bunq is launching a live BaaS use case, partnering with Blockrise to offer Bitcoin-friendly bank accounts with embedded banking services. Blockrise users will gain regulated banking benefits, including fiat deposit protection up to €100,000 under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme via bunq’s license. BaaS enables crypto–bank convergence in which banks provide compliant infrastructure while crypto platforms own the customer relationship. European neobank bunq is going live with its BaaS offering, partnering with Bitcoin platform Blockrise to offer users Bitcoin-friendly bank accounts.  Netherlands-based Blockrise users will gain access to Bitcoin services alongside embedded bank accounts. By leveraging bunq’s European banking license, fiat deposits will be protected up to €100,000 under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme. “Up to now, Dutch Bitcoin users had to choose between security and convenience. With bunq’s infrastructure, they get both—a bank account that works seamlessly with Bitcoin, protected by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme,” said Blockrise Founder and CEO Jos Lazet. “We are proud to be the first-ever Bitcoin platform that is able to offer full bank accounts to our clients.” The partnership marks the first live use case of bunq’s BaaS offering, which integrates bunq’s financial infrastructure into a business’ existing product by building on bunq’s open API. bunq anticipates that its BaaS service will offer users better, safer products. Because bunq handles the complex compliance and security requirements involved in offering bank accounts, businesses are able to focus on their core competencies and move with more agility. The collaboration also reflects a convergence between traditional banking and digital asset platforms. As regulatory frameworks mature in Europe, licensed banks like bunq are becoming key enablers for crypto firms looking to offer more complete financial services. With BaaS-crypto partnerships, banks provide the compliant infrastructure, while crypto platforms own the customer relationship, which blurs the line between decentralized finance and centralized finance. Founded in 2012, Amsterdam-based bunq offers both retail and commercial accounts with a range of tools, including budgeting and term deposits for consumers, and expense management and payment acceptance tools for businesses. Earlier this year, bunq applied for a US banking license for the second time, after it withdrew its original application in 2023. The post Blockrise Looks to bunq for Financial Infrastructure appeared first on Finovate.       

SumUp is expanding its platform in the US with an all-in-one small business offering, combining POS Lite, a handheld terminal, card readers, and invoicing into a single ecosystem. Today’s expansion of services comes 10 years after the company initially launched in the US. The strategy reflects fintech’s rebundling, moving beyond payments to unify operations, sales, and business management tools in one platform. Payment acceptance company SumUp is expanding its core product ecosystem in the US to give small business owners an integrated suite of tools to run their operations. The new ecosystem breaks down into two categories: the first aims to help users run their business while the second helps them with payment acceptance. Combined, the tools offer business owners a complete set of business management tools in a single platform. The first category offers businesses access to POS Lite, a point-of-sale solution built for merchants who need a fast, lightweight way to manage sales without the overhead of a full system; and SumUp Terminal, a handheld device that combines full POS functionality, payment acceptance, and business management tools in a single standalone unit. SumUp has offered payment acceptance tools since it was founded in 2011. The fintech’s new business suite will include portable, plug-and-play card readers that accept chip and PIN, contactless, and mobile wallet payments; as well as an invoicing tool that generates professional invoices with built-in payment links. “Small businesses shouldn’t have to stitch together five different tools just to run their day,” said SumUp USA Head of Product Ben Brazier. “We built this ecosystem around how merchants actually work—starting with payments, and layering in the management tools they need to stay on top of their business. The Terminal is the clearest expression of that philosophy: one device, everything you need, nothing you don’t.” SumUp’s expansion echoes the wider “rebundling” trend that is taking place in fintech right now. Instead of offering fragmented point solutions, SumUp is bringing businesses a set of unified tools that bring payments, operations, and business management in a single platform, raising the bar for what small businesses expect from their financial and operational partners. SumUp has more than four million merchant clients across the globe. Today’s expansion of services comes 10 years after the company initially launched in the US and five years after the fintech acquired payments and marketing platform FiveStars, a move that helped SumUp scale in the region. Overall, SumUp operates across 37 markets on four continents. The post SumUp Expands its Small Business Product Suite appeared first on Finovate.       

