Fintech
Innovation in financial technology — digital payments, neobanks, blockchain, and more.
HKMA and Bank Indonesia signed cross-border QR payments cooperation memorandum
The HKMA and Bank Indonesia signed a memorandum to explore interoperable QR-code payments between Hong Kong and Indonesia, covering technical, operational and regulatory cooperation arrangements.
Airtel Money Announced London Flotation Targeting $8 Billion to $9 Billion Valuation
Airtel Money announced plans for a separate London flotation, with reports indicating an $8 billion to $9 billion valuation and roughly $800 million of proceeds for the pan-African payments business.
SoFi Began Settling $25 Billion Annualised Card Programme in SoFiUSD
SoFi began settling its debit and credit card programme, representing more than $25 billion in annualised volume, through the bank-issued SoFiUSD stablecoin on Mastercard’s payments network.
Paymob Raised $35 Million to Expand Payments Across Middle East
Egypt-founded payments company Paymob raised $35 million in a pre-Series C round led by Mubadala and EBRD to broaden its merchant-payment services across the region.
Moneyview Set ₹32–₹34 Price Band for ₹10.92 Billion India IPO
Moneyview set a ₹32–₹34 price band for its ₹10.92 billion India IPO, opening 24 September and implying a valuation of nearly ₹59.85 billion at the top end.
ECB launched Pontes platform for wholesale blockchain settlement in central-bank money
The ECB launched Pontes with 13 participating banks, connecting eligible distributed-ledger platforms to TARGET Services so wholesale transactions could settle in central-bank money from 21 September.
Apple Pay Could Reach India in October, According to Separate Reports
Apple Pay could enter India in October, according to Reuters and a report citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, although the launch and initial payment options remain unconfirmed.
Airtel Money Reportedly Considered Reducing Planned London IPO to $800 Million
Airtel Money reportedly considered seeking at least $800 million from its planned London IPO, below an earlier $1.5 billion to $2 billion range, according to media reports.
BCEAO Certified 24 Business APIs for WAEMU Regional Instant-Payment Platform
BCEAO certified 24 business APIs for the WAEMU PI-SPI platform, covering payment initiation, mass requests, automated operations, real-time tracking and treasury management across the monetary union.
Fin.com Announced $20 Million Seed Round for Cross-Border Payments Infrastructure
Fin.com announced a $20 million seed round led by Expa and Garrett Camp to expand infrastructure linking local payment rails, bank accounts, SWIFT and stablecoin settlement.
Alchemy Introduced AgentCard With Mastercard Controls for AI-Driven Online Commerce
Mastercard and Alchemy launched AgentCard, enabling authorised artificial-intelligence agents to make online purchases using tokenised credentials under defined user and issuer spending controls for approved online transactions.
Citi Added Mastercard Subscription Controls for Eligible UAE Credit Cardholders
Citi and Mastercard launched Smart Subscriptions in the UAE, allowing eligible cardholders to view, identify and manage recurring digital payments directly through Citi’s mobile-banking application.