Walmart’s fintech arm, OnePay, has entered the mobile phone market, offering customers bundled mobile plans alongside its financial services. This strategic move deepens Walmart’s ecosystem, positioning OnePay as more than just a payments and banking player. By integrating telecom services, Walmart strengthens customer stickiness and opens new revenue channels. The initiative could set a precedent for other retailers exploring fintech–telecom convergence. With its massive retail footprint, Walmart is well placed to cross-sell services and accelerate adoption. The expansion underscores the trend of fintechs evolving into multi-service platforms that integrate daily consumer needs.
Insight of the Day
Stablecoins Timeline
1. The Genesis Era (2014-2017): Solving Crypto’s Native Problems
The first stablecoins emerged in 2014 to address problems within the crypto ecosystem, where traders needed a stable asset to transact without constantly converting back into traditional fiat currency. BitShares pioneered the first crypto-collateralized stablecoin (BITUSD), while Tether (USDT) introduced the fiat-backed model that soon became a critical liquidity bridge for exchanges. Later, MakerDAO (DAI) built upon the decentralized approach with an over-collateralized crypto-backed design.
2. The Experiment Era (2018-2022): Refining Models and Testing Boundaries
As the crypto market grew, a new wave of issuers entered to refine existing models and experiment with new ones. Regulated financial institutions like Paxos (USDP) and Circle (USDC) launched compliant, audited stablecoins to attract institutional capital, with Paxos even tokenizing real-world assets like gold (PAXG). At the same time, major banks like JPMorgan Chase built private stablecoins (JPM Coin) for internal settlements.
The motivations became more diverse and business-focused, shifting to goals like monetizing trust, improving corporate efficiency, and controlling a platform’s ecosystem, as seen with Binance’s BUSD. This era’s ambitious search for new models also led to the rise and catastrophic fall of the algorithmic stablecoin Terra (UST), which served as a stark warning about risk and marked a pivotal end to the period of unchecked experimentation.
Curated News
💳 Payments
Stripe Unveils Tempo: A Stablecoin Payments Blockchain
Stripe has launched Tempo, a blockchain network dedicated to stablecoin payments. The move highlights growing demand for faster, regulated cross-border payment solutions and puts Stripe in direct competition with crypto-native firms.
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Mastercard & Qlub Modernize GCC Hospitality Payments
Mastercard has partnered with Qlub to digitize payments in the Gulf hospitality sector. The collaboration targets seamless dining payments, reducing friction for consumers and restaurants alike.
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AEON Pay Launches Crypto Scan-to-Pay in Brazil
AEON Pay has introduced a crypto scan-to-pay feature using Brazil’s PIX QR code system. This integration merges mainstream payment rails with crypto, boosting digital currency usability in everyday transactions.
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🏦 Banking
Equipifi Adds BNPL to Jack Henry’s Core Banking
Equipifi has integrated its BNPL offering into Jack Henry’s SilverLake platform, allowing banks to deliver installment lending within core banking systems. This enables community banks to better compete with fintech BNPL providers.
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ebankIT Unveils AI Transactional Banking Assistant
ebankIT is set to launch a next-gen AI banking assistant at FinovateFall 2025. Powered by agentic AI, the tool aims to improve customer service and transactional efficiency in digital banking.
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💸 Fintech
Lead Raises $70M to Power Fintech-Focused Banking
Lead, a bank dedicated to fintech companies, secured $70 million in new funding. The capital will help scale its specialized banking services, catering to the needs of rapidly growing fintech startups.
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Spinwheel Gains Citi Ventures Backing
Spinwheel has secured investment from Citi Ventures to accelerate its consumer credit ecosystem. The funding will fuel product development aimed at reshaping debt management and credit optimization.
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Chargebacks911 & cside Partner for Next-Gen Merchant Security
Chargebacks911 has teamed up with cside to strengthen chargeback protection and client-side security for merchants. The partnership seeks to enhance fraud prevention and reduce losses for global retailers.
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🪙 Crypto
Gemini Expands in Europe With Derivatives & Staking
Gemini has launched crypto derivatives and ETH/SOL staking services across Europe. The expansion strengthens its global footprint and offers European investors more diversified crypto products.
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1Money Secures 34 U.S. Money Transmitter Licenses
Stablecoin processor 1Money has obtained 34 U.S. licenses, clearing regulatory hurdles to scale its payment network. This positions it as a major competitor in regulated stablecoin infrastructure.
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Taiwan VC Firm to Launch $1B Bitcoin Fund
A Taiwan-based venture capital firm plans to raise $1 billion for a Bitcoin-focused fund supporting Asian treasuries. The initiative could significantly boost institutional adoption of Bitcoin in the region.
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Elliptic Powers Risk Intelligence for BVNK Layer1
Elliptic is providing compliance and risk intelligence to BVNK’s Layer1 platform, enabling large-scale stablecoin payments and trading. This collaboration highlights the growing need for robust AML tools in crypto infrastructure.
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📈 WealthTech
Citi Wealth’s $80B Mandate Shifts Toward BlackRock
Citi Wealth has allocated an $80 billion mandate to BlackRock, marking a shift in institutional wealth management strategies. The move could reshape competitive dynamics in the global asset management space.
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Pave Finance Raises $14M for AI WealthTech
Pave Finance, an AI-driven personalized wealth management startup, raised $14 million in an oversubscribed seed round. The funds will accelerate product development and client acquisition.
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Pointsville Raises Series A for Asset Digitization
Pointsville secured Series A funding led by Valor Capital Group to expand asset digitization and real-world asset tokenization. The raise highlights growing investor demand for tokenized investment platforms.
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📜 Regulation
BoE & BIS Collaborate on ISO 20022 Data Platform
The Bank of England and BIS are developing a platform to enhance ISO 20022 data usage in payments. The initiative aims to improve cross-border efficiency and compliance in the evolving global financial system.
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LSEG Agrees to Share Data Centre Rooftop After FCA Probe
The London Stock Exchange Group will open access to its data centre rooftop following a competition investigation by the FCA. The move addresses regulatory concerns about fair market infrastructure access.
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🧩 Other
Tangram & INSTANDA Launch Guard Insurance Product
Tangram has partnered with INSTANDA to release a new security guard insurance solution. The product demonstrates growing demand for specialized insurance in the gig and contract work sector.
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Elysian Raises $6M to Reinvent Insurance Claims With AI
Elysian secured $6 million in seed funding to develop its AI-native insurance claims platform. The company aims to streamline claims processing and reduce costs for insurers.
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