Visa Launches New AI Tools to Enable Banks with Conversational Financial Guidance
Visa released an AI Financial Assistant on July 14, 2026, that allows financial institutions to integrate artificial intelligence technology for conversational financial guidance. Banks can now deploy the tool to provide customers with direct advisory services through the new system.
40 Finance and Tech Giants Unite to Standardize Agentic Payments
The x402 protocol, an open standard for agentic payments, has been established with governance oversight from 40 organizations through the newly launched x402 Foundation. The Linux Foundation announced the initiative on July 14, creating a vendor-neutral payment standard designed to work over HTTP.
Tokenization: DTCC Says it is Now Converting Assets into Tokens
The DTCC has begun converting assets into tokens through an operational process that bridges traditional finance and digital assets. The official launch of DTCC Tokenization is scheduled for October 2026.
NC’s First Bank to buy SC lender for $166M
First Bank will acquire Carolina Bank & Trust for $166 million, adding 14 branches to its existing 113 locations. The purchase is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 and will bring First Bank's total assets past $13 billion.
Fed’s Bowman Says Tailored AI Supervision Drives Financial Inclusion
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman stated that AI supervision should be tailored to avoid hindering bank implementation of artificial intelligence technology. Bowman argued that AI can expand credit availability to underserved populations through careful regulatory approaches.
New QR Standard Unlocks US Instant Payments at Checkout
A new American national standard called X9.150 for merchant-presented payment QR codes was published Tuesday by the Accredited Standards Committee X9. The specification creates a common structure for dynamically generated codes to provide a universal interface to existing US instant payment systems.
Velocity Raises $38 Million as Stablecoins Reshape Mainstream Business Finance
A stablecoin payments and treasury platform for enterprises raised $38 million in Series A funding. The platform reduces settlement times and enables companies to manage treasury operations while accessing stablecoin benefits.
Business Applications Jump 24% as AI Lowers Startup Costs
U.S. business applications reached 5.6 million in 2025, up 24% since ChatGPT's launch. Median employees at seed-stage startups dropped from five to four in Q1 2023, the quarter following ChatGPT's release.
How J.P. Morgan Payments eliminated 13 billion keystrokes a year by automating the paper behind payments
Automating paper processing for payments eliminated 13 billion keystrokes annually at J.P. Morgan Payments. The bank processed approximately 480 million checks in 2025.
Ofcom to hold Big Tech accountable for scam adverts
Ofcom announced proposed new fraud-fighting rules requiring Big Tech companies to take accountability for scam advertisements on their platforms. The rules aim to hold tech platforms responsible for tackling fraudulent ads they host or distribute.
Robinhood Weighs Its First Sale of Card Receivables-Backed Bond
Robinhood Markets is considering issuing between $400 million and $500 million in asset-backed securities backed by its branded consumer credit card receivables. The company is currently testing investor interest for what would be its first such bond offering.
Citi Sees First Bank Goes Live with its Clearing and Token Services Solution
Siam Commercial Bank became the first financial institution to go live with Citi's 24/7 USD Clearing and Citi Token Services for cross-border payments. The integration enables near real-time USD payments around the clock for SCB's corporate and institutional clients.
Apple Acquires Open-Source Observability Platform Developer SigScalr
Apple acquired assets and employees from SigScalr, a developer of data log management and observability tools. The acquisition was notified to the European Commission on March 12.
Restaurant Platforms Make Embedded Finance Part of Daily Operations
Nearly 80% of middle-market companies expect to upgrade their embedded finance capabilities through restaurant platforms. Financing is increasingly delivered as a feature within the software platforms that businesses already use daily for operations.
London Authority Sets Out Plan For Tokenizing Wholesale Financial Markets
The City of London Corporation released a report outlining plans to tokenize wholesale financial markets. The initiative aims to enhance the United Kingdom's competitiveness in wholesale markets that support economic growth and financing activity.