KeyBank is launching a new commercial card program this week. The Ohio-based bank is deepening its partnership with card issuing company Qolo to launch its Key Virtual Card (KeyVC), a virtual commercial card program that helps businesses manage and track payments.  “KeyVC is designed to reduce that complexity by allowing clients to use virtual cards alongside other treasury tools, with consistent reporting and simplified reconciliation across payment types. Businesses want payment tools that fit naturally into how they already operate,” said Qolo Chief Operating Officer Rouzbeh Rotabi. “Working with KeyBank, we’ve built a virtual card solution that feels like a seamless part of the treasury environment–giving finance teams more flexibility, stronger controls, and clearer insight into their spending.” KeyVC will enable KeyBank’s commercial clients to create and manage virtual cards within the bank’s Virtual Account Management platform (KeyVAM). Adding virtual cards to their existing treasury management tools will offer KeyBank’s commercial clients a way to pay suppliers while maintaining oversight of spending and facilitating reconciliation. “Commercial clients are increasingly looking for simpler and more controlled ways to manage payments,” said KeyBank Head of Commercial Cards John Withrow. “By expanding our partnership with Qolo, we’re making virtual cards easier to use within our existing treasury platforms, helping clients streamline accounts payable, improve visibility, and maintain better control over how and when money is spent.” Qolo, which demoed at FinovateFall 2022, was founded in 2018 with the aim of simplifying payments through a unified infrastructure layer. Its platform combines an embedded ledger, card issuing, money movement, real-time reconciliation, and cross-rail connectivity into a single API. Rather than requiring banks to replace legacy cores, Qolo overlays its technology on top of existing systems, enabling institutions to deploy new payment capabilities in months, not years. In an interview at FinovateFall last year, I sat down with Patricia Montesi, Qolo Founder and CEO, to discuss how the company helps modernize payments infrastructure. “We set out to build an entire, comprehensive payments stack that includes ledger, card, payments, virtual account management—everything all available through a single API served up to you so that you can then focus on your customers,” said Montesi. Qolo and KeyBank have worked together since 2024, when the two launched KeyVAM. Expanding this partnership will enable KeyBank to prioritize embedded payment experiences inside treasury workflows, rather than offering standalone payment tools. Qolo’s API-based approach will allow KeyBank to avoid a core overhaul while still providing modern card-based capabilities. Embedding virtual cards within treasury environments shifts competition from facilitating payments to providing a more holistic workflow solution. The integrated approach brings payment tools directly into how finance teams manage liquidity, reconcile transactions, and control spend. The post KeyBank Deepens Ties with Qolo to Launch New Virtual Card Program appeared first on Finovate.       

Vernon Building Society has partnered with FintechOS to power its new mortgage platform. The new platform spans the entire mortgage origination workflow and will run above the building society’s core infrastructure, making a system replacement unnecessary. Headquartered in London, FintechOS most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2021 in New York. Vernon Building Society has teamed up with FintechOS to power its new unified mortgage platform that spans the complete origination workflow. From initial inquiry and decision-in-principle to application, underwriting, offer, and completion, the platform will run above Vernon’s current core infrastructure, alleviating the need for a system replacement. Powered by FintechOS 8, the new unified system will feature decision workflows, as well as built-in compliance rules. Vernon’s financing teams will be able to use no-code configuration and AI-enabled capabilities to design and launch new mortgage products, and to respond more quickly to evolving customer preferences and shifting market conditions. Additionally, the platform unifies product and pricing governance with origination execution. This enhances the ability of Vernon to configure and evolve business rules, eligibility criteria, and construction logic within a governed layer above the core system. With versioning and auditability supporting consistent outcomes for both brokers and advisor workflows, the platform reduces redundant tasks while providing greater flexibility. “A common misconception is that financial institutions have an AI problem; in reality, their challenge is largely an operationalization one,” Founder and CEO of FintechOS, Teo Blidarus, said. “We built FintechOS 8 around a simple premise: AI in financial services only works when it is grounded in real product data, real workflows, and real governance. This release makes data and AI operational for financial institutions, not experimental.” FintechOS 8 also features FintechOS Dex, an AI copilot that provides in-context guidance for all roles across the product lifecycle. The copilot helps users navigate cases, access needed data faster, and apply governed generative assistance within approved workflows. The technology also supports AI-enabled document ingestion and data extraction to manage document-heavy processes. It limits automation to those high-friction activities such as capturing and validating data and routing exceptions for review to ensure human oversight, traceability, and audit readiness. The new platform will give brokers a dedicated portal that will enable them to track