Cross-border payments

PYMNTSCoinbase / CircleHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong told Bloomberg Television the roughly USD 300 billion stablecoin market could grow tenfold by 2030 and that Coinbase is working with banks, fintechs and other businesses to move more payment activity onto stablecoins. The report says Coinbase receives a little over half of USDC's economics and cites Bloomberg Intelligence estimates that stablecoins generated about 24% of Coinbase's second-quarter revenue, up from 22% in the prior quarter.

PYMNTSGrab / Atome FinancialHigh impactSecondary report

PYMNTS, citing Bloomberg and unnamed people familiar with the matter, reports that Grab is in discussions about acquiring Singapore-based buy-now-pay-later provider Atome Financial in a transaction that could value Atome at more than USD 2 billion. The report says Atome serves online and physical merchants and recorded USD 470 million of revenue last year, up 80%, with a second consecutive annual pre-tax profit.

Finextra — PaymentsModern Treasury / TurnkeyHigh impactSecondary report

Modern Treasury announced non-custodial Stablecoin Wallets built with Turnkey and available through an early-access program for select customers and supported use cases. The company says one API can connect end-user-controlled USDG, USDC and USDT wallets with Global USD Accounts, ledgering and ACH, wire, RTP, FedNow, checks and push-to-card flows; wallet experiences may be offered in the U.S. and more than 90 countries.

Finextra — PaymentsNewland NPT / Cartes Bancaires / ELITTWatchSecondary report

Newland NPT says France's domestic Cartes Bancaires scheme approved the standalone payment application used by its Android terminal portfolio under the FRV6.3.1 standard. The company says ELITT tested the terminal, chip and acquirer-network interactions; the specification supports a multi-scheme environment and includes CB2A 1.6.3 communications, accessibility requirements, digital receipts, pre-authorisation and online PIN for contactless payments above EUR 50.

PYMNTSMVB Financial / Velocity / VisaHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that MVB Financial and Velocity are participating in a Visa Direct pilot that lets MVB use stablecoins for funding and settlement of eligible push-to-card payouts. The companies say licensed partners will handle digital-asset conversion, wallet connectivity and onchain controls through a single API and regulated-wallet infrastructure. Availability varies by eligibility and geography.

PYMNTSTether / Fasanara CapitalHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Tether and Fasanara Capital launched StableFund, an evergreen private-credit vehicle anchored by USD 400 million of combined sponsor co-investment and targeting up to USD 3 billion of third-party institutional capital. Fasanara will manage short-duration, asset-backed lending, while Tether will source USDT-linked opportunities and provide on/off-ramp, treasury and cross-border settlement infrastructure.

Finextra — PaymentsPhonePe / VisaMaterial changeSecondary report

PhonePe and Visa announced three cardless payment tools at Global Fintech Fest 2026. Tap to Pay is rolling out in phases from September 9 for Android users with tokenized Visa cards. Cross Border Scan to Pay is intended to let Indian travelers scan Visa-supported QR codes in 14 international markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, China and South Korea, but PhonePe says that feature will reach users soon. Smart Accept is intended to let micro-merchants accept physical cards or tokenized wallets directly on a smartphone without separate POS hardware.

Digital TransactionsBVNK / MarqetaHigh impactIndependent report

Digital Transactions reports that BVNK and Marqeta announced an integration intended to let Marqeta customers embed U.S.-dollar stablecoin capabilities into cards, wallets and other financial products. The companies say the combination will connect stablecoin balances to standard payment cards accepted at millions of merchants and support round-the-clock settlement alongside fiat options. BVNK supplies stablecoin payment infrastructure and Marqeta supplies card issuing and processing capabilities.

PYMNTSInternational Finance Corporation / Mastercard / VisaHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation launched a risk-sharing initiative that will initially provide up to USD 700 million in guarantees covering part of participating institutions' credit-settlement risk. Mastercard announced a USD 500 million facility, while Visa said its arrangement with IFC is expected to support about USD 200 million of risk sharing over five years. The program is intended to help banks, fintechs and other institutions in emerging markets connect more consumers and small businesses to digital payments.

CoinDeskU.S. Bank / Stellar Development FoundationMaterial changeIndependent report

CoinDesk reports that U.S. Bank completed a live pilot payment between its own North American and European entities using USBDC, its proprietary U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, on the public Stellar blockchain. The bank says the pilot integrated with its finance, risk, compliance and operations systems and tested minting, payment redemption, freezing and clawback through its internally developed Digital Asset Platform.

