Glenbrook’s On-Demand Learning program combines our expertly curated payments education curriculum with a self-paced format that fits your schedule – start today!
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.
Search Payments News
January 7, 2026
On the web
Gr4vy Selects Affirm to Bring Flexible and Transparent Payment Options to Merchants
GR4VY
"Gr4vy, the cloud-based payment orchestration platform, announced a new partnership with Affirm, the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth. This integration enables merchants using Gr4vy to offer Affirm’s flexible and transparent payment options to eligible customers across online and mobile checkout."
Clover Introduces Identity-Based Payments to Transform Everyday Transactions
Fiserv, Inc.
"Clover, the all-in-one commerce solution from Fiserv announced a collaboration with Wink, the multimodal biometric identity and payments platform. This first-of-its-kind collaboration integrates Wink’s award-winning face and palm payments technology with advanced identity and intelligence layers directly into the Clover platform. The integration marks a significant transition to identity-based payments with enhanced security and customer checkout experience."
Financing the AI Boom: From Cash Flows to Debt
BIS
"Investment related to artificial intelligence (AI) is surging – both in nominal amounts and as a share of GDP – and currently accounts for a substantial share of economic growth. The size of anticipated investment needs will require firms to shift the source of financing from operating cash flows to debt, with private credit playing a rapidly increasing role. While macroeconomic and financial stability risks from the AI boom appear moderate, the boom's sustainability hinges on AI firms meeting high earnings expectations. The fact that equity prices have run far ahead of debt market pricing underscores this tension."
Mastercard: The Stories That Defined 2025: Stablecoins, Security and Speed
Mastercard
"This year, the Mastercard Newsroom’s most-read stories didn’t just chronicle breakthroughs. They captured the tension between innovation and uncertainty, as new payment models, fast-moving technology and regulatory shifts reshape how we think about trust, security and the future of money, considering not just what’s changing, but why it matters."
4 Things to Know About Crypto Market Structure Legislation
Bank Policy Institute
"As the Senate prepares to consider crypto market structure legislation, here are four key things to know about the risks unregulated crypto poses to consumers and the banking system and how a comprehensive approach can solve for these risks while promoting responsible innovation."
China’s First CBDC Oil Purchase Is a Warning for Crypto
Weiss Ratings
"China has been buying oil using its yuan, rather than U.S. dollars, since 2023. But this marked the first time it used its own Central Bank Digital Currency to do so. The ramifications of this move will ripple through multiple markets. But we’ll likely see the first impacts hit right at home on the blockchain."
Modulr Expands to U.S. with FIS Partnership to Power Real-Time Payments for Banks
Modulr Finance
"Modulr announced its launch into the United States with a partnership with global financial technology leader FIS. Building on its success in the U.K. and Europe, this milestone marks Modulr’s first step in bringing its proven real-time, API-first payment capability to one of the world’s largest payments markets."
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
UnionPay Intros Nihao China App
ATM Marketplace
"UnionPay launched the "Nihao China" mobile application Friday at the China International Travel Mart, aiming to centralize payment and transit services for foreign visitors, according to a press release. The digital platform allows international travelers to register via email or Apple ID and link foreign-issued bank cards, including UnionPay, Visa and Mastercard. The app integrates the three major domestic payment networks — UnionPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay."
Stablecoin Interest Ban Puts US at Disadvantage Against China
MSN
"Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer, Faryar Shirzad, warned U.S. lawmakers that they risked handing China a major advantage if they limited rewards on U.S.-issued stablecoins. The CPO emphasized China’s recent push to pay interest on its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan, to increase stablecoin adoption in the country."
Community Bankers Council Members Urge Congress to Close Stablecoin Loophole
ABA Banking Journal
"Lawmakers should use proposed market structure legislation to ensure that the Genius Act’s prohibition on interest applies to affiliates and partners of stablecoin issuers, the members of the American Bankers Association’s Community Bankers Council said in a letter to members of the U.S. Senate. The Genius Act bans payment stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield on payment stablecoins, but some crypto companies claim the restriction can be bypassed when exchanges or other affiliates offer yield or rewards to stablecoin holders. ABA has called on Congress to reiterate the original intent of the Genius Act and close the loophole."
Mastercard and Tencent MIDAS Launch Global Collaboration to Transform Digital Commerce
Mastercard
"Mastercard and Tencent MIDAS have announced a new collaboration to accelerate the future of digital commerce for the global entertainment ecosystem. By integrating Mastercard’s Click to Pay and advanced tokenization technologies into Tencent MIDAS’s overseas payment solutions, this initiative aims to deliver faster, more secure, and password-free payments for users worldwide."
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."
Take us with you
Payments on Fire is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and other podcast apps and services.
Watch new video episodes on our YouTube channel.