cases in real time. Borrowers will benefit from a shorter path from application to offer, and financing teams will be relieved from manual, repetitive tasks, enabling them to focus on personal service and human decision-making. “This is what pragmatic modernization looks like—modernize the core, unify product and pricing logic with origination execution, and move faster without the risk and disruption of full system replacement,” Blidarus said. Based in Stockport, Cheshire, Vernon Building Society offers mortgages, savings, and investment products to savers and homebuyers in the Greater Manchester area. The institution is also a leading provider of bespoke or specific-need mortgages to customers throughout England and Wales. Vernon has total assets of £534m ($667.5 million), a year-over-year gain of 5.4%, and recently reported growth in its mortgage book (4.6%) and its retail savings balances (6.2%). Founded in 1924, the institution today has more than 24,000 members across the UK. Headquartered in London, FintechOS made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2021 and most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2025 in New York. Founded in 2017, FintechOS enables banks, credit unions, building societies, and other financial institutions to modernize the way they build, launch, and manage financial products and services by running them above their current core systems. FintechOS has more than 60 customers across North America, Europe, and APAC, and manages assets exceeding $100 billion. Photo by Balazs Bezeczky from Pexels The post Vernon Building Society Partners with FintechOS to Power New Mortgage Platform appeared first on Finovate.       

Identity verification and fraud prevention company AU10TIX has partnered with enterprise platform for agentic orchestration Camunda. AU10TIX will leverage Camunda’s platform to support Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) workflows at scale. Camunda Financial Services Transformation Lead Jawwad Rasheed will speak about the benefits of agentic orchestration at FinovateSpring 2026, Wednesday, May 6. Identity verification and fraud prevention specialist AU10TIX has selected Camunda to support Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) workflows at scale. Camunda’s enterprise platform for agentic orchestration enables users to manage complex identity processes without embedding decision logic inside the application code. Externalizing decision logic, as Camunda’s platform does, enables businesses to manage complex workflows efficiently and to adapt to changing circumstances without disrupting applications. “Camunda gives us robust orchestration for some of the most critical processes in our business,” AU10TIX VP of Research and Development David Voschina said. “By leveraging standardized, configurable workflows, we can scale faster, introduce new verification scenarios more efficiently, and provide greater transparency. Continuous innovation is essential to staying ahead through a proactive defense framework, and Camunda strengthens our ability to anticipate threats.” Camunda’s technology coordinates document and photo capture, automated authenticity and consistency checks, third-party risk screening, and decision handling into a sole transparent business process. Decisions are consolidated into a single case, automating approvals and declines and routing exceptional cases to human agents for manual review as needed. The platform’s Optimize feature gives users operational oversight, performance transparency, and SLA accountability across operations. “Identity verification sits at the heart of trust in digital services,” Camunda VP of EMEA Sales Stéphane Faivre-Duboz said. “With Camunda, AU10TIX has a scalable orchestration foundation that connects systems, services, and decisions into one governed process—enabling both compliance and continuous growth.” Amsterdam-based AU10TIX provides identity verification and management solutions to help businesses defend themselves against fraud. The company’s automated global identity management system detects organized mass fraud attacks by analyzing traffic patterns and cross-referencing data. Since inception, the platform has authenticated billions of identities and prevented more than $24 billion in identity fraud. AU10TIX’s technology enables seamless customer onboarding and verification while proactively adapting to emerging threats and regulatory mandates. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Camunda enables firms to automate complex business processes across agents, people, and systems. The company creates production-ready, enterprise-grade agents with built-in governance that are designed to manage business-critical processes. More than 700 businesses around the world leverage Camunda’s platform to reduce time-to-value, boost operational efficiency, and enhance customer experiences. The partnership between AU10TIX and Camunda reflects a number of growing trends within fintech: from the increased importance of identity and fraud prevention solutions to the embrace of agentic orchestration as a way of not only managing and automating workflows, but scaling those workflows, as well. The partnership is an example of how fintechs are working together to bolster fraud defense, improve efficiency, and remain one step ahead of both the latest fraud threats as well as evolving regulatory demands. Catch Jawwad Rasheed, Camunda Financial Services Transformation Lead, at FinovateSpring 2026 next month in San Diego for his special address, “Invisible Infrastructure, Visible Results: The Case for Agentic Orchestration in Financial Services.” Photo by Andrew Konstantinov on Unsplash The post AU10TIX Partners with Camunda for KYC/KYB Workflow Orchestration appeared first on Finovate.       

