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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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January 6, 2026
Top Post
Digital Yuan Morphs From CBDC Into Digital Bank Deposits to Rival Stablecoins
Ledger Insights
"The retail digital yuan is no longer a central bank digital currency. China’s version 2.0 upgrade, launched 1 January 2026, has transformed it into a commercial bank deposit solution where retail balances become liabilities of the holding institution – whether a bank or non-bank payment provider."
On the web
Off the Map: Top Bank Risks for 2026
ABA Banking Journal
"Banks were early adopters of artificial intelligence, but the extent to which it changes the inner workings of banking remains to be seen. The same can be said about the impact of stablecoins following the passage of the Genius Act in July and President Trump’s executive order at the end of August to end the practice of debanking. Even traditional bank risks, such as fraud, have taken never-before-seen shapes through the use of deepfakes and other technology-fueled scams."
Swift: A Year of Shared Progress: 5 Highlights From 2025
Swift
"In 2025, the global financial community counted on Swift more than ever. We saw double-digit traffic growth and a new record of over 68 million messages exchanged in a single day. Read on to discover some of the highlights."
January 5, 2026
On the web
Small Business Sales Edge Up as Consumers Spend More Per Transaction this December, Fiserv Reports
Fiserv, Inc.
"Fiserv, Inc. has published the Fiserv Small Business Index for December 2025, indicating small businesses closed out the holiday season with modest gains. Holiday demand boosts retail sales; spending on essentials outpaces discretionary spending; restaurant sales remain flat in December; states experience broad sales growth."
Mastercard, LoanPro Launches Card-Based Installment Lending
IBS Intelligence
"Mastercard has partnered with lending technology provider LoanPro to introduce Loan on Card, a new solution aimed at modernising loan disbursement and access for consumers and small businesses. The product is expected to launch in 2026. The initiative combines fixed-term instalment lending with Mastercard’s global card acceptance network, allowing lenders to disburse approved loan amounts directly to a virtual or physical Mastercard."
On the wires
Flutterwave Expands Payments Infrastructure With Acquisition of Open Banking Firm Mono
PR Newswire
"Flutterwave, Africa's leading payments technology company, has acquired Mono, a pioneer in open banking infrastructure across the continent. The transaction deepens Flutterwave's long-term commitment to building a connected, interoperable financial system for Africa and positions open banking as a core pillar in the evolution of alternative payment methods across the region."
January 2, 2026
On the web
Outlook 2026: Stablecoin Fretting Will Calm Down
OMFIF
"Stablecoins dominated the financial discourse in 2025. Traditional finance, aided by regulators and central banks outside the US and sheer heft within it, is moving to beat them, or at least co-opt them. UK digital finance regulation has been a messy but instructive journey. The European Central Bank, has stepped up its wholesale CBDC streams under the Pontes project, which will go live in the second half of 2026. The US bank, JP Morgan, has shown how far TradFi can get already without direct central bank involvement."
RBI Sees Stablecoins As Threat, Pushes CBDC Vision (India)
Cointribune
"While stablecoins reach $307 billion in 2025, India adopts a radically opposite stance. The Indian central bank (RBI) rejects stablecoins and defends its own digital currency, the CBDC. According to the RBI, only CBDCs guarantee financial stability, confidence in currency, and monetary sovereignty. The institution warns of systemic risks that stablecoins could cause, especially during periods of economic stress."
Interest Payments to Start for China’s Digital Yuan in 2026
Digital Watch Observatory
"A significant shift away from global views on central bank digital currencies has been made with the decision to allow China’s digital yuan to earn interest starting in January 2026. China’s decision could influence global debates as dozens of countries continue to explore the use of digital currencies. While Europe remains committed to a non-interest-bearing digital € and the United States has formally banned a retail CBDC, China is testing whether an interest-paying digital currency can coexist with traditional banking."
December 19, 2025
Top Post
Visa and Mastercard to Pay $167.5m to Settle Lawsuit Over ATM Fees
The Guaradian
"Visa and Mastercard have agreed to pay a combined $167.5m to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to keep ATM access fees artificially high. The proposed settlement was filed on Thursday in the federal district court in Washington and requires a judge’s approval. The accord would pay potentially millions of ATM users who were charged an unreimbursed access fee to withdraw cash from independent, non-bank ATMs. Visa would contribute about $88.8m and Mastercard about $78.7m to a settlement fund. The money would be distributed to eligible customers with qualifying ATM transactions made since October 2007."
