Nasir Zubairi, founding Chief Executive of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), will step down this summer to become CEO of Paytm’s newly established European entity. According to the Luxembourg Times, Zubairi will leave LHoFT after nine and a half years, having helped build the institution from the ground up and establish Luxembourg as a recognised hub for fintech and digital financial services. The board will begin a formal search for his successor in the coming months. Zubairi will lead Paytm Europe Payments from Luxembourg, overseeing the company’s European operations. Paytm, formally One97 Communications, serves around 450 million registered users and 45 million merchants in India and trades publicly with a market capitalisation of roughly US$9.3 billion. The company incorporated its Luxembourg entity on 12 January as part of its European expansion. Speaking on his appointment, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma said: Vijay Shekhar Sharma “We have built a strong business model that helps small merchants accept mobile payments at low cost and access digital credit. We believe it can work equally well for small and medium businesses in Europe, starting with Luxembourg.” Zubairi added: Nasir Zubairi “Luxembourg has built a reputation as an open, international financial centre with strong expertise in financial services and innovation. It is a natural location from which to build a European platform for a global payments company.” To operate in Europe, Paytm Europe Payments will require authorisation from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the CSSF. The company is preparing for this process, including hiring a Chief Compliance Officer to establish a compliance framework, implement AML/CFT controls, and liaise directly with the regulator.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by mrsiraphol via Freepik The post LHoFT CEO Nasir Zubairi Steps Down to Head Paytm Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The HSG START Accelerator has launched its second cohort at START Summit 2026 in St. Gallen. The programme will provide the startups with mentoring, network access, and support to develop their business models. The 8 deeptech startups are: Aithon Robotics     ExoSphere     FireDrone     GoNeon     Lightlink Instruments     NoxBlanc     Optohive     SurfAce Cleantech It will conclude with a Demo Day on 12 May 2026, where the teams will present their innovations to investors. The University of St. Gallen (HSG), the START Foundation, and Switzerland Innovation Park East (SIP Ost) established the HSG START Accelerator in St. Gallen. The programme supports European startups in the early growth phase and receives funding from the Canton of St. Gallen, the Ernst Göhner Foundation, the Metrohm Foundation, and Swisscom. This year, the accelerator is also participating in the “DO it in St. Gallen” initiative, launched at START Summit 2026 to further develop St. Gallen as an innovation hub.     Featured image credit: HSG Start Accelerator press release The post HSG START Accelerator Launches Second Cohort of 8 Deeptech Startups appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Visa has launched Visa Agentic Ready, a global programme aimed at preparing the payments ecosystem for agent-initiated, AI-driven commerce. The programme will first roll out in Europe, including the UK, building on Visa Intelligent Commerce, the company’s framework for enabling AI-enabled payment experiences. Its initial phase focuses on issuer readiness, providing partners with a structured approach to test and validate transactions initiated by AI agents in controlled production environments. Participating issuers will work with Visa and selected merchants to assess how agent-initiated payments can operate securely and at scale, while maintaining existing safeguards such as user consent and fraud controls. Mathieu Altwegg “As AI agents increasingly shape how people shop and buy, payments need to keep up,” said Mathieu Altwegg, Head of Product & Solutions at Visa Europe. “Visa Agentic Ready will initially help European issuers prepare for secure, scalable agent-initiated payments, built on infrastructure people already trust.” The programme leverages Visa’s existing systems, including tokenisation, identity verification, risk management and authentication tools. These measures ensure that transactions initiated by AI agents remain tied to verified users and maintain appropriate oversight. Visa selected Europe for the initial rollout due to its high adoption of technologies such as tokenisation and advanced authentication. The testing phase will assess how agent-initiated payments function in real issuer environments and whether issuers can deploy them reliably at scale. Early participants include major financial institutions such as Alpha Bank, Barclays, Commerzbank, HSBC UK, Revolut and Banco Santander, among others. Visa said the programme forms part of its broader efforts to support the development of automated, programmable commerce, where payments can respond to user intent while maintaining security and control.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Frolopiaton Palm via Freepik The post Visa Launches Agentic Ready Programme to Test AI-Driven Payments in Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

As digital asset securities move from experimentation to scale, interoperability has emerged as one of the industry’s most urgent and critical challenges. Without interoperability, assets remain trapped in isolated pools and operational costs remain high for market participants, preventing the industry from achieving the full potential of distributed ledger technology (DLT). Against this backdrop, Clearstream, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Euroclear, supported by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released in February 2026 a new whitepaper, outlining a practical framework to advance interoperability, reduce fragmentation and accelerate adoption of digital asset securities. It defines interoperability in capital markets as the ability to exchange assets across both DLT and traditional ledgers, while preserving the asset’s integrity, ownership rights and lifecycle, and maintaining full legal and regulatory compliance. Key principles of interoperability in capital markets To achieve this, the framework highlights five key principles. First, the principle of solution neutrality considers interoperability issues independently from the actor that solves it or the approach that is used to solve it. Second, the principle of bridging networks recognizes that traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFI) will operate alongside each other, requiring assets to move seamlessly between DLT and TradFi ledgers in both directions. Third, the principle of business continuity at all times prioritizes resilience and tolerance to change, ensuring that interoperable rails can withstand upgrades to assets, contracts, and ledgers while engagements persist. Fourth, inclusivity fosters the inclusion of every market participant across the value chain. Finally, the principle of financial market infrastructure (FMI)-grade security and resilience ensure that interoperability never weakens security. This requires all connected ledgers or platforms to always meet single-ledger-grade standards. Core components Diving deeper into the strategy’s key components, the framework highlights three key components that must be interoperable. First, data must be standardized with common identifiers, taxonomies, and message standards created, similarly to what financial markets achieved with the International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) for financial and referential instruments. Processes