Are you interested in how AI can help banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions boost engagement, offer new products and services, and grow revenues? This year, FinovateSpring 2026, taking place in sunny San Diego, California, May 5-7, is set to deliver the latest insights into innovations in AI that enable financial services providers to compete more effectively in the 21st century. In special addresses and keynotes over three days, FinovateSpring will showcase how AI can enhance customer experiences through greater personalization, improve contact center efficiency using agentic AI, and more. Featuring a range of AI experts and innovators, the conference will highlight how banks and financial institutions can maximize AI and successfully deploy what many believe is the most revolutionary technological innovation of our time. FinovateSpring 2026 will be held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, May 5-7. Buy your ticket. Book your room. And join us for the next, must-attend event on the fintech conference calendar! AI That Makes It to Production: Deploying Trusted CX in Days, Not Months Merlin Bise, CTO of Inbenta AI, will show how organizations can go from zero to product-ready AI in less than a week, how to deploy assistants that understand customers in any language, eliminate hallucination risk with traceable and explainable responses, and integrate AI solutions into existing CX infrastructure—no platform replacement required. Headquartered in Texas, Inbenta delivers enterprise AI solutions to more than 1,000 organizations, including BBVA, Deutsche Bank, and Samsung. The company’s flagship Encore platform serves companies in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, and more with 98% accuracy, near-zero hallucinations, full auditability, and 850+ integrations that eliminate vendor lock-in. See the keynote on Tuesday, May 5, 10:25am! From Plateau to Compound: Why the AI That Got You to 65% Call Resolution Will Never Get You to 100% Henry Pezzo, Sales Director at Omilia, will discuss the challenge of how to effectively deploy AI in enterprise contact centers. He will explain how an agentic, self-learning platform that monitors every interaction, identifies what to improve, and builds better agents automatically can serve as an alternative to manual tuning, vendor dependency, and generic language models. Based in Larnaca, Cyprus, and founded in 2002, Omilia specializes in AI-driven customer service transformation. The company’s self-learning agentic CX platform enables enterprises to automate interactions with precision, empowering agents in real time and delivering seamless, personalized experiences across channels. See the keynote on Tuesday, May 5, 2:00pm! Scaling Support Without Losing Trust: How Acorns is Rebuilding Customer Care with AI Trish Vogeler, Support Systems & Tools Lead for Acorns, and Stacy Osorio, Director of Customer Success for Cresta, will explain how Acorns is rethinking customer care to understand the key drivers of customer satisfaction. Vogeler and Osorio will discuss how Acorns uses AI to surface actionable insights from customer interactions, redesign quality assurance around behaviors, and introduce automation via voice AI agents that enhance rather than compromise the human experience. Acorns offers straightforward tools to help Americans manage their finances better—from wiser spending to smarter saving and investing. The company’s Acorns Early is a smart money app and debit card that helps children develop sound financial wellness skills as they grow up. Since its inception in 2014, Acorns has helped more than 13 million customers save and invest more than $22 billion. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and founded in 2017, Cresta combines AI and human intelligence to turn customer conversations into competitive advantages. Cresta uses AI agents, AI-augmented human agent assistance, and quality management to transform contact centers, improve the customer experience, and grow revenues. The company counts firms such as Alaska Airlines, Cox Communications, and Intuit among its customers. See the keynote on Tuesday, May 5, 3:20pm! Invisible Infrastructure, Visible Results: The Case for Agentic Orchestration in Financial Services Jawwad Rasheed, Financial Services Transformation Lead for Camunda, will discuss the challenges that financial services organizations face when embedding and scaling AI into their core operations. He will explain the importance of agentic orchestration, which is often the missing ingredient in AI strategy that enables businesses to avoid the agentic value trap and break through the automation ceiling. