Global

May 15, 2026 @ 12:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Lloyds Banking Group has released new analysis revealing how digital banking product development and tech advancements could deliver a £100 billion economic boost to UK households over the next decade. The research, published on 11 May 2026, estimates this equates to roughly £3,500 in added… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 8:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PitchBook Senior Analyst Franco Granda argues that SpaceX’s upcoming Starship Flight 12 represents the most pivotal pre-IPO milestone for the rocket giant. Scheduled no earlier than May 19 from the new Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas, the test marks the debut of… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 5:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

iCapital and LYNK Markets have introduced the region’s first private Exchange-Traded Note (ETN) in partnership with Pantheon, a global private markets specialist. The announcement delivers a streamlined, security-based pathway for financial advisors and their clients to gain exposure to high-quality private equity strategies without the… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 11:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygnum Bank has recently provided the technological backbone for Fidelity International’s inaugural tokenized product. Launched recently this month, the offering delivers institutional and professional investors round-the-clock access to regulated, yield-generating U.S. dollar liquidity with built-in collateral capabilities. This development arrives amid rapid growth in treasury-oriented… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 11:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpaca has rolled out US IPO access through its Broker API, giving broker partners a powerful new tool to let their clients participate in fresh American stock offerings. The feature expands on the platform’s existing support for trading shares immediately after they debut publicly, opening… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 10:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Is Europe falling behind in crypto adoption and the development of the digital asset future of finance? It is difficult to argue that Europe is leading the race. While the European Union was quick to enact rules under the Markets in Crypto Assets regulation (MiCA),… Read More

May 14, 2026 @ 8:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has released new research illustrating how tokenized versions of conventional assets, paired with near-instant collateral transfers, could deliver substantial gains in capital efficiency and liquidity management for financial institutions. The findings underscore a compelling near-term opportunity for the… Read More

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