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.

August 24, 2026

Stablecoins Are Becoming Payment Infrastructure: How Visa, Banks, and Crypto Firms Are Rebuilding Global Payments

Big News Network

“Stablecoins have moved from trading tools into the operational backbone of global payments. In the first half of 2026, adjusted on-chain volumes reached $8.82 trillion, with June alone hitting a record $1.79 trillion, according to Visa’s analytics. Market capitalization stabilized near $300-322 billion, dominated by USDT and USDC. Traditional networks and banks no longer treat […]

August 20, 2026

August 19, 2026

Nium Launches Card Issuance in the United States

Nium

“Nium , the global infrastructure leader for real-time cross-border payments, today announced the launch of domestic card issuance in the United States, extending its multi-region issuing platform to North America. Businesses can now issue local cards across APAC, Europe, Middle East, and North America while maintaining access to Nium’s global payment network spanning 190+ countries […]

Inter Links Brazil & U.S. Payments to TerraPay Wallets

eCommerceNews Australia

“Inter has expanded its cross-border payments infrastructure through a partnership with TerraPay, gaining access to 3.7 billion digital wallets through TerraPay’s Xend network. Under the arrangement, Inter acts as the licensed settling institution for transactions in Brazilian reais and US dollars, handling settlement within a regulated framework in both countries. TerraPay provides access to wallet […]

August 13, 2026

Flywire Expands Trustly Partnership to Deliver Open Banking Payments Across the U.S. and Canada

Flywire

“Flywire Corporation announced expanded support for open banking payments in the U.S. and Canada with Trustly, allowing payers to conveniently authorize secure, large domestic and cross-border payments directly from their bank accounts and in their local currency. When choosing to pay with Trustly Pay by Bank, payers simply use their existing online bank login credentials during […]

August 11, 2026

JPMorgan, Citi, UBS and Central Banks Wrap Up Real-Value Trials of Tokenized Cross-Border Payments in Project Agorá

Crowdfund Insider

“A coalition of global financial institutions and central banks has successfully finished real-value testing under Project Agorá, examining how tokenization can streamline wholesale cross-border payments. The trials, coordinated by the Bank for International Settlements, involved processing monetary transfers using digital representations of commercial bank deposits and central bank reserves. They executed roughly 30 transactions spanning […]

Crypto Regulation in Brazil 2026

TradingView

“In 2026, Brazil finished building one of the most comprehensive crypto regulatory frameworks in Latin America. The Central Bank of Brazil BCBUSD confirmed that three landmark resolutions took effect February 2, requiring every crypto company serving Brazilians to get authorized like a bank. Months later, the same regulator moved to close a stablecoin-based loophole in […]

BRICS Is Talking Payments Links, From Fast Rails To CBDCs

Finimize

“BRICS members are weighing ways to link their instant payment networks – and possibly connect central bank digital currencies ahead of India hosting the 2026 BRICS summit. Talks are still preliminary, but the goal is to make cross-border payments cheaper and smoother. One option is to connect existing “fast payment” rails so a transfer can […]

August 10, 2026

The Global Payments System Is Breaking, and Stablecoins Are Stepping In

Newsweek

“Global commerce runs on payment rails that most businesses rarely question. Yet behind every tap, transfer and settlement lies a complex system that introduces friction at scale. According to the World Bank, cross-border payments continue to face challenges around speed, cost and complexity, with transactions often involving multiple intermediaries that can increase friction and delay […]

August 7, 2026

Africa: PayPal Expands PYUSD Stablecoin to 27 Additional Markets

APA News

“PayPal has announced the expansion of its PYUSD stablecoin to 27 additional African markets, a strategic move aimed at facilitating cross-border payments and remittances while strictly adhering to local regulatory frameworks. The rollout brings the total number of global markets where PYUSD is available to 70, significantly bolstering PayPal’s operational footprint within Africa’s rapidly expanding […]

Vietnam’s NAPAS Links QR Payments with China’s Weixin Pay, Targeting over 1B Users

TNGlobal

“National Payment Corporation (NAPAS), a payment platform in Vietnam, has connected its VietQRGlobal payment infrastructure with China’s Weixin Pay, enabling Chinese visitors to scan QR codes and make payments in Vietnam. Weixin Pay, also known as WeChat Pay, is the third Chinese payment platform to complete cross-border QR payment connectivity with NAPAS in 2026. The […]

August 3, 2026

NTT Data Payments to Take UPI Global

The Times of India

“NTT Data Payment Services is working on linking India’s UPI with other fast payment systems across Asia through a hub based architecture to eliminate the need for multiple bilateral arrangements. The company launched Adaptis – its brand for its digital payment suite. Cross-border payments rely on one-to-one country links, slowed by regulatory and settlement gaps. […]

July 31, 2026

BIS Project Agorá Settles $1 Million in Tokenized Cross-Border Payment Trials

Cointelegraph

“The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said Project Agorá completed real-value testing of tokenized wholesale cross-border payments, with 28 financial institutions and central banks settling 800,000 Swiss francs ($1 million) across 17 transaction scenarios. The BIS said that the tests used tokenized central bank reserves and commercial bank deposits to settle payments in Swiss francs, […]

July 30, 2026

Swift: A Better Cross-Border Payment Experience Is Here

Swift

“The industry has worked towards a simple ambition: making cross-border payments feel as seamless as domestic ones. That ambition is becoming a reality. In some of the world’s busiest remittance corridors, consumers can now send money across borders with greater speed, transparency and predictability. Payments from Australia to Spain have been completed in as little […]

July 28, 2026

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