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and founded in 2008, Camunda is a leader in agentic orchestration, automating complex business processes—including high-value knowledge work—across agents, people, and systems. The company offers production-ready, enterprise-grade agents with built-in governance to manage business-critical processes. See this keynote on Wednesday, May 6 at 12:30pm! Creating Trust and Loyalty Through AI-Enhanced CX Jon Lakefish, Founder of Lakefish Group, will explore the most powerful AI tools currently available that enable individuals and teams to enhance the customer experience, improve communication, and boost operational efficiency. Lakefish will focus on practical applications instead of theory and will introduce the latest agentic platforms that are transforming AI’s role in organizations. Headquartered in Duvall, Washington, Lakefish Group is an AI-driven marketing and branding firm that leverages 20+ years of strategic expertise with the power of AI and the gig economy to deliver campaigns that compete with billion-dollar brands at a fraction of the cost. The company specializes in AI consulting, brand identity development, and strategy advisory services. See this keynote on Wednesday, May 6 at 12:45pm! Other scheduled keynotes include: The Global Economic & Geopolitical Outlook & the Direction of Travel for the US Economy—Manas Chawla, Founder and Chief Executive, London Politica. Tuesday, May 5 at 10:40am. Why Agentic AI is Truly a New Frontier in Financial Services & How Agentic Commerce Will Reshape the Retail Landscape—Chris Nichols, President of Institutional Banking, SouthState Bank. Thursday, May 7 at 10:00am. The $84 Trillion Handover: What Banks Need to Understand About Gen Z’s AI-First Relationship with Money—Tyler Brown, Industry Analyst, tylerbrown.co. Thursday, May 7 at 3:00pm. Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash The post Meet the Keynotes: FinovateSpring Spotlights Innovations in AI appeared first on Finovate.       

Banking Circle launched fiat-to-stablecoin and stablecoin-to-fiat settlement, enabling banks to move funds seamlessly across traditional and blockchain rails with instant settlement and regulatory traceability. The move comes days after Banking Circle received its CASP license, which positions Banking Circle to embed stablecoin capabilities directly into a bank’s existing infrastructure. Stablecoins are quickly emerging as an always-on settlement layer that is becoming standard in cross-border payments. European cross-border payments fintech Banking Circle is narrowing the gap between stablecoin and fiat today. The fintech is launching stablecoin settlement services, a suite of fiat-to-stablecoin and stablecoin-to-fiat capabilities that will facilitate the movement of funds, regardless of whether they sit on bank rails or blockchain rails. The announcement comes days after Banking Circle received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). The newly minted license will allow Banking Circle to expand from cross-border fiat services into digital asset services. “The award of our CASP license is an important milestone for Banking Circle, as well as for the broader payments ecosystem,” said Banking Circle CEO Laust Bertelsen. “Stablecoins have fast evolved from a peripheral innovation into core infrastructure for cross-border settlement, treasury management, and financial inclusion.” Banking Circle will integrate its new stablecoin settlement service into banks’ existing infrastructure to help them take advantage of stablecoin rails. The new tools will offer increased security, lower risk, and more convenience than traditional global settlement rails, creating efficiencies for banks. After they integrate with Banking Circle’s core platform, clients will be able to interoperate between fiat currencies and leading stablecoins, including USDC, USDG, and EURI. Leveraging stablecoin rails, Banking Circle will offer instant settlement and full regulatory traceability. “We have spent years building the financial infrastructure that enables more than 750 payment companies, financial institutions, and marketplaces to efficiently move and convert over €1.5 trillion annually across the globe,” said Banking Circle Chief Digital Asset Officer Kirit Bhatia. “Stablecoins are a natural extension of that infrastructure and central to our mission of eliminating unnecessary cost and complexity through technology.” Founded in 2013, Banking Circle was acquired by private equity firm EQT in 2018 for $300 million. Headquartered in Luxembourg and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), the bank is fully licensed and serves as a correspondent bank offering multi-currency bank accounts and virtual IBANs as well as bank connections for local clearing and cross-border payments. Banking Circle has branches in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK, and subsidiaries in Liechtenstein, Singapore and Australia.  