May 13, 2026 @ 8:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Research from digital payments provider Checkout.com shows that the expansion of online shopping across the MENA region is fueled by consumers’ desire for effortless, seamless transactions. Yet the report, titled “From Invisible Payments to AI Agents,” makes one thing clear: frictionless experiences only succeed when… Read More

 Tagged checkout.com, digital commerce, digital payments, mena, Research Study

May 13, 2026 @ 1:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

PrimaryBid, a UK-based online investment platform that enabled access to private securities, has been acquired by SoFi (NASDAQ: SOFI). The terms of the deal were not revealed, with investors possibly receiving a return of capital. In 2024, SoFi partnered with PrimaryBid to support non-institutional investors at scale… Read More

 Tagged primarybid, sofi

May 13, 2026 @ 9:32 am By JD Alois  |  

The Payments Association has appointed a new CEO. According to a statement from the organization, Emma Banymandhub will step into the leadership role following her position as the association’s Chief Operating Officer. Banymandhub said that payments are more than transactions, adding she is honored to… Read More

 Tagged payments, payments association, uk, united kingdom

May 13, 2026 @ 6:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of England has released the final report from its DLT Innovation Challenge 2025, a collaborative effort with the BIS Innovation Hub’s London Centre. Released recently this month, the document offers fresh practical insights into how distributed ledger technology could reshape wholesale payments and… Read More

 Tagged bank of england, distributed ledger technoloigy, dlt, research, uk

May 13, 2026 @ 2:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A UK-based nonprofit social lender has partnered with NatWest Group’s Open Banking payments specialist to deliver a more adaptable approach to loan repayments. East Lancashire Moneyline, which focuses on serving people shut out of conventional credit markets, is now using Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) through… Read More

 Tagged moneyline, natwest, open banking, uk, united kingdom

May 13, 2026 @ 1:21 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Pit, an AI-native workforce platform, this week announced its public launch alongside $16 million in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The round includes participation from Lakestar, the Pit founders, executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Deel, and Revolut, and the Stena and Lundin families. Pit… Read More

 Tagged Adam Jafer, ai, Allex Rampell, Pit, workforce management

May 12, 2026 @ 12:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled a new capability that allows autonomous AI agents to handle real-time financial transactions independently. Referred to as Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, the preview feature integrates seamlessly with the existing AgentCore platform, enabling AI systems to purchase access to digital… Read More

 Tagged amazon web services, aws, fintech, stripe

May 12, 2026 @ 11:25 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Corvera, an agentic supply chain management platform backed by Y Combinator, has raised $4.2 million (£3 million) in seed funding to accelerate its expansion and automate end-to-end operational workflows for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. The round was led by 6 Degrees Capital, with participation… Read More

 Tagged agentic ai, Berk Güngör, Chris Kong, Corvera, funding round, matthew collins, supply chain management

May 12, 2026 @ 11:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpaca has introduced custodial accounts as a new feature for its Broker API partners, marking a significant enhancement to its brokerage infrastructure. Announced on May 11, 2026, the rollout allows fintech platforms and institutional clients to let parents and guardians in the United States open… Read More

 Tagged alpaca, fintech, investing

May 12, 2026 @ 10:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Equilend has acquired Finadium, according to a public statement. The terms of the purchase were not immediately available. Equilend is a firm providing tech for the securities industry, like trading, workflow tools, and more. Finadium is a consulting firm that provides research on securities, including… Read More

 Tagged acquisition, equilend, finadium