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October 7, 2026

Payments

Circle and Tereina Add USDC and EURC Payment Flows to SAP Pay

Circle and Tereina bring USDC and EURC to SAP Pay Circle and SAP-backed Tereina said eligible businesses will be able to send and receive USDC and EURC inside SAP Pay and SAP Cloud ERP, keeping stablecoin payments and reconciliation in existing finance workflows. Arc will be the preferred blockchain for the initial global payment flows, with customer proof-of-value programs planned in the coming months; the companies gave no timeline for full rollout or expected volumes.

October 2, 2026

Payments

Lloyds completes Visa settlement pilot using USDC for live payment obligations

Lloyds settles live Visa payments with USDC in stablecoin pilot Lloyds Banking Group completed a live pilot using USDC to settle $750,000 in real payment obligations to Visa over seven days, with funds arriving within an hour, including on weekends. The bank bought USDC through Archax and sent it via Lloyds Corporate Markets’ Jersey branch, testing stablecoins for inter-institution settlement rather than consumer payments.

September 29, 2026

Payments

Chainlink framework to connect 17 banks with Swift’s blockchain ledger in live pilots

Chainlink to link 17 banks to Swift’s blockchain ledger in live pilots Chainlink unveiled a framework that lets financial institutions connect to Swift’s blockchain ledger through its CRE while keeping control of their own transaction-signing keys. Swift said 17 banks, including Citi, HSBC, UBS and Wells Fargo, are preparing initial live pilots for tokenized deposits and 24/7 cross-border payment workflows, with final settlement still handled through existing systems.

September 22, 2026

Payments

SoFi shifts Mastercard card settlement to SoFiUSD for $25 billion annual program

SoFi shifts $25B Mastercard card program to stablecoin settlement SoFi has become the first nationally chartered bank to settle Mastercard card transactions with stablecoins, moving its entire debit and credit card program — expected to process $25 billion a year — onto SoFiUSD rails. The bank said transactions were already live Tuesday, with CEO Anthony Noto framing the rollout as a way to speed access to funds while keeping bank safeguards in place.

September 18, 2026

Payments

ECB Starts 12-Month Digital Euro Merchant Pilot Ahead of 2027 Operational Phase

ECB opens 12-month digital euro pilot for online merchants The Eurosystem has invited e-commerce and mobile merchants to test beta digital euro payments in a 12-month pilot, with the operational phase expected to start in the second half of 2027. Participating merchants must add a dedicated checkout flow and work with a pilot PSP, while reporting on payment performance, customer experience, support needs, and operational burden; PSPs cannot charge payment-service fees during the test.

September 15, 2026

Payments

ECB seeks merchants for 2027 digital euro pilot ahead of possible 2029 launch

ECB opens 2027 digital euro pilot to euro-area merchants The European Central Bank has invited e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants across the euro area to join a 12-month digital euro pilot starting in the second half of 2027. The test will use a beta version that is not legal tender and will cover online, mobile, in-store and person-to-person payments with 19 national central banks and 36 selected banks and payment firms, as the ECB gathers operational data ahead of any 2029 issuance decision.

Payments

Study Finds Lower InstaPay Fees Significantly Increase Digital Payment Use in the Philippines

BSP-IPA study links lower InstaPay fees to surge in digital payments A randomized study by IPA Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and RCBC found that cutting InstaPay transfer fees to zero sharply boosts digital payments: transaction activity doubled among 15,000 DiskarTech mass-market users, while RCBC Pulz users increased usage by about 30%. The study also found waived fees activated previously dormant, low-income account holders, as BSP pushes banks to review retail payment pricing under Circular No. 1238.

September 9, 2026

Payments

U.S. Bank Tests Dollar Transfers on Stellar With Reversible USBDC Token

U.S. Bank pilots dollar transfers on Stellar with issuer-controlled reversals U.S. Bank said Wednesday it completed a live pilot sending dollars from North America to Europe on Stellar using its USBDC token. The bank said it created, redeemed, froze and clawed back the token, showing the issuer can reverse payments on the public blockchain. CEO Gunjan Kedia said the test is aimed at speeding up global cash management and money movement.

September 8, 2026

Payments

Italy Seeks Near-Zero Merchant Fees for Small Digital Euro Payments

Italy pushes near-zero fees for digital euro payments under €10 Italy has proposed waiving merchant fees on digital euro payments below €10 as EU officials negotiate rollout rules, with a temporary cap of €0.02 per transaction that could still be cut to zero, an EU diplomat said. The ECB reportedly views the plan favourably, and the measure could ease costs for small merchants, who ECB analysis says often pay three to four times more than larger businesses.

Payments

Visa says stablecoin card programs reached 160 as settlement run rate topped $20 billion

Visa says stablecoin card payments jumped nearly 200% YoY in fiscal Q2 2026, with more than 160 linked card programs now operating globally. The company said stablecoin settlement volume topped a $20 billion annualized run rate, up more than 15x from a year earlier, highlighting faster use of stablecoins inside Visa’s payment and settlement rails. Visa also said some programs using Credit Coop financing cut borrowing costs by up to 30%, while Credit Coop reported $2.5 billion in cumulative financing since 2023 with no defaults.