must also be harmonized to replicate the efficiency gains achieved in TradFi through SWIFT standardized protocols. These protocols enable consistent data transfer across financial institutions, adding efficiency and cost savings to treasury worldwide. Finally, roles assignment must be consistent, with clearly defined responsibilities for critical functions, such as custody, validation, and oversight. This aims to replicate what TradFi has achieved with custodians, central securities depositories (CSDs), and clearing houses to preserve accountability and trust. Calling for industry collaboration The paper calls for robust industry collaboration, and encourages the formation of working groups across the industry under the sponsorship of FMIs and supervisors. These working groups should focus on several different themes. On governance, this group should focus on defining an industry-wide roadmap to guide steps toward full interoperability. They should also work on defining standards on data, processes or roles, or building guidebook for implementations in financial institutions. Specific opportunities include data model standards for wallets, smart contracts, and corporate actions, as well as clarifying role assignments for these components. Additionally, these working groups should develop guidelines on smart contract integrity and change management, or industry wide resilience metrics and monitoring tools. They should also design controls for outage, error handling or cybersecurity risk management. Finally, these groups should focus on principles and techniques to safeguard customer assets, including defining custody and settlement principles for FMIs, and developing frameworks for asset and activity segregation of FMIs. DLT in capital markets On-chain digital asset security activity remains small compared to traditional securities. In 2022, the stock of DLT-based securities stood at about US$310 billion comprising a combination of listed and unlisted equity, bonds and other financial assets, according to a 2023 report by the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA) together with BCG, Clifford Chance and Cravath, Swaine and Moore. In comparison, traditional securities include US$145.1 trillion in global foreign exchange (FX) and US$126 trillion in global equity. However, adoption of digital assets is accelerating. According to the GFMA report, conservative projections suggest that DLT-based securities could reach approximately US$16 trillion by 2030. Best-case scenarios estimate a total market value of US$68 trillion by then. In the capital markets, research findings indicate that DLT has the potential to significantly reduce costs. This cost reduction could lead to an estimated annual saving of approximately US$15-20 billion in global infrastructure operational expenditures stemming from streamlining and automating various processes, as well as minimizing the need for intermediaries and human intervention.   Featured image by Who is Danny on Freepik The post Interoperability Crucial for Digital Asset Securities to Reach Mass Adoption appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

mobilezone expects to complete the acquisition of AK Group by the end of June 2026. The company will pay approximately CHF 180 million in cash to the selling parties, which include the Swiss investment company Invision, Apfelkiste founder Pierre Droigk, and a co‑founder. It will propose Pierre Droigk, current Group CEO of AK Group, for election to its Board of Directors at the 2027 Annual General Meeting. AK Group comprises the e‑commerce platform Apfelkiste and the retail branding and sourcing company MAREIN. The group employs around 100 people. It reported revenue of over CHF 100 million in 2025, with EBITDA of approximately CHF 20 million. Apfelkiste offers more than 60,000 products across smartphone accessories, lifestyle, and home segments, and has maintained continuous growth since its founding in 2011. MAREIN, founded in 1979 and part of AK Group since 2024, specialises in retail, branding, and sourcing, and owns brands including I AM CREATIVE, Esmée, and Paladin Safe. Markus Bernhard, Executive Delegate of the Board of Directors of mobilezone, said: Markus Bernhard “For many years, we have followed the impressive success story of Apfelkiste. The company’s ability to continue growing strongly even after the COVID pandemic speaks to the quality of its business model and its prudent management. We are convinced that mobilezone, Apfelkiste, and MAREIN complement each other extremely well and are delighted to combine our strengths for the future.” Pierre Droigk added: Pierre Droigk “Since our founding in 2011, Apfelkiste has built a loyal customer base and has become the first choice for accessories and trend products. Being able to present our products in physical retail stores has been one of our major visions from the very beginning, and we are even more pleased that this turns reality.” The acquisition will drive significant revenue and EBITDA growth for mobilezone. The company expects pro forma EBITDA for 2026 to reach CHF 60–67 million and aims for a medium‑term target of CHF 70 million by 2028.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by pressfoto via Freepik The post mobilezone to acquire Apfelkiste and MAREIN for CHF 180 million appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Analytics, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) have become the most prevalent technology category in the Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech industry, surpassing both process digitalization and distributed ledger technology (DLT) for the first time in 2025, according to the latest IFZ Fintech Study released in March 2026. This milestone marks a significant shift in the region’s fintech landscape and reflects the growing importance of advanced analytical capabilities into fintech business models. In 2025, 183 fintech companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein utilized analytics, big data and AI, representing a continuous increase over the past decade from just 37 ventures in 2015. The figure makes it the top technology category in the fintech sector, surpassing DLT with 180 companies, and process digitalization, automation and robotics with 165. These two categories had led the fintech sector for the previous seven consecutive years. This shift showcases the growing importance of data-driven financial solutions and signals a transition towards more advanced, scalable, and analytics-oriented innovation structures. Fintech companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein by technology category, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026 AI under the spotlight The trend reflects the broader global surge in AI advances and adoption. Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, the technology has become the hottest topic in the business community. In 2025, AI companies raised US$226 billion globally, a new record for the industry, according to CB Insights. This figure represents 48% of total venture funding in 2025, the largest share on record. The six largest funding rounds of the year all went to AI companies, namely OpenAI (US$41 billion), Anthropic (US$32.5 billion), Scale (US$14.8 billion), xAI (US$12.8 billion), Databricks (US$5 billion), and Aligned (US$5 billion). This signals strong investor conviction that AI infrastructure and foundational models represent the most significant growth opportunity of the decade. In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, analytics, big data and AI attracted the most number of funding rounds and investment volume in the fintech industry. These companies attracted 16 transactions and a total investment volume of CHF 91 million. The figure gives the category a 49% share of total venture capital (VC) funding in 2025. VC investments in Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech companies in 2025 by product area and technology category, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026 By contrast, the share of DLT declined to 44%, down from 58% in 2024, while process digitization, automatization and robotics fell sharply from 39% in 2024 to 7% in 2025. Proportion of VC investments in Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech companies by year, and by product area and technology category, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026 In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, fintech companies in the investment management verticals are showing the most pronounced concentration in analytics, big data and AI, with 84 companies. Notable examples include robo-advisory platform True Wealth, which use data analytics and AI for portfolio construction and data-driven risk profiling, and Unique, an AI-driven platform for agent AI that helps financial institutions streamline middle- and back-office processes. Distribution of Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech companies according to the fintech grid, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026 Focus remain on B2B activities and international markets In line with the rise of the analytics, big data, and AI category, the Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech industry remained oriented towards business-to-business (B2B) activities in 2025. A total of 319 companies (60%) primarily operated in B2B markets, while a further 176 companies (33%) combined B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) activities. In contrast, consumer-focused business models accounted for a smaller share of the ecosystem, representing only 6% of the ecosystem with 34 companies. A large majority of fintech companies primarily operated beyond domestic markets. 431 companies representing 81% served international customers. Within this internationally active segment, B2B business models dominated, accounting for more than half of all fintech companies at 54%. These findings highlight the export-oriented and infrastructure-focused character of fintech innovation in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Proportion of fintech companies by customer segments, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026 Parallel to this development, revenue generation has increasingly shifted towards technology-driven models, with software-as-a-service (SaaS) emerging as the dominant monetization approach over time. In 2025, SaaS-based revenue models reached 38%, increasing steadily from 16% in 2015. Since 2020, SaaS has been the most frequently observed revenue model. In contrast, license fee-based revenue models have declined in relevance since 2020, accounting for only 13% of revenue models in the Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech sector in 2025. Meanwhile, commission-based revenue models, which were most prevalent in the earlier years of the observation period, accounting for more than 40% of observed revenue models in 2015, have seen their relative importance decline. In 2025, commission-based revenues accounted for 31% of revenue models, making them the second most frequently observed form of monetization. Swiss and Liechtenstein fintech industry stabilizes Following a phase of strong expansion, the fintech ecosystem in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has entered a phase of maturation, stabilizing at around 500 companies over the past three years. At the end of 2025, that number reached 529 companies, suggesting a structural transition from growth-driven ecosystem formation towards consolidation, specialization, and technological repositioning. Looking at fintech verticals, investment management companies experienced the strongest absolute growth, with the number of investment management companies increasing from 46 in 2015 to 198 in 2025. Banking infrastructure companies rose from 55 to 204 over the same period, recording a year-over-year increase of 19 companies in 2025 and overtaking investment management to become the largest product area by number of companies. In contract, payment and deposit and lending companies grew more moderately. Payment-related fintech companies rose from 35 in 2015 to 77 in 2025, while deposit and lending companies grew from 25 to 50 over the same period. Number of fintech companies by year, and by product area, Source: IFZ Fintech Study 2026, Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, Mar 2026   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik The post Swiss Fintech Study 2026: Analytics, Big Data and AI Lead Swiss Fintech Ecosystem appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Huawei and Yowpay, a Luxembourg-based fintech specialising in SEPA instant payments, have announced a partnership to launch the world’s first Open Banking/SEPA smartwatch point-of-sale (POS) application. The application allows a Huawei smartwatch to function as a payment terminal. Using Yowpay’s account-to-account (A2A) payment orchestration, merchants can accept SEPA payments directly via the watch. Customers scan a dynamic QR code displayed on the watch face with their smartphone, bypassing traditional card networks and lowering transaction fees. Christian Caumont “Our goal has always been to make payments as seamless as a heartbeat,” said Christian Caumont, CEO of Yowpay. “By integrating our Open Banking and SEPA payments technology into Huawei’s wearables, we are giving merchants total mobility and financial sovereignty.” The application is available on the Huawei AppGallery for the Huawei Watch GT and Watch Ultimate series.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com This article first appeared on Fintech News Hong Kong The post Huawei Smartwatches Now Accept Instant SEPA Payments with Yowpay appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

JP Morgan Payments has extended its B2B virtual card offering to Europe in partnership with Mastercard. The service targets corporate clients seeking accounts payable automation and working capital optimisation across sectors such as insurance, healthcare, travel, and commercial real estate. According to The Paypers, JP Morgan already holds a leading position in virtual card payments in North America as the largest issuer of commercial cards, including virtual cards. The European launch allows corporates to automate payment creation and reconciliation using virtual card infrastructure. A particular focus of the rollout is the wholesale travel sector. Here, online travel agencies manage payments to hotels, airlines, and car rental companies. JP Morgan will use the Mastercard Wholesale Programme to support faster and more secure supplier payments. It will also provide reconciliation data to aid business management. The expansion also incorporates Mastercard’s B2B Supplier Enablement and Activation Service. This service facilitates onboarding for buyers and suppliers and aims to increase acceptance of virtual cards. Karen Ions, Head of Commercial Card Client Management and Delivery at JP Morgan Payments, said: Karen Ions “Virtual cards bring clarity, security, and agility to supplier payment complexity, particularly in the travel industry. The European expansion reaffirms our commitment to helping clients modernise payments globally.” Marc Pettican, Global Head of Corporate Solutions at Mastercard, added: Marc Pettican “The collaboration goes beyond virtual card issuance to remove complexity from both sides of the B2B transaction through supplier enablement, helping buyers and suppliers adopt and scale virtual card programmes.