Companies

FedNow® Service Network Intelligence API Launches

The Federal Reserve

“Financial institutions and service providers sending instant payments over the FedNow Service now have access to a new risk mitigation tool that will empower them to send instant payments with confidence. With the network intelligence API, FedNow participants can access receiver account-level data observed over the service, adding an extra layer of information to help […]

Tags: Federal Reserve

Companies

RTP® Network Marks May Day with Record-Breaking Volume and Value

theclearinghouse

“The RTP® network, the nation’s largest system that processes over 98% of the U.S. economy’s bank-to-bank instant payments, set new single-day records by processing 2.27 million transactions worth $8.62 billion on May 1, reflecting the continued adoption of instant payments by consumers, financial institutions, and businesses. The volume growth of the RTP network, operated by […]

Tags: The Clearing House (TCH)

Industry

Understanding the Hidden Cost of Faster Payments

Bank Info Security

“As FedNow expands into higher-value transactions with limits now reaching $10 million, banks are being forced to rethink their fraud strategy. To date, banks have managed to strike a balance between fraud prevention and customer convenience, often accepting a certain level of loss But real-time payments are collapsing the time for investigation. Transactions now become […]

Companies

Can Mastercard Ride the Agentic Commerce Wave With PhotonPay?

Yahoo Finance

“Mastercard is exploring the fast-growing world of agentic commerce through a new collaboration with PhotonPay. The companies recently completed a live AI-powered payment demonstration in Hong Kong, where an AI agent autonomously selected, booked and paid for a ride using a tokenized payment credential. The test transaction combined PhotonPay’s programmable financial infrastructure with Mastercard’s Agent […]

Tags: Mastercard

Industry

Crypto Industry Scores Win as Clarity Act Regulation Bill Clears Senate Hurdle

CNBC

“The Clarity Act, which would create regulation for the cryptocurrency industry, cleared the Senate banking committee. The bill is the top legislative priority of the crypto industry, as it would add predictable oversight and guardrails to the industry. The measure is opposed by banks, unions and law enforcement agencies. The measure has a long way […]

Companies

Citi: Bridging the 24/7 Divide: How Blockchain and Tokenization Can Propel Finance Into the Real-Time Future

Citigroup

“The financial industry faces an “Always-On Divide”—a structural gap between the 24/7 digital economy and a legacy financial system constrained by batch processing, market hours and fragmented liquidity Blockchain and tokenization offer a solution by creating a programmable infrastructure where digital assets, tokenized deposits and smart contracts enable real-time, continuous and automated financial operations.”

Tags: Citi

Global

Treasury Proposes 16% VAT on M-Pesa and Other Digital Payment Platforms [Kenya]

Techweez

“Treasury wants to slap a 16% VAT on the country’s 42 licensed payment service providers, a list that includes M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Pesapal, and Kenswitch. The proposal is tucked into the Finance Bill 2026, and it has set off a quiet but serious fight between the government and the companies that run the country’s digital […]

Tags: Kenya

Companies

Adyen Collaboration with SAP Supports the Launch of SAP Unified Payment

Adyen

“Adyen announced a new collaboration with SAP, deepening its partnership to support the launch of the SAP Unified Payment solution. This native, fully embedded solution is designed to remove the structural complexity of global commerce by connecting digital storefronts directly to the financial backbone of the enterprise.”

Tags: Adyen SAP

Industry

How Dangerous Is Anthropic’s Mythos AI?

Schneier on Security

“Last month, Anthropic made a remarkable announcement about its new model, Claude Mythos Preview: it was so good at finding security vulnerabilities in software that the company would not release it to the general public. Instead, it would only be available to a select group of companies to scan and fix their own software. The announcement requires context—but it […]

Companies

Affirm CEO Max Levchin on Growth Outlook [Video]

CNBC

“Max Levchin, Affirm founder and CEO, joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss takeaways from the company’s annual investor day, state of the Buy Now, Pay Later business, state of the consumer, growth outlook, and more.”

Tags: Affirm

Companies

Amazon’s New Prime Business and Amazon Business Credit Cards, Powered by U.S. Bank and Mastercard, Are Now Available with Enhanced Rewards and Flexible Financing

Mastercard

“Amazon launched the new Prime Business Card and Amazon Business Card, bringing together the Amazon rewards business customers love with powerful new benefits to help businesses make the most of their spending on Amazon. These cards, issued by U.S. Bank as part of the Mastercard network, offer rewards wherever customers are shopping, access to flexible […]

Tags: Mastercard

Global

Britain's Stablecoin Pivot Looks Like Concession, but It's Really About Financial Positioning

U.Today

“The decision by the Bank of England to soften certain aspects of its proposed stablecoin regime will inevitably be portrayed as a win for the cryptocurrency sector. The BoE retreated from its initial 2023 framework, which mandated that stablecoin reserves be held solely in non-interest-bearing central bank deposits, following months of pressure from issuers and […]

Cross-border Payments ECommerce Global Payments Merchants Payments Acceptance

Episode 293 - Unlocking Merchant Growth in Emerging Markets, with João Del Valle, EBANX

In this episode, Drew Edmond is joined by João Del Valle, CEO and co-founder of EBANX, to talk about the origin story of EBANX, why Brazil has historically been such a difficult market for non-Brazilian merchants, and what João has learned as the company has expanded into new regions. Listen in as they cover some of the biggest topics shaping the next phase of global payments, including Pix and Pix Automático in Brazil, payment optimization when looking at local payment methods, and perspectives on agentic commerce and stablecoins.

Companies

Google Teams with Affirm, Klarna for Flex Payments in AI, Search

Chain Store Age

“Google is partnering with two leading flexible payment platforms to provide new options for checkout with Google Pay in its AI and search environments. The tech giant is collaborating with Affirm and Klarna to bring flexible payment opportunities to its Google Gemini agentic AI engine and its search offering, including AI mode, via the Google Pay digital payment tool in […]

Tags: Google

Companies

New Fed Data: Differences in Payments Activity at Large and Smaller Institutions

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

“This commentary is based on new data released by the FRPS in March, detailing payments activity by the 100 largest DIs by transaction account deposit size. The release provides the number and value of check, ACH, wire, and alternative payments (bank bill pay and person-to-person) at the 100 largest DIs and all other DIs for […]

Tags: Federal Reserve