Industry

Webinar: Know Your Agent (A New Problem for Old Defenses)

Fintech Takes

“For as long as the internet has had commerce, we’ve operated under the assumption that bots are bad. That era is over. TBD on whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for financial services. AI agents are already shopping, paying, and moving money on behalf of consumers. Visa, Stripe, and Google have all […]

Financial Regulators Regulatory Environment

Episode 298 - The Patchwork of Payments Regulation in the US, with Duncan Douglass, Alston & Bird LLP

Kicking off a series of regulation-related episodes, Duncan Douglass, payments attorney and Partner at Alston & Bird LLP, joins Chris Uriarte and Samantha Gordon to turn the confusing and sometimes tedious topic of US payments regulation into an entertaining and enlightening update. The conversation begins with who actually regulates payments in the US and how US payments oversight differs from the UK and EU, then flows into developments on current regulatory topics.

Companies

Apple Teams up with Klarna to Facilitate the Payment of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches

BBN Times

“Apple is expanding its financing options with the introduction of a new lease-to-own program called Apple Upgrade, powered by fintech company Klarna. The service launches on July 28, 2026, initially in the United States, and aims to make premium Apple devices more accessible through flexible monthly payments while encouraging upgrades and potentially boosting sales.”

Tags: Apple Klarna

Companies

Ant International’s Alipay+ Connects Argentina's National QR Payment Scheme via PVS, Enabling Cross-Border Payments at Millions of Merchants

Yahoo Finance

Alipay+ announced that it will enable global travellers to make QR code payments at millions of merchants across Argentina through integration with the country’s national QR payment scheme Transferencias 3.0, in partnership with PVS, a fintech company specialized in developing customized payment solutions in Latin America.

Tags: Alipay

Global

Stripe, SumUp and Revolut Among Firms Chosen to Test ‘Digital Euro’

“Stripe’s European arm and Irish fintech SumUp are among 36 firms chosen to test the eurozone’s first online currency. The year-long pilot will begin next year and will see staff from the European Central Bank and national central banks test run payments between each other and with selected shops and restaurants. Other firms in the […]

Tags: Europe

Companies

HSBC Pilots Digital Structured Product Issuance in Hong Kong

Fintech News

“HSBC has completed a private placement of its first digitally native structured product in Hong Kong. The bank issued US dollar-denominated notes in a digitally native format on blockchain infrastructure, exploring how tokenisation can streamline key stages of the product lifecycle, including issuance, settlement and servicing. Marketnode, an APAC digital market infrastructure operator, supported the […]

Tags: HSBC

Industry

Clarity Act Timeline: Can the U.S Crypto Bill Finally Pass in July?

Coinpedia Fintech News

“After missing its earlier July 4 target, lawmakers are preparing for another push as the Senate returns on July 13. However, political disagreements, ethics rules, and key crypto provisions still stand in the way. The expected timeline is, July 13–17: Senate Procedural Vote; Senate returns from recess and begins procedural work before holding a final […]

Authentication Card Issuers Fintech Merchants Modernization

Episode 297 - A New Era for Card Issuing, with Nikil Konduru, Lithic

Drew Edmond and Chris Uriarte chat with Nikhil Konduru, Chief Commercial Officer at Lithic, to discuss modern card issuing infrastructure and where the market is headed. Tune in as they break down the issuing stack, discuss issuer-side tools to improve authorization outcomes, and explore implications for cross-border payments and agentic commerce.

Companies

OCBC Pilots AI Avatar Banking App for Clients With Over S$1.5 Million AUM

Fintech Singapore

“OCBC has introduced an AI avatar banking app for selected wealth customers in Singapore. The beta version of OCBC WoW will first be offered by invitation to employees and customers served by OCBC Premier Private Client wealth advisors. These customers have at least S$1.5 million in assets under management with the bank.”

Tags: OCBC

Companies Global

Why Meta’s Cred Investment Matters for WhatsApp Pay in India

The Economic Times

Meta’s substantial investment in Cred and appointing its founder Kunal Shah as global head of WhatsApp signals a major push into India’s fintech landscape. For Meta, with Shah at the helm, there is a chance that WhatsApp’s position in India, its largest market, will go beyond messaging into payments, commerce, and business services.

Tags: India Meta

Companies

How South Africa Became Revolut’s First African Market

TechTrendsKE

“In March, British fintech giant Revolut applied for a U.S. national banking charter as part of an ambitious plan to expand its presence across major financial markets. A few months later, the company revealed that South Africa would become its first destination in Africa, with a launch targeted for 2028 pending regulatory approval.  The sequence […]

Tags: Revolut

Companies

Why Meta Wants CRED: The $4B Fintech Deal That Could Reshape India’s Payments Industry

Tech Funding News

“Meta is reportedly in talks to invest in Bengaluru-based fintech CRED at a valuation of around $4 billion, according to Moneycontrol. Discussions remain exploratory and no final decision has been made. The move could help Meta build an end-to-end commerce and payments ecosystem across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and CRED. Despite processing billions in transactions, India’s UPI market […]

Tags: Meta

Agentic Commerce Artificial Intelligence Blockchain Card Networks Fast Payments Global Payments Podcasts Regulatory Environment Risk & Fraud Tokenization

Mid-Year Payments Check-In: Revisiting Our 2026 Predictions

The Glenbrook team is taking stock in June 2026 to see how the payments trends predictions from our January Payments on Fire episode are holding up.

Companies

PayPal Ventures Shutters as Company Restructuring Continues

TechCrunch

“Five sources told Fortune that the corporate venture arm, will be winding down operations. A company spokesperson confirmed the news to TechCrunch, with a statement. PayPal Ventures has made more than 80 investments, including the crypto trading platform Talos Global, fintech infrastructure company Plaid, and the crypto bank Anchorage Digital.  PayPal Ventures still exists on […]

Tags: PayPal

Companies

Europe’s Most Valuable Fintech Faces Banking-Supervision Reality

EU Today

“The issue is not whether Revolut is a successful fintech. It is one of Europe’s most prominent technology businesses. The London-based company has secured a full UK banking licence after a prolonged regulatory process, and has built a business that extends beyond foreign exchange and card payments into savings, investments, crypto, lending, subscriptions and other […]

Tags: Revolut