The latest payments, banking, lending, digital asset and AI in finance news from every region, reported from the primary source and read with a sceptical eye.
On 6 October 2026, Affirm and Klarna both announced checkout distribution deals within 30 minutes of each other. One goes through a payment platform and the other through a single merchant.
October 9, 2026
October 9, 2026
October 9, 2026
October 9, 2026
Card networks, real-time payment rails, stablecoin settlement and AI agent checkout, tracked in every region.
More paymentsVenmo will pay an extra 1% on top of 3% cash back on dining and entertainment when cardholders split the bill in its app, from 15 October 2026.
October 8, 2026
Digital banks, charters, embedded finance, credit facilities and mortgage technology, from releases and filings.
More banking and lendingWayfair has renewed with Klarna and added six-month interest-free financing across its brands. The deal shows where buy now, pay later is heading: bigger baskets and longer terms.
October 8, 2026
October 7, 2026
Generative AI in financial services, digital identity and fraud prevention, and the wealthtech stack behind advisers.
More ai, identity and wealthM1 has put a fiduciary duty behind an AI adviser that reads clients' real accounts. The legal accountability is new; the conflicts around M1's own lending products are worth watching.
October 8, 2026
Stablecoins, tokenisation, custody and the institutions building on crypto rails, judged on settlement rather than price.
More digital assetsPayward, the company behind Kraken, has plugged into Singapore Gulf Bank's real-time clearing network so institutions in Asia and the Gulf can settle dollars at any hour, starting with a select group of clients.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Fintech funding rounds, acquisitions and facilities, with the terms each announcement leaves out.
More funding and dealsOne bank issues the card and funds the lender behind it. The release gives no rates, limits or HELOC details, so the 6% cash-back headline is the only number a homeowner can check.
October 4, 2026
September 20, 2026
