Fintech
Innovation in financial technology — digital payments, neobanks, blockchain, and more.
Ecobank signed CIPS memorandum to strengthen Africa-China renminbi payments connectivity
Ecobank signed a memorandum with China's CIPS on 10 October to develop cross-border renminbi payment connectivity across the continent through its network spanning 34 African countries.
Côte d’Ivoire Treasury began regular bulk payments through BCEAO’s PI-SPI platform
Côte d’Ivoire’s Treasury began regular bulk payments through BCEAO’s PI-SPI platform, while the central bank said the seven other WAEMU treasuries would be integrated progressively.
Singapore’s UOB and AWS signed exploratory ASEAN cloud technology agreement
UOB and Amazon Web Services signed an exploratory agreement to assess a dedicated Singapore cloud environment supporting the bank’s hybrid infrastructure across five ASEAN markets.
Brazil’s Pix surpassed one billion registered payment keys in September
Brazil’s Pix reached 1.008 billion registered keys in September, while the central bank’s settlement system processed 7.1 billion inter-institution transactions worth about R$3.2 trillion during the month.
OPay filed for New York listing after first-half revenue more than doubled
OPay filed for a New York listing after first-half revenue reached $467.1 million, while Stanbic Africa agreed to invest up to $200 million in a concurrent private placement.
SaoPay began Ghana operations as a regulated electronic money issuer
SaoPay began operations in Ghana as a regulated Dedicated Electronic Money Issuer, entering a market with 85.8 million registered mobile-money accounts and nearly GH¢40 billion in customer balances.
Côte d’Ivoire launched fintech programme under CFA684 million inclusion package
Côte d’Ivoire launched a fintech-support programme within a CFA684 million package covering three financial-inclusion projects, aiming to build technical capacity, support compliance and diversify services beyond payments.
Mercadien Breach Affected Customers at Nine or More US Depository Institutions
A breach at accounting firm Mercadien affected customers of at least nine US banks and credit unions, with public records and notices indicating that more than 400,000 people were involved.
OCBC launched tokenised deposit treasury service across Singapore and Malaysia
OCBC and Ant International launched a 24/7 tokenised-deposit treasury service supporting Singapore-dollar and US-dollar transfers between Singapore and Malaysia through Ant's WhaleRTP platform for corporate treasurers.
IMF warned tokenised asset markets remained concentrated despite reaching $65 billion
The IMF said public tokenised real-world assets reached about $65 billion by July, while fragmented infrastructure, weak liquidity and concentrated issuance created new operational and financial-stability vulnerabilities.
South Africa’s FNB launched crypto trading from R10 through VALR
FNB launched cryptocurrency trading for South African customers from R10, offering five digital assets through four existing investment products in partnership with local platform VALR.
Pakistan's Formal Retail Payments Rose 58% to 14.3 Billion in FY26
Pakistan's formal retail payment volume increased 58% to 14.3 billion transactions in FY26, with digital channels handling 13.2 billion and lifting their share above 92%.