The PaypersAvolta / DevelopXMaterial changeIndependent report

The Paypers reports that Avolta and DevelopX opened a stablecoin checkout pilot at Avolta's Level 2 Duty Free store at Zurich Airport. Avolta's primary release says the pilot runs from September 9 through September 25, 2026 and lets travelers scan a QR code to pay directly from a digital wallet, with funds transferred to the merchant within seconds without a card network or intermediary payment provider. DevelopX identifies USDC and the Base blockchain as the implementation used in the pilot.

CoinDeskCentral Bank of Iran / Iranian exportersHigh impactIndependent report

CoinDesk, citing the Financial Times, reports that Iran's central bank has relaxed foreign-currency controls so exporters can use overseas earnings to finance imports directly instead of first selling the currency through the government's official exchange platform. The reporting says businesses may use bitcoin and Tether's USDT to settle cross-border transactions through Iranian crypto exchanges.

TechCabaldLocal Ghana / Bank of GhanaHigh impactIndependent report

TechCabal reports that dLocal's Ghanaian subsidiary obtained an Enhanced Payment Service Provider licence from the Bank of Ghana. The licence permits local payment collection, merchant acquiring, mobile-money acceptance, bank-transfer collection and local payouts to bank accounts and mobile-money wallets. The Bank of Ghana's current licensed-provider register independently lists Dlocal in the PSP Enhanced category.

Finextra — PaymentsTerraPay / Alipay+Material changeSecondary report

A TerraPay announcement republished by Finextra says the company has partnered with Alipay+ to extend Xend from account-to-account transfers to cross-border in-store QR acceptance. In the announced initial phase, 15 Africa-connected digital wallets will be able to pay at more than 150 million merchants in the Alipay+ ecosystem. Alipay+ says its broader network connects more than 50 international payment partners across 220 destination markets and more than 10 national payment systems.

CoinDeskFinancial Intelligence Unit–IndiaWatchIndependent report

CoinDesk reports that the Financial Intelligence Unit–India issued Section 13 PMLA non-compliance notices to 15 virtual digital asset service providers. A Government of India release names Weex, Blofin, Rezorex, Bitunix, DigiFinex, Toobit, XT.com, Latoken, WOO X, Pionex, ChangeNow, SimpleSwap, FixedFloat, WhiteBIT and Guardarian, and says separate notices were issued to take down their apps and URLs from public access in India.

The PaypersAlipay+ / UPI / IndiaMaterial changeIndependent report

The Paypers, citing Reuters reporting based on three people familiar with the discussions, says India has stalled an Alipay+ proposal submitted in January 2026 to connect with UPI for cross-border payments. The reported first phase would have let Indian travelers use the linkage across Alipay+'s network in China, Hong Kong and other Asian markets; a second phase would have enabled international visitors to pay through Alipay+ in India. The cited concerns include Chinese ownership links, customer-data storage and handling, money laundering, cyberfraud and broader political grounds.

NachaNacha / Digital Sovereignty AllianceHigh impactIndependent report

Nacha's Payments Innovation Alliance launched the Next-Gen Currency Project Team, led with the Digital Sovereignty Alliance, to examine how stablecoins and tokenized deposits may be used for global money movement. The member project will create educational resources, track regulation and legislation, and study institutional readiness, infrastructure and risk.

PYMNTSHumboldt Merchant Services / Federal Trade CommissionHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that the Federal Trade Commission's proposed settlement would require Humboldt Merchant Services to pay $12 million and permanently bar it from processing for heightened-risk merchants. The FTC complaint alleges Humboldt processed payments for more than 1,000 shell merchants and allowed chargeback rates approaching ten times card-network excessive-chargeback thresholds. Humboldt says the conduct largely involved third-party agents and former leadership from 2021 to 2023, denies wrongdoing, and says it has strengthened compliance.

PYMNTSCorporate treasury / U.S. repo marketHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS argues that rapid blockchain settlement does not remove the need to manage liquidity across bank deposits, stablecoins, Treasury bills and tokenized assets. Using New York Fed repo-market structure as an analogy, the article says daily volume in SOFR-related repo segments rose from about $1 trillion in early 2022 to roughly $3 trillion, supported by dealers and other intermediaries that make collateral and cash reusable. It applies that lesson to a hypothetical overseas-supplier payment rather than reporting a new stablecoin product or deployment.

PYMNTSTrace Finance / Bernardo BritesHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS summarizes a column by Trace Finance co-founder and CEO Bernardo Brites arguing that stablecoins can accelerate the middle leg of an international payment but do not replace banks at fiat entry, fiat exit, compliance and local-rail access. The article contrasts an estimated $208 trillion of 2025 cross-border-payment value with about $390 billion of annualized genuine stablecoin payments in late 2025, and says raw stablecoin transfer totals above $30 trillion include trading and automated activity. It presents an industry thesis, not a new Trace Finance launch or measured customer result.