August 26, 2026

Payments

Russian Telecom Operators Set Sept. 1 Start for Digital Ruble Payments

Russia’s top telecoms ready digital ruble payments for Sept. 1 rollout MTS, Rostelecom and MegaFon are preparing to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1, as Russia starts the first mandatory phase of its CBDC rollout. MTS will enable payments in the My MTS app, online store and services using MTS Pay, while Rostelecom will begin with one-time payments on its website. The same deadline also applies to eligible large merchants and major banks, with Wildberries and Ozon also preparing support.

August 21, 2026

Payments

Kraken and MoneyGram add hryvnia cash withdrawals for users in Ukraine

Kraken, MoneyGram launch hryvnia cash withdrawals in Ukraine Kraken users in Ukraine can now convert their USD balance into hryvnia and collect cash at MoneyGram locations, with funds usually available in under 10 minutes after confirmation. The service is limited to $1,200 a month per sender, up to three transactions a day and 20 a month, and does not yet support bank account withdrawals.

August 17, 2026

Payments

China expands digital yuan network to 30 operators with eight new banks

PBOC adds eight banks to digital yuan network China’s central bank has approved eight commercial banks to join its e-CNY operating network, raising the number of digital yuan service operators from 22 to 30. The new entrants, including Ping An Bank, Bank of Shanghai and Bank of Hangzhou, have connected to the central bank’s digital renminbi system and will launch customer-facing services after final business and technical preparations are completed.

August 6, 2026

Payments

Mastercard Completes BVNK Acquisition to Expand Stablecoin Payments Infrastructure

Mastercard closes BVNK acquisition to add stablecoin payments infrastructure Mastercard has completed its acquisition of stablecoin payments company BVNK, adding onchain settlement, wallet and conversion infrastructure to its network as it pushes deeper into corporate payments. The deal, with no purchase price disclosed, is aimed at linking fiat currencies, stablecoins and tokenized deposits across one payments layer for use cases including cross-border payments, merchant settlement and treasury management.

August 3, 2026

Payments

Mastercard closes BVNK deal to deepen stablecoin and fiat payment infrastructure

Mastercard completes BVNK acquisition to add stablecoin infrastructure Mastercard said Aug. 3 it closed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK, a deal first announced in March and valued at up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million in contingent payments. The company said BVNK’s technology will help connect fiat and blockchain payment rails across payments, cross-border transfers, settlements and treasury operations. Mastercard has not given a rollout timeline or said whether BVNK will keep its brand.

Payments

Crypto Card Spending Reaches Record $748.7 Million in July, Paymentscan Says

Crypto card spending hit a record $748.7M in July Crypto payment card spending climbed to an all-time high of $748.7 million in July, up 19.1% from June and 144.7% year over year, marking a fifth straight monthly increase, Paymentscan data shows. The tracker also logged record highs of 8.77 million transactions and 158,857 active addresses, while RedotPay led with $395.1 million in volume, more than half of all tracked spend.

July 29, 2026

Payments

SoFi says commercial clients are now settling payments in real time with SoFiUSD

SoFi says commercial clients are now settling in real time with SoFiUSD SoFi said in its Q2 results Wednesday that commercial clients have started settling transactions in real time through its SoFiUSD stablecoin, marking the first confirmation of enterprise use since the token launched in December. The bank said Big Business Banking processed transactions on the SoFi Exchange Network during the quarter, enabling 24/7 payments via SoFiUSD.

July 24, 2026

Payments

Lambda256 wraps up stablecoin payments pilot with Korean card industry group and nine issuers

Lambda256 completes stablecoin payment pilot with Korea card issuers Lambda256, Dunamu’s blockchain unit, said July 24 it finished a joint proof of concept with the Korea Credit Finance Association and nine card issuers to test whether existing card payment infrastructure can connect to stablecoin payments. The pilot covered issuance, approvals, refunds, settlements, card points and on-chain AML/fraud checks, with Lambda256 saying the results reduced technical uncertainty for issuers and showed a standardized integration model is feasible.

July 23, 2026

Payments

Ripple Invests in Notabene to Expand RLUSD Use in Institutional Stablecoin Payments

Ripple invests in Notabene to expand RLUSD institutional payments Ripple has invested in regulated on-chain transaction network Notabene as the companies move to widen RLUSD use in institutional stablecoin payments. RLUSD will be integrated into Notabene Flow, its B2B stablecoin payments platform, while the two also plan to explore using Notabene’s transaction authorization and compliance infrastructure with Ripple Payments. Notabene says its network connects more than 2,300 institutions across 100+ jurisdictions.