Kraken Debuts Debit Card to Let Customers Pay in Crypto
Kraken launched a debit card enabling customers in Britain and the European Economic Area to spend cryptocurrency and cash balances. The Kraken Card links customer account balances to both online and in-store purchases.
Moneybox prepares for secondary share sale at £800 million valuation
Moneybox is conducting a secondary share sale valued at up to 45 million pounds for long-serving employees, with the company valued at 800 million pounds. This represents a 45 percent increase in valuation since 2024.
UK banks join financial services 'Skills Compact' to prepare staff for AI revolution
Twenty-two UK financial services companies employing over 250,000 people have joined a Skills Compact to prepare staff for artificial intelligence adoption. The Financial Services Skills Commission created this initiative to help workers adjust to the upcoming AI revolution in banking and financial services.
SE Asia’s Xendit Integrates Philippines’ Dragonpay Into Regional Payments Platform
Xendit integrated Philippines-based Dragonpay into its platform, providing Dragonpay merchants access to over 100 payment methods, payouts, and cross-border payments. The integration was announced without any acquisition or share transaction between the two companies.
Stablecoin Market Cap Suffers Biggest Decline in 4 Years
Stablecoin market capitalization dropped by $7.7 billion in June, marking the largest decline in nearly four years. The downturn reflects reduced on-chain liquidity as cryptocurrency markets consolidated near their yearly lows.
Ransomware Negotiator Gets 6 Years in Prison for Assisting Scammers
A ransomware negotiator was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for assisting criminals in scamming his clients. Angelo Martino, 41, had been hired by Digital Mint to help victims but instead aided the scammers.
Ripple CEO Says Company Considered Folding Before SEC Fight
Ripple's CEO stated the company considered shutting down and distributing its XRP cryptocurrency to shareholders during its SEC lawsuit. Brad Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen viewed winding down operations as potentially easier than continuing the legal fight.
Aave Labs Launches Stable Vaults, Enabling Fixed-Rate Stablecoin Yield for Businesses
Stable Vaults enable organizations to integrate fixed-rate stablecoin yield into their offerings through customizable smart contract vaults. The platform currently supports the Aave mobile savings application and is available for any business to integrate.
Indian Microfinance Firm Arohan Financial Secures $30m Investment Commitment
Arohan Financial Services secured a $30 million investment commitment to expand its loan portfolio and increase credit access for low-income borrowers. The microfinance lender plans to use the funds to support its growth in serving underbanked populations.
Digital Bank Revolut Focuses on European Business Operations with Key Appointment
Kuba Fast, formerly head of JPMorgan Chase's UK digital banking division Chase UK, became CEO of Revolut's European business operations. The appointment represents Revolut's strategic focus on strengthening its leadership within European markets and operations.
Investment Platform Kraken Prepares Mobile App Overhaul Centered on Intelligent AI Trading Agents
Kraken is overhauling its mobile app to center on autonomous AI trading agents that provide personalized guidance. The update positions these intelligent agents as the core element of the trading experience within the application.
The Weekender: Honey, I Shrunk the Unicorn
Startup organizational structures have shifted from traditional hierarchies with multiple departments to lean teams supplemented by external tools and AI services. Modern startups now operate with core founders supported by software platforms like Claude, Stripe, and Midjourney rather than full internal teams.
Greg Brockman Takes Over OpenAI Product Business After Fidji Simo’s Departure
Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president and co-founder, will oversee the ChatGPT product business after Fidji Simo departed in July. Brockman had already managed product responsibilities since April when Simo took medical leave.
US CBDC Ban Set to Become Law at Midnight
A four-year ban on U.S. central bank digital currency takes effect Saturday if the housing bill becomes law without presidential veto. President Trump has neither signed nor vetoed the bill that Congress approved and sent to him.
Finovate Global Israel: Autonomous AI and Cross-Border Payments
Tangos AI, an Israeli fintech specializing in autonomous AI for financial crime and fraud investigations, raised $20 million in seed funding. The funding round was led by Red.