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April 15, 2026
On the web
Buenos Aires Mandates Electronic Payments in Land-Based Gaming to Boost Transparency
iGamingToday.com - News, insights and Slots review
"The regulatory body that oversees gambling activities in the province of Buenos Aires has recently announced mandatory electronic betting payments. Specifically, it has been decided that interoperable QR Codes should be used when placing bets at agencies, racetracks, and gaming halls. Clearly, this initiative will have far-reaching implications since it means abandoning cash in favor of digital transactions linked to bank accounts and debit cards."
dLocal, NEC to Power Remittance Payouts Across Africa
Techeconomy
"dLocal, a cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, and National Exchange Company, an Italy-based international money transfer operator serving over 5 million customers across 90+ countries worldwide, have announced a partnership to power cross-border remittance payouts across markets in Africa, APAC, and Latin America."
Gr4vy Supports Agentic Payments Through Orchestration and Launches Development Kit to Prepare Merchants for AI Commerce
Gr4vy
"Gr4vy, announced it is fully ready to support agentic payment transactions through its orchestration layer, allowing merchants to manage and process transactions within AI-driven environments. In addition, Gr4vy is launching its Agentic Development Kit (ADK), designed to equip and guide merchants in building and launching AI-native storefronts within platforms such as ChatGPT."
X Is Finally Building the Crypto Plumbing That Could Turn Its Payments Ambitions Into Something Real
Startup Fortune
"For years, the “Everything App” vision Elon Musk attached to his $44 billion Twitter acquisition read more like a pitch deck than a plan. That changed today. X CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed the platform is in the final stages of building out crypto infrastructure for X Money, the payments ecosystem the company has been telegraphing since at least 2023. The regulatory groundwork is already laid, the licenses are in hand, and the engineering focus has narrowed to one stubborn problem: making volatile digital assets usable at the point of sale."
April 14, 2026
Top Post
American Express Debuts Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE)™ Developer Kit and Announces Industry-First Protection for Registered Agent Purchases
Business Wire
"American Express is building for the next era of commerce. As AI agents reshape how Card Members make everyday transactions, the company is bringing its longstanding tradition of trust, security, and service into AI-powered commerce. Today, American Express is introducing an agentic commerce developer kit and announcing Amex Agent Purchase Protection™, an industry-first commitment to extend its backing to Card Member purchases made by registered AI agents across its network."
On the web
Visa Launches Validator Node on Tempo Blockchain
Visa
"Visa announced it launched its validator node on the Tempo network, marking a milestone in Visa’s advancement of blockchain infrastructure leadership and shaping stablecoin payments. The launch underscores Visa’s commitment to running blockchain operations in-house. Tempo, a blockchain built for agentic commerce and real-time payments, has expanded its validator ecosystem to include financial and commerce partners. Visa, Stripe, and Zodia Custody by Standard Chartered will be the first external validators to join the Tempo network."
Trust, Privacy Concerns Holding Back Consumers From AI Shopping Tool Adoption
Chain Store Age
"Consumer interest in artificial intelligence is strong, but trust still remains a barrier to full adoption. Only 39% of Americans trust AI agents to make everyday purchases on their behalf, and only 34% are comfortable with AI-driven purchasing for larger items, according to marketing experience company Quad’s "The New Rules of Retail Trust in the Age of AI" survey."
OpenAI Has Bought AI Personal Finance Startup Hiro
TechCrunch
"OpenAI has acquired personal finance startup Hiro Finance, founder Ethan Bloch announced and OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch. The startup was backed by A-list fintech VC firm Ribbit, as well as General Catalyst and Restive. The company was founded in 2023 and launched its AI tool about five months ago. Hiro offered AI-powered financial planning for consumers. Users entered financial information like salary, debts, and monthly costs, and the app modeled different what-if scenarios to help them make financial decisions."
The Fed Is Building Competition for XRP’s Core Payments Use Case Into the Fednow Banking System
CryptoSlate
"Over the past several days, the most consequential development around XRP has come from outside crypto. On April 8, the Federal Reserve proposed allowing U.S. banks and credit unions to use intermediaries through the FedNow Service, a change the central bank said could support private-sector cross-border payment solutions. In the Fed’s own proposal details, the logic is explicit. Banks could use an intermediary, such as a correspondent bank, for the international portion of a transaction and use FedNow for the domestic U.S. leg."
April 13, 2026
Top Post
India’s Central Bank Mulls Delay for Some Digital Payments to Curb Fraud
MSN
"India's central bank is suggesting the introduction of a delay for certain digital payments above a threshold as part of measures to curb rising fraud, and sought stakeholder feedback on the proposals in a discussion paper. The Reserve Bank of India outlined four possible safeguards, including a lag for certain authorised push-payment transactions above 10,000 rupees ($107.92), additional authentication for high-value transfers by vulnerable users, limits on credits into some bank accounts without enhanced checks, and customer-controlled safeguards such as disabling digital payment channels."
