Global

African Trade Bloc COMESA Launches Digital Payments System

Reuters

“The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has launched a digital payments system to cut transaction costs by allowing businesses to settle deals in local currencies. COMESA, which has 21 member states including Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia, joins efforts by the African continent to push for local currency payments systems to cut trade costs by eliminating […]

Tags: Africa

Industry

A Historical Perspective on Stablecoins

Liberty Street Economics

“Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to maintain a stable nominal value by being pegged to a benchmark such as the U.S. dollar. Stablecoins aim to combine decentralized payment systems’ technological advantages—such as digital methods of recording transactions (i.e., digital ledgers/blockchains) and of representing traditional assets (e.g., tokenization)—with the convenience of traditional forms of money. The […]

Industry

The Future of Payroll: How Stablecoins Are Reshaping Startup Fintech

OneSafe

“Stablecoins are making waves in the digital financial world, and it looks like they’re here to stay. Especially for fintech startups in Asia, these currencies are becoming crucial as they navigate a maze of regulations. These rules can be a double-edged sword. They can inflate compliance costs and create barriers for startups. And then there’s […]

Industry

Sibos/Swift: Interoperating Digital Currencies: Solving for the Diversity of Money [Video Session]

Swift

“Interoperating Digital Currencies: Solving for the Diversity of Money. [Video] .”

Industry

2025 AFP Digital Payments Survey

Financial Professionals

“Results from the 2025 AFP® Digital Payments Survey: A Triennial Publication indicate organizations are increasingly adopting emerging digital payment technologies. Approximately 30% of organizations report being familiar with cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, stablecoins or the role of central bank digital currencies within emerging digital payments, indicating there is a significant opportunity to increase awareness in the profession.”

Companies

MoneyGram Reinvents Cross-Border Finance with Next-Generation App

PR Newswire

“MoneyGram announced its next-generation mobile app, introducing a digital, USD-backed stored value account designed to work seamlessly with both traditional fiat currencies and stablecoins. Behind the scenes, the experience is powered by Stellar, the blockchain designed for fast, low-cost payments and real-world utility, and Crossmint, the leading wallet infrastructure and stablecoin payments platform.”

Tags: MoneyGram

Companies

PayPal Expands Crypto Payments with New Settlement Tool

Digital Watch Observatory

“PayPal has introduced ‘Pay with Crypto,’ a settlement feature that lets US merchants accept over 100 digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and stablecoins. Shoppers pay from wallets like MetaMask or Coinbase, and merchants receive instant payouts in dollars or PYUSD. The service is designed to eliminate volatility risks by automatically converting crypto into fiat […]

Tags: PayPal

Industry

Advancing in Tandem - Results of the 2024 BIS Survey on Central Bank Digital Currencies and Crypto

BIS

“Central banks’ involvement in central bank digital currency (CBDC) work remained strong in 2024. Of the 93 central banks surveyed, 91% (85) were exploring either a retail CBDC, a wholesale CBDC or both. At an aggregate level, the exploration of wholesale CBDCs is at more advanced stages than exploration of retail CBDCs.”

Industry

Retailer Stablecoins: How They Threaten Credit Unions

CU Insight

“Retailer-issued stablecoins—digital currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar and controlled by merchants—are no longer just a tech curiosity; they pose a direct challenge to the $90 billion interchange fee system that has long subsidized credit union operations and member rewards programs. Major retailers are already experimenting with payment alternatives that bypass traditional networks. Amazon’s partnership […]

Companies

Stripe’s Bridge-Visa Card Offering Aims to Expand Global Financial Services Reach While Maintaining a Seamless User Experience

Fintech Magazine

“Neetika Bansal, Head of Money as a Service at Stripe, discusses how Stripe is positioning itself at the forefront of the stablecoin revolution with its Bridge-Visa card product, which the company believes represents a significant step forward in marrying traditional financial systems with digital currencies.”

Tags: Stripe

Industry

Dubai’s Emirates Signs Preliminary Deal to Add Crypto to Payments

Reuters

“Emirates has signed a preliminary deal with Crypto.com that will allow its customers to make payments through the crypto trading platform’s payment service. The partnership, which is expected to come into effect next year, is aimed at tapping into “younger, tech-savvy customer segments who prefer digital currencies”, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial […]

Companies

Visa’s Blockchain Leap Redefining Global Payments

Blockchain Magazine

“Visa is pioneering blockchain with two key projects. The Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP), launched in October 2024, enables banks to issue digital tokens, like stablecoins (digital currencies tied to dollars) or tokenized bank deposits, on public blockchains like Ethereum. In 2025, Visa partnered with Bridge, a Stripe-owned startup, to expand stablecoin payments in Latin […]

Tags: Visa

Global

China Talks up Digital Yuan in Push for Multi-Polar Currency System

Reuters

“The head of China’s central bank pledged to expand the international use of the digital yuan and called for the development of a multi-polar global currency system, where several currencies dominate the world economy. China will establish an international operation centre for e-CNY in Shanghai, People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng said on Wednesday […]

Tags: China

Industry

Apple, X, Airbnb, Google Exploring Stablecoin Payments

Ledger Insights

“Fortune published a report that several Big Tech firms, including Apple, X, Airbnb and Google, are exploring using stablecoins for payments, citing sources. A month ago the same magazine reported that Meta was exploring digital currencies. The news follows Uber’s confirmation yesterday that it was investigating the potential for stablecoin payments.”

Global

Reserve Bank of India to Roll Out New Use Cases for Digital Rupee

Cointelegraph

“The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to broaden the reach of its digital rupee pilots by introducing new use cases and features for both its retail and wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to the central bank’s Annual Report for 2024–25. The central bank said it aims to explore programmability and offline […]

Tags: India