Fintech

In the dynamic landscape of consumer engagement, the expectations placed upon companies are in a state of perpetual flux. Two discernible trends that have crystalized in recent years are consumers’ increasing desire for offerings that align with their beliefs and way of life, as well as their fervent demand for hyper-personalization, shifting decisively away from […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced it is considering investigating Nationwide’s merger with Virgin Money. In March Nationwide confirmed its offer to acquire Virgin Money UK, agreeing to the terms of a cash offer of £2.9 billion with Virgin Money’s Board. The deal was expected to close in the fourth quarter of […]

The British government has sold £1.24 billion of its shares in NatWest Group, cutting its stake from 26% down to 22.5% in share sale. NatWest bought back 392.4 million shares from the government at 316.2p per share. Since March 2024, the Government has not been a shareholder in NatWest stock. The government aims to continue […]

Mastercard has begun piloting its Crypto Credential network, enabling cross-border peer-to-peer digital asset transactions between Latin America and Europe. Unveiled last year, MasterCard Crypto Credential helps verify interactions among consumers and businesses using blockchain networks. The pilots will see users from a host of countries on the Bit2Me, Lirium and Mercado Bitcoin exchanges send cross-border […]

China has reportedly asked Tencent’s WeChat to reduce its mobile payments market share as the country begins piloting its digital currency.  Alongside Ant Group’s Alipay, WeChat dominates China’s mobile payments landscape in a country where digital payments are the norm. WeChat holds an estimated 3:2 market share lead over Alipay, with $12 trillion in mobile […]

Mastercard announced its peer-to-peer crypto ecosystem, which is now available to users in Latin America and Europe. The credit card giant’s platform integrates with the Lirium, Bit2Me, and Mercado Bitcoin exchanges. Mastercard Crypto Credential gives users readable aliases that replace the long string of letters and numbers that have traditionally defined crypto wallet addresses. The ecosystem also […]

Airlines worldwide are increasingly accepting alternative payment methods for both ticket purchases and in-flight amenities. However, they are still struggling to provide enough alternatives to meet their passengers’ needs. Data from CellPoint Digital, titled Payments Come of Age: A Global Study of Airlines and Their Payment Technology Needs and Challenges, found that 62% of airlines already accept […]

In an era where digital privacy concerns are at the forefront, traditional marketing strategies reliant only on third-party cookies are falling behind. This shift has massive implications for companies long accustomed to running their business on data acquired through partner channels. Even though Google recently pushed back its plan to sunset third-party cookies—again—the latest delay […]

As part of the Biden administration’s efforts to improve relations with Cuba, businesses from Cuba will now be able to use U.S. online payment systems to facilitate money transfers between the two nations. The new rules also allow Cuban nationals to open U.S. bank accounts and reauthorize so-called “U-turn” transactions. The policy change is intended […]

For the second year in a row, the Middle East has been the fastest-growing market for instant payments. There were 855 million transactions in the region in 2023, a 33% increase year-over-year. New instant payments programs launched in Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait last year, and increasing acceptance is expected to drive the Middle East instant […]