Global

May 14, 2026 @ 7:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Carta has completed the acquisition of Avantia Law, immediately rebranding the firm as Carta Law. This strategic move brings together a pioneering legal provider with Carta’s established platform for private market operations, promising to streamline high-volume legal and compliance tasks for private equity and venture… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 7:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firm iwoca indicated that UK small and medium-sized enterprises are confronting heightened economic uncertainty, with concerns about a potential recession reaching their highest level in two years. This shift is driven largely by the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East, which… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 1:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG noted that the latest monthly snapshot of the UK labor market reveals a mixed picture, with permanent staff appointments declining at the fastest rate since January while temporary hiring showed tentative signs of life. According to the May 2026 KPMG and REC UK Report… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 12:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Klarna (NYSE:KLAR) has unveiled plans to integrate its flexible payment solutions directly into Google Search and the Gemini app through Google Pay. The rollout, announced on May 12, 2026, targets users in the United States and marks another milestone in the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) provider’s growing… Read More

May 13, 2026 @ 10:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinGecko has noted that Kraken has positioned itself at the forefront of stablecoin integration and decentralized finance (DeFi) advancements. The exchange’s latest performance metrics reveal a deliberate shift toward tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and payment solutions, even as broader market volumes fluctuate. Between January and… Read More

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

May 13, 2026 @ 4:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape, long positioned as a viable and improved alternative to traditional finance, is confronting a significant retreat from investors following a string of devastating cyberattacks. Once known for its promise of transparent, intermediary-free financial services powered by smart contracts, the sector… Read More

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

May 13, 2026 @ 10:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Crypto exchange Paybis has received approval under the EU framework for Markets in Crypto Assets regulation (MiCA) and PSD2 for a payments service license. This means that Paybis can now offer crypto services across all EU member states and the EEA. The approval was issued… Read More

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

May 13, 2026 @ 8:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Payward Inc.—the parent company of the global cryptocurrency platform Kraken—has formed a strategic partnership with Franklin Templeton, a leading global investment manager renowned for its pioneering work in digital assets. Announced recently this month, the collaboration focuses on accelerating the mainstream use of tokenized investments,… Read More

May 13, 2026 @ 7:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Aberdeen Investments indicated that European insurers have long faced pressure to favor fixed-income holdings over equities under the existing Solvency II regime. High capital charges—typically ranging from 39 to 49 percent for standard equity exposures—have made it difficult to justify stocks on a return-on-capital basis,… Read More

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

May 13, 2026 @ 2:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chicago-based CME Group, the global leader in derivatives trading, has introduced fresh futures contracts linked to the Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) cryptocurrencies. The development was confirmed on May 6, 2026, with the first block trades executed between institutional digital asset specialists FalconX and G-20… Read More

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

May 13, 2026 @ 1:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a fresh alert on the growing dangers to global financial stability from artificial intelligence. In a blog post dated May 7, 2026, the IMF explains how AI is reshaping both the vulnerabilities and defenses of the financial system…. Read More

May 12, 2026 @ 4:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CB Insights has indicated that Insurtech startups are poised for historically large investment rounds in 2026, even as the sector confronts a sharply contracting pipeline of fresh opportunities. According to CB Insights’ latest analysis, the median deal size climbed to $10 million in the first… Read More

May 12, 2026 @ 4:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cardano and Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson has argued that everyday smartphones could provide stronger protection for digital assets than many traditional hardware wallets. Drawing on the advanced secure elements built into devices like iPhones, Android phones, and Samsung models, he contends that these integrated chips… Read More

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

May 12, 2026 @ 11:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Elliptic has raised $120 million in Series D funding at a pre-money valuation of $670 million. The round was led by One Peak, with participation from Nasdaq Ventures, Deutsche Bank, and the British Business Bank. Founded in 2013, Elliptic is headquartered in London with offices… Read More