Blog - Page 38 of 1285

Equifax UK Partners with Greek Credit Bureau Tiresias

By David Penn Posted on January 12, 2026
Categories: Alumni News, Equifax

International data, analytics, and technology company Equifax UK has teamed up with Greece's sole credit bureau Tiresias. The strategic partnership is designed to help Tiresias develop modern business tools to enhance credit assessment, bolster fraud prevention, encourage responsible lending, and improve debt management. Equifax UK is a division of Atlanta, Georgia-based Equifax located in London, England. In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet famous both for his clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years by the Greek goddess Hera. Tiresias is also the name of the sole credit bureau in Greece and is the latest strategic partner of global data, analytics, and technology company Equifax UK. The two entities are collaborating in an effort to boost financial inclusion, stimulate economic growth, and bring advanced credit assessment and fraud prevention to businesses and consumers in Greece. "Our partnership with Tiresias is a testament to everything we…

Google Just Launched Its Agentic Commerce Protocol, the HTTPS for Agent-Led Shopping

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on January 12, 2026
Categories: Daily news, Google, Thought Leadership

Google launched Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an interoperability layer that lets AI agents discover products, authenticate users, and complete transactions. Unlike AP2, which governs how agents move money, UCP orchestrates the entire commerce flow. UCP will require banks to create new approaches to authentication, consent, liability, and trust as AI agents become active participants in commerce. Google unveiled its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) today, which essentially serves as the plumbing for how AI agents buy things on consumers' behalf. But what does it really do and how is it different from Google's AP2 launched last fall? Here's a simple breakdown of the newly launched protocol. What does UCP do? Co-developed with major retailers and ecommerce players, including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, Google's Universal Commerce Protocol is essentially a standardized way for AI agents to discover products, request prices, authenticate users, and complete transactions. You can think of it…

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on January 12, 2026
Categories: Fintech Rundown

There is a race to the top in Agentic commerce, and Google is here to make sure its name is front and center. The tech giant launched its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce, and payments companies like PayPal and Ant International are jumping on board. Read on for more fintech news headlines. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses. DeFi Rain raises $250 million Series C to scale stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure for global enterprises. BNY extends digital cash capabilities for institutional clients. Ripple receives FCA permissions to scale Ripple Payments in the UK. Payments and Commerce Walmart and Google partner to launch agent-led commerce. FIS launches tool to help banks participate in agentic commerce. PayPal announces support of Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). Google launches the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce. MoneyHash and Spare partner to advance…

Insurtech 2026: Raising Capital, Leveraging AI, and a Look at Finovate’s Insurtech Alums

By David Penn Posted on January 12, 2026
Categories: David's column, Insurance

There's no doubt that 2026 is shaping up to be yet another year in which DeFi—from stablecoins to tokenized assets—commands its share of fintech headlines. But the innovations taking place in insurance and insurtech are also worthy of note. From embedded insurance solutions to insurance that is bundled with loans, mortgages, or other financial products, technology is having as much impact on the insurance industry as it is in any other field within fintech. Insurtech is leveraging automation, machine learning, AI, and even blockchain technology to help improve efficiency, control costs, better manage and safeguard data, and enhance the insurance process for both retail and enterprise customers. Here's a look at a handful of recent stories that help show where insurtech is today. Corgi Investment Fuels AI-Powered Insurance for Startups Corgi Insurance has secured $108 million in funding, as well as regulatory authority to operate an AI-native, full-stack insurance carrier…

Bilt Embeds Loyalty at Checkout with Verifone

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on January 9, 2026
Categories: Daily news, Verifone Holdings Inc.

Bilt is partnering with Verifone to embed its loyalty and customer experience platform directly into Verifone Victa point-of-sale devices and will allow merchants to recognize and engage members at checkout with personalized experiences. The integration requires no new hardware and works across multiple payment providers. For Bilt, the deal creates a scalable distribution channel through Verifone’s point-of-sale devices, significantly expanding its merchant reach. Loyalty platform Bilt announced it is teaming up with Verifone this week. The partnership will integrate Bilt's experience and loyalty platform into Verifone's Victa point-of-sale hardware devices. The nine Verifone Victa point-of-sale devices range from enterprise-grade registers to small mobile and portable devices. Integrating Bilt's loyalty tools into these devices will help merchants engage customers at point of sale by embedding personalized experiences and member identity into the payment experience. The native integration, which won't require additional hardware investment or changes to existing workflows, is designed to be…

Finovate Global Egypt: New Partnerships, New Products, New Markets

By David Penn Posted on January 9, 2026
Categories: Finovate Global

This week's edition of Finovate Global looks at recent fintech headlines from Egypt. Valu Launches Platform in Jordan Egyptian fintech Valu has secured final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan to begin operations in Jordan. Valu was granted a Specialized Finance license that will enable the company to launch financial services in the Kingdom. Valu said it would being offering services in Q1 of 2026, providing consumers with flexible financing solutions across retail, healthcare, electronics, and education. Former Jordanian Minister of Investment and Digital Economy Mothanna Gharaibeh will serve as Chairman of the new entity, with fintech executive Mohammad Al Yousef serving as CEO. "Securing final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan under a Specialized Finance license is a pivotal moment for Valu and a testament to the strength of our platform, governance model, and long-term vision for the market," Valu Chief Market Expansion and Strategy Officer Habiba…

