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.

November 13, 2025

ChatGPT Joins PhonePe: AI To Transform UPI Payments Across India

Patna Press

“In a major leap for India’s fintech sector, PhonePe has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI, aiming to integrate ChatGPT-powered AI features into its digital payments app. The move marks the beginning of a new era where artificial intelligence meets everyday transactions, making UPI interactions smarter, faster, and more conversational. Through this collaboration, users will […]

Coinbase Abandons $2 Billion Acquisition of Stablecoin Firm BVNK

Yahoo FInance

“Coinbase has ended negotiations to acquire stablecoin startup BVNK, according to a Fortune report on Tuesday. Sources told the publication that the proposed deal was valued at approximately $2 billion. Both the American crypto exchange and Mastercard had been in advanced discussions to acquire BVNK, the UK-based fintech firm that builds stablecoin infrastructure. Coinbase and BVNK then […]

Atlanta-Based App Aims to Speed Payments for Immigrant Small Business Owners

CBS News

“An Atlanta fintech startup launched by an immigrant entrepreneur is transforming how small immigrant-owned businesses manage payments and cash flow. Pagarva, a mobile point-of-sale app built for multilingual immigrant micro-businesses, recently raised capital through Atlanta’s new Pinnacle Innovation Accelerator and is now scaling across the metro area. The app allows merchants to accept cards, Venmo, […]

Mastercard and Thunes Bring Stablecoin Payouts to the Mainstream

Mastercard

“Mastercard and Thunes have teamed up to accelerate global money movement for banks, payment service providers and end-users by expanding stablecoin wallet payout capabilities. Through this strategic collaboration, announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival , Mastercard Move will facilitate near real-time payouts to stablecoin wallets via Thunes’ Direct Global Network, harnessing the speed, liquidity, and […]

November 12, 2025

Mastercard Champions Password-Free, Number-Free Checkout Across Asia Pacific by 2030

Mastercard

“At the Singapore FinTech Festival, Mastercard announced its ambition to make online shopping across Asia Pacific password-free and number-free by 2030. While more than a third of Mastercard transactions worldwide are already tokenized, achieving that vision in the world’s largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market — projected to exceed USD 7 trillion by 2030[1] — will require collective […]

JPM Coin: A New Era for Stablecoins in Asia's Fintech Scene

Onesafe

“JPM Coin’s arrival signals a significant shift in the stablecoin world, introducing fresh standards for compliance and institutional trust. This change presents both challenges and opportunities for Asia’s fintech startups, who must adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape. In this post, let’s unpack how JPM Coin’s entry is reshaping the stablecoin market, what hurdles smaller […]

November 11, 2025

Episode Six and Fireblocks Join Forces to Deliver Unified Payments Solution Bridging Traditional and Digital Finance

Business Wire

“Episode Six and Fireblocks announced the co-development of a unified payments solution at Singapore Fintech Festival. The payments solution seamlessly integrates traditional and digital finance, bringing fiat, stablecoins, loyalty points, and other digital assets onto a single, programmable platform, empowering financial institutions to operate across asset classes with speed, security, and flexibility.”

Visa Unveils 2025 Creator Report; Introduces Creator Agent Pilot with Karat

Visa

“Visa is using the scale of its network to help creators easily and securely pay and get paid, access capital and grow their enterprises with the same tools and resources available to small businesses worldwide. Visa’s new creator-research, Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report is a comprehensive study of the creator economy spanning five regions. In […]

November 7, 2025

November 6, 2025

Beyond QR Codes: The Indonesian Unicorn Driving Southeast Asia’s Digital Payments Evolution

NBC

“Indonesian fintech unicorn Xendit is helping reshape Southeast Asia’s payment landscape by offering Stripe-like infrastructure tailored to the region’s unique challenges. In this episode of CNBC’s “Beyond the Valley,” Xendit co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Tessa Wijaya joins Arjun Kharpal at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) to discuss unifying a fragmented payments […]

November 5, 2025

Tencent Showcases Future of Finance at Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025

Tencent

“Tencent joined the 10th anniversary edition of the Hong Kong Fintech Week X StartMeUpHK Festival 2025, highlighting how technology is shaping the future of financial innovation. Tencent announced that it’s making payments simpler and more convenient for international travellers visiting the Chinese Mainland by expanding its cross-border payment support with Weixin Pay through the CPG […]

Hong Kong Monetary Authority Focuses on Tokenisation and AI in “Fintech 2030” Strategy

Hubbis

“The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has unveiled “Fintech 2030”, a forward-looking strategy for driving Hong Kong’s fintech development, at the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025. The “Fintech 2030” will focus on four strategic pillars, collectively known as “DART”, with a comprehensive portfolio of over 40 initiatives, including: Creating Next-generation Data and Payment Infrastructure; A […]

November 3, 2025

ACI Worldwide Acquires European Fintech Payment Components to Augment ACI Connetic

Business Wire

“ACI Worldwide announced that it has acquired Payment Components, a provider of AI-powered financial messaging and Open Banking solutions. ACI will integrate Payment Components technology into ACI Connetic, accelerating the roadmap of the industry’s only cloud-native unified payments platform that seamlessly integrates account-to-account (A2A) payments, card processing, and AI-powered fraud prevention within a single, modular cloud-native architecture.”

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