Banking Circle’s announcement shows that banks across the globe are rethinking the underlying infrastructure of payments. Stablecoins are emerging as an always-on settlement layer that can complement traditional correspondent banking networks. As banks across the globe integrate stablecoin payments rails into their platforms, and as the global stablecoin market reaches approximately $293 billion, it is becoming clear that stablecoin rails are slowly becoming a standard part of cross-border payments, rather than an alternative. The post Banking Circle Launches Stablecoin Settlement Services appeared first on Finovate.       

As we prepare to welcome the month of May, take a look at this week’s latest fintech and banking news. The top of the week brings very payments-heavy headlines, but I expect we’ll see an uptick of news across the board as New York Fintech Week heats up. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses. Payments India’s central ​bank cancels Paytm Payments Bank’s payments license. Western Union plans stablecoin launch to modernize its payment systems. Pine Labs acquires a 100% stake in D2C checkout platform Shopflo Technologies. Banking Circle launches stablecoin clearing service. Financial management Prophix launches the next wave of Prophix One Agents, defining the delegation era for finance. Digital banking Akbank AG completes Phase 1 of its core banking transformation to Mambu.  Photo by cottonbro studio The post Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News appeared first on Finovate.       

This week’s edition of Finovate Global features recent fintech news from the north African nation of Libya. Tadhamun Bank Libya partners with JMR Infotech for AI Chatbot and Voicebot Tadhamun Bank Libya has turned to JMR Infotech, a digital transformation and banking technology solutions provider, to assist in the implementation of its AI-powered Smart Social Banking Chatbot and Voicebot. The announcement expands the relationship between the two entities; JMR Infotech has been a strategic technology partner to Tadhamun Bank since providing the financial institution with transformation programs such as Oracle FLEXCUBE, Oracle Banking Digital Experience (OBDX), and Oracle Financial Services Analytical Applications (OFSAA), as well as ongoing managed services support. The new Chatbot and Voicebot will automate customer onboarding and enable instant interactions, boosting customer engagement while simultaneously reducing reliance on traditional support channels. The technology will be deployed across the web, WhatsApp, and Messenger channels, enabling customers to interact with the bank for onboarding, fund transfers, real-time query resolution, and more. The bank believes that the new offering will improve response times, optimize service delivery, and reduce both call center volumes and operational costs. “Our focus is on continuously enhancing customer experience while improving operational efficiency,” Tadhamun Bank General Manager Osam Alabearsh said. “JMR Infotech’s AI-powered Smart Social Banking Chatbot and Voicebot stood out for its practical use cases, flexibility, and ability to integrate seamlessly with our existing platforms. This initiative will play a key role in simplifying onboarding and enabling more accessible, always-on banking services for our customers.” Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Bangalore, India, JMR Infotech is an information technology solution provider that specializes in helping financial institutions and other businesses better interact with their customer and extended eco-systems. An Oracle Platinum Partner, JMR has been part of multiple core transformations and includes core and digital banking modernization, regulatory compliance, customer experience platforms, enterprise planning solutions, advanced analytics, and AI-powered engagement among its areas of expertise. Jayafar Moidu is Founder and CEO. “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Tadhanum Bank through the introduction of our AI-powered Smart Social Banking Chatbot and Voicebot,” JMR Infotech Head of Global Sales and Business Development, Naman Jain, said. “This engagement reflects the trust we have built over the years and our shared vision of driving meaningful digital transformation. Our solution is designed to combine intelligence, scalability, and flexibility, enabling banks to deliver superior customer experiences while achieving measurable business outcomes.” With $421 million in total assets, Tadhamun Bank was founded in 1998. Headquartered in Tripoli, the institution is known for its emphasis on innovation and customer service relative to its