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.

September 11, 2026

PayPal Keeping Options Open Amid Buyout Rumors, CEO Says [Video]

Yahoo Finance

“New PayPal CEO Enrique Lores doesn’t sound like a guy running toward the exit after inking a huge deal to sell the company he just started leading. He sounds like a veteran top executive who’s head-down trying to reinvent a fintech icon. “First of all, we have said that we are totally open and objective […]

Ethswitch Takes Ethiopia’s Digital Payments Push to Global Fintech Stage

Tech Review Africa

“Ethiopia’s national payment switch is using a global fintech gathering in Mumbai to promote the country’s progress in interoperable payments and explore links with international payment networks, putting its emerging digital infrastructure into a wider debate over how developing economies can build nationally controlled but globally connected financial systems. EthSwitch has also been developing infrastructure […]

September 10, 2026

Feedzai Partners With Peoples Group to Anchor Fraud Defense for Canada’s Real-Time Rail

TipRanks

“Feedzai is deepening its presence in the Canadian payments market through a new strategic partnership with Peoples Group to provide AI-driven fraud monitoring for instant payments ahead of Canada’s Real-Time Rail launch in late 2026. Under the agreement, Peoples Group will embed Feedzai’s RiskOps technology into its core transaction infrastructure, making Feedzai the primary engine […]

September 9, 2026

September 8, 2026

PayTabs to Acquire Amazon Payments Services’ MENA Operations

IBS Intelligence

“Saudi Arabia-based PayTabs Group has agreed to acquire Amazon Payment Services’ payments operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a transaction valued at more than $100 million. Approved by both parties, the deal will see Amazon Payment Services’ MENA operations integrated into PayTabs, expanding the FinTech company’s scale, processing capabilities, and market […]

September 3, 2026

UK Fintech Revolut Gains Conditional US Banking License

Yahoo Finance

“British digital bank Revolut announced it has won conditional approval for a US banking license, bringing it a major step closer to launching as a national bank in the United States.  The approval by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency opens the door to Revolut eventually offering loans, credit cards and insured […]

September 1, 2026

PayToMe.co Accelerates Global Expansion of Its AI-Powered Commerce Platform

PR Newswire

“PayToMe.co, a Silicon Valley AI and financial technology company, announced the continued global expansion of its AI-powered commerce platform, connecting FinTech, commerce, logistics and travel through an integrated ecosystem. Its platform combines AI, intelligent workflow automation, embedded payments, Text-to-Pay, digital invoicing, KYC/KYB, financial management, data intelligence and enterprise APIs to reduce manual processes across transactions, […]

August 28, 2026

August 21, 2026

Citi, HSBC, Standard Chartered Adopt Ant International’s Forex AI Tool

Euronext

“Ant International launched an upgraded version of its artificial intelligence model, signing up major global banks as financial institutions accelerate the adoption of specialised AI to manage liquidity risks. The Singapore-based fintech giant rolled out its Falcon Time-Series Transformer Model 2.0 and has partnered with six large banks according to Kelvin Li, the firm’s general […]

August 20, 2026

Stripe to Buy OpenRouter as Fintech Expands Deeper Into AI

CNBC

“Stripe said it’s acquiring OpenRouter, as the payments company expands into the artificial intelligence model market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the New York Times said the price tag is about $7.5 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to OpenRouter’s founders. The deal will “maximize profitability by routing their requests intelligently and spending their tokens […]

August 17, 2026

Alipay Unveils Full-Stack Agentic Commerce Infrastructure in China

Crowdfund Insider

“On August 17, 2026, Alipay hosted its inaugural AI ecosystem conference. The fintech platform, operated by Ant Group, introduced the country’s first comprehensive full-stack agent commercial foundation along with the AHA (Agent Hub Access) multi-agent cross-device interconnection protocol suite. This rollout aims to equip merchants with tools for intelligent operations while enabling seamless collaboration among […]

August 14, 2026

Chime Explores Stablecoins for Consumer Banking App

Investing

“Chime Financial Inc. is exploring how to bring stablecoins into its consumer banking platform, in the latest sign that the new form of money is evolving beyond crypto markets and into everyday payments, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based fintech asked blockchain technology companies to submit proposals in late spring to provide “end-to-end” stablecoin […]

PSD3 Is Coming: Is Your Payments Licence Ready for 2028?

FinTech Global

“According to Vixio, the third Payment Services Directive (PSD3) and its companion Payment Services Regulation (PSR) are nearing official publication in the EU, with entry into force expected in Q3 2026. That triggers a 21-month transition period, putting the compliance deadline at around mid-2028. Payent institutions (PIs) and e-money institutions (EMIs) face a substantial workload before […]

August 11, 2026

Regulators Reject Bunq's US Bank Charter Bid for a Second Time

Startup Fortune

“The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency denied bunq’s application for a national bank charter in a decision dated August 4, 2026. The agency said the Amsterdam-based fintech raised significant supervisory and compliance concerns, including questions about capital, management experience and whether the proposed bank could run safely in the US. That’s blunt language. […]

Take us with you

Payments on Fire is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and other podcast apps and services. Or just say “Alexa, play Payments on Fire podcast.”

Stay up-to-date on payments!

Join Glenbrook’s mailing list to get access to valuable information about payments and discover how you can expand your knowledge.

Glenbrook Payments Boot Camp®

Register for the next Glenbrook Payments Boot Camp®

An intensive and comprehensive overview of the payments industry.

Train your Team

Customized, private Payments Boot Camps tailored to meet your team’s unique needs.

OnDemand Modules

Recorded, one-hour videos covering a broad array of payments concepts.

Glenbrook Press

Comprehensive books that detail the systems and innovations shaping the payments industry.

Strategy Consulting & Custom Research

  • Investor Due Diligence
  • Product Strategy
  • Merchant Payments Strategy
  • Market Analysis
  • Industry Research
  • and more…

Launch, improve & grow your payments business