July 18, 2026

Payments

Sui rolls out protocol-level gas-free transfers for supported stablecoins

Sui launches gas-free transfers for supported stablecoins Sui has rolled out stablecoin transfers that do not require users to hold SUI for gas, targeting one of crypto payments’ biggest UX hurdles. The feature, implemented through Sui’s Move API with gas set to zero for the user, supports USDC, USDsui, suiUSDe, AUSD, FDUSD, USDB and USDY, shifting the fee burden away from the end user.

July 16, 2026

Payments

Emirates NBD Goes Live With Blockchain-Based Real-Time USD Cross-Border Payments

Emirates NBD launches blockchain-based USD cross-border payments Emirates NBD has gone live on the Partior network, becoming the first bank in the MENAT region to offer blockchain-enabled cross-border U.S. dollar payments. The rollout follows a live transaction settled through JPMorgan, and the bank is now extending instant USD transfers to its corporate and institutional clients sending funds to beneficiaries with JPMorgan accounts.

July 15, 2026

Payments

Emirates NBD Goes Live With Real-Time USD Cross-Border Payments on Partior

Emirates NBD launches real-time cross-border USD payments on Partior Emirates NBD has gone live with real-time cross-border U.S. dollar payments on the Partior blockchain network for eligible corporate and institutional clients. Announced July 14, the service initially covers USD transfers to beneficiaries with J.P. Morgan accounts, with J.P. Morgan handling the first live transaction as both settlement and beneficiary bank. The bank plans to add more currencies and banking partners over time.

Payments

Cebuana Lhuillier to build Solana-based stablecoin payment rail with Fireblocks

Cebuana Lhuillier to build stablecoin payment rail with Fireblocks on Solana Philippine financial services provider Cebuana Lhuillier is building a stablecoin-based settlement platform with Fireblocks, using Solana to handle domestic and cross-border transactions instead of legacy systems. The rollout will use Fireblocks’ wallet, network and reconciliation tools and is planned to scale across Cebuana Lhuillier’s 3,500-plus branches, allowing settlement accounts to be funded directly with international partners.

Payments

ECB selects 36 firms for 12-month digital euro pilot starting in late 2027

ECB picks 36 firms for digital euro pilot starting in H2 2027 The European Central Bank has selected 36 payment service providers for a 12-month digital euro pilot across the ECB and 19 euro-area national central banks, moving the project into live beta testing after years of design work. The trial will cover account setup, merchant acceptance, online and offline person-to-person payments, point-of-sale purchases, e-commerce and mobile payments, with Stripe among the participants.

July 14, 2026

Payments

Emirates NBD joins Partior network for cross-border payments in first MENAT rollout

Emirates NBD goes live on Partior for cross-border payments Emirates NBD has joined the Partior DLT clearing and settlement network for cross-border payments, becoming the first bank in the MENAT region live on the platform. Phase one launches the bank as a USD participant, with JPMorgan acting as settlement and beneficiary bank for the first transaction; Emirates NBD will initially support corporate and institutional payments to beneficiary accounts at JPMorgan, with plans to add more network banks and currencies later.

Payments

ECB names 36 firms for digital euro pilot ahead of 2027 trial

ECB picks 36 firms for digital euro pilot The European Central Bank has selected 36 payment service providers, including Stripe, Revolut, Deutsche Bank, UniCredit and BPCE, for a 12-month digital euro pilot due to start in the second half of 2027. The group was chosen from more than 50 applicants and will help test user access and merchant payments as the ECB steps up preparations for a CBDC rollout across the euro area.

Payments

Naver Makes First Crypto Bet With Investment in US Stablecoin Payments Firm Rain

Naver backs Rain in first crypto investment Naver Ventures joined Rain’s $250 million Series C, marking Naver’s first investment in a crypto company as it looks to build stablecoin payments using Rain’s Visa-linked infrastructure. Rain can issue cards and settle directly with Visa, letting stablecoins be converted to local currency at checkout across about 150 million merchants in roughly 150 countries. The move could support global expansion for Naver Pay, but synergies still depend on the delayed Naver Financial-Dunamu merger.

July 13, 2026

Payments

Kraken launches debit card for eligible users in the UK and EEA

Kraken launches debit card for UK and EEA users Kraken has rolled out the Kraken Card for eligible customers in the UK and EEA, letting them spend crypto and cash balances directly anywhere Mastercard is accepted. The debit card supports more than 600 currencies, converts funds near real-time at checkout, and offers up to 2% cashback paid weekly in Bitcoin, euros, or pounds, with no Kraken transaction or ATM fees.

Payments

Lawson to Trial JPYC Stablecoin Payments at Tokyo Store in August

Lawson to test yen stablecoin payments at Tokyo store in August Lawson will start a proof-of-concept in early August at its Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo, letting shoppers pay with yen-pegged stablecoin JPYC by showing a wallet barcode that staff scan at the POS. Lawson says it is Japan’s first stablecoin payment trial directly tied to a POS system, and will use it to test transaction speed and integration stability before deciding on a wider rollout.