larger, state-owned rivals. Network International teams up with Al Seraj Islamic Bank Speaking of fintech and bank partnerships, UAE-based Network International has partnered with Libya’s Al Seraj Islamic Bank. The company will provide the bank with an end-to-end system to facilitate digital payment processing in a bid to help boost financial inclusion. “Al Seraj Islamic Bank’s decision to partner with us reflects our leadership in the MEA region and our ability to deliver innovative, dependable solutions that transform payment ecosystems,” Mohamed Abu Gebba, Network International Regional Managing Director in charge of processing for North Africa, said. “Together we aim to advance financial inclusion, support the bank’s growth ambitions, and empower communities with secure, modern payment services.” The partnership will deliver a range of digital payment processing solutions to the Libyan bank. These solutions include Visa sponsorship, prepaid issuing capabilities, as well as a suite of value-added services. Combined, the technology will empower Al Seraj Islamic Bank to streamline operations and expand access to digital payment options throughout the country. “Partnering with Network International was a strategic decision driven by their proven service excellence, strong market reputation, and deep understanding of Libya’s banking landscape,” Al Seraj Islamic Bank CEO Foze Ghaith said. “Their end-to-end processing capabilities will enable us to launch advanced digital products, enhance customer experience, and accelerate our growth trajectory. This partnership reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class, Sharia-compliant digital banking solutions across Libya.” Headquartered in Benghazi, Al Seraj Islamic Bank is a relatively new financial institution, founded in 2024. The bank is focused on delivering optimized banking services based on Sharia principles. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in the UAE, Network International helps simplify commerce and payments for businesses throughout the Middle East and Africa. The company offers in-person, e-commerce, and payment gateway solutions; business payment and processing solutions; and value-added services for both merchants and processors. Network International operates in more than 50 countries and serves more than 130,000 merchants, as well as 250 financial institutions and fintech customers, while managing more than 16 million customer credentials. Libyan Central Bank OKs E-Wallets for Foreign Residents The Central Bank of Libya has announced new regulations that will allow non-Libyan legal residents in the country to access electronic wallet services. The new policy enables licensed financial service providers to issue e-wallets to foreign residents who pass modest verification requirements including a valid passport or residency document issued by official Libyan authorities as well as a registered mobile phone number linked to their identity. Expanded access comes with new fund transfer limits, which have been implemented to manage the flow of digital funds and help ensure financial stability. Libyan citizens will face transfer limits of up to 100,000 dinars between individuals, 500,000 dinars from individuals to companies, and up to two million dinars between companies. Non-Libyan residents will have transfer limits of up to 50,000 dinars between individuals and up to 100,000 dinars from individuals to companies. The new regulations are designed to expand access to formal financial services and reduce reliance on cash transactions in a country that is largely cash-based. Introducing e-wallet services will help support the development of Libya’s electronic payments ecosystem, and send a signal to investors and entrepreneurs that the country is increasingly committed to establishing a more formal and modern financial system. Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world. Central and Eastern Europe Lithuanian regtech IDenfy launched an identity verification app for WooCommerce merchants. Italian paytech Nexi teamed up with Visa to modernize card issuance in Germany. Polish fintech PragmaGo has brought its Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) model to the Croatian market. Middle East and Northern Africa Libya’s Tadhamun Bank announced that it would deploy JMR Infotech’s social chatbots. GCC-based wealth management firm, The Family Office, launched its AI-powered assistant, Wealth Mermaid, fully integrated into its Client app. Payment orchestration platform MoneyHash teams up with Oman-based Thawani Pay. Central and Southern Asia ABHI, a cross-border payments company founded in Pakistan, announced a partnership with UAE-based Federal Exchange. TBC Bank Group earned recognition for its businesses in Georgia