Europe

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

London-based Ecommpay has partnered with sustainability fintech ekko to integrate real-time carbon tracking and offsetting features into its payment platform, allowing ecommerce merchants to offer eco-friendly checkout options to customers.

ISSUING

Nordea has selected Swedish fintech Mynt to launch a new business credit card and expense management solution for SMEs across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

REGULATION (UK)

The Bank of England is reportedly considering shelving its plans for a central bank digital currency amid growing scepticism about the project’s benefits.

North America

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Verifone and Brazil’s PagBrasil have launched an in-store solution to let U.S. merchants accept Pix payments from Brazilian shoppers in Brazilian reais, with real-time FX conversion. The partnership enables retailers in high-tourism markets like Florida and New York to support Pix at the point of sale via Verifone’s platforms.

CORPORATE ACTIVITY

Stripe is joining forces with payments API provider Orum, bringing Orum’s founder (and former CEO) onto the Stripe team. The deal – described as an acqui-hire – will help Stripe enhance its money movement and real-time payments capabilities.

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT

PNC Bank has struck a deal with crypto exchange Coinbase to allow PNC customers to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies through Coinbase’s platform, as well as to provide select banking services to Coinbase.

JPMorgan Chase is exploring plans to let clients use their cryptocurrency holdings as collateral for traditional loans, according to a report from the Financial Times. No formal product has been launched, but the bank’s consideration of crypto-collateral marks a notable shift in stance.

LATAM

CROSS-BORDER

SmartPayNet, a global payment gateway, has expanded its infrastructure to support transactions in over 100 countries. The platform – targeting high-risk sectors like iGaming and FX trading – now enables merchants from Latin America to Sub-Saharan Africa to accept and send payments through a single interface, with localised payout options and multi-currency settlement.

DIGITAL, RETAIL & ‘NEO’ BANKING

Brazil’s Nubank has begun testing a revamped NuCoin loyalty program as part of its customer engagement strategy. The new NuCoin will reward everyday banking activities (not just credit card spend) by allowing users to earn tokenized “nucoins” for actions like using debit cards, paying bills on time, or setting up Pix keys – which can be redeemed for perks like event tickets, partner discounts, and other benefits within the Nubank app.

APAC 

OPEN BANKING

Equifax Australia and Mastercard have teamed up to leverage open banking data for expanding credit access in Australia. By harnessing consumers’ banking data (with consent), the companies aim to help millions of Australians with thin or no credit files gain access to credit, improving financial inclusion in the country.

Middle East and Africa

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

MDP, a Morocco-based payments firm, has deployed a new third-party processing hub built on BPC’s SmartVista platform to strengthen its presence across the Middle East and Africa. The modular system consolidates card issuing, merchant acquiring, and transaction processing, allowing MDP to serve over 260 banks, fintechs, and merchants in 40+ countries with end-to-end payment services and local card scheme support.

ISSUING

SanuPay has partnered with global vendor OpenWay to launch Ethiopia’s first domestic credit card. Backed by Oromia Bank and the Way4 platform, the initiative will issue millions of debit, prepaid, and credit cards (including Visa and Mastercard-branded cards) in Ethiopia – a significant step as the country upgrades from a cash- and mobile-money economy to formal card payment infrastructure.

DIGITAL & eCOMMERCE

Jordan Islamic Bank (JIB) is collaborating with Mastercard to develop Shariah-compliant digital payment tools and expand the bank’s digital services. The partnership will support JIB in rolling out new Islamic banking-friendly card products and enhancing its online and mobile banking platforms, with the goal of improving financial inclusion and customer experience for Jordan’s Islamic banking customers.

REGULATION

The Israel Securities Authority has granted payments institution licenses to four international fintech companies – Revolut, Airwallex, Rapyd, and Mesh Payments – allowing them to operate in Israel’s financial services market. The move is meant to boost competition and innovation in Israel’s payments sector, as these firms can now offer digital wallets, currency exchange, and transfer services under local oversight, competing with incumbent banks.

CROSS-BORDER

RizRemit, a UK-based remittance fintech, has partnered with Uruguay’s dLocal to accelerate money transfers in key African and Asian corridors. Through this alliance, RizRemit gains access to dLocal’s network of local payment rails – including recent licenses obtained in the UAE, Turkey and the Philippines – enabling faster payouts to popular mobile wallets (like OPay in Nigeria or JazzCash in Pakistan) and bank accounts in those regions.