Anthropic: Project Glasswing Securing Critical Software for the AI Era
Anthropic
"Today we’re announcing Project Glasswing, an initiative that brings together Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, JPMorganChase, the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Palo Alto Networks in an effort to secure the world’s most critical software. We formed Project Glasswing because of capabilities we’ve observed in a new frontier model trained by Anthropic that we believe could reshape cybersecurity. Claude Mythos Preview reveals a stark fact: AI models have reached a level of coding capability where they can surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities."
On the web
Galileo Enables SoFi to Send and Receive FedNow® Service Payments
Yahoo-Business Wire
"Galileo Financial Technologies, SoFi’s technology platform announced that SoFi, N.A. is offering instant bank transfers via the FedNow® Service powered by Galileo’s payment technology. The new capability lets SoFi members move money in seconds between their SoFi accounts and their accounts at other U.S. banks, at any time of day, including weekends and holidays. Most banks that use FedNow® Service only support receive capabilities. SoFi is going further by allowing members to both send and receive FedNow® Service payments."
X402 Protocol Adds Usage-Based Pricing for AI Compute Requests
MSN
"Coinbase has announced an upgrade for the x402 protocol, enabling usage-based pricing for agentic AI compute requests, which replaces the former flat fee model. In a post on X on Thursday, Coinbase Developer Platform announced the "Upto" scheme has gone live, adding it will help open up "variable-cost services" for agentic AI such as large language model inference, compute and data queries."
Managing The Quantum Threat to Blockchains
Citigroup
"Quantum computing primarily threatens public-key cryptography especially digital signatures that secure authentication identity and blockchain ownership The most immediate risk to blockchains is exposed public keys and operational key infrastructure not the underlying blockchain protocol Even if cryptographically relevant quantum machines are years away companies must start preparing now because upgrading blockchains takes time."
Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Revolution Will Be Whitelisted
Blockhead
The HKMA handed its first approvals to the banks that already print the Hong Kong dollar. That tells you everything about what these tokens are meant to be. HSBC has been clear about its intended use cases: peer-to-peer payments through PayMe, merchant payments, and subscriptions to tokenised investment products.
Flutterwave Secures Nigerian Banking License to Accelerate Payment Efficiency
Intelligent CIO Africa
"Flutterwave, one of Africa’s leading payments companies, announced it has secured a Nigerian banking license. By securing this banking license, Flutterwave gains greater control over how funds move within its ecosystem, including the ability to hold deposits and manage financial flows across its platform."
April 10, 2026
Top Post
Innovation Across Borders: Fednow® Service Plans Future Support for Global Payment Experiences
FedNow
"In response to industry feedback, the FedNow Service — the Federal Reserve’s instant payment network — is laying the groundwork to expand beyond its original domestic-only framework in the future. Leveraging enhanced ISO® 20022 message formats, FedNow participants would be permitted to process instant payments on the network even when the ultimate sender or receiver is located outside of the United States. This type of cross-border transaction could be facilitated through correspondent banking arrangements, similar to models already used on the Fedwire® Funds Service."
On the web
What Are Stablecoins Used for Today? Estimating the Distribution of Stablecoins
Kansas City Federal Reserve
"In this Payments System Research Briefing, the distribution of stablecoins by function is depicted and three basic observations are made. First, payments are still a very small part of the stablecoin ecosystem. Second, a significant portion of stablecoins are held in bridging protocols that facilitate transfer of value between different blockchain networks; the need for this operation indicates that the stablecoin ecosystem still lacks interoperability. Third, a majority of stablecoins continue to be used in crypto finance rather than moving independently, suggesting that the stablecoin ecosystem is sensitive to the fortunes of this industry."
Treasury Proposes GENIUS Act Principles for Acceptable State Stablecoin Regimes
Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor
"The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the broad-based principles set out in the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act for determining when a state-level regulatory regime for “state qualified payment stablecoin issuers” is “substantially similar” to the federal regulatory framework. That determination is the gateway for state-chartered, nonbank stablecoin issuers with up to $10 billion in outstanding stablecoins to operate primarily under state oversight rather than as federally supervised “permitted payment stablecoin issuers.” Comments will be due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register."
Latam Insights: Global Pix, Mercado Libre Ends Token
Crypto News
"The Central Bank of Brazil has revealed its next steps to keep improving and growing Pix, the ubiquitous instant payment system used by almost all adults in the country. According to local media, the Central Bank plans to launch International Pix, a standard feature that would allow individuals and companies to complete cross-border payments and remittances using the Pix network. While Pix is already available internationally in Argentina, the U.S., and Portugal, this new initiative would make it permanent, interconnecting instant national payment systems and streamlining settlements."
