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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 17, 2026
On the web
OCC Grants World Liberty Trust a Preliminary Trust Charter, with Notable Smallprint
Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise
"The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has granted preliminary conditional approval for World Liberty Financial to establish a national trust bank. World Liberty Trust Company would take over issuance and reserve management of the USD1 stablecoin from BitGo and offer digital asset custody services as a fiduciary. Consistent with the BitGo version, the bank plans to offer fee free issuance and redemption of USD1, which could draw volume away from rivals like Circle during periods of market stress."
Hawaii Bans Cash Deposits on Crypto ATMs
ATM Marketplace
"Hawaii is the first state to ban cash deposits on crypto ATMs, rather than banning them outright. The state passed this law to address ongoing concerns around fraud at crypto ATMs, according to a report by Hawaii News Now. Although the law bans cash deposits at crypto ATMs, customers can convert crypto into cash or make withdrawals at the machines. The law takes effect Oct. 1."
Lithic and Monavate Partner to Power Card Programs Across Traditional and On-Chain Finance
Lithic
"Lithic, the card issuer processing platform powering next-generation financial experiences, announced a partnership with Monavate, the regulated payments platform and program manager owned by Exodus Movement, Inc. to give companies a single route to building and scaling card programs using fiat and digital currencies."
China Expands Digital Yuan Network with 8 New Banks to Accelerate Adoption
South China Morning Post
"China launched the digital yuan in 2019, but retail adoption has been slow as Chinese consumers are accustomed to using Alipay and WeChat Pay. China has added eight more commercial banks to its central bank-backed digital currency network, the latest move by Beijing to scale up adoption of the digital yuan, or e-CNY, and embed it more deeply into the country’s financial system."
Bank of America Launches AI Tracker Covering Model Intelligence and Costs
Crypto Briefing
"Wall Street is watching the AI arms race and Bank of America just built a scoreboard. The bank has launched an internal AI model tracker that evaluates leading large language models across two dimensions that actually matter to enterprise buyers: how smart the model is, and how much it costs to run. Bank of America currently operates more than 270 AI and machine learning models internally, with over 300 approved AI use cases across its business lines. It processes roughly 400,000 AI prompts per day."
A Routine Mastercard Update Knocked Out Card Payments Across Australia
Startup Fortune
"On Saturday afternoon, you couldn't trust your Mastercard at the checkout in parts of Australia. Not to tap. Not through Apple Pay. Not through Android Pay. News.com.au reported that Downdetector showed more than 1,700 Mastercard outage reports by 3pm on August 15, 2026, as failed transactions hit shoppers and businesses during weekend trading."
Visa’s Agentic Ready Program Moves Issuer-Layer Readiness From Theory to Production
Forkast
"Visa's new certification program qualifies European banks as agent-ready payment issuers, creating the first institutional-grade rails for autonomous agent transactions across the continent. The July 2, 2026, live agentic payment transaction in Germany—executed by Worldline, ING, and Visa—served as a definitive proof of concept for the future of commerce."
Alipay Unveils Full-Stack Agentic Commerce Infrastructure in China
Crowdfund Insider
"On August 17, 2026, Alipay hosted its inaugural AI ecosystem conference. The fintech platform, operated by Ant Group, introduced the country’s first comprehensive full-stack agent commercial foundation along with the AHA (Agent Hub Access) multi-agent cross-device interconnection protocol suite. This rollout aims to equip merchants with tools for intelligent operations while enabling seamless collaboration among diverse AI agents, terminals, and service providers."
Stripe Will Reportedly Acquire AI Gateway Startup OpenRouter for $7B+
TechCrunch
"Stripe has finalized a deal to acquire OpenRouter, according to a new report in Bloomberg . OpenRouter helps customers to select different AI models to perform different tasks, depending on their specific needs and budget.
On the wires
Thunes to Support Fiserv's Real-Time Global Payouts for Platforms
PR Newswire
"Thunes and Fiserv announced a strategic collaboration to transform how global platforms and marketplaces handle international payouts. Through the alliance, Thunes will support payouts for Fiserv's merchant ecosystem, enabling ecommerce platforms, marketplaces and other Fiserv clients to send money instantly around the world to pay employees, bills and suppliers. By leveraging Thunes' Direct Global Network, Fiserv clients will gain the ability to reach 12 billion bank accounts and mobile wallets in over 140 countries and 90 currencies."
