EUROPE

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Adyen and fintech platform Vivid have partnered on a service to speed up settlement of card payments for small businesses, addressing the current delay of several days for accessing their revenues.

AI

Lloyds has deployed its first large-scale generative AI product, Athena, an “AI knowledge hub” to help customer service staff quickly search internal information. The bank reports that Athena has cut average query search times by 66%, from 59 seconds to 20 seconds.

CORPORATE ACTIVITY

NatWest exits the Irish market by selling its remaining ~11.7% stake in Permanent TSB for about €126 million.

UK-based challenger bank Starling is considering a listing on the New York Stock Exchange as part of its US expansion plans.

Expense management fintech Rydoo has acquired Semine, an AI-powered accounts payable automation provider, to enhance its financial automation offerings.

Fintech startup Agora raised $50 million in Series A funding and unveiled a white-label stablecoin platform as part of its product launch.

CROSS-BORDER

Lithuania-based neobank myTU has integrated Visa Direct and Mastercard Cross-Border Services into its infrastructure, enabling real-time international payouts to eligible cards and accounts in 190+ countries (with many transfers completing within 30 minutes).

Italy’s UniCredit has partnered with Wise to launch a new international payments service for retail customers. The bank’s app will allow near-instant cross-border transfers from euros into multiple currencies (GBP, CHF, HKD, SGD, INR to start), reaching 160 countries in 40+ currencies – with 65% of transfers arriving in under 20 seconds.

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT

Standard Chartered has become the first global systemically important bank to offer spot cryptocurrency trading (starting with Bitcoin) to institutional clients.

Lithuanian fintech Axiology received a regulatory license to issue digital bonds via blockchain – the first DLT license of its kind in the Baltics.

EPC/SEPA

Lithuanian EMI Genome has partnered with fintech HUCH to enable instant alerts for incoming SEPA payments, improving real-time notification of Euro transfers.

FINTECHS

Norway’s digital identity provider Signicat is acquiring Netherlands-based Inverid, a digital ID verification firm, to strengthen its electronic identity offerings across Europe.

MOBILE MONEY/WALLETS

Portugal’s leading mobile payment app, MB WAY, is now the first euro-denominated wallet in Europe to offer NFC contactless payments on iPhones, enabling in-store Apple device payments via the app.

OPEN BANKING & PSD

Crypto payments platform MoonPay now supports one-click cryptocurrency purchases using Revolut Pay, allowing UK and EEA users to buy crypto directly from their bank accounts through Revolut’s open banking payment method.

REALTIME/INSTANT PAYMENTS

The UK is overhauling its retail payments infrastructure, with a greater role for the Bank of England and the creation of a new industry-led delivery company to work alongside Pay.UK as part of the National Payments Vision. This model aims to drive next-generation instant payments, modernizing Faster Payments while ensuring close collaboration between the new entity and Pay.UK

REGULATION (EU)

The ECB released its third progress report on the digital euro, noting progress on a unified rulebook (shaped by industry feedback) and that around 70 market participants are testing use cases like conditional payments on a new innovation platform. The ECB is intensifying stakeholder engagement (from merchants to vulnerable consumers) to ensure the digital euro’s design aligns with market needs and legislative developments.

REGULATION (UK)

The UK government has pledged bespoke support for fintech companies in their start-up and scale-up phases, as part of a plan to make Britain the “fintech capital of the world”. Initiatives include a single regulatory point-of-contact for scaling fintechs, expanded British Business Bank capacity for funding, and efforts to attract top global talent and skills development in financial services.

NORTH AMERICA

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Solidgate has partnered with digital fashion retailer DRESSX to support its expansion from web to mobile app. The payments provider will offer DRESSX a suite of solutions – from an orchestration platform to global acquiring, fraud prevention, and subscription payments – enabling a seamless, secure checkout experience as DRESSX scales its B2C model globally.

OPEN BANKING & PSD

JPMorgan Chase plans to levy fees on fintechs and data aggregators that access its customers’ bank data. The bank has circulated pricing sheets outlining charges that vary by use case (with payments firms paying the most), a shift that could disrupt fintech models built on free data access and marks a stark contrast to the free data-sharing principles of open banking in the EU and UK

REALTIME/INSTANT PAYMENTS

US-based issuer-processor, Highnote, has rolled out an Instant Payments feature for real-time disbursements on its platform. Supported by Visa Direct and Mastercard’s Move network, the service lets businesses send funds to recipients within seconds for use cases like gig worker payouts, tips, insurance claims, and refunds. Highnote’s unified API will eventually incorporate ACH, RTP, FedNow and even digital wallet and stablecoin rails, as it aims to centralise all outbound payment methods into one real-time solution.