APIs Are Leaking More Than Data as Security Gaps Surface in AI-Era Testing
IBS Intelligence
"A research from KushoAI analyses API test executions across 2,600+ organisations to surface where Enterprise API security fails and where tests fail to look Around 34% of all API test failures have a direct security implicationOver 91% of teams test that authentication exists; only 29% test that it is correctly enforced AI-generated test suites cover 2.7x more OWASP categories than manually authored ones Supply chain attacks now target AI API credentials; current testing has no coverage of them"
Bessent, Powell Warned Bank CEOs About Anthropic Model Risks, Sources Say [Video]
Yahoo Finance-Reuters
"U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened an urgent meeting with bank CEOs this week to warn of cyber risks posed by Anthropic's latest AI model, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Anthropic launched the powerful Mythos model earlier this week but stopped short of a broad release, citing concerns it could expose previously unknown cybersecurity vulnerabilities."
Velera Enhances Fintech Engagement Program to Deliver Exclusive Benefits
Velera
"Velera announced an evolution of its Fintech Engagement Program, introducing an inaugural cohort of six fintech partners offering exclusive benefits, such as discounted pricing or waived fees, to Velera credit unions. The new group includes six fintech companies: Coverbase: AI-native third-party risk & procurement platform InvestiFi: Integrated digital investing platform Larky: Proactive account holder engagement Spiral: Personalized savings and giving that grow deposits Swaystack: Gamified onboarding and engagement Union Credit: Embedded lending marketplace."
Education: Federal Reserve Cash Services
Federal Reserve History
"One purpose for the establishment of the Federal Reserve System was to "to furnish an elastic currency." This brief statement at the beginning of the Federal Reserve Act reflects the historical economic importance of an adequate supply of currency for payments and as a store of value. The Federal Reserve issues and distributes currency in the form of Federal Reserve notes. The Federal Reserve provides cash services to ensure that cash (currency and coin) in circulation is sufficient to meet public demand."
April 9, 2026
On the web
Instant Payments in Focus: An Inside Look at the FedNow® Service
FedNow
"Instant payments are no longer an emerging concept. The FedNow Service growth has accelerated steadily since its 2023 launch in the United States. Today, nearly 1,700 financial institutions participate on the service. FedNow Service growth has accelerated steadily since launch, and new tools and innovations are broadening the range of popular instant payment use cases. Nick Stanescu, executive vice president and chief FedNow executive, shares his perspective."
How Can Visa's Intelligent Commerce Connect Power AI Agents?
Zacks
"Visa Inc. is expanding its footprint in next-generation shopping with the launch of Intelligent Commerce Connect. This platform acts as a unified system, enabling businesses to connect directly with AI agents through a single integration on Visa’s acceptance network. Instead of people browsing and clicking through websites, AI agents can interact with merchant systems, compare products and complete purchases automatically. Through a single integration on the Visa Acceptance Platform, Intelligent Commerce Connect enables secure payments, tokenization, spend controls and authentication."
Intuit Completes FedNow® Service Certification to Accelerate Instant Payments for Small and Mid-Market Businesses
Intuit Inc.
"Intuit announced it has completed the Federal Reserve’s certification and readiness program for the FedNow® Service. By leveraging the FedNow Service, Intuit is able to partner with financial institutions to send instant payment transactions on behalf of its customers. This flexible participation model allows Intuit to help accelerate the adoption of a more modern U.S. payment infrastructure, providing businesses with the ability to manage their cash flow with greater speed and the financial confidence of instant settlement."
Block Introduces Managerbot, a Proactive Square AI Agent
Venture Beat
Block unveiled Managerbot, a new AI agent embedded in the Square platform that proactively monitors a seller's business, identifies emerging problems, and proposes actionable solutions — without the seller ever having to ask a question. The product marks the most tangible manifestation of CEO Jack Dorsey's controversial bet that artificial intelligence can fundamentally reshape how his company operates, builds products, and serves the millions of small businesses that depend on Square to run day-to-day commerce.
Circle Launches CPN Managed Payments, a Full-Stack Platform for Seamless Stablecoin Settlement
Circle
"Circle Internet Group, Inc. announced the launch of Circle Payments Network (CPN) Managed Payments1. This fully managed, unified stablecoin settlement solution allows payment service providers (PSPs), fintechs, banks, and global enterprises to access the speed and efficiency of regulated digital dollars without managing digital assets directly."
Visa: Earning Consumer Trust in the Age of Agentic Commerce
Visa
"Visa conducted research to understand how consumers are adapting to the rise of agentic commerce: the emerging world where AI acts on their behalf when shopping and buying. This report summarizes the results of that research covering the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Across all three markets, consumers show striking consistency: most are already familiar with AI-powered shopping assistants, and approximately one in three expect to use them regularly."