https://streamcode.gr/en/news/category/fintech/ Payments, banks and financial technology, with a short English summary and a link to the original article. en https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-visa-ecommerce-risk-tools-agentic-commerce/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-visa-ecommerce-risk-tools-agentic-commerce/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 James Mirfin, Visa's global head of risk and security intelligence solutions, told American Banker that the technologies protecting online shopping can also be applied to payments made by AI agents. He pointed to strong authentication and tokenisation, where a digital token replaces the card number and is limited to a specific use. He stressed that agentic commerce standards should be open and should not compete with one another. Industry advisers note that rules for disputed transactions do not yet clearly cover purchases made by agents. The discussion comes in a week when banks are showing strong caution towards outside agents seeking account access. Visa's position is that not everything has to be invented from scratch: a token that only allows a specific merchant, amount or time window already works as a fence around an agent. For Greek merchants and payment providers this is good news, because the infrastructure built for PSD2 and strong customer authentication can be extended rather than replaced. The big open question is liability. If an agent buys five tickets instead of one, who pays: the user, the agent provider or the merchant? The EU Payment Services Regulation, now heading for a vote, is the right moment to settle this. Until then, Greek businesses accepting orders from agents should set a clear refund and dispute policy and log which tool started each order. Software vendors can already offer per-agent spending limits as a feature. (Source: American Banker) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-visa-china-domestic-clearing-preparation/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-visa-china-domestic-clearing-preparation/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 The People's Bank of China has approved Visa's application to prepare a domestic bankcard clearing institution. The approval lets the company start formal preparations but not yet process domestic yuan transactions. According to Chinese media, Visa has a year to complete preparations and must then apply for permission to operate. CEO Ryan McInerney linked the step to steadier relations between the US and China. China's payment market is dominated by UnionPay and by digital wallets such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, so a possible Visa entry will not shift the balance quickly. The significance of the news is more geopolitical and long term. It shows that payments remain an area where states control access, and that licences come step by step, often alongside diplomatic developments. For Europe the case is a reminder of why the EU is investing in its own rails such as Wero and the digital euro: reliance on a few international networks is a strategic risk. For Greek tourism and retail businesses the practical issue is different. Chinese visitors mostly pay with UnionPay and QR wallets, and anyone wanting to serve them should check whether their POS provider already supports those methods. Visa's approval does not change that soon. For exporters to China, a gradually opening market could eventually make collecting payments from Chinese buyers simpler. (Source: Visa) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-splitit-world-mastercard-installments/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-splitit-world-mastercard-installments/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Instalment payments platform Splitit has announced the Splitit World Mastercard, a white-label credit card for mid-sized banks and credit unions. Everyday purchases are paid in full within 30 days, while purchases above a threshold chosen by the cardholder are automatically split into predictable monthly payments. Users can change the plan in the app before the statement is issued. Splitit supplies the instalment technology and app, while the bank keeps the customer relationship and its brand. The product shows how buy-now-pay-later providers are trying to work inside banks instead of competing with them at the merchant checkout. For mid-sized banks, a white-label solution lets them offer something comparable to Klarna without building it from scratch. In Greece, interest-free card instalments are already common but are usually set by the merchant at the point of sale. A model where the cardholder decides in advance above which amount they want instalments changes that relationship and could appeal to cooperative and smaller banks trying to retain customers. There is a regulatory side too. The EU's revised Consumer Credit Directive, which member states must apply over the next few years, brings BNPL products under stricter disclosure and creditworthiness rules. Anyone designing similar products in Greece should build those requirements in from day one. For merchants, wider use of such cards means instalments may no longer need a special acquirer agreement. (Source: Splitit (PR Newswire)) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-revolut-mobile-launches-germany/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-revolut-mobile-launches-germany/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Revolut has launched Revolut Mobile in Germany, a €14.99-a-month mobile plan that customers sign up for and manage inside its app. It runs on Telefónica Deutschland's network with 1GLOBAL as technical partner. It includes 120 GB of 5G data, unlimited calls within Germany, 40 GB of EU roaming and eSIM support, and the fee can be paid partly with RevPoints. Germany is the fourth market after the UK, Poland and the Netherlands. Revolut does not want to be a telecoms operator for the plan revenue but to bring customers into its app more often and keep them longer. Every added service, from insurance to mobile, makes switching to another bank harder. That is the super-app logic already common in Asia and spreading in Europe mainly through neobanks. For Greek banks, the example shows that competition is no longer only about rates and fees but about how useful the app is in everyday life. For Greek telecoms operators, it suggests that wholesale network access can become a distribution channel through third parties with large customer bases. If Revolut brings the service to Greece, where it has a sizeable user base, it will need a local network partner and compliance with EETT rules. For smaller businesses, linking subscriptions to rewards is an idea that also works at a modest scale, for example in loyalty apps built for