Rain via PR NewswireRainMaterial changeSecondary report

Rain says select beta partners can now fund payouts from stablecoin balances and deliver local currency to recipients' bank accounts through licensed partners in more than 80 countries and 50 currencies. The company says the capability supports B2B, B2C, C2C and C2B flows for marketplaces, contractor platforms, neobanks and businesses, with broader availability planned over the coming months.

PYMNTSCircle / TazapayHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports, and Circle's September 8 SEC filings confirm, that Circle signed a definitive agreement to acquire Singapore-based Tazapay for USD 400 million in Circle stock. The number of shares will be calculated from Circle's volume-weighted average closing price during the 20 trading days before closing. Circle expects the transaction to close in 2027, subject to customary conditions and approval by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Circle says Tazapay serves more than 60 bank and fintech partners, supports payouts to more than 100 markets and processed more than USD 25 billion in annualised payment volume as of July 31, 2026, with stablecoins involved in about 60% of transaction volume.

Payments DiveNuvei / Federal Trade CommissionHigh impactIndependent report

Payments Dive reports that Nuvei agreed to pay $4.85 million under a proposed Federal Trade Commission settlement and accept tighter merchant-screening and monitoring duties. The FTC alleges that Nuvei processed more than $30 million for Reimage between 2017 and 2023 despite warning signs and Visa's 2020 notice. Nuvei neither admits nor denies the allegations and says the five former accounts at issue represented less than 0.011% of its volume across more than 150,000 merchants; the report says the company has strengthened compliance.

Payments DiveThe Clearing House / Federal ReserveHigh impactIndependent report

Payments Dive compares the established U.S. instant-payment networks using a Richmond Fed report and Clearing House comments. FedNow had 1,725 participating banks and credit unions, while the report counted 1,193 on RTP and The Clearing House supplied a newer figure of 1,350. Despite that participation gap, RTP processed about 142 million transactions in the second quarter versus roughly 5 million on FedNow. Both networks operate continuously with a $10 million transaction limit, but RTP uses a prefunded joint account while FedNow settles through Federal Reserve master accounts.

PYMNTSDBS / Citi / SwiftMaterial changeIndependent report

PYMNTS reports, and DBS's September 7 announcement confirms, that DBS and Citi's New York office completed the first successful Singapore-to-U.S. dollar payment conducted over a weekend. The September 5 transaction used tokenised deposits on the Swift Digital Ledger and took minutes, compared with the announcement's stated industry norm of up to two business days for cross-border payments. DBS says the capability lets participating institutions move U.S. dollars outside normal banking hours; the release also cites a forecast that Asia's outbound cross-border payments could rise from USD 13.5 trillion in 2025 to USD 24 trillion by 2033.

CoinDeskBanks / stablecoin wallet providersMaterial changeIndependent report

CoinDesk reports that stablecoin wallets are challenging banks' role as the default interface for holding and moving money because they can operate around the clock and across borders. Interviewed executives disagreed on the end state: Eco and RedStone executives argued that wallets could take payment-interface share, while Fireblocks and BitGo executives expected banks to retain custody, compliance, savings and credit roles and to add tokenised deposits or stablecoin services. The article cites a BVNK survey claim that 77% of crypto users would prefer to open a stablecoin wallet through an existing bank or fintech rather than self-custody.

CoinDeskBank of Korea / BinanceMaterial changeIndependent report

CoinDesk reports on a Bank of Korea study by Jihyun Kim and Sangheum Cho that examines Binance's introduction of fiat-to-USD-stablecoin pairs across 12 currencies, with pairing dates from 2019 to 2025. After a pair was introduced, local stablecoin premiums fell by about 0.33 to 0.38 percentage points, stablecoins flowed from Binance toward local exchanges when local premiums were higher, and stronger stablecoin buying pressure was associated with depreciation of the paired local currencies. Korea, which had no direct Binance won-stablecoin pair in the study, showed no significant exchange-rate response; buying pressure was reflected mainly in the local stablecoin premium.

Finextra — PaymentsNexi / JCB / UnionPay InternationalMaterial changeSecondary report

A Nexi announcement republished by Finextra says the company signed separate partnerships with JCB and UnionPay International to add both card schemes to the Consorzio Unico Campania Tap & Go network. Nexi says eligible cardholders, particularly visitors from Asia, will be able to tap contactless cards or phones on participating metro, funicular and bus services, with automatic best-fare calculation.