REGULATION 

Wise’s US arm has agreed to pay $4.2 million in penalties to regulators from five states, including California, New York and Texas. A multi-state investigation found the remittance fintech failed to fully comply with AML and Bank Secrecy Act requirements. As part of the settlement, Wise must overhaul its compliance program, engage an independent reviewer, and provide quarterly reports to ensure it isn’t used for illicit activities like money laundering or terrorist financing.

A legislative push in the US Congress dubbed “Crypto Week” hit a roadblock as a faction of House Republicans moved to stall a key stablecoin bill unless it includes a prohibition on a Federal Reserve central bank digital currency. Their eleventh-hour demand to combine a CBDC ban with the stablecoin legislation caused House leaders to postpone votes, jeopardising the swift passage of several crypto regulatory bills and highlighting divisions over US digital currency policy.

LATAM

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Bipay, a Peruvian digital wallet, has launched a new prepaid card in partnership with Mastercard that requires no bank account or in-person paperwork. The digital card enables users to make online purchases and in-store payments at merchants equipped with Izipay POS terminals.

BNPL

Colombian fintech Addi has received a $35 million credit line from BBVA Spark – its first local funding from a Colombian institution – to expand its buy now, pay later services. This complements prior facilities of $100 million (Victory Park Capital) and $70 million (Goldman Sachs and Fasanara), bolstering Addi’s capacity to reach more consumers.

CROSS-BORDER

Chilean fintech Global66 has launched a new compensation account aimed at helping small and mid-sized businesses manage international transactions more efficiently. The solution is designed to streamline cross-border commercial payments for SMEs, improving speed and reducing friction in global trade operations.

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT

Argentina’s digital wallet Vesseo introduced a QR code payment feature that allows users to pay merchants directly with USD Coin (USDC). This innovation lets customers make purchases in cryptocurrency without converting to local currency or using traditional banks, enhancing stablecoin usability for everyday payments.

DIGITAL, RETAIL & ‘NEO’ BANKING

Banco Santander Mexico has rolled out a cardless cash withdrawal feature using NFC technology. Customers can now tap their phone at ATMs to withdraw cash without inserting a physical card, simplifying access to cash and showcasing new digital banking conveniences.

FRAUD & CYBERSECURITY

Argentina’s fintech platform Pomelo has partnered with FICO to integrate the Falcon fraud prevention system into its offerings. The collaboration will enable banks and fintechs across LatAm to deploy advanced, real-time anti-fraud technology, enhancing the speed and accuracy of scam detection and prevention.

ISSUING

Bink, a payments solutions startup operating in Mexico and Colombia, has launched a new Visa card for corporate clients. The card allows businesses to centralize employee benefits and incentive programs on a single card, and Bink aims to have 1,000 companies adopt the solution by the end of the year.

MOBILE MONEY/WALLETS

Payment processor EBANX announced a direct integration with Yape, Peru’s super-app, to support international merchants. The partnership enables cross-border e-commerce businesses to offer Peruvian consumers recurring, one-click payments via Yape, with transactions processed in local currency through the app.

OPEN BANKING & PSD

In Brazil, credit bureau Serasa Experian has launched Serasa Descomplica, a financial management platform for small businesses built on Open Finance data sharing. The solution allows SMBs to consolidate multiple bank accounts into one interface and leverage open banking to gain better visibility over finances.

REALTIME/INSTANT PAYMENTS

Cobre, a fintech specializing in enterprise payments, will become the first platform in Colombia’s financial system to offer instant interbank payments exclusively for businesses. Starting in September, Cobre’s integration with the central bank’s new Bre-B real-time payment network will let companies receive interoperable 24/7 transfers via payment aliases, greatly improving cash flow and simplifying B2B payments.