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by shanchali876 via Freepik The post JP Morgan and Mastercard Expand Virtual Card Services to Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Lithuania has emerged as one of Europe’s most active crowdfunding markets, while Latvia’s sector remains at an early stage. According to a report by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), over €4 billion was raised across the EU in 2024 via more than 180 licensed crowdfunding platforms. The five largest markets, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Lithuania, account for over 80% of this activity, with Lithuania alone raising around €280 million. Experts note that Latvia’s crowdfunding platforms could benefit from closer cooperation with public institutions. Lithuania’s experience demonstrates that a supportive regulatory framework and public-private collaboration can drive market growth. A national crowdfunding law introduced in 2017, alongside strong local platforms, helped build investor trust and foster dialogue with regulators. Dr Vytautas Šenavičius, chair of the Lithuanian Crowdfunding Association, observes: Dr Vytautas Šenavičius “It took years of regulatory clarity, the development of strong local platforms and gradual trust-building among investors and with supervision. Cooperation with public institutions such as ILTE helped accelerate the market by combining private investor capital with public financing instruments.” Platforms operating in both countries report that investor activity remains higher in Lithuania, though interest in Latvia is growing. Juris Grišins, CEO of Capitalia, notes: Juris Grišins “To broaden companies’ access to capital and reduce dependence on the banking sector, it is important to develop additional financing channels, including crowdfunding platforms and other alternative financiers.” Cooperation between Lithuanian platforms and state institutions has proven effective. Last autumn, agricultural platform LANDE became an official partner of ILTE, enabling joint financing for farmers. In Latvia, investment platforms and the Fintech Latvia Association are exploring a co-financing mechanism with public partners to expand access to funding, support SMEs, and strengthen the local fintech and capital markets.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by inguskruklitis via Freepik The post Latvia Looks to Lithuania’s Crowdfunding Model to Boost Alternative Financing appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Ripple has announced an expansion of its operations in Brazil, increasing its focus on institutional use of digital assets. The move adds new product capabilities and a wider customer base, enabling the company to offer services across cross-border payments, custody, prime brokerage, and treasury management. The company also plans to apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license with the Central Bank of Brazil, in line with the country’s developing regulatory framework. Monica Long “Latin America has always been a priority market for Ripple, not just because of the scale of the opportunity, but because Brazil has built one of the most advanced and forward-thinking financial ecosystems in the world,” said Monica Long, President at Ripple. “We’ve spent more than a decade building the trust, licensing, and technology required to operate in regulated markets. Now, with our expanded platform, we can meet institutions across the region with everything they need to compete in the modern financial system.” Ripple Payments, its cross-border payments solution, has processed over US$100 billion globally and operates in more than 60 markets. In Brazil, financial institutions and fintechs use it to manage liquidity and execute international transfers across fiat and stablecoins. Clients include Banco Genial, Braza Bank, and Nomad, alongside firms such as Azify, Attrus, and Frente Corretora, which use Ripple’s infrastructure for payments, settlement, and currency exchange. Ripple is also introducing its custody solution in Brazil to support regulated institutions seeking secure digital asset storage, while several local exchanges and platforms have listed its RLUSD stablecoin, which now exceeds US$1.5 billion in market capitalisation.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by pranavkr via Freepik The post Ripple Expands Operations in Brazil as Institutional Digital Asset Use Grows appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Mastercard has launched the third edition of its “Mastercard For Fintechs” programme, aimed at supporting fintech companies in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. The programme provides selected fintechs with access to Mastercard’s expertise, network and operational support to help develop and scale their businesses. The latest edition follows the previous programme, which engaged more than 100 European startups, with over 20 fintechs competing and Cense named the overall winner. The 2026 winner will receive €100,000 in marketing support, along with access to Mastercard’s Start Path programme and mentoring from Mastercard specialists and partners. Paloma Real “Recognising the pivotal role that fintechs play in reshaping the financial sector, we are committed to providing them with the essential resources and tools they need to thrive,” said Paloma Real, Division President, Western Europe, Mastercard. “Building on the momentum of the past two successful years … we are proud to renew this initiative for the third consecutive year.” The programme includes access to Mastercard Academy learning sessions, masterclasses, and industry events, as well as networking opportunities with investors, accelerators and other stakeholders. Applications are open to pre-seed, seed and Series A fintechs operating in at least one of the participating countries. Eligible companies must work in areas such as AI, digital assets and stablecoins, cross-border payments, embedded finance, digital banking, and insurance innovation. Selected fintechs will take part in local competitions between June and September, with winners progressing to a final event in Italy later in the year. Applications will be assessed based on criteria including team experience, innovation, financial strength, scalability, and alignment with Mastercard’s strategic focus.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by digitizesc via Freepik The post Mastercard Opens Applications for Third Fintech Programme in Western Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Upvest, a European investment infrastructure provider, has secured US$125 million in financing to support the modernisation of legacy banking systems across Europe and the UK. The US$90 million equity round is led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent, with participation from existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners and BlackRock. The company is also finalising a US$35 million debt facility to strengthen its capital base. As financial institutions face growing pressure to update monolithic systems and expand retail investment offerings, demand for Upvest’s modular, API-based infrastructure has risen. In 2025, the company processed over 100 million client orders, contributing to a higher valuation and a clear path to profitability. Upvest intends to use the new funding to support its B2B banking, wealth, and brokerage clients, including managing the complexity of local tax wrappers such as Germany’s Altersvorsorgedepot and UK SIPPs. This allows institutions to introduce pension products more quickly and with improved user experience and cost efficiency. The company is also rolling out AI-supported investment engines. Real-time, programmable execution APIs will enable financial institutions and AI developers to create personalised advisory services for retail investors at scale. Martin Kassing, CEO and co-founder of Upvest, said: Martin Kassig “The US$125 million round, just 12 months after our Series C, underscores our momentum to be the top choice for financial institutions launching and scaling investment experiences in Europe. We will use the capital to expand into Europe’s largest markets, supporting local pension products and the emerging AI investment economy.” Founded in Berlin in 2017, Upvest serves more than 30 financial institutions, enabling millions of end users to manage investments.