PAYMENTS ON FIRE RESOURCE CENTER
Smart thinking for smart payments professionals
Payments On Fire is the industry’s leading resource center for payments professionals. Here, you’ll find the resources and thought leadership that only Glenbrook’s experienced team can provide. Curated news stories, insightful opinion papers, provocative podcasts, and more – it’s all the thinking you need to stay competitive in a dynamic payments world.
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February 6, 2026
The Global Payments Reset Has Begun - And It’s Not Coming From Banks
Exchange Rates
“China’s central bank has signalled a major shift in digital-currency policy. Under a new action plan published by the People’s Bank of China, the digital yuan moves from “digital cash” to a form of deposit money: commercial banks will pay interest on e-CNY balances from 1 January 2026 and deposits will be covered by deposit […]
Zip US Expands Flexible Payment Options with Launch of Pay in 2
Business Wire
“Zip announced the launch of Pay in 2, a new payment option that allows consumers to split a purchase into two installments paid over two weeks. While Zip’s Pay in 4 offering has helped millions of customers manage larger purchases over six weeks, Pay in 2 is designed to help manage cash flow and everyday […]
UPI New Rules From February: Key Changes for Google Pay, PhonePe & Paytm Users
ABP Live
“New rules for the UPI are set to take effect from February 2026, bringing significant changes to transaction speed, verification standards and user protections. Regulators have focused on improving real-time processing, tightening security controls and enhancing transparency for users who rely on UPI for everyday digital payments. The updated framework aims to make digital transactions […]
PhonePe Takes Its Diversification to Dalal Street
The Economic Times
“For most users, PhonePe remains a payments app. As the Walmart-backed fintech prepares for a public listing, its UDRHP filed last month outlines a company that is expanding beyond payments, using UPI primarily as a distribution layer rather than a revenue engine. More notably, growth is increasingly being driven by businesses that sit on top […]
Mastercard Collaborates With Cyber Security Council to Safeguard Uae’s Digital Ecosystem
Mastercard
“Mastercard has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) to strengthen trust in the nation’s digital ecosystem. Through this collaboration, both entities will work together to advance cybersecurity resilience by sharing global best practices and supporting the development of forward‑looking cybersecurity policies. The two entities are also launching a […]
India Weighing up to 25,000 Rupee Compensation for Digital‑Payment Frauds, RBI Governor Says
Yahoo Finance
“The Reserve Bank of India will propose a framework to compensate customers up to 25,000 rupees ($276) for losses incurred in small-value fraudulent transactions, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday. This was among a series of steps announced by the RBI to enhance customer protection and increase digital payments safety. The […]
Lloyds Says GenAI Delivered £50m of Value in 2025
Banking Exchange
“Lloyds Banking Group’s use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) delivered around £50 million of value in 2025, with more than £100 million in additional value expected in 2026 as the bank expands its use of the technology. During 2025, the bank deployed more than 50 generative AI solutions, which it said have reshaped how customers […]
Education: Why Is Your Credit Card Rate So High?
Knowledge at Wharton
“U.S. credit card debt is rising and at last count exceeded $1.2 trillion, but half of the 42% of Americans who worry about their card debt do nothing about it. But the top-of-mind question among credit card users is: Why do they pay overly stiff interest rates? Credit card interest rates average 23% — higher than any other […]
February 5, 2026
South Africa Launches Its First Rand-Pegged Stablecoin, Zaru
Biz Community
“South Africa has entered the digital-currency era with the launch of Zaru, the country’s first institutional-grade stablecoin pegged to the rand. The launch marks a major step in modernising the country’s financial ecosystem and linking the rand to global digital finance networks.”
Merchant Steering of Consumer Payment Choice
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
“This paper analyzes data from a consumer payment survey and diary to identify reasons why consumers often deviate from their preferred payment method when making in-person purchases. In particular, it investigates the degree to which merchants influence consumers’ payment choice—cash, debit, or credit card—and whether they are able to steer consumers from their preferred payment […]
Phixius by Nacha and Kinexys by J.P. Morgan Integration Goes Live, Expanding Multi-Responder Account Validation Network
Nacha
“Phixius by Nacha (Phixius) announced that its integration with Kinexys Liink, the world’s first bank-led peer-to-peer blockchain-based data sharing network, part of Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, is now live. With this integration, financial institutions and organizations that make ACH payments can benefit from a multi-responder account validation system. As part of the integration, Phixius serves […]
When AI Agents Shop for Us, How Will Loyalty Programs Keep Up?
Chain Store Age
“As AI tools move from effectively being smarter search engines (chatbots), to autonomously executing transactions on behalf of a person (AI agents), the online marketing playbook is being rewritten. For retailers, this shift means loyalty is becoming a way to differentiate products and gain favor with agents. Product data will play an even more important […]
Block Expands OpenIP with Bitkey and Proto Patents: Advancing Open Hardware Innovation
Block
“Block announced the expansion of Block’s OpenIP initiative to include patents related to Bitkey, our bitcoin self-custody hardware wallet, and Proto, our brand of bitcoin mining products and services, furthering our commitment to open innovation in hardware development. This expansion builds on our initial OpenIP announcement from October 2025, where we established our approach to intellectual property that […]
Visa Introduces Visa & Main, A New Platform to Accelerate Small Business Growth Across the U.S.
Visa
“Visa announced the launch of Visa & Main, a new platform designed to give small business owners across the United States better access to the resources they need to succeed. Built in direct response to pressing challenges entrepreneurs face—access to capital, reaching customers and adopting modern business tools—the platform brings together capabilities across Visa’s network […]
February 4, 2026
Episode 286 - Understanding Trust in the Modern Agentic and Digital Economy, with Jenny Hadlow and Rory O'Neill, Checkout.com
In this episode, Chris Uriarte welcomes Jenny Hadlow, COO, and Rory O’Neill, CMO, from Checkout.com to discuss the findings from their recent report “Trust in the Digital Economy 2025” and explore the interesting dimensions of trust that merchants, consumers, and service providers need to be aware of in today's ever changing digital (and agentic) economy.
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