Canada Moves to Place Open Banking Under Central Bank Oversight
Canada’s 2025 Budget proposes assigning oversight of “consumer-driven banking” to the Bank of Canada, marking the country’s most significant governance shift since open banking discussions began. The central bank would be responsible for accreditation, supervision, and operational standards, tightening controls around data sharing and financial APIs. This move aligns Canada with global regulatory trends where central banks increasingly govern data portability and financial connectivity. The proposal aims to increase trust, reduce fragmentation, and accelerate commercial adoption. For fintechs and banks, the anticipated framework could unlock more standardized access to customer-permissioned data, enabling competitive product design and safer innovation across the sector.
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Insight of the Day
Is x402 Payments Protocol the Stripe for AI Agents?
“Remember when your browser said 404 Not Found? Well, now it might just say 402 – Payment Required.” This tongue-in-cheek greeting belies a serious development: x402, Coinbase’s new open payment protocol, injects native stablecoin payments directly into web traffic. It’s as if every HTTP request could carry a paywall of its own – one that AI agents and browsers could clear automatically. The crypto Twitterverse went wild (and wallets got itchy) when x402 launched, but beyond the meme coins and market caps lies a technically intriguing, and potentially transformative, vision for internet commerce. In this deep dive we’ll pry open x402’s guts, survey who’s trying it (and why), and sift the hype from the hard data. Buckle up – we’re about to pay attention to HTTP 402.
Curated News
💳 Payments
JCB and Agoda Partner to Enhance Travel Payment Experiences Across Asia
JCB and Agoda announced a regional partnership to improve digital travel payments, offering JCB cardholders more seamless checkout and exclusive travel benefits. The collaboration expands JCB’s presence in Asia’s fast-growing online travel segment and enhances Agoda’s payment acceptance capabilities.
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Alacriti Expands Visa Direct Integration for Real-Time Transfers
Alacriti broadened its Visa Direct integration to support real-time payments, payouts, and account funding across multiple use cases. The enhancement enables businesses to accelerate disbursements and improve customer experience with faster, API-driven money movement.
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WalletConnect Unveils Unified Payments Standard With Stablecoin Support
WalletConnect introduced a new payment standard aimed at unifying fragmented digital payments and incorporating stablecoin rails. The initiative positions WalletConnect as a potential interoperability layer for Web3 commerce as stablecoins move toward mainstream payments adoption.
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Adyen Launches Two New Terminals for In-Person Payments
Adyen released two new in-person payment terminals designed to improve mobility, flexibility, and omnichannel experiences. The devices strengthen Adyen’s hardware ecosystem as merchants increasingly seek unified commerce solutions.
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Pay3 Debuts Agentic Payments Platform for AI Finance
Pay3 introduced an agentic payments platform tailored for autonomous financial workflows and AI-driven transaction execution. The system promises faster routing, optimized payment decisions, and embedded intelligence for modern fintech stacks.
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Klarna and German Sparkasse Introduce Variable Recurring Payments
Klarna and the Sparkasse Finanzgruppe will offer Variable Recurring Payments (VRP), enabling more flexible automated payments beyond traditional direct debits. This update brings an open banking capability widely adopted in the UK into continental Europe.
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MoneyGram Partners With Oscilar for AI-Powered Risk Intelligence
MoneyGram will deploy Oscilar’s AI risk platform to advance fraud detection and compliance analytics across its global payments network. The initiative aims to reduce financial crime and enhance customer trust in increasingly cross-border digital transactions.
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🏦 Banking
Atom Bank Launches Easy Access ISA Offering Tax-Efficient Savings
Atom Bank released a new Easy Access ISA, allowing savers to earn interest tax-free with flexible withdrawals. The product strengthens Atom’s position in the UK savings market as customers seek higher-yield, digitally managed accounts.
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Monzo Tops UK Customer Satisfaction Rankings
Monzo outperformed Chase, Nationwide, and Starling in YouGov’s latest UK customer satisfaction study. The results highlight the challenger bank’s continued leadership in service quality and user experience as competition among neobanks intensifies.
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Santander Launches Navigator Global for U.S. Business Expansion
Santander introduced Navigator Global, a platform supporting U.S. businesses expanding into international markets through insights, tools, and advisory services. The offering reflects increasing demand for cross-border business enablement in a multipolar trade environment.
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PostFinance Enhances Fraud Protection With FICO Technology
PostFinance will integrate FICO’s decisioning technology to strengthen fraud prevention and customer communications. The upgrade aims to reduce losses, improve alerting accuracy, and streamline operational response.
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💼 Fintech
ADNOC and Comera Launch Smart Financing Solutions for UAE Suppliers
ADNOC partnered with Comera Financial Holdings to offer smart financing tools for UAE SMEs and suppliers. The initiative targets liquidity enhancement and supply-chain stability amid ongoing digitalization of corporate finance.
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ASA Unveils AI Suite to Help Banks and Credit Unions Boost Engagement
ASA launched an AI-driven suite designed to simplify data management and deliver automated financial wellness tools. The platform aims to help smaller institutions compete with digital-first players through personalization at scale.
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RS2 Publishes Whitepaper on Embedded B2B Finance Strategy
RS2 issued a whitepaper outlining how banks can tap into embedded B2B finance to diversify revenue and meet evolving corporate needs. The research emphasizes infrastructure modernization and platform partnerships as key levers for growth.
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DealMaker Raises $20M to Expand Digital Capital Raising
DealMaker secured $20M to scale its SaaS platform supporting digital securities issuance and retail capital formation. The platform aims to streamline compliance and investor onboarding for issuers.
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🪙 Crypto
Bancomat Plans Multi-Bank European Stablecoin Initiative
Italy’s Bancomat is coordinating with member banks to issue a European stablecoin supporting cross-border retail and commercial payments. The project signals accelerating institutional involvement in regulated digital money instruments.
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Bitwise Dogecoin ETF May Launch After SEC Filing
Bitwise filed for a Dogecoin ETF, opening the door for another meme-asset fund to enter U.S. markets. If approved, it would extend the crypto ETF ecosystem beyond major assets and test retail demand for thematic exposure.
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Cardsmiths Issues Physical Cards Backed by Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin
Cardsmiths released a line of physical “currency cards” containing over $500K in real crypto assets across BTC, ETH, and DOGE. The product merges collectible culture with crypto custody, targeting retail enthusiasts.
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Bitcoin ETFs Recover After Six-Day Downturn
Bitcoin ETFs experienced inflows after a prolonged negative streak as dip buyers returned to the market. The rebound highlights continued institutional participation despite volatility.
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📊 WealthTech
Peak XV Leads $40M Funding Round for Lighthouse Canton
Lighthouse Canton secured $40M led by Peak XV to scale its wealth and asset management solutions in Singapore. The capital will support technology expansion and regional growth in Asia’s increasingly competitive wealthtech market.
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📜 Regulation
TNFD Releases New Framework for Nature Data Upgrades
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures published recommendations for upgrading nature-related data and introduced a blueprint for a Nature Data Public Facility. The guidance aims to standardize ESG-nature reporting and improve decision-useful data for markets.
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CUBE Publishes 2025 Cost of Compliance Report Highlighting AI’s Role
CUBE released its 2025 Cost of Compliance Report, emphasizing how AI can help institutions manage rising regulatory complexity. The report predicts increased automation of monitoring and obligations mapping across global markets.
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