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Upvest Raises US$125 Million to Modernise European Banking Infrastructure appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Avaloq is expanding its partnership with Swiss private bank Arab Bank Switzerland to include mobile banking and relationship management capabilities. Under the renewed agreement, Arab Bank Switzerland will also become the first Swiss bank to adopt the joint technology solution from Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth. The two firms have worked together since 2017, with Avaloq providing a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for core banking combined with banking operations outsourcing (BPaaS). This foundation has supported the bank’s growth, with assets under management for the Arab Bank Switzerland Group, including Gonet, reaching close to CHF 20 billion at the end of 2025. The updated partnership will see Arab Bank Switzerland extend the Avaloq platform to mobile banking, providing clients with secure interfaces and the ability to execute trades from smartphones. The bank will also implement Avaloq’s RM Workplace solution to support relationship managers in the front office, improving efficiency in client interactions. Through Avaloq’s collaboration with BlackRock, Arab Bank Switzerland will deploy the joint Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth solution, offering wealth managers an integrated platform for portfolio construction and risk management. The system aims to provide a unified approach across public and private markets, supporting advisory functions and operational efficiency. Martin Greweldinger, Group CEO at Avaloq, said: Martin Greweldinger “With this latest milestone in our partnership, Avaloq will support the bank’s operations across the front, middle and back office, enabling its continued strong growth and keeping its systems at the forefront of technology.” Yves Spörri, CEO of Arab Bank Switzerland, said: “We are committed to offering our clients the best wealth management experience, and we are glad we can rely on both Avaloq’s and Aladdin Wealth’s best-in-class software, integration capabilities and managed services to achieve this.” Zachary Lerner, Head of Aladdin Wealth Tech EMEA at BlackRock, added: Zachary Lerner “By integrating Aladdin Wealth technology alongside Avaloq’s digital platform, we’re equipping Arab Bank Switzerland with a unified solution that elevates advisory capabilities and accelerates digital innovation across their operations.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Arab Bank Switzerland Expands Digital Banking with Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Bolt has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to develop AI systems aimed at scaling autonomous vehicles across Europe. The initiative will combine Bolt’s ride-hailing and car-sharing fleet data with technologies from NVIDIA. These include Omniverse, Cosmos world foundation models, Alpamayo AV models, and NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure. The platform will support the development of autonomous vehicle (AV) systems. It will run on NVIDIA’s DRIVE Hyperion architecture for robotaxi services. The companies said the system will rely on real-world data to train models. It will use Cosmos to curate and augment datasets. It will also use Omniverse tools to reconstruct driving scenarios. Alpamayo models will be used to support behavioural adaptation across different traffic conditions. Bolt stated that all data processing will follow privacy-preserving measures to comply with GDPR and EU cybersecurity requirements. The platform will use NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, which includes dual DRIVE AGX Thor processors and a sensor suite combining lidar, camera and radar. It will run on NVIDIA DriveOS to support real-time processing and level 4 autonomous capabilities. The collaboration will also include open-source tools, interfaces and benchmarks to support wider participation from European developers, including SMEs and universities. Jevgeni Kabanov “Real-world data is the most valuable asset in the race for safe autonomy,” said Jevgeni Kabanov, President and Head of Autonomous Driving at Bolt. “By marrying Bolt’s operational scale with the NVIDIA Hyperion platform and AI infrastructure, we are creating a European-led AV offering while maintaining control over our data and technology.” Philippe Van Den Berge “Autonomous vehicles require a full-stack approach that unifies AI models, high-performance compute, and a robust sensor architecture,” said Philippe Van Den Berge, EMEA Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA. “This collaboration provides a scalable foundation for autonomous mobility services designed for European roads.”     Featured image credit: Bolt The post Bolt Partners with NVIDIA to Build Autonomous Vehicle Platform for Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK for up to US$1.8 billion, including US$300 million in contingent payments. The deal is intended to expand Mastercard’s support for digital assets and value transfers across currencies, rails and regions. Digital assets powered by blockchain technology are growing in use, with payment volumes expected to reach at least US$350 billion by 2025. Regulatory clarity in several jurisdictions has increased interest from financial institutions and fintechs in offering services using stablecoins and tokenised deposits. Card payments continue to provide broad acceptance, consumer protections, and access for billions of people. Crypto wallets have increasingly used cards to enable consumer payments with digital currencies. Stablecoins and tokenised deposits may find applications in cross-border remittances, payouts, peer-to-peer and business-to-business payments, with potential for faster and programmable transactions in commercial areas such as treasury management and capital markets. Mastercard aims to connect digital and fiat payment rails securely and compliantly, ensuring interoperability. Bringing together the capabilities of Mastercard and BVNK is expected to provide infrastructure that connects multiple systems and blockchains. Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, said: Jorn Lambert “We expect that most financial institutions and fintechs will in time provide digital currency services, be it with stablecoins or tokenised deposits. We want to support them and their customers with a best in class, highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenised money to the real world.” Jesse Hemson-Struthers, Co-Founder and CEO of BVNK, said: Jesse Hemson-Struthers “This deal brings together complementary capabilities to define and deliver the future of money. Together, we’re able to deliver an unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.” Mastercard expects to complete the acquisition before the end of the year.