Editor profile
Chief Editor, Digital Payments & Infrastructure
Alistair Sterling monitors the evolution of global digital payment systems and cross-border financial infrastructure. He specializes in analyzing real-time settlement technologies and mobile payment adoption.
alistair.sterling@fintechdaily.orgFintech company Ctrl Alt has obtained the EU MiFID license and plans to launch tokenized asset services in the European market. This move marks another important milestone in the integration of traditional financial regulatory frameworks and digital assets.
US fintech company Kikoff acquires assets of B2B credit service provider The Service Bureau, aiming to expand enterprise credit assessment capabilities and build a comprehensive platform that links consumer and business credit data.
This week, several major developments have taken place in the fintech sector: Japan's SBI Holdings acquired crypto exchange Bitbank for $289 million; Worldline, Mastercard, and Crédit Agricole completed France's first AI agent payment; over 140 banks and tech giants jointly launched the Open USD stablecoin; Lloyds Banking Group announced the phasing out of the 173-year-old Halifax brand; and the UK's FCA released final regulatory rules on crypto assets and stablecoins.
At the Money20/20 Europe conference, Elastic demonstrated how its search-driven architecture serves as a key layer of fintech infrastructure, supporting fraud detection, AI decision-making, and digital sovereignty.
Reviewing five important collaborations in the global fintech sector in June 2026, covering digital banking, cross-border payments, blockchain, treasury management, and digital assets, showcasing industry innovation and integration trends.
The European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs passed the digital euro legislative draft with 43 votes in favor and 14 against, paving the way for pilot testing in 2027 and full rollout in 2029. The digital euro, to be issued by the European Central Bank, aims to safeguard Europe's monetary sovereignty and reduce reliance on U.S. payment systems such as Visa and Mastercard.
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and cryptocurrency trading platform OKX have announced the formation of a joint venture focused on issuing tokenized stocks. This collaboration marks a deep integration of traditional financial infrastructure with digital asset technology, bringing new liquidity channels and investment models to global capital markets.
At The (un)Banked conference in Amsterdam, industry leaders agreed that regulated on-chain infrastructure is becoming the foundation of modern institutional finance. This article explores how blockchain is redefining financial inclusion, the institutional application of stablecoins in Europe, and the trend of on-chain integration of traditional capital markets.
Cross-border payments are evolving from traditional wire transfers toward a future of interoperability, real-time processing, and digital wallet support. ISO 20022 standardization, payment infrastructure collaboration, and the rise of stablecoins are reshaping global fund flows.
Robinhood announces layoffs of 10% of employees to flatten the organization, while stating it will continue to hire top talent. This move reflects the balancing strategy between growth and efficiency in the fintech industry.
Lloyds Banking Group partners with Microsoft to deploy Microsoft 365 E7, accelerating autonomous AI applications and improving efficiency and compliance.
This article is based on preview content related to Money 20/20 Europe 2026, and examines how AI automation, stablecoin liquidity, market consolidation, and PSD3 rules are jointly driving the upgrade of the global financial network, while analyzing their impact on digital payments, banking innovation, and financial regulation.
This article, based on FinTech Futures’ review of the five major payments industry news stories in May 2026, focuses on PayPal’s organizational restructuring, NBG Cyprus introducing AI reconciliation, Housing Bank upgrading its payments infrastructure, Currensea obtaining a European payment institution license, and management changes at The Payments Association, analyzing their impact on digital payments and financial infrastructure.
The latest round of fintech funding shows that investors continue to bet on identity verification, compliance automation, cross-border payments, digital asset wallets, and AI-driven payment development tools, reflecting that the upgrading of financial infrastructure is shifting from single-point products to programmable, scalable underlying capabilities.