August 14, 2026
Top Post
A PayPal Sale Is Back on the Table: What We Know About Stripe, Advent’s Bid
Yahoo Finance
"Stripe and Advent are reportedly in talks to acquire PayPal, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton outlines what we know so far. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the struggling payment company is in talks to sell itself to Stripe and Advent. Two companies offered 60 50 per share in July or $53 billion, which PayPal, remember, turned down, but now the journal is saying the companies have been in negotiations since then. PayPal shares spiking on that headline just before the close, finishing the day up nearly 2%."
SEC Regulation: CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate Without Final Vote
Icobench
"In SEC regulation news today, the Senate adjourned on Aug. 8 without holding a final vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, also known as the CLARITY Act. The Senate is in recess until Sept. 14, according to the ABA Banking Journal."
On the web
European Central Bank: Crypto Payments Have Minimal Use Among Euro Area Merchants
Menafn
"Crypto acceptance is extremely limited: the ECB reports 0.2% of euro area businesses accepting crypto for online purchases. Cash still leads at physical locations, accepted by 92% of businesses with point-of-sale outlets. Mobile payments are the main growth area or in-person transactions, rising to 68% acceptance in 2026 from 36% in 2024. Crypto and stablecoins show little traction at physical points of sale, staying below 1% in both 2024 and 2026."
Why Capital One Built Its Multi-Agent AI Platform Around Open-Weight Models [Video]
Venture Beat
"Kel Vanee, MVP of machine learning engineering at Capital One, spoke with Sam Witteveen, Senior Technology Contributor at VentureBeat, about how the bank built a scalable multi-agent AI architecture around deeply customized open-weight models rather than relying on an off-the-shelf foundation model. "At Capital One, we're not just using AI, we're building AI," Vanee said."
India Expands Test of Digital Rupee
Big News Network
"New Delhi has extended the pilot scheme of Central Bank Digital Currency to two more federally administered territories India has expanded a pilot scheme that uses Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to transfer welfare payments to two federally administered territories, as it races ahead with testing the digital rupee among a wider audience."
Digital Assets 101: A Credit Union's Guide to Cryptocurrency, Stablecoins, Tokenized Deposits and Central Bank Digital Currency
Velera
"Digital assets are no longer just a conversation about cryptocurrency. Stablecoins, tokenized deposits and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are beginning to reshape how money moves, how payments settle and how financial institutions think about the future of banking. For credit unions, the question is no longer whether digital assets matter — it's how to prepare for what comes next."
From MiCA to GENIUS: Why Crypto's Next Regulatory Test Is Cross-Border Coordination
Finance Magnates
"The central debate in digital asset policy used to be whether to regulate. That question is settled. MiCA's transitional period ended July 1st, 2026; the UK finalized its cryptoasset rulebook on June 30th; the US celebrated the one-year anniversary of the GENIUS Act becoming law; and the SEC and CFTC issued joint guidance in mid-March that classified digital assets as digital commodities. What now keeps industry participants up at night is whether rules written in Washington, London, and Brussels can interoperate with one another."
Chime Explores Stablecoins for Consumer Banking App
Investing
"Chime Financial Inc. is exploring how to bring stablecoins into its consumer banking platform, in the latest sign that the new form of money is evolving beyond crypto markets and into everyday payments, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based fintech asked blockchain technology companies to submit proposals in late spring to provide "end-to-end" stablecoin wallet services, according to the report, citing people familiar with the plans and a document."
Citi Expands Customer Engagement and Commerce Media Capabilities with Addition of Kard
Citigroup
"Citi’s U.S. Consumer Cards business announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Kard Financial, Inc., a company that operates a commerce media and rewards platform that helps banks and fintechs deepen customer engagement through personalized offers. Kard provides a commerce media platform that connects financial institutions and merchants through verified transaction data and merchant-funded rewards."
Zelle® tag Adoption Tops 1 Million; Small Businesses Across America Enroll at a Rate of Nearly 3,500 Per Day in the First Half of 2026
Early Warning
"During the first half of 2026, small businesses enrolled in Zelle® tag at an average rate of approximately 3,500 per day, as enrollment tops 1 million small businesses. Small businesses with a Zelle® tag received nearly $5.8 billion across all of their enrolled payment credentials during the period, offering an early indication of how the feature can help businesses make it easy for customers to pay them."
PSD3 Is Coming: Is Your Payments Licence Ready for 2028?
FinTech Global
"According to Vixio, the third Payment Services Directive (PSD3) and its companion Payment Services Regulation (PSR) are nearing official publication in the EU, with entry into force expected in Q3 2026. That triggers a 21-month transition period, putting the compliance deadline at around mid-2028. Payent institutions (PIs) and e-money institutions (EMIs) face a substantial workload before then, from interpreting new requirements to demonstrating compliance across their operations. Among the key changes..."
