UK big four go live on Swift consumer payments scheme
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest are first worldwide on Swift's consumer payments scheme — full-value, minutes-fast transfers aimed at Wise's moat.
Rick Steves
Senior Reporter, Regulation and Fintech
Rick Steves has seen business and economics through many lenses. He joined the financial services industry in 2009, and has been a financial journalist since 2011. He holds a degree in Business Administration and has experience producing real-time news, from both buy-side and sell-side, as well as for retail traders, brokers and service providers. Steves' work has appeared in a variety of online publications including FX Street, NewsBTC, FinanceFeeds, and The Industry Spread. Rick has great interest in the dynamics of the trading industry. The never-ending clash between technology, economics, regulation, and more importantly, the people.
July 2026
Visa takes agentic payments live with 30 European issuers
Visa's AI agents now buy from real European merchants, backed by 30+ issuers, Payment Passkeys and a trust protocol wired into Cloudflare and Akamai.
Why the SEC’s crypto ETF fast track stops at staking
The SEC's generic listing standards cut spot crypto ETP launches to ~75 days - but staking funds still need individual review. Four jurisdictions compared.
Prop trading regulation diverges as CFTC acts, ESMA waits
US prop firms are registering with the CFTC and NFA while ESMA drops the sector from its priorities — the July 2026 split that defines funded-trader rules.
Intesa Sanpaolo moves core banking to Google Cloud in Italy
Intesa Sanpaolo completed its core banking migration to Google Cloud's Turin and Milan regions — 800+ apps moved, and a sovereignty template for EU banks.
Crédit Agricole buys 100% of CAWL as Worldline refocuses
Crédit Agricole has bought out Worldline's stake in French merchant-payments JV CAWL, converting the tie-up to a commercial deal. Why banks want payments back.
EU AI Act delay spares credit-scoring AI; Aug 2 duties remain
The EU omnibus defers AI Act high-risk rules for credit scoring to December 2027, but August 2, 2026 transparency duties and penalties still land.
Microsoft taps Checkout.com for EMEA payments on Xbox, Azure
Microsoft hands Checkout.com its EMEA card acceptance for Xbox, 365 and Azure — why the regional unbundling matters for Adyen, Stripe and enterprise payments.
Event contracts split the CFTC from state gaming regulators
Event contracts pit the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction against state gaming law: Third Circuit ruling, Michigan's ban and a September 4 SCOTUS deadline, mapped.
DORA’s third-party oversight splits EU, UK and US resilience rules
DORA designates and fines critical ICT providers, the UK oversees without fining powers, and the US relies on guidance — a three-track resilience map for 2026.
SumUp launches a consumer bank account to rival the neobanks
SumUp is launching a consumer bank account with cashback at its own merchants — a two-sided network play Europe's neobanks like Revolut can't easily copy.
US crypto perp futures split from UK and EU retail rules in 2026
The CFTC brought crypto perpetual futures onshore in 2026 while the UK bans them for retail and the EU caps leverage at 2:1 — a five-jurisdiction split.
Airwallex raises $320m Series H at $11bn valuation
Airwallex raises $320m Series H at an $11bn valuation, betting a decade of cross-border payment licences is the real moat in the agentic-commerce race.
June 2026
CLARITY Act would split US crypto between the SEC and CFTC
The CLARITY Act (H.R.3633) would split US crypto between the SEC and CFTC — a model that diverges from MiCA, the UK's FCA and Singapore. Analysis and outlook.
Backbase buys Kasisto to bring agentic AI to core banking
Backbase has acquired agentic-AI pioneer Kasisto, the latest in a June cluster of agentic-banking deals as software vendors race to own the AI layer.
MiCA grandfathering ends July 1, resetting EU crypto access
MiCA's Article 143(3) grandfathering ends July 1, 2026 with no extension. With only ~204 CASPs authorised, thousands of EU crypto firms must license or exit.
Meta takes 20% of Cred in $900m deal, names Shah WhatsApp head
Meta is investing $900m for a 20% stake in India's Cred at a $4.5bn valuation and making founder Kunal Shah the global head of WhatsApp. What it signals.
Why the FATF Travel Rule still splits VASP compliance in 2026
In 2026, 85 jurisdictions have adopted the FATF Travel Rule but most don't enforce it. How the EU, UK, US and Singapore diverge — and the sunrise problem it leaves.
bunq opens its banking licence as a BaaS platform across the EU
bunq has opened bunq-as-a-Service to EU businesses, letting partners build regulated accounts and payments on its own bank licence — inverting the US BaaS model.
Float raises CAD $85m Series C at a $548m valuation
Float Financial raised CAD $85m at a $548m valuation, led by Inovia Capital, to build an AI finance platform — corporate-spend fintech's pivot accelerates.
Also filing this week: Karthik Subramanian and Abdelaziz Fathi.