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by farknot via Freepik The post Mastercard to Acquire BVNK in US$1.8 Billion Deal appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, neobanks and buy now, pay later (BNPL) leaders will continue expanding into full-spectrum consumer banking firms, gaining significant ground over incumbent banks. Simultaneously, cryptocurrency giants are broadening their institutional offerings to capitalize on banks’ growing appetite for digital assets and tokenization, according to CB Insights. These predictions stem from research across more than 23,000 fintech startups. The study examined hiring momentum, commercial maturity, business relationships, and Mosaic scores, a metric which measures the health and growth potential of private tech companies, to identify which companies and sectors are making headway. The findings highlight a profound reshaping of financial services in 2026. In addition to the maturation of the neobanking, BNPL, and crypto sectors, the report notes that the landscape will witness the rise of the agentic economy, and Robinhood’s evolution into a financial superapp. It also expects a shift in the prediction market from betting platforms to data providers as industry leaders like Polymarket and Kalshi convert collective market signals into institutional-grade data products. Competition from neobanks intensifies Neobanks are no longer startups nipping at the heels of incumbent banks. A new class of players is now scaling globally, going public, and filing for full banking licenses. These digital-first institutions are competing directly for the primary consumer banking relationship and are moving into new markets with increasingly full-service offerings. In the business-to-consumer category, Revolut is demonstrating strong hiring momentum, reflecting robust growth relative to company size and job openings. In particular, the company is hiring senior regulatory and compliance leaders across more than countries, underlying a systematic market entry strategy. Other neobanks expanding aggressively include YouTrip from Singapore, which is currently pushing across Asia-Pacific, starting with Australia; Kuda from Nigeria, which secured a license in January 2026 to operate as a national microfinance bank; and Toss Bank from South Korea, which aims to to launch in Australia, marking its first overseas expansion. The maturing of the neobanking industry also reflects in the initial public offering (IPO) pipeline. In June 2025, Chime completed the largest-ever US neobank IPO with its US$864 million public offering. This was followed in January 2026 by PicPay, which debuted on the Nasdaq after raising US$434 million. Neobanks expanding into new markets, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026 Battle of the BNPL banks Buy now, pay later (BNPL) platforms are evolving beyond their initial purpose as a simple checkout feature. Market leaders like Klarna from Sweden and Affirm from the US are transforming into comprehensive consumer banking firms, expanding their services and increasingly overlapping with other verticals. These two companies now rank among the most active payment companies based on partnership volume, and share 27 partners including Apple, Adyen, Google, and JP Morgan, according to CB Insights. These companies are integrating BNPL into various processes and functions, like device-based checkout flows, digital commerce, merchant banking, and payment processing. Affirm, for example, is partnered with Fiserv to bring pay-over-time capabilities to debit card programs for financial institutions. Klarna, meanwhile, is teaming up with Marqeta to embed BNPL into a debit card offering. Klarna holds both a EU banking license, and a UK electronic money institution license, while Affirm applied to the Nevada Financial Institutions Division and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in January 2026 to establish Affirm Bank. The proposed Nevada-chartered industrial loan company aims to complement Affirm’s current business and bank partnership models, and spur opportunities to introduce new products and services. An analysis by CB Insights reveals that Affirm is currently hiring in analytics leadership roles to develop its Partner Bank Debit Program. Meanwhile, Klarna is strengthening its fraud detection and risk management capabilities through specialized roles, with a particularly strong focus on regulatory compliance in the UK market. Klarna and Affirm’s battle for core financial infrastructure, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026 Crypto comes for big banks Crypto firms are shifting their focus from offering alternatives to traditional banking to building the next phase of financial evolution. In 2025, Ripple, Coinbase, and Circle emerged as the most aggressively partnered crypto-native companies, forging over 50 relationships each to target the traditional banking system and expand their offerings of institutional services, as reported by CB Insights. Ripple is currently building institutional-grade custody infrastructure for digital assets and digital treasury management through partnerships with the likes of Securosys, Figment, and Chainalysis, and acquisitions, such as its US$1 billion purchase of GTreasury. The company already serves incumbent banks and financial institutions including BBVA Switzerland, DZ Bank, and Siam Commercial Bank. Similarly, Coinbase is expanding from retail brokerage into institutional prime brokerage, custody and payments infrastructure for financial institutions like BlackRock, JP Morgan Chase and Standard Chartered. Its Coinbase Prime offering is an integrated platform that allows firms to trade, finance, custody, and manage digital assets within a single system built for institutional scale. Finally, Circle is embedded its regulated USDC infrastructure directly into core banking systems and payment processors such as FIS, Fiserv, and Finastra. This aims to make stablecoin adoption seamless for traditional financial institutions. Circle went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in June 2025, making history as the first major stablecoin issuer to achieve this milestone. This momentum carried into 2026, with several notable companies, including the crypto custody firm BitGo, going public in the first months of the year. More are expected in 2026, including crypto exchange Kraken, which confidentially filed to go public in the US in November 2025. With players including Circle, Ripple, Fidelity Digital Assets, BitGo, and Paxos all receiving conditional approval for US national trust bank charters over the past year, CB Insights expects the next stage of the sector will see crypto-native leaders move beyond partnerships and compete for the full-stack banking relationship. Blockchain, stablecoins and the agentic economy In 2026, AI agents will continue to be a key theme in the global fintech landscape, with cryptocurrency rails and blockchain technology creating a new layer for machine-to-machine commerce. This trend will build on the momentum of 2025, where financial services led all sectors in AI agent partnerships, and during which payment processors continued to build agentic commerce rails, accelerating crypto integrations. Notably, Mastercard expanded from six crypto partnerships in 2024 to more than 25 in 2025, according to CB Insights. At the same time, the AI agent payments infrastructure market is growing steadily, with startups like Circuit Chisel, Catena Labs, and Skyfire running on stablecoin rails. Moving further, CB Insights expects stablecoins to transition from crypto-native tools to the settlement layer for agent-driven commerce. These digital currencies will power instant, programmable payments across online marketplaces, cross-border retail, and embedded checkout experiences in 2026 and beyond. Parallel to this payment evolution, a new infrastructure layer is emerging where AI agents operate fully on-chain. Blockchain-based AI agent platforms are now providing the tools for creating, deploying, and