PYMNTSYuno / Revolut BusinessHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Yuno and Revolut Business integrated Revolut Pay's biometric one-click checkout, Revolut acquiring and gateway services into one Yuno connection. Yuno's primary announcement says the services are available to eligible Yuno merchants in the UK, European Economic Area, Singapore and Australia; the first merchants have signed up, and one unnamed online travel agency has activated Revolut Pay without a new integration build.

PYMNTSEuropean Central Bank / Central Bank of BrazilHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports, citing Reuters, that the European Central Bank confirmed a preliminary investigation into a possible interlinking of its TARGET Instant Payment Settlement platform with Brazil's Pix system. Reuters said technical teams are assessing feasibility, Brazil's central bank declined to comment, and one unnamed source said a pilot could be launched in 2028 if the initiative advances.

Finextra — PaymentsPaymentology / MaximMaterial changeSecondary report

A Paymentology announcement republished by Finextra says the issuer processor is supporting Maxim's new U.K. credit-card programme for Africans living across borders. Maxim marked the launch on August 27 and is initially focusing on the Nigerian diaspora; Paymentology supplies the cloud-native processing layer, while Maxim says its wider proposition will connect U.K. credit-building with services used across the U.K. and Nigeria.

Finextra — PaymentsAnt International / AntomHigh impactSecondary report

An Ant International announcement republished by Finextra says the Central Bank of Brazil granted the company a Payment Institution licence. Ant says the licence builds on Antom's existing merchant acceptance of Pix, cards and alternative payment methods and will support broader local and cross-border payment and account services for enterprises, platforms and small and medium-sized businesses in Brazil.

Digital TransactionsGlobant / Erin StillwellHigh impactIndependent report

In a Digital Transactions commentary, Globant payments executive Erin Stillwell argues that stablecoins can complement existing rails for merchant and worker payouts, cross-border settlement and liquidity management. She cites DoorDash's stated plan to use stablecoins for faster payouts and a Globant client project involving stablecoin payouts to agricultural producers, while recommending narrow pilots and integration with existing payment experiences.

FXC IntelligencePremier League / cross-border payment companiesMaterial changeIndependent report

FXC Intelligence reports that 85% of Premier League clubs have at least one sponsor connected to cross-border payments. Its 2026 review highlights Circle's Chelsea shirt sponsorship, new front-of-shirt deals for CMC Markets with Everton and Marex Group with Nottingham Forest, and continuing relationships involving Standard Chartered, PayPal, American Express, Monzo, Ebury, Ant International and Kraken.

PYMNTSBottomline / ChainlinkHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Bottomline partnered with Chainlink to connect Bottomline's existing payment software with public and private blockchains. The announced design keeps ISO 20022 messaging in place while Chainlink's CCIP moves tokenized value between chains and its Runtime Environment coordinates workflows. The cited 600-plus banks are Bottomline customers that could receive access, not banks confirmed to have adopted or used the integration.

PYMNTSDiameter PayHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Diameter Pay raised a USD 10 million Series A co-led by CMT Digital and Lightspeed Faction. Diameter Pay's primary release confirms the round and says its API gives financial institutions access to U.S.-dollar virtual accounts, domestic and international payment rails, stablecoin on- and off-ramps and embedded compliance controls through multiple U.S. banking partners.

PYMNTSOpenReserve BankHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that OpenReserve received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form OpenReserve Bank, N.A. The OCC's September register confirms the charter decision. OpenReserve says the proposed bank is intended to combine conventional credit and deposit services with tokenized deposits, stablecoin issuance and always-on settlement, but it has not received final approval or opened.

PYMNTSRevolutHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that Revolut received conditional OCC approval to form Revolut Bank US, N.A. Revolut's primary announcement and the OCC register confirm the milestone. The proposed bank still requires FDIC, Federal Reserve and final OCC approvals; Revolut says it is targeting a 2027 launch and would offer loans, cards, FDIC-insured deposits, stablecoins and crypto access only after all required approvals.

Reuters via MarketScreenerCentral Bank of Brazil / European Central BankMaterial changeIndependent report

Reuters reports that the Central Bank of Brazil and European Central Bank are studying whether Brazil's Pix and the euro area's TIPS instant-payment systems could be linked, according to two people with direct knowledge. The ECB confirmed a preliminary investigation and said Pix was among the systems identified in June for possible corridor exploration; Brazil's central bank declined to comment.

PYMNTSU.S. House Financial Services Committee / CircleHigh impactIndependent report

PYMNTS reports that members of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee used a September 2 hearing to question how AI agents could transact with stablecoins and what controls would be needed for identity, delegated authority, settlement triggers and smart contracts. The committee's official record confirms the hearing and Circle President Heath Tarbert as a witness.