Europe 

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING 

CellPoint Digital has partnered with XanderPay to deliver an integrated payment orchestration and reconciliation platform tailored for the hotel industry. The collaboration augments CellPoint’s existing payments system with XanderPay’s remittance and reconciliation expertise, providing hotel brands and property owners with an end-to-end solution to optimise guest payment experiences and streamline back-end settlement.

BNPL 

Klarna has been preparing for a second attempt at a public listing in New York as soon as September or October 2025, pending market conditions. According to a memo to investors, the Swedish BNPL firm reports its momentum “continues to build” and it plans to act swiftly when timing aligns, aiming to launch the US IPO by the end of the year. 

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT 

OpenPayd has announced a partnership with crypto exchange Kraken to enable instant fiat money movement for Kraken’s UK and European customers. By tapping OpenPayd’s infrastructure, Kraken will be able to issue virtual IBANs in multiple currencies and offer real-time domestic and cross-border bank transfers, accelerating secure, compliant fiat on/off ramps for its expanding user base.

REGULATION (UK) 

The UK government has unveiled a sweeping plan to crack down on late payments to small businesses – the toughest reform in this area in 25 years. Under the proposed measures, the Small Business Commissioner will gain powers to fine large companies that persistently pay suppliers late, conduct spot checks, and enforce stricter invoice terms (30-day standard with a 60-day maximum, to be reduced to 45 days), in an effort to curb the £11 billion annual cost of overdue payments on SMEs.

North America

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING 

Deliverect has partnered with FreedomPay to integrate white-label payment orchestration for restaurant chains, allowing multi-location restaurants in the US, Canada, Mexico and beyond to unify in-store and online payments through a single platform.

CORPORATE ACTIVITY 

Payroc, a North American payment acquirer, is acquiring payment orchestration provider BlueSnap to create a unified global payments platform, expanding Payroc’s footprint to 47 countries and broadening its services for merchants and ISVs.

DIGITAL, RETAIL & ‘NEO’ BANKING 

Royal Bank of Canada is leveraging a proprietary AI foundation model to improve its credit decisioning process and to deliver more personalized loyalty program rewards for customers.

FRAUD & CYBERSECURITY 

Darwinium has launched two new AI-driven fraud defence tools, “Beagle” and “Copilot”, which use agentic AI to simulate sophisticated fraud attacks and help businesses identify vulnerabilities and automate their real-time fraud prevention strategies.

REALTIME/INSTANT PAYMENTS 

Payments Canada’s new Real-Time Rail (RTR) system is nearly complete and will enter testing in the autumn, promising Canadians instant, 24/7 bank transfers with ISO 20022 data-rich messages – although no firm go-live date has been announced.

SCHEMES 

Mastercard has introduced “Agent Pay”, a conversational AI service that enables secure payments via contact centers and messaging platforms, marking the company’s first major foray into autonomous “agentic” AI-powered payments as part of its innovation strategy.

LATAM

CASH(less) 

In Venezuela, banking union Fetrabanca reports surging digital payments and fewer cash bolívar banknotes in circulation. The federation’s secretary general noted that global shifts toward cashless transactions have accelerated locally amid economic pressures, contributing to a decline in cash usage. He also highlighted a 4% drop in Venezuelan bank staffing in Q1 – from 89,000 two decades ago to 39,000 now – as financial services digitize and branch needs fall. 
 

CORPORATE ACTIVITY 

Payroc, a North American merchant acquirer, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BlueSnap, a Boston-based payment orchestration and accounts receivable automation platform. The deal, expected to close in Q3 2025 pending approvals, will unite Payroc’s card acquiring network in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico with BlueSnap’s global payments technology – enabling merchants and software partners to accept card-not-present and local alternative payments in 47 countries via a single API. Payroc clients will also gain BlueSnap’s tools for invoicing, subscription billing and reconciliation, aimed at improving cash flow and cross-border processing efficiency.

