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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
After last week’s news of new bank charter announcements across the globe, this week’s top topic shifts back to the TradFi-DeFi bridge, as stablecoin platform Kast raises $80 million. Check out more on this, plus take a look at other fintech news highlights below. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
Stablecoins
KASTraises $80 million as stablecoins move from infrastructure into mainstream financial services.
Welcome to March! Women’s History Month, Holi (the Hindu “Festival of Colors”), the start of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, Eid al-Fith, Cesar Chavez Day … there’s a lot to celebrate and look forward to over the next few weeks.
Here on Finovate’s Fintech Rundown, we’re looking forward to the rush of industry news and announcements that typical comes with the seasonal thaw.
Payments
Private equity firm Incore Invest completes its acquisition of CoreOrchestration AB from Worldline.
Appleis in conversation with banks in India to bring Apple Pay to the country later this year.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Shanghai Data Bureau (SDB), and the National Technology Innovation Center for Blockchain ink a Memorandum of Understanding between Shanghai and Hong Kong to apply blockchain technology to develop a cross-border platform to facilitate trade finance.
It’s the last week of February, which means we have one more month to wrap up any Q1 goals. Below, we’ve aggregated the top news in fintech for the week. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
We’re fresh off an outstanding FinovateEurope conference in London (meet our Best of Show winners!) and already gearing up for our Spring event in San Diego. In the meanwhile, here’s a look at some of the fintech headlines that have crossed the wire in recent days. Be sure to check back here at the Fintech Rundown all week long for updates!
Digital banking
Oklahoma-based Blue Sky Bank partners with Jack Henry, deploying the fintech’s Banno Digital Platform along with other integrated solutions.
UK-based embedded insurance company Wriskacquired real-time financial intelligence platform Atto to build an integrated embedded finance platform.
DeFi
Payoneerteams up with stablecoin infrastructure platform and Stripe company Bridge to support its launch of new embedded stablecoin capabilities.
Netherlands-based paytech and stablecoin issuer Quantozteams up with Visa, enabling the firm to issue irtual Visa debit cards as serve as a BIN-sponsor for third-party fintechs and platforms.
Welcome to the first week of February! Both FinovateEurope and Valentine’s Day are just around the corner, and there’s lots to love about this week’s fintech news headlines. Below, we’ve aggregated the top news in fintech for the week. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
Verisavelaunches credit card processing fee optimization program for professional services firms.
NCR Atleos and Heart of England Co-operative extend relationship to enhance financial inclusion.
STAR Financial Bank partners with CorServ to meet demand for enhanced commercial credit cards.
dLocalpartners with DHL Express Brazil to automate Pix payments and accelerate parcel release.
Wealth management
UK-based Novum Investment Managementsecures investment form UK local government pension fund to launch and scale Doris, a new offering to help transition people from saving to investing.
NymCardenables stablecoin settlement with Visa in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region including countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman.
Credit, data, and analytics
Analytics software firm FICOforges global partnership with technology consulting and digital solutions provider Tech Mahindra to help companies integrate AI-powered decisioning and advanced analytics.
The final week of the first month of the year has arrived. Partnerships in payments, embedded finance, and DeFi are among the top headlines in fintech as the week begins. And with FinovateEurope only two weeks away, we’ve got our eye on interesting developments like JPMorgan Chase’s acquisition of UK-based WealthOS. Be sure to check Finovate’s Fintech Rundown all week long for the latest updates!
Payments
Global payments infrastructure platform Mercuryoteams up with Visa to provide crypto-to-fiat off-ramping via Visa’s real-time payments platform, Visa Direct.
European payment service provider and acquirer Finbypartners with the European Payments Initiative (EPI) to support the pan-European digital wallet, Wero.
We’re more than halfway through the first month of the year, and topics like AI and stablecoins continue to dominate both the headlines and the mindshare in fintech. Below, we’ve aggregated the top news in fintech for the week. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
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
Rainraises $250 million Series C to scale stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure for global enterprises.
BNYextends digital cash capabilities for institutional clients.
Ripplereceives FCA permissions to scale Ripple Payments in the UK.
Emburselaunches Invoice Tax Validation to help global businesses comply with growing wave of e-invoice regulation.
Affirmupdates underwriting with enhanced signals to better reflect consumers’ real-time finances.
AMLYZEpartners with Vinted Pay as it expands payment infrastructure.
Digital banking
The State of Georgia Department of Banking and Finance has officially acceptedCheckout.com‘s application for a Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank (MALPB) charter.
Wio Bankunveils first UAE bank account for content creators.
2026 begins in earnest today as the first full working week of the year gets underway. Be sure to check in with Finovate’s Fintech Rundown over the next few days to get you up and running with the latest in fintech news and announcements!
Universal Exchange (UEX) Bitgetopens its TradFi trading suite to all users.
TradeStationunveils the upcoming launch of TITAN X, its next generation of its flagship trading platform designed for active traders.
Crypto and DeFi
Telcoin, a digital asset bank that just won final charter approval from the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, launches its eUSD stablecoin.
Kast, a financial platform built on stablecoin rails, expands global payouts to 11 new local currencies including GBP, EUR, and CAD, as well as a multiple currencies in the Asia Pacific region.
Welcome to Finovate’s final Fintech Rundown of 2025! DeFi and crypto have dominated the fintech news in recent weeks, with some companies in the space launching stablecoins and stablecoin-related services, while others announce expansion into new markets. We will update this post over the next several days to keep you informed on the final big headlines of the year.
Making headlines this December morning is the launch of Sam Altman’s World, a self-proclaimed “super app” that offers crypto payments and encrypted chat functionality. Check out other fintech headlines as they break throughout the week below. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
Core banking and digital transformation
British Caribbean Bank goes live with FinastraEssence to transform core banking.
Capital Bank advances digital transformation with Diebold Nixdorf’s multivendor self-service software.
Threadraises $30.5 million to continue building the future of embedded banking.
Payments
YouTube launches option for US creators to receive stablecoin payouts through PayPal.
Maxio launchesMaxio MCP to accelerate AI-forward finance with governed access to billing and revenue data.
Nayaxpartners with Unipaas to launch integrated card-present payments solution for UK SaaS platforms.
AI
Arcesiumunveils new suite of AI features in Aquata to help institutional investors scale their AI strategies.
Crypto
Sam Altman’s Worldlaunches its “super app” that includes crypto pay and encrypted chat features.
Intiuit and Circlepartnerto enable USDC capabilities for faster, lower-cost, and global financial experiences across Intuit TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Credit Karma.
Business Solutions
Payroll, HR, and tax compliance solutions Greenshades Software to embedOnePay’s financial wellness tools right inside its platform.
Baswareacquires Australian provider of Accounts Payable (AP) automation software Redmap.
The year may be winding down, but fintech is still winding up. This morning brings news of Airwallex’s $333 million round, valuing the company at $8 billion. Grab yourself a warm cup of cheer and settle in for this week’s top fintech news. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