managing autonomous agents that operate natively on-chain. These agents can execute decentralized finance (DeFi) trades, participate in governance, interact with decentralized applications, and coordinate with other agents without human intervention. While still an early market, CB Insights notes that this space is rapidly moving from experiment to infrastructure, and poised for explosive growth. On-chain AI agents funding skyrockets, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Freepik The post Crypto, Neobanks, AI Agents Among the Top Fintech Trends of 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Visa and Fiserv have expanded their partnership to roll out the Visa Acceptance Platform within Fiserv’s merchant acquiring and processing services across Europe. The integration introduces a unified, API-driven acceptance layer designed to simplify integration for acquirers, while helping merchants improve authorisation rates, reduce fraud and deliver more consistent customer experiences. The expansion builds on existing collaboration between the two companies across payments and AI-enabled services. It combines Visa’s front-end authorisation capabilities with Fiserv’s acquiring and processing infrastructure to deliver a cloud-based system that supports intelligent routing, enhanced data and additional services. Paul Adams “This partnership with Visa marks a significant advancement in delivering value to our clients,” said Paul Adams, SVP, Head of Merchant Product EMEA at Fiserv. “By embedding the Visa Acceptance Platform into our merchant acquiring and processing solutions, we simplify payment acceptance, enhance digital capabilities and accelerate time to market for acquirers and merchants across the region.” Dan Parsons, Head of Acceptance Sales at Visa Europe, said: Dan Parsons “Together, we are giving acquirers a simpler operating model that helps improve authorisation rates and reduces fraud and chargebacks. For merchants, that translates into richer data and higher approval rates, making it easier to deliver the new experiences their customers now expect, whether that’s shopping online, in store or tapping to travel, with speed and confidence.” Through the partnership, acquirers can access Visa’s acceptance services through a single API-first integration within Fiserv’s platform, reducing the need for multiple connections and bespoke development while enabling greater scalability across markets.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Borin via Freepik The post Visa and Fiserv Expand Partnership to Streamline Merchant Payments in Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Experian has launched the UK’s first credit score app within ChatGPT apps, introducing a postcode-based credit score comparison tool. The app provides aggregated and anonymised Experian Credit Score data, allowing users to see how typical scores vary by postcode and age group. In seconds, consumers can view local and demographic score averages, offering context as part of financial education. The tool provides average credit scores by age and postcode and includes a straightforward sign-up process for users who wish to check their own Experian credit score. It also offers a conversational experience that helps users engage with financial information at their own pace, addressing the needs of adults with lower financial capability. Edu Castro, Managing Director of Experian Consumer Services UK&I, said: Edu Castro “By bringing the power of Experian’s trusted data into a leading AI platform, we’re giving people a quick and simple way to explore how their credit score compares locally and by age, making it easier for them to sign up to Experian to discover their personalised score and insights.” By embedding credit score insights into ChatGPT, Experian aims to make financial information more accessible, particularly for younger users who make up a large proportion of the platform’s audience but are among the least likely to have checked their credit score.       Featured image credit: AI Generated by Freepik The post Experian Integrates Credit Score Insights into ChatGPT for UK Users appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Globally, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology leaders have recognized that responsible AI standards are an essential innovation enabler for achieving tangible enterprise return on investment (ROI). However, organizations are falling short on the implementation of these standards, according to a global survey conducted by Corinium in collaboration FICO. The research, which surveyed 254 C-suite AI and tech leaders in Q2 2025, found that more than half of those surveyed (56.8%) identify responsible AI standards as a leading contributor to increasing reliable and consistent ROI. This highlights that these practices are no longer viewed purely as regulatory checkboxes or ethical obligations, and are also increasingly seen as business enablers that contribute directly to financial performance. This also suggests that organizations are maturing in their AI journey. Early AI adoption often prioritizes rapid experimentation, but now that companies are scaling AI, they need predictable outcomes. Responsible AI standards likely reduce risk, prevent costly failures, and build stakeholder trust, all of which stabilize returns. AI technologies with the greatest impact on ROI, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 The standards gap Despite recognizing that AI standards are critical to long-term AI benefits and ROI, few organizations have actually integrated AI development and development standards. Of the organizations surveyed, just 12.7% have fully adopted key AI development and deployment standards, such as bias mitigation, performance monitoring, and secure data handling. Security and customer experience quality are the most widely adopted AI standards, each at about 16%. In contrast, model monitoring and bias mitigation are particularly underdeveloped, with just 7% of organizations reporting full adopted. This suggests that once models go live, they often operate with minimal oversight. These gaps raise fundamental questions about AI readiness. Models rolled out without AI standards lack defined and sanctioned metrics for drift, bias, or fairness. This leaves organizations unable to substantiate claims of responsible AI deployment. Even in organizations that have made progress defining internal standards, responsible AI protocols are often confined to specific teams or projects, rather than enforced across the entire corporation. This makes AI governance both a philosophical and logistical challenge. Standards incorporated within AI operationalization processes, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Infrastructure gaps The study also unveiled infrastructure gaps. Globally, CIOs and CTOs identified the biggest barriers to scalable AI as unpredictability in system execution performance (62.02%), data storage, and processing limitations (58.1%), and gaps in real-time monitoring (36.6%). These findings suggest that organizations struggle to guarantee consistent output speeds and reliability as AI workloads grow. It also indicates that existing hardware and cloud architectures are often insufficient to handle the massive computational demands of advanced AI models. Furthermore, teams are struggling to effectively track system health or detect anomalies as they happen. Collectively, these results show that the business community is bottlenecked not by a lack of strategic vision, but by immature infrastructure. This infrastructure fails to support the stability and scale required for enterprise-grade AI deployment. Infrastructure-related barriers to scaling AI solutions from pilot to full-scale deployment, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Improving customer experience, cost savings as main catalysts The study also asked AI and tech leaders about the main catalysts for AI investments in their organizations. Respondents cited customer experience improvement (66%) as the main driver, followed by executive goals to do more with AI (63%), and increased revenue or market share (61%). These results emphasize AI’s role in unlocking new business opportunities and revenue streams. This comes as organizations globally are facing pressure to cut costs and remain competitive. 