REGULATION 

Bolivia’s financial regulator ASFI announced it will begin regulating digital platforms used for buying and selling crypto assets. This move marks the country’s first step towards oversight of cryptocurrency trading and is expected to increase supervision of the digital asset sector.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) suspended recent changes to the country’s Financial Transactions Tax (IOF). The court halted the effect of presidential and congressional decrees related to IOF, putting on hold new rules that would have altered how the financial transaction tax is applied.

APAC

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Pakistan’s Faysal Bank is teaming up with local fintech Smart1-Tech to advance digital payments and acceptance solutions. The partnership is set to enhance the country’s digital payments ecosystem by leveraging Smart1-Tech’s technology and Faysal’s banking network.

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT

Crypto wallet provider Bitget has rolled out support for VietQR, Vietnam’s national QR code standard, enabling in-person crypto payments. Users of Bitget Wallet can now pay local merchants by scanning a VietQR code and spending stablecoins (like USDT or USDC) directly from their self-custody wallet. This pilot in Vietnam allows everyday purchases (food, groceries, etc.) via a single QR scan with automatic crypto-to-fiat conversion and minimal fees. Bitget plans to expand this QR-based crypto payment integration across Southeast Asia and other regions as part of a push toward real-world crypto spending.

REGULATION 

EximPe, an Indian fintech, has secured an in-principle Payment Aggregator license for Cross-Border payments from the Reserve Bank of India. This preliminary approval (PA-CB license) allows EximPe to build a fully regulated cross-border payment platform serving digital services, e-commerce, and B2B trade across Asia’s emerging markets. With the RBI’s nod, EximPe plans to deliver end-to-end compliant international pay-in/pay-out solutions for thousands of SMEs, aiming to simplify export/import transactions and help Indian businesses expand globally under a trusted framework.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

BNPL

Bahrain-based payment firm EazyPay is teaming up with Tamara, a Gulf region BNPL fintech, to provide payment gateway services across Tamara’s merchant network in Bahrain. Under the alliance, EazyPay will act as Tamara’s local acquirer and strategic partner, simplifying digital transactions and supporting Tamara’s expansion in the MENA region.

DIGITAL & eCOMMERCE

UAE payment gateway Telr has launched “Telr Incepta” in partnership with fintech Peko, offering an all-in-one digital platform to help SMEs set up and run businesses in the UAE. Telr Incepta provides a suite of 50+ integrated services – from business incorporation, bill payments and expense management to HR tools, e-commerce support, and reporting – giving entrepreneurs a one-stop hub to manage operations and finances with greater visibility and efficiency. The platform will be made available to over 30,000 merchants in Telr’s network, aligning with the UAE’s push to simplify digital commerce for small businesses.

DIGITAL, RETAIL & ‘NEO’ BANKING

Egypt’s Faisal Islamic Bank has gone live with Intellect Design Arena’s eMACH.ai digital engagement platform, enhancing its online and mobile banking for retail and corporate clients. The new platform enables end-to-end digital onboarding in just 3 minutes and deploys Arabic-language chatbots for routine inquiries, transfers, bill payments and more. By implementing over 750 pre-built user journeys and hundreds of open APIs, Faisal Islamic aims to significantly improve customer experience and lay groundwork for future digital services.

FINTECHS

Inovat, a fintech offering fully digital VAT refunds for international shoppers, has won the 2025 FAB Forward Fintech Challenge in Abu Dhabi. The competition, run by First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mastercard, awarded Inovat a $100,000 prize and a proof-of-concept project with FAB as it beat out 135 other entrants. The challenge – part of FAB and Mastercard’s drive to boost fintech innovation in the UAE – gives later-stage startups like Inovat exposure to bank leaders and investors, underscoring the UAE’s support for homegrown fintech solutions that enhance digital customer experiences.

REGULATION 

Iraq is accelerating its shift to digital finance through new regulations and industry initiatives. New Digital Payment Regulations introduced by the Central Bank of Iraq (with UNDP support) seek to curb cash usage, boost transparency, and spur adoption of digital payments – marking a major step toward a cashless Iraqi economy. Complementing this, the MENA Fintech Association has launched an Iraq chapter to promote fintech innovation and collaboration across the country. Led by local fintech pioneer Bahaa Abdul Hadi, MFTA Iraq will work with regulators, banks, and tech firms to improve financial literacy, modernize payments infrastructure, and increase financial inclusion in Iraq’s diversifying economy.