and Uzbekistan. Indian wealthtech Neo Group raised $53 million in funding at a valuation of $1.1 billion. Latin America and the Caribbean Mexican neobank Plata reached a valuation of $5 billion after closing a $405 million Series C round. TikTok announced that it is seeking a fintech license in Brazil in order to offer lending and payments services. Nuvei launched direct acquiring in Mexico, enabling businesses in the country to process card transactions locally via Nuvei’s infrastructure. Asia-Pacific Chinese fintech YeePay announced a partnership with ClearBank to support European expansion. Philippines-based banking and lending platform Salmon secured $60 million in equity financing, plus $40 million in public bonds. Vietnam and South Korea launched cross-border QR payments. Sub-Saharan Africa South African fintech Ozow teamed up with SME funding provider Lula to expand access to business financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across South Africa. UK-based cross-border payments company LemFi expanded its remittance services to Kenya. A new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Beyond Payments: Unlocking Africa’s Second FinTech Wave, suggested that revenues from African fintechs will grow 13x to $65 billion by 2030. Photo by Moayad Zaghdani on Unsplash The post Finovate Global Libya: Chatbots, Payments, and Expanding E-Wallet Access appeared first on Finovate.       

Adyen is acquiring Talon.One for $879 million to add enterprise loyalty, promotions, and incentive infrastructure used by 300+ brands. Adding Talon.One’s loyalty infrastructure moves Adyen beyond payments into real-time decisioning to enable merchants to connect identity, pricing, and promotions and act during the transaction. The new infrastructure can dynamically deliver offers during AI-driven shopping experiences to help shape purchases. Payments platform Adyen is acquiring loyalty solutions company Talon.One in a deal valued at $879 million (€750 million). The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026. Germany-based Talon.One serves as the loyalty infrastructure for 300 enterprises, including large brands such as Nordstrom and H&M. Founded in 2015, the company offers tools for enterprise loyalty management, personalized promotions, and incentive optimization. Earlier this year, Talon.One released Unified Incentives Protocol (UIP), a new set of standards that shows available promotions and loyalty incentive offers within AI agent-based shopping experiences. “Joining Adyen allows us to embed real-time decisioning at the core of every transaction,” said Talon.One Co-founders Christoph Gerber and Sebastian Haas. “Together, we enable merchants to connect customer identity with pricing and promotions in real time, in-store and online, driving better outcomes for our customers.” Adyen anticipates that bringing in Talon.One will help connect online and in-store shopper interactions, enabling merchants to act on the insights in real-time. Combining Adyen’s payments infrastructure and transaction data with Talon.One’s real-time decisioning capabilities will allow merchants to establish a consistent customer identity across channels. Merchants can use this information to dynamically adjust promotions and pricing based on aspects of the customer identity. “Our merchants ask us every day how they can better connect their online and in-store customer data and act on that in real time,” said Adyen Co-CEO Ingo Uytdehaage. “Many have tried to build a solution themselves but struggle to turn insights into action. With Talon.One, a merchant can recognize a shopper and apply a relevant offer instantly, before the payment is completed, ultimately driving higher revenue.” Adyen considers the acquisition a “natural next step” in its investment in unified commerce and data products. Talon.One will enable it to link customer identity directly to SKU-level promotions and incentives within the flow of payments to improve conversion, fraud, and customer lifetime value. Ultimately, the deal elevates Adyen beyond payment rails into a real-time decisioning layer within the transaction itself. By combining payments data with loyalty and promotion logic, Adyen is acting on the fact that transaction data is only valuable if it can be operationalized at the moment the purchase decision is still being made. As the move toward agentic commerce accelerates, acting in the moment of the purchase becomes even more critical. AI-driven shopping experiences will increasingly surface and execute offers on behalf of consumers, making infrastructure that can dynamically deliver pricing, incentives, and identity-aware promotions a competitive differentiator. The post Adyen to Acquire Loyalty Platform Talon.One appeared first on Finovate.