-ever integration with J.P. Morgan Payments is now live in the U.S. Merchants on J.P. Morgan Payments' Commerce Platform can now offer Klarna's flexible payment options at checkout, with no integration required. Businesses across all retail categories, from apparel and travel to health and wellness, can offer their customers the full suite of Klarna payment options: pay in full, interest-free installments, and longer-term financing, directly through their existing setup."
FIS Launches Digital One™ Commercial to Help APAC Banks Scale Business Banking Across Growth Markets
FIS Global
"FIS has launched Digital One™ Commercial in APAC, a core-agnostic, composable commercial banking platform enabling banks to serve all business segments on a single system without replacing existing core systems. Digital One Commercial supports real-time, multi-rail payments with native multi-language, multi-currency, and cloud-ready capabilities for the region's diverse regulatory environments. The platform’s API-first architecture integrates with accounting systems and ERP platforms."
Mastercard’s Trust Layer: The Compliance Bottleneck That Could Decide Who Wins Stablecoin Payments
Forkast
"By deploying Crypto Credential across the Borderless.xyz network, Mastercard is betting it's over who controls verification at scale. Every transaction between disparate providers currently requires redundant verification, a process that fails to scale alongside the underlying network infrastructure. Mastercard and Borderless.xyz announced a pilot program designed to address this inefficiency. By deploying Mastercard’s Crypto Credential framework across the Borderless.xyz network, the initiative introduces a standardized trust layer."
On the wires
Marqeta Expands Collaboration with Google to Launch New Offering in Wallet for Kids
Business Wire
"Marqeta’s card issuing platform enables Google to expand its Wallet for kids offering, providing a safe, digital-first way for kids to receive and spend allowances without needing a traditional bank account. With Marqeta’s tokenization and spend control functionality, Google enables parents in the U.S. to set daily spending limits, monitor transaction history, and lock or unlock the balance while supervised kids and teens use their Android and Wear OS devices to tap to pay in stores."
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