APAC

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT 

At least 10 Hong Kong-listed fintech firms raised over $1.5 billion via share placements in July to fund ventures in stablecoins, digital assets and blockchain payments, as the city begins accepting applications for regulated stablecoin issuers on Aug. 1. Officials caution against market “frothiness” amid the stablecoin hype.

REALTIME/INSTANT PAYMENTS 

India’s NPCI is implementing new UPI usage rules effective August 1 to enhance network stability. Changes include capping balance inquiries at 50 checks per day per app and processing auto-debit mandates only during off-peak hours, among other limits, to reduce system strain and improve success rates.

REGULATION  

Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), along with police, is investigating the operator of Tokenize Xchange, a crypto trading platform, for allegedly continuing unlicensed payment services. MAS had rejected its license application on July 4 and ordered a shutdown, and is now ensuring customer funds and tokens are returned in an orderly wind-down.

Middle East and Africa

CORPORATE ACTIVITY 

South Africa-based payments group Paycorp has announced a strategic investment in UK fintech Currency Stream, which specializes in real-time FX and multi-currency payment technology. The partnership provides Currency Stream with capital and global reach to accelerate its growth in Europe and unlock expansion across Africa, Asia and the Americas. Paycorp and Currency Stream have a seven-year relationship (including deployment of Currency Stream’s DCC technology in Southern Africa), and this deal deepens their collaboration to bring multi-currency payment solutions to new high-growth markets.

CROSS-BORDER 

Western Union has teamed up with Zambia’s Zoona and fintech Chipper Cash to launch global money transfers via the Chipper Cash app in Zambia. The co-branded service links Western Union’s 200-country network with Chipper and Zoona’s local platform, allowing users to seamlessly send and receive funds worldwide through the app. Customers can transfer money from their Chipper wallets for payout to mobile wallets or cash pickup at hundreds of thousands of locations abroad (with bank account deposits to be added soon), expanding convenient cross-border payment options in the Zambian market.

DIGITAL, RETAIL & ‘NEO’ BANKING 

MIDBANK – a mid-tier bank in Egypt – has completed a full core banking overhaul by going live with a new Temenos platform in a “big bang” cutover. The bank replaced its legacy systems with Temenos’s core banking, payments, financial crime and data modules in one transition as part of a strategy to modernise operations and offer improved digital services. The upgrade has already yielded faster transaction processing and higher efficiency, and MIDBANK is now preparing to launch new digital channels on Temenos while exploring AI-driven enhancements. The initiative supports Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the central bank’s digital agenda by strengthening infrastructure for financial inclusion and better customer experience.

FRAUD & CYBERSECURITY 

The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) has launched a new mobile app to help authenticate its banknotes and combat counterfeiting. The “BEAC NG2020” app (available for iOS and Android) lets the public and merchants verify security features of the latest 2020-series BEAC franc banknotes – such as watermarks, UV markings, serial numbers and other anti-fraud elements – by comparing them on their phone. BEAC emphasizes that counterfeit currency poses serious harm to the economy, and is urging widespread use of the app among citizens and financial institutions as an additional measure to safeguard confidence in its currency.

REGULATION 

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has published a detailed report on its Digital Dirham project ahead of the digital currency’s official launch. The report outlines the design principles, progress and policy framework for the UAE’s upcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC), emphasizing that the Digital Dirham is being designed as a secure, reliable and inclusive digital form of cash. Key goals include boosting financial innovation and inclusion (by extending services to the unbanked and non-residents), improving payment efficiency, and enabling features like offline use, smart contracts and cross-border payments – all aligned with the UAE’s broader digital transformation strategy. 

Meanwhile, the CBUAE has taken enforcement action against two exchange houses over anti-money laundering compliance failures. The central bank revoked the licenses of Gomti Exchange and Al Nahdi Exchange, ordering both money changers to cease operations and removing their names from the official register. CBUAE examinations uncovered “significant failures to comply with AML/CFT and sanctions requirements” at the firms, leading the regulator to impose the ultimate penalty. The CBUAE stated it will continue to ensure all exchange houses adhere to UAE laws and its standards in order to uphold the integrity of the financial system.