Federal Reserve Board Publishes Its Biennial Report on Debit Card Transactions, Which Summarizes Information Collected From Large Debit Card Issuers and Payment Card Networks
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
"The Board published its biennial report on debit card transactions, which summarizes information collected from large debit card issuers and payment card networks. The report, required by law, provides data on interchange fees, issuer costs, and fraud losses related to debit card transactions performed in 2023. [Click for Report]"
Visa Partners with Aldar to Complete First End to End Voice-Enabled Agentic Payment in the Region [UAE]
Visa Middle East
Visa and Aldar announced a strategic collaboration that marks the first live implementation of Visa Intelligent Commerce in the region, introducing end-to-end, voice-enabled agentic payment experiences. The first transaction saw a customer pay their real estate service charges on the Live Aldar mobile app, through an AI agent who took the customer through a simple, consent-led flow, confirming their details, and completing the transaction within seconds. The transaction used an Emirates NBD Darna Visa Credit Card, a co-branded credit card linked to Aldar’s digital loyalty platform, Darna.
On the web
OnePay Joins Google's Agent Payments Protocol to Define the Future of Agentic Payments
"OnePay announced it has joined Google's Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to help make AI-driven, agentic payments more secure, transparent, and useful for consumers, merchants, and developers. As a Credential Provider in AP2, OnePay will help define how payment methods are stored, selected, and used safely by AI agents."
Federal Reserve Board Requests Public Input on “Payment Account,” Which Eligible Financial Institutions Could Use for the Limited Purpose of Clearing and Settling Their Payments
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
"The Federal Reserve Board requested public input on a "payment account," which eligible financial institutions could use for the limited purpose of clearing and settling their payments. A payment account would be distinct from a master account, which is what financial institutions currently use to access payments services from the Fed. A payment account would not pay interest, not have access to Fed credit, and would be subject to balance caps, among other features that separate it from a master account."
Pay.UK and Vocalink Extend Contracts for UK Payments Backbone
Fintech Global
"Pay.UK and Vocalink, a Mastercard company, have agreed to multi-year extensions to their existing infrastructure contracts, a move designed to safeguard the continuity of the UK’s core interbank payment systems well into the early 2030s."
EthSwitch Marks Major Advance in Instant Payment Systems with EthioPay Launch
Shega
"Ethiopia’s national switch operator, EthSwitch, unveiled a long-awaited overhaul of the country’s payment rails, officially launching an interoperable instant payment system known as EthioPay. Developed over two years, the system enables same-day settlement for interbank transfers, replacing the Real Time Gross Settlement platform, which has long drawn criticism from banks and businesses for delays that constrained liquidity across the financial system."
Amazon Business Prime Offers Small and Midsize Businesses Even More Value with New Benefits from Intuit QuickBooks, CrowdStrike, and Gusto
Amazon
"Business Prime customers have access to exclusive benefits with Intuit QuickBooks, CrowdStrike, and Gusto to support their financial management, cybersecurity, and Human Resources needs. Expanded benefits can help SMBs save nearly $1,000 per year, streamline operations, and simplify business buying. Savings build on Business Prime’s value, joining member benefits like fast, free shipping, Spend Visibility, Guided Buying, and flexible payment options."
JPMorgan’s Tokenized Dollars Are Quietly Rewiring How Wall Street Moves Money
CoinDesk
"The move from a private chain to Coinbase’s Base layer is driven by demand from institutions, JPMorgan said. The only cash equivalent options available in crypto are stablecoins, so there’s a need for a bank deposit product for payments on public chains, according to the Wall Street bank. Typically JPM Coin can be used on Base as a means to either keep collateral or make margin payments for transactions related to crypto purchases."
Understanding How Credit Unions Are Using Alternative Identification Methods Globally
World Council of Credit Unions
"World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) International Advocacy released Understanding How Credit Unions Are Using Alternative Identification Methods Globally, a new white paper that highlights the ways credit unions worldwide are leveraging non-traditional forms of ID to expand access to financial services for underserved communities. The paper explores how three key jurisdictions are using some forms of alternative identification—Brazil, the European Union, with a spotlight on Ireland and Poland, and the United States."
Education: How Stablecoins Can Improve Payments And Global Finance
Eurasia Review
"Stablecoins have great potential to make international payments faster and cheaper for people and companies. But this promise comes with risks of currency substitution and countries losing control over capital flows, among others. Stablecoins are designed to avoid the wild price swings of native crypto assets like Bitcoin. While both are based on distributed ledgers, the main difference is that stablecoins are centralized (meaning they are run by a specific company) and are mostly backed by conventional and liquid financial assets, like cash or government securities."
