Mastercard and SoFi are working to bring stablecoin settlement to card payments, connecting blockchain-based settlement with established card infrastructure. The partnership focuses on using stablecoins to settle transactions while maintaining the existing card-payment experience. It represents another step toward integrating stablecoins into mainstream financial infrastructure rather than limiting them to crypto-native use cases. For fintechs and banks, the model could create new ways to move and settle funds across existing payment networks. The initiative also highlights the growing convergence between traditional card networks, regulated financial institutions and stablecoin infrastructure.
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Insight of the Day
What Is The PayPal Mafia Building In 2026?
Twenty years after PayPal, the same group of founders and early employees now sits atop SpaceX, xAI, Affirm, Palantir, Craft Ventures, and more.
PayPal’s founding team has produced more billion-dollar outcomes than any other single startup alumni network in tech history, and in 2026 that group isn’t slowing down, it’s rotating into an entirely new set of frontiers (AI drug discovery, orbital rockets, defense software, and federal science policy). Twenty years removed from the company that made them famous, here’s what the PayPal Mafia is actually building right now.
The PayPal Mafia’s staying power isn’t really about the original company at all, it’s about what happens when a single early-stage team gets exposed to the full stack of what it takes to build something from nothing, then goes and does it again a dozen different times across totally unrelated industries. For founders, the pattern worth studying is the range. The same people who built a payments company in the early 2000s are now running rocket companies, AI drug discovery labs, defense software firms, and federal policy councils, often backing each other’s companies along the way through firms like Founders Fund and Craft Ventures. For investors, this group is a two-decade case study in what early operating experience compounds into when it’s paired with capital and a standing network willing to keep betting on each other.
Curated News
💳 Payments
Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers Establish Benchmark for Agentic Commerce in Canada
Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers have established a framework for secure, consumer-controlled agentic commerce in Canada. The initiative focuses on enabling AI agents to transact while keeping consumers in control of their payments and data.
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ACI Worldwide to Support Payments Orchestrated Through Swift
ACI Worldwide is expanding its payments capabilities to support payment flows orchestrated through Swift. The integration connects ACI’s payment infrastructure with Swift’s global financial messaging network.
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Thunes Powers J.P. Morgan Payments’ Xpedite Remit
Thunes is powering J.P. Morgan Payments’ Xpedite Remit solution to accelerate global payouts. The partnership combines Thunes’ cross-border payments infrastructure with J.P. Morgan’s institutional payments network.
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Finzly Certified for Request for Payment on RTP Network
Finzly has been certified for Request for Payment on The Clearing House’s RTP network. The capability gives financial institutions another way to facilitate real-time payment requests.
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🏦 Banking
Canada’s Big Six Banks to Launch Interbank Tokenized Deposit Initiative
Canada’s six largest banks are preparing an interbank initiative focused on tokenized deposits. The project brings major incumbent banks together around blockchain-based deposit infrastructure.
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Nationwide Taps Equifax UK for In-App Credit Scores
Nationwide is partnering with Equifax UK to provide in-app credit scores to 6 million users. The integration will give customers access to credit information directly within their banking experience.
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Deutsche Bank Private Bank Launches Agentic AI for KYC
Deutsche Bank Private Bank has launched an agentic AI solution for Source of Wealth KYC processes. The technology is designed to automate parts of customer due-diligence workflows.
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Airtel Money Targets Up to $9B Valuation in London IPO
Airtel Money is targeting a valuation of up to $9 billion in a planned London IPO, according to the Financial Times as reported by Reuters. The potential listing would represent a major capital-markets event for the African fintech business.
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💼 Fintech
Promenaut Launches With $8.9M and HSBC as Strategic Design Partner
Promenaut has launched with $8.9 million in funding and HSBC as a strategic design partner. The company is building an enterprise agentic-workforce platform aimed at automating business processes.
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Mirai RiskTech Raises €5M
Mirai RiskTech has raised €5 million from Inveready to support its global expansion. The company provides technology focused on risk management for financial institutions.
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Monzo EU Chief Leaves to Launch Startup
Monzo’s European chief has left the company to launch a new startup. The move adds another fintech founder to the growing pool of executives spinning out from established digital banks.
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BlackRock and Capital Group Set to Back GCash Owner IPO
BlackRock and Capital Group are reportedly set to back the IPO of the company behind Philippine digital wallet GCash. The participation would bring major global asset managers into one of Southeast Asia’s prominent fintech listings.
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🪙 Crypto
Visa and Reap to Launch Stablecoin Cards in 100 Markets
Visa and Reap are preparing to launch stablecoin-linked cards across 100 markets. The initiative could expand the practical use of stablecoins by connecting them to conventional card-payment infrastructure.
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BVNK Expands Multi-Chain Stablecoin Infrastructure With Stellar
BVNK is expanding its multi-chain stablecoin infrastructure through an integration with Stellar. The partnership broadens the blockchain networks supported by BVNK’s stablecoin infrastructure.
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Google Cloud Partners With Puffer on Ethereum Infrastructure
Google Cloud is partnering with Puffer on Ethereum infrastructure. The collaboration brings cloud infrastructure capabilities to a blockchain-focused technology platform.
Source
Bitcoin Breaks Out as Nasdaq Hits Records and Oil Slides
Bitcoin has risen as Nasdaq reaches records and oil prices decline amid hopes for developments around Iran. The move comes alongside broader shifts across global financial markets.
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📈 WealthTech
Human Engagement Is the Centre of AI Adoption
A new report from Kaplan highlights the importance of human engagement in the adoption of AI. The findings focus on how financial professionals and organizations can incorporate AI while maintaining meaningful human involvement.
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⚖️ Regulation
Banks Warn AI Shopping Bots Raise Fraud and Privacy Risks
Banks are warning that AI shopping bots could introduce new scam, fraud and data-privacy risks. The concerns reflect challenges around allowing autonomous agents to access financial and payment systems on behalf of consumers.
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Russian Fintech A7 Accused of Exploiting Bank Controls
A Finextra report says Russian fintech A7 exploited bank controls to funnel billions of dollars in sanctioned payments. The report concerns alleged circumvention of financial controls and sanctions.
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Polymarket Reportedly Lobbies European Regulators
Polymarket is reportedly lobbying European governments over whether its prediction-market platform should be treated as a gambling website. The issue concerns how prediction markets are classified under European regulatory frameworks.
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Worth being precise about what changed. Cardholders and merchants see nothing new. What moved on-chain is SoFi’s own settlement with Mastercard as the card issuer, in SoFiUSD, which SoFi Bank issues itself and backs mostly with cash.