local chains. (Source: The Paypers) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-pliant-fca-emi-licence-uk/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-pliant-fca-emi-licence-uk/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Pliant, a Berlin company offering corporate cards and B2B payment technology, has secured an electronic money institution licence from the FCA for its British subsidiary. Pliant Payments Limited can now launch products and onboard UK customers directly rather than through a partner. The FCA review covered customer onboarding, risk management, safeguarding of funds and internal controls. The company aims to serve businesses, banks and public sector bodies. Since Brexit, European fintechs cannot use the EU passport to operate in Britain, so a separate licence is practically required for a serious presence. Pliant's case shows what a regulator looks at before granting one: how customers are identified, how funds are protected and whether internal controls are real. Those are the same points the Bank of Greece checks for payment institutions, so any Greek company thinking about applying for a licence will find a useful preparation guide here. For Greek businesses with subsidiaries or customers in Britain, more corporate card providers mean more options for per-employee spending control and automatic reconciliation with accounting. Competition in corporate cards usually pushes down FX charges and monthly fees. The question for a finance director is whether the provider connects to the company's accounting system and whether transaction data can be exported easily for tax filings and audits. Firms should also check where card data is stored after Brexit, since UK and EU data protection regimes now differ in detail. (Source: FinTech Global) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-payward-kraken-acquires-saldo-bank/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-payward-kraken-acquires-saldo-bank/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Finland's Saldo Finance Oy. Its subsidiary Saldo Bank UAB is a digital bank licensed in Lithuania, active in four markets with a passport into the Netherlands. After closing, expected in 2027 subject to regulatory approval, Payward plans to offer interest on deposits, loans, cards and SEPA payments. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal shows that large crypto firms are no longer satisfied with e-money or MiCA licences and want a full banking licence so they can hold deposits and lend. For European competition this means customers may soon see a euro account, crypto investments and loans backed by those assets inside one app, something traditional banks rarely offer. Through EU passporting, a bank licensed in Lithuania could in principle expand to other member states, Greece included, if it chooses to. For Greek banks and fintechs, the message is that competition for digital customers is also coming from companies with a different culture and pace. For supervisors, the case will test how prudential rules apply to a group with significant crypto exposure. Businesses already using crypto platforms to pay suppliers should watch which services become available and under what deposit guarantee, because that changes the risk profile of their cash holdings and how treasury policies should treat those balances. (Source: Payward) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-juspay-fy26-revenue-global-ai/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-juspay-fy26-revenue-global-ai/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 India's Juspay, a payments technology provider based in Bengaluru, reported revenue of $75 million for fiscal 2026, up 24%. The company processes about 400 million transactions a day for more than 500 enterprises and banks, with annualised volume above $1 trillion. It is investing in AI platforms, including the open-source enterprise tool Xyne, and in agentic commerce. Management says these investments weigh on near-term financials. Juspay is little known in Europe, yet it sits behind the payment flows of large digital businesses such as airlines, travel platforms and e-commerce players. Its expansion shows that know-how built around India's UPI, one of the busiest instant payment systems in the world, is becoming an export product. For Europe, where instant payments are now mandatory for banks and Wero is spreading, experience in orchestrating many payment methods and routing transactions with high availability is valuable. For Greek businesses with heavy online sales, payment orchestration deserves attention: a layer that automatically picks the best acquirer or method can cut failures and fees. The bet on open-source AI tools also points to a strategy smaller Greek providers could follow, releasing tools openly to win trust and a community while earning from support and services. The admission of margin pressure is a reminder that AI demands patience and capital before it pays off. (Source: FinTech Global) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-fragment-12m-ledger-for-ai-agents/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-fragment-12m-ledger-for-ai-agents/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Fragment, a New York startup, announced a $12 million Series A co-led by FirstMark and BoxGroup. The company builds software building blocks that let AI agents handle billing, payments and accounting safely. Its system relies on double-entry bookkeeping and checks that entries balance before any money moves. It follows an $11 million seed round led by Stripe. The idea behind Fragment is simple but important: if an autonomous program is going to move money, every move should pass a neutral check that does not depend on the model's judgement. Double-entry bookkeeping has done exactly that for centuries, and using it as a brake on agents is more reliable than any instruction in a prompt. For Greek software companies building automation for invoicing, collections or supplier payments, the lesson is to separate decision logic from record keeping. An agent may propose a payment, but a rules engine should confirm there is a matching document, the amount fits and no limit is breached. In Greece this ties directly to myDATA, where income and expenses must match what is reported to AADE, so an agent's mistake can become a tax problem as well as a financial one. Builders of such tools should also keep an immutable history of entries, so the accountant can reconstruct who did what and when. (Source: Fortune) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-barclaycard-visa-unified-checkout-uk/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-barclaycard-visa-unified-checkout-uk/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Barclaycard Payments is embedding