December 18, 2025
Top Post
Visa and Partners Complete Secure AI Transactions, Setting the Stage for Mainstream Adoption in 2026
Visa
"Visa Inc. announced a major milestone in the evolution of AI-powered commerce: hundreds of secure, agent-initiated transactions have now been successfully completed in collaboration with partners across the ecosystem. This breakthrough signals that 2025 will be the final year consumers shop and checkout alone, as AI agent-driven payments rapidly transition from experimentation to mainstream adoption."
On the web
Modern Treasury and Paxos Make It Easier for Businesses to Move Money with Stablecoins
Business Wire
"Modern Treasury announced a partnership with Paxos to make it easier for businesses to start using stablecoin payments alongside their existing payment methods. Under the partnership, Modern Treasury will integrate Paxos’ industry-leading stablecoin and settlement technology into its platform. This will allow businesses to originate, reconcile, and manage stablecoin payments with the same controls, transparency, and operational efficiency they expect from traditional payment methods."
Google Pay: Advancing Payments, Credit, and Commerce in India
"Google announced updates designed to help build financial confidence for everyone. Notable: Reimagining Everyday Credit with ‘Flex’; Pocket Money: Financial Confidence for the Next Generation, and over the last few months, launched new efforts to stay ahead of bad actors by preventing Screen-Sharing Scams; and AI-Powered Fraud Prevention."
Schnuck Markets Prevents Gift Card Fraud in 10-Store Pilot
Chain Store Age
"Schnuck Markets Inc. successfully streamlined in-store gift card security during a technology test in the St. Louis market. The regional grocery chain deployed the new Digimarc Corp. end-to-end gift card security solution in 10 Schnucks stores in the St. Louis area for a 10-week period, with 100% of Digimarc-protected gift cards activated successfully and no reported fraud on any cards secured by Digimarc."
PayPal to Use PYUSD Stablecoin to Fund AI Infrastructure Through USD.AI
Coindesk
"PayPal is extending the role of its PYUSD stablecoin into artificial intelligence finance, linking it to onchain funding mechanisms developed by USD.AI, a stablecoin protocol that provides credit to AI companies. Loans issued by USD.AI to finance graphics processing unit (GPUs), data centers and related AI infrastructure will be denominated in PYUSD, with borrowers able to receive proceeds directly into PayPal accounts, according to an announcement shared with CoinDesk."
Intuit and Circle Partner to Unlock the Future of Money Movement with Stablecoins
Intuit Inc.
"Intuit announced it has signed a multi-year, strategic partnership with Circle Internet Group, Inc., one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, to accelerate next-generation financial services powered by stablecoin technology. The agreement establishes a framework for Intuit to leverage Circle’s comprehensive stablecoin infrastructure and USDC across the Intuit platform."
SoFi Launches Fully Reserved Stablecoin to Power Financial Infrastructure for Banks, Fintechs, and Enterprise Partners
Business Wire
"SoFi Technologies, Inc. announced the launch of SoFiUSD, a fully reserved U.S. dollar stablecoin issued by SoFi Bank, N.A. SoFiUSD will enable SoFi to serve as a stablecoin infrastructure provider for banks, fintechs, and enterprise platforms. They will be able to leverage SoFi’s bank-grade infrastructure to streamline their operations with faster and more efficient money movement."
Federal Reserve Withdraws Restrictive 2023 Policy Severely Limiting ‘Novel’ Crypto Activities
Finance Feeds
"The Federal Reserve Board took a step by officially withdrawing a restrictive 2023 policy statement that had effectively barred many state-chartered banks from the cryptocurrency sector. By rescinding this guidance, the central bank is creating a new pathway for both insured and uninsured state member banks to seek permission for “innovative activities,” signaling a broader shift toward integrating digital assets into the formal U.S. banking system."
Joint European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Central Bank (ECB) Report on Payment Fraud: Strong Authentication Remains Effective but Fraudsters Are Adapting
European Central Bank
In 2024, the payment fraud rate in the European Economic Area is stable at around 0.002% of the total value of transactions in a calendar year. The total value of fraud increased to €4.2 billion in 2024 from €3.5 billion in 2023. However, new types of fraud are on the rise, particularly the manipulation of payers, which will require additional and new mitigation approaches."
On the wires
Talus and Ingenico Partner to Deliver the Ingenico SoftPOS Solution to North America
Business Wire
"Talus, a leading provider of integrated payment technology, has partnered with Ingenico to bring a SoftPOS solution to the North American market. This initiative showcases a hardware-free Tap-to-Pay capability, enabling merchants to accept secure contactless payments using only an NFC-enabled mobile device."
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