Education: Account 2 Account Payments
Opinium
"For more than a decade, Account-to-Account (A2A) payments have been portrayed as the next major evolution in payments. A2A payments are, at their simplest, the movement of money directly from one bank account to another. They encompass a range of payment mechanisms including traditional bank transfers, Faster Payments in the UK, SEPA Credit Transfers and SEPA Instant across Europe, ACH transfers in the United States, and increasingly, Pay by Bank experiences enabled through Open Banking in the UK."
August 13, 2026
Top Post
Banks Rush to Tokenize Deposits as Stablecoin Networks Beat Them to Shared Payment Rails
Tech Times
"America's biggest banks are building tokenized deposit infrastructure faster than at any point in the technology's history — and they are still a year behind the stablecoin consortia racing to control the same rails. New data published Wednesday by American Banker shows 24 of the 50 largest U.S. banks now have tokenized deposits on their radar as of Q2 2026, up from 19 the previous quarter with four institutions running live products and seven more in active pilot. The Clearing House shared network targets a first-half 2027 launch"
On the web
PayPal Antitrust Suit Dismissed: No Private Route to Challenge Platform Fee Inflation
Tech Times
"A federal judge permanently closed the door on the most ambitious consumer antitrust challenge ever brought against PayPal's merchant payment rules, handing the company a complete legal victory on August 12 and revealing just how difficult it is for shoppers to prove that a payment platform's fees secretly inflated the prices they paid. The ruling, issued by US District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California, ended a nearly three-year legal battle in Sabol et al. v. PayPal Holdings Inc. et al. (No. 4:23-cv-05100)."
Matera Releases Open Source X9.150 Payment QR Code Implementation to Accelerate Industry Adoption
Yahoo Finance
"Matera, a leading provider of modern banking technology, today announced the release of an open source implementation of the ANSI X9.150 Merchant-Presented Payment QR Code Standard, making it easier than ever for financial institutions, fintechs and developers to begin working with the new interoperability standard."
Modern Treasury Adds Physical and Digital Check Payments to Its Unified Payments API
Modern Treasury
"Modern Treasury today announced that its Payment Service Provider (PSP) now supports payments via physical and digital checks. Rather than integrating a separate check printing vendor or maintaining distinct reconciliation workflows, developers can use a single API to route payments across ACH, wires, RTP, FedNow, push-to-card, stablecoins, physical checks, and digital checks. The result is less operational complexity, faster implementation, and consistent payment tracking across every rail."
Hong Kong Dollar Stablecoin HKDAP Goes Live on Ethereum, Institutions Only for Now
Tech Times
"Hong Kong's regulated stablecoin era moved to practice on August 12, 2026, when Anchorpoint Financial — one of the first two licensed stablecoin issuers in the territory — announced that HashKey Exchange joined as its first authorized distributor for HKDAP, its Hong Kong dollar-pegged token, and completed the first real minting and redemption cycle. The transaction, included fiat on-and off-ramping, marks the first circulation of a regulated HKD stablecoin under Hong Kong's Stablecoins Ordinance on a live public blockchain."
Account Takeover Fraud Mitigation Toolkit
The Federal Reserve
"Account takeover fraud has remained a persistent threat for financial institutions. Recent trends reveal not only an increase in account takeover fraud losses but also in the frequency and sophistication of account takeover schemes. The Federal Reserve supports the payments industry in the fight against account takeover fraud. This account takeover fraud mitigation toolkit offers a wide range of informative resources to help the industry."
MiCA Trap: 14 European Stablecoin Issuers Cut Off From Custodying Their Own Tokens
U Today
"Most European stablecoin issuers were not prepared for the MiCA regulation, severely limiting their commercial capabilities. According to ESMA's interim register, out of approximately 23 authorized issuers of electronic money tokens (EMTs), only nine companies have obtained full authorization covering both EMT issuance and CASP services. The remaining 14 players have found themselves caught in a regulatory trap. Meanwhile, Circle, the issuer of USDC and EURC, with Société Générale-Forge, has emerged as the main beneficiary of this fragmentation."
AI Agents Are About to Become Customers: Is the Payments Industry Ready?
The AI Journal
"Most people still think about AI as an assistant. You ask a question. It provides an answer. But the emerging generation of AI agents is designed to take action. The agent doesn’t simply provide information. It completes the task. Once that happens, AI moves from being part of the research process to becoming part of the transaction itself. And payments become critical infrastructure. See list of questions to consider with AI Agents."
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