Transforming Business Banking with US Bank’s Shruti Patel

By David Penn Posted on January 8, 2026
Categories: FinovateFall 2025, Speaker series, US Bank, Women in Fintech

In our latest interview from FinovateFall 2025, Beyond the Arc CEO Steven Ramirez talks with Shruti Patel, EVP and Business CPO at US Bank, about the institution's approach to supporting small- and mid-market businesses. The two discuss the emergence of new digital capabilities, embedded payroll and account payable solutions, as well as the role of customer experience in shaping product design. "We are super focused on our small businesses. They are looking for very simple banking products: an easy-to-use, best-in-class operating, savings, or money market account. They're looking for a great rewards card. And then, last but not least, small dollar loans. We excel in our small business access loans. We are number four nationally and very close in California, as well. When it comes to their lending needs, when it comes to their banking needs, we're very much focused on how can we make the life of a small…

Clover Selects Wink to Offer Biometric-Powered Payments

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on January 8, 2026
Categories: Daily news, Fiserv, Wink

Clover is partnering with Wink to embed biometric identity directly into the payment flow across Clover’s point-of-sale ecosystem. The integration enables identity-based payments using facial, palm, and voice recognition and will support transactions, loyalty enrollment, and age verification without passwords, physical cards, or additional hardware. The partnership treats identity as a core layer of the transaction and aims to deliver faster checkout, reduced fraud, and simpler operations for merchants. Fiserv-owned Clover, a company that provides Android-powered point-of-sale tools, announced it is partnering with biometric identity and payments platform Wink to offer a new way to pay. Clover will integrate Wink’s biometric identity technology into its existing platform, enabling identity-based payments designed to improve security and streamline checkout for both merchants and customers. Texas-based Wink, a FinovateSpring 2023 Best of Show winner, provides a multi-factor biometric platform that combines facial, palm, voice, and device recognition to authenticate customer identities across in-store,…

Partnership with FIS Brings UK Paytech Modulr to the US

By David Penn Posted on January 8, 2026
Categories: Alumni News, FIS

UK-based paytech Modulr has entered the US as part of a strategic partnership with global fintech FIS. The partnership will enable FIS to leverage Modulr's technology for its cloud-native orchestration platform Money Movement Hub. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS has been a Finovate alum since 2010. UK-based payment technology provider Modulr has gone live in the United States, bringing its real-time, API-first payment capability to one of the largest payment markets in the world. Modulr has forged a strategic partnership with global fintech FIS and will provide critical technology for the company's Money Movement Hub, a cloud-native orchestration platform that harmonizes the payments ecosystem by integrating major global networks via a single API. "Expanding into the US is a natural step for Modulr as we respond to growing global demand for real-time, reliable payments infrastructure," Modulr Founder and CEO Myles Stephenson said. "Our partnership with FIS…

FinovateEurope Best of Show Winner Finshape Introduces New CEO Neil Budd

By David Penn Posted on January 7, 2026
Categories: Alumni News, Finshape

Czech Republic-based digital banking company Finshape introduced new CEO Neil Budd. Budd replaces current CEO Petr Koutný, who will take on a new position as Chairman of the Board. Budd comes to Finshape after serving in executive roles for companies including Finastra and Accenture. Forged in a 2021 merger between W.UP and BSC, Finshape won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2022. Digital banking company Finshape, which won Best of Show in its debut at FinovateEurope 2022, has appointed a new CEO. The Prague, Czech Republic-based fintech introduced Neil Budd—a veteran financial services executive with more than 25 years of experience in banking, technology, and consulting—as its new Chief Executive Officer. "Banks are looking for technology partners they can trust for the long term," Budd said in a statement. "Finshape has a strong, relevant product portfolio, experienced teams, and stable, trusted relationships with banks. With our Agentic…

Barclays Invests in Crypto Connectivity Startup Ubyx

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on January 7, 2026
Categories: Barclays, Daily news

Barclays has made its first investment in digital currency infrastructure by backing Ubyx. Ubyx aims to simplify the redemption and acceptance of stablecoins and tokenized deposits through a many-to-many clearing system designed to unify today’s fragmented digital money landscape. The move shows that Barclays is focused on regulated interoperability rather than issuing its own stablecoin. UK-based banking giant Barclays is making its first investment in the digital currency infrastructure space this week. The bank made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a US-based clearing system for digital money. Ubyx was founded in 2025 to create stablecoin ubiquity. In other words, the company focuses on facilitating live transactions through a many-to-many clearing system to make redeeming stablecoins and tokenized deposits as simple as depositing a check. Ubyx uses a collaborative network model to transform the current, fragmented stablecoin landscape into a unified, ubiquitous payment system. "Our mission is to build a common…