70% of respondents cited cost savings or process efficiency as a key catalyst for AI initiatives, followed by competitive pressures (65%), and the desire to leverage the benefits of disruptive technology (55%). The main catalysts of change, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Rapid adoption and early benefits Adoption of AI has surged over the past years. The 2025 McKinsey Global Survey on the state of AI reveals that 88% of nearly 2,000 respondents regularly use AI in at least one business function, a sharp rise from 78% in 2024 and just 50% in 2022. Organizations that use AI in at least one business function, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025 Organizations also reported early benefits. A majority said that their organizations’ use of AI has improved innovation, and nearly half reported improvement in customer satisfaction and competitive differentiation. Extent at which AI use has affected organizational measures over the past year, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025 The most significant cost savings from AI are occurring in software engineering, with 56% reporting decreased cost in this business unit over the past year, followed by manufacturing (56%), and IT (54%). Conversely, revenue increases are most frequently reported in use cases within marketing and sales (67%), strategy and corporate finance (65%), and product and service development (62%). Revenue increase within business units from AI use, past 12 months, by function, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Dmitrii Travnikov via Freepik The post The State of Responsible AI in Financial Services appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2025, the fintech industry witnessed a significant recovery, driven by a reopening initial public offering (IPO) window, rising revenues, and the emergence of category leaders. By year-end, the F-Prime Fintech Index, which monitors the performance of emerging, publicly traded, financial technology companies, reached a market capitalization of US$947 billion. This figure represents a 142.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase from US$391 billion the previous year, marking a robust rebound following the swift corrections of 2022 and 2023, and a period of stabilization in 2024. The F-Prime Fintech Index market capitalization, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Created by venture capital (VC) firm and Fidelity Investments subsidiary F-Prime, the F-Prime Fintech Index tracks the fintech market. It comprises more than 50 emerging publicly traded fintech companies selected based on criteria including capitalization, liquidity, growth rates, founding year, and listing exchange. IPO activity The index reveals a significant rebound of the fintech industry in 2025, reflecting the strong and sustained performance of fintech disruptors, alongside the opening of the IPO window. Last year, 16 fintech companies went public, including 11 VC-backed firms. Notable names included digital investment and social trading platform eToro, buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant Klarna, digital banking platform Chime, and blockchain firm Circle. Momentum is continuing into 2026, with also several companies going public in the first months of the year. These include BitGo, a crypto custody firm; PicPay, a Brazilian digital bank; and Ethos Technologies, an insurance platform. More fintech IPOs are expected this year, including crypto exchange Kraken, which confidentially filed to go public in the US in November 2025, as well as payment firm Stripe, and digital bank Revolut, the two most valuable fintech startups in the world at US$159 billion and US$75 billion, respectively. Fintech public listings in 2025 and 2026, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Revenue growth and sector leadership Revenue multiples also rose last year as investors continued to favor companies with rigorous unit economics and sustainable, profitable growth. Companies in the F-Prime Fintech Index grew at an average of 29% over the past year, and every sector increased its net income margins since the growth-at-all-costs era in 2021. F-Prime Fintech Index companies annual average revenue growth, Source: F-Prime, 2026 The year also saw several fintech firms emerge as leading players in their respective verticals. In banking, Revolut, SoFi and Nubank now rank among the top 1.5% of US banks by deposit, at US$30 billion, US$29.7 billion, and US$28.9 billion, respectively. In lending, BNPL firms Klarna, and Affirm have become among the top 25 issuers in the US by credit card purchase volume, with gross merchandise volume (GMV) of US$105 billion and US$26.6 billion, respectively. In payments, Stripe and Adyen are among the top five global merchant acquirers by total payment volume (TPV), each processing US$1.4 trillion. Finally, in wealth management, crypto exchange Coinbase and electronic trading platform Robinhood are now among the top ten online brokerages in the US by assets on platforms at US$516 billion, and US$333 billion, respectively. Fintech forges the next generation of great financial services companies, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Crypto takes the spotlight Another key trend in 2025 was cryptocurrencies. This emerging asset class earned a prominent position alongside traditional finance amid soaring demand and favorable regulations. In 2025, stablecoins became a real, non-speculative digital asset, crossing US$1 trillion in monthly volume in August. About US$10 billion of this volume stemmed from off-chain economic activities, underscoring their growing role as practical payment instruments for cross-border commerce and remittances. 2025 also saw over 75 new crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) being launched. These regulated investment funds, which trade on traditional securities exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq, allow investors to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies without directly owning them, broadening access to both retail and institutional investors. These instruments have achieved widespread success. BlackRock’s crypto ETFs are the firm’s most profitable product line. Crypto ETFs flows, Source: F-Prime, 2026 The growth of the crypto industry 2025 was fueled by supportive regulatory developments and clearer frameworks. In July, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act) was signed into law, establishing requirements that stablecoin issuers maintain high-quality reserves and operate under federal regulatory supervision. In the European Union, the Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) Regulation took full effect on December 30, 2024. The regulation covers crypto-assets not previously regulated by financial services legislation, including cryptocurrencies, and stablecoins, with key provisions for issuers and traders addressing transparency, disclosure, authorization and supervision of transactions.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by worlddesign2 via Freepik The post Fintech Market Rebounds as IPO Window Reopens appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.