ING Completes One of Europe’s First Live Agentic Payment Transactions
ING has successfully executed a live end-to-end agentic payment transaction in production, marking a major milestone in the evolution of AI-driven commerce. The transaction demonstrated how autonomous software agents can initiate, manage, and complete payments with minimal human intervention, moving the concept of agentic finance from theory to reality. As banks, payment providers, and technology firms race to build infrastructure for AI-powered commerce, the successful deployment provides a glimpse into how future transactions may be conducted. The development has implications far beyond payments, potentially reshaping procurement, treasury management, subscriptions, and B2B commerce. By proving that agentic payments can function within real-world financial systems, ING and its partners are helping establish the foundations for autonomous financial services. The achievement also reinforces Europe’s growing role in shaping the next generation of financial infrastructure built around AI agents.
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The Future of Digital Assets
Digital assets should now be treated as a strategic infrastructure transition for banks, not as a niche innovation theme. The CEO task is not to predict the winning rail, but to keep the bank relevant, trusted, and in control as money, assets, and settlement become programmable.
What is happening
Crypto is already a ~$3 trillion asset class and stablecoins are ~$300 billion. Digital real-world assets (RWAs) are still small today, but are also the category with the biggest structural relevance for banking over the next decade.
Why it matters for banks
If digital assets scale quickly, pressure on transaction banking, Net Interest Income (NII), and legacy post-trade economics can become material. The risk is less about one product and more about losing client interface, balancesheet relevance, and control of critical infrastructure.
What management should do
Move from experimentation to strategic positioning. Quantify what is at risk, pick the ambition level by business line, and build the noregret capabilities that preserve optionality: wallet/custody, risk controls, and a bank-grade digital asset platform.
Numbers that matter
• Today’s market is dominated by crypto (~$3 trillion) and stablecoins (~$300 billion); Digital RWAs remain much smaller (~$30 billion publicly visible today).
• In progressive scenarios, Digital RWAs could reach roughly 16% of global investable assets by 2035, varying by asset class.
• In the report’s rapid digital expansion scenario, banks could face ~10% smaller balance sheets, ~14% lower revenues, and ~30% lower profits by 2035 versus the nodigital-asset case.
CEO implications now
• This is a strategic and governance issue, not just an innovation issue.
• The bank must decide where it wants to own the client interface, where it is willing to partner, and where it cannot afford to be a price taker.
• The right near-term objective is optionality with discipline: learn early and scale only where economics and controls support it.
Curated News
💳 Payments
Mastercard Advances Instant Global Payments
Mastercard has launched a TIPS cross-currency pilot designed to make international payments faster and more seamless. The initiative aims to connect instant payment networks and improve real-time cross-border settlement capabilities.
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Affirm Expands UK Reach Through Stripe Partnership
Affirm has partnered with Stripe to bring its buy now, pay later offering to UK merchants. The collaboration broadens consumer financing options while strengthening Affirm’s international expansion strategy.
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UK Payments Initiative Takes Aim at Card Giants
A new UK Payments Initiative has launched with the goal of challenging the dominance of Visa and Mastercard. The effort seeks to create greater competition and improve payment economics for merchants and consumers.
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KBank and Ant International Adopt JPMorgan’s Kinexys
KBank and Ant International are using JPMorgan’s Kinexys platform to enable real-time cross-border USD transactions. The move highlights growing demand for blockchain-powered payment infrastructure among major financial institutions.
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Apple Intensifies Wallet Competition
Apple is reportedly preparing automated bill-splitting functionality within Apple Wallet. The feature could strengthen user engagement and increase competition among digital wallet providers.
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Stablecoin Payments Expand Through TerraPay Partnership
TerraPay and PalWallet have partnered to enhance global stablecoin payment infrastructure and cross-border settlement capabilities. The collaboration reflects growing demand for digital dollar payment networks.
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Checkout.com Brings Stablecoin Acceptance to Merchants
Checkout.com has partnered with Coinbase to enable stablecoin payments for merchants. The launch gives businesses additional payment flexibility while accelerating mainstream adoption of digital assets.
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Worldline and ING Bring Agentic Payments Into Production
Worldline and ING have completed a live production deployment of an agentic payment workflow. The achievement demonstrates how AI agents can securely execute financial transactions within existing payment infrastructure.
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XTransfer and BBVA Expand Cross-Border Payment Access
XTransfer has partnered with BBVA to improve payment connectivity between Latin America and Europe. The collaboration aims to simplify international transactions for SMEs operating across regions.
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🏦 Banking
OpenAI Offers Cybersecurity Tools to UK Banks
OpenAI is reportedly making cybersecurity capabilities available to UK banks as access to competing AI models remains limited. The move highlights growing demand for advanced AI solutions within regulated financial institutions.
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UOB and FPT Partner on AI Banking Innovation
UOB and FPT have launched a partnership focused on AI and digital banking transformation. The initiative aims to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer experiences through intelligent automation.
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💼 Fintech
Gradient Labs Raises $26M for AI Banking Agents
Gradient Labs has secured $26 million to expand its AI agents designed specifically for banks. The funding reflects growing interest in specialized AI platforms that automate customer service, compliance, and operational workflows.
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Founderz Secures Strategic Backing for AI Banking Education
HearstLab and Fitch Learning have invested in Founderz to address AI literacy challenges within financial institutions. The initiative aims to equip banking professionals with the skills needed to navigate the AI era.
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OpenAI Expands Codex for Business Users
OpenAI has launched new Codex tools aimed at non-developers and reported strong growth in analytics-related usage. The release could accelerate AI adoption among business teams across financial services.
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🪙 Crypto
MoneyGram Launches Stablecoin on Stellar
MoneyGram has introduced its own stablecoin on the Stellar network, joining a growing wave of firms entering the digital dollar market. The launch strengthens the company’s position in blockchain-based payments and remittances.
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Franklin Templeton and MoonPay Target Institutional Yield Markets
Franklin Templeton and MoonPay have partnered to enable institutional investors to move between stablecoins and yield-generating products around the clock. The offering highlights increasing convergence between traditional asset management and digital assets.
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Ripple Expands Stablecoin Footprint in Turkey
Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin is now available through three Turkish platforms. The expansion strengthens RLUSD’s international reach and supports growing demand for regulated digital dollars.
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Coinbase Backs Ethena Ahead of Savings Launch
Coinbase has invested in Ethena as the company prepares to launch a new savings product. The move signals confidence in emerging stablecoin-based yield solutions.
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TON Surges on Telegram Rebranding Plans
TON’s price jumped after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov suggested the token could be rebranded as Gram. The announcement renewed investor interest in Telegram’s blockchain ecosystem.
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Strategy’s Bitcoin Sale Sparks Polymarket Dispute
A Bitcoin sale by Strategy has triggered controversy surrounding a $50 million prediction market wager. The incident highlights the growing intersection between crypto markets and prediction platforms.
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📈 WealthTech
Interactive Brokers Launches AI-Powered Agentic Trading
Interactive Brokers has introduced agentic trading capabilities powered by Claude. The offering allows investors to leverage AI agents for research, analysis, and trade execution, representing a major step toward autonomous investing.
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⚖️ Regulation
LSEG Launches Identity Gateway for Trusted Verification
LSEG Risk Intelligence has unveiled Identity Gateway, a platform designed to simplify access to trusted digital identity schemes. The solution aims to strengthen compliance, onboarding, and fraud prevention processes.
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