Artificial Intelligence Card Networks Fast Payments Payments Fraud Regulatory Environment Stablecoins

Episode 285 - Fanning the Flames - What We're Watching in Payments in 2026

2026 is set to be another dynamic year in payments. Join our Glenbrook partners as they discuss their perspectives on industry trends and what they'll be keeping an eye on this year.

Companies

Checkout.com Secures Georgia Banking Charter Milestone, Accelerating U.S. Investment to Win the Enterprise Digital Payments Market

PR Newswire

“Checkout.com’s application for a Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank (MALPB) charter was accepted by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. The charter will enable greater control, deliver improved digital payments performance for enterprise merchants, and allow Checkout.com to double down on US expansion plans.”

Tags: Checkout.com

Companies

PayPal Powers Microsoft’s Launch of Copilot Checkout

PayPal

“PayPal announced that they are teaming up with Microsoft to support the launch of Copilot Checkout in Copilot, enabling shoppers to discover, decide, and pay—without ever leaving the Copilot experience. PayPal will power surfacing merchant inventory, branded checkout, guest checkout and credit card payments, starting with Copilot.com. Merchants’ product catalogs will seamlessly become purchasable leveraging […]

Tags: PayPal

Artificial Intelligence Card Networks Glenbrook Payments Education Stablecoins

Episode 284 - Fanning the Flames - Advanced Payments Workshop Recap

If you missed our Advanced Payments workshop in San Francisco last month, tune in to this episode to hear Yvette Bohanan and Russ Jones discuss the key topics and conversations from the session, including card network updates, stablecoins, and agentic commerce.

Companies

Stripe Users Can Now Pay With Crypto Through New crypto.com Partnership

Yahoo

“Stripe, the software used by millions of businesses to process payments, has just announced a partnership with Crypto.com to facilitate the acceptance of cryptocurrency. The collaboration will also allow Stripe users to purchase crypto with credit or debit cards. The new agreement will allow Stripe merchant customers to check out and pay with their favorite crypto or […]

Tags: Stripe

Banking Industry Blockchain Cryptocurrencies Digital Currency Stablecoins

Episode 283 - Banking on Stablecoins, with Scott Southall and Will Artingstall, Citi

In this episode, Yvette Bohanan and Ashley Lannquist welcome Scott Southall, Head of BaaS, and Will Artingstall, Head of Digital Assets Payments and e-Commerce at Citi, to dig into what recent stablecoin regulatory changes mean for the future of banking, how U.S. institutions are mobilizing behind digital dollars, why clients are asking about new forms of money, and what’s next as stablecoins potentially go mainstream in the American financial system.

Global

Google Pay Enters RuPay-UPI Credit Card Space With Axis Bank Partnership

Storyboard18

“Popular UPI payments app Google Pay has launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with Axis Bank on the RuPay network, enabling users to link the card directly to their UPI accounts for merchant payments. A key differentiator of the card is its instant rewards mechanism, which allows users to earn cashbacks or rewards in […]

Tags: India

Blockchain CBDC Cryptocurrencies Digital Currency Stablecoins

Episode 282 - Why You Need a Stablecoin Strategy, with Ran Goldi, Fireblocks

In this episode, Yvette Bohanan welcomes back Ran ‘Goldi' Goldshtein, Senior VP of Payments and Networks at Fireblocks to provide his perspective on the evolution of the digital currency space. Tune in as they break down a stablecoin transaction, discuss the current state and adoption of blockchain technology, and review various use cases for stablecoins. They define terms like TradFi, Defi, and smart contracts, and explore the impact of tokenized deposits and AI on the digital currency landscape.

Global

PhonePe Integrates ChatGPT Into UPI App

Startupro News

“PhonePe announced a pioneering collaboration with OpenAI to embed ChatGPT-powered AI features directly into its UPI app ecosystem, marking a major step in integrating generative AI into India’s digital payment landscape. This partnership will enable users to access AI-driven assistance across PhonePe’s consumer and business offerings, allowing for interactions related to payments, product research, travel […]

Tags: India

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Episode 281 - Fanning the Flames - Unpacking the Latest Proposed Settlement of the Payment Card Interchange Litigation

In this episode, Bryan Derman, Russ Jones, and Chris Uriarte share their first-take analysis of last week’s proposed settlement of the long-running antitrust litigation between Visa/Mastercard and a group of merchants regarding Payment Card Interchange and Merchant Discounts. The discussion covers the basic parameters of the settlement proposal and then investigates some of the possible reactions by merchants, issuers, and networks were the settlement to be approved the by judge.

Companies

Ant International’s Antom Launches AI‑Powered MSME App for Finance and Business Operations

Business Wire

“Antom, a leading provider of merchant payment and digitisation services under Ant International, today announced EPOS360, an app that brings point-of-sale (POS) system, payments, banking, lending, and growth support together to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) move from setup to scale efficiently.”

Tags: Ant International

Global

Paytm Unveils All-New App With AI Features to Enhance Payment Experience

Business Standard

“Paytm, India’s full-stack merchant payments leader, has launched a redesigned version of its flagship app, integrating artificial intelligence-driven features to personalise everyday transactions for its users. The update introduces a cleaner user interface alongside over 15 new features. One of the standout innovations is the launch of “Gold Coins,” a first-of-its-kind initiative that rewards users […]

Tags: India

Artificial Intelligence Conferences & Meetings Stablecoins

Episode 279 - Fanning the Flames - Money 20/20 2025 Recap

Chris Uriarte and Drew Edmond are back from Money 20/20 and join Yvette Bohanan on this episode to provide their insights on the prevailing themes and standout announcements.  Tune in to also hear tips for navigating the conference and overall thoughts on the evolution of Money 20/20 and other industry events.

Paytm Partners with Groq to Power Real-Time AI for Payments and Platform Intelligence

Konexio Network

“Paytm, India’s full-stack merchant payments leader and the pioneer of mobile payments, QR codes, and Soundbox, announced a partnership with Groq, the U.S.-based leader in real-time AI inference, to bring fast, intelligent, and cost-efficient AI to its platform. Under this collaboration, Paytm and its associate entities will deploy GroqCloud, to achieve faster, more cost-efficient and […]

Merchants Orchestration PSPs

Demystifying Payments Orchestration: Part 3 - Defining the Payments Orchestration Landscape

The 5 payments orchestration implementation models explored in this post reflect a spectrum of control, customization, and complexity. Understanding the distinct characteristics and where each orchestration model excels and where it introduces risk or limitations is essential for selecting the right fit.