Visa's Unified Checkout into its Smartpay Fuse payment gateway. Merchants get access through a single integration to cards, Click to Pay, digital wallets, pay-by-link and invoicing. The solution is low-code and built on modular APIs, so it does not require a large developer team. The aim is higher online conversion and a more consistent experience across channels. The move shows that the payments battle is shifting from who accepts cards to how easily a merchant can add new payment methods without rewriting its online shop. One integration that covers cards, wallets and pay-by-link cuts development cost and reduces the number of places where things can break. In Greece, where many small online shops rely on basic bank solutions, the question is how fast local acquirers will follow. Pay-by-link and invoices with built-in payment are especially useful for service professionals and B2B sales, where customers pay after receiving the document. If that is tied to e-invoicing, which is becoming mandatory in Greece, collections could speed up noticeably. Click to Pay also shows the card schemes trying to compete with Apple and Google wallets. Greek developers building e-shops should favour gateways with modular APIs, so adding Wero or other methods does not mean starting a new project from scratch. (Source: Visa UK) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-bank-of-america-mythos-1000-contractors/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-15-bank-of-america-mythos-1000-contractors/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said the bank added 1,000 outside contractors in the second quarter to fix software vulnerabilities uncovered by advanced AI models such as Anthropic's Mythos. They work alongside about 3,000 internal staff. Software remediation together with anti-money laundering compliance work cost more than two hundred million dollars in the third quarter. The bank expects these costs to fall and projects $700 million in savings from 130 internal AI projects. This is one of the first times a major bank has put concrete numbers on the cost of defending against vulnerabilities exposed by new AI models. The conclusion is that AI does not only bring savings, it also creates a sudden bill for anyone with old code and many software vendors. Greek banks and payment providers face a similar problem on a smaller scale: decades-old systems, third-party dependencies and limited security staff. Under DORA, responsibility for flaws in third-party software does not pass to the vendor, so contracts need fix deadlines and audit rights. For Greek software firms selling to banks, it means they will be asked to prove they have tested their code with the same tools attackers use. The right response is not panic but an application inventory, prioritised critical systems and scheduled AI-assisted reviews before rushed mass hiring becomes necessary. Security budgets for 2027 should reflect this new workload. (Source: CNBC) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-wells-fargo-stablecoin-consortium/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-wells-fargo-stablecoin-consortium/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 On its earnings call, Wells Fargo’s CEO said the bank is building digital payment solutions while U.S. stablecoin use cases remain unclear. Wells Fargo is part of a group of about 21 institutions aiming to issue a dollar stablecoin in the first half of 2027. It has already launched tokenized deposits for corporate clients. Named participants include Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs and European banks such as Deutsche Bank and Santander. Wells Fargo’s prepare-without-clear-demand stance is useful for Greek banks studying EMTs under MiCA: rails must exist before commercial use is obvious. Large-bank consortia may set interoperability standards that later shape euro and dollar cross-border flows. For importers and exporters, the near-term interest is 24/7 transfers and programmable payments via tokenized deposits. GENIUS Act and MiCA compliance will decide which products reach European customers. SMEs should ask their banks which digital settlement options will be supported in 2027 so they are not stuck on slow correspondent channels. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. (Source: Spheric News) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-rain-embedded-stablecoin-wallets/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-rain-embedded-stablecoin-wallets/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Rain introduced embedded stablecoin wallets that partners can offer inside their own apps. Non-custodial wallets are available today across 12 networks and connect to cards, virtual accounts, onramps, offramps and local-currency payouts. Users can receive, spend and send from one balance without managing a seed phrase. Custodial wallets and balance-earning features are planned by year-end. The launch shows stablecoin payments moving from experiments into account-like experiences inside existing apps. For Greek fintechs and marketplaces, the appeal is one integration for receipts, cards and payouts, provided MiCA compliance and key custody are clear. Non-custodial designs reduce some custody risk but shift UX and recovery duties into product design. Firms serving cross-border freelancers must check supported currencies, chains and AML duties. Before adoption, legal teams should assess whether the service is a CASP activity or must run through a licensed EU partner. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. (Source: Rain) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-jpmorgan-blocks-external-ai-agents/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-jpmorgan-blocks-external-ai-agents/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said the bank will not let outside AI agents enter customer accounts and act on their behalf. A spokeswoman confirmed third parties are blocked from logging in with customer credentials. Agents may still see some data in a read-only way through open-banking connectors, but cannot send money or pay bills. The bank is piloting an internal Smart Cash tool and warned customers about liability transfer when they use outside agents. The stance of the largest U.S. bank shows agentic finance will be built with bank controls, not free credential access. For Greek banks and fintechs, it reinforces strong authentication, scoped consent and clear liability when software pays for a customer. Teams building agents for bookkeeping or supplier payments should design open-banking connections with limited scopes instead of screen scraping. Business customers need warnings that authorising an agent may shift liability to them. The same pressure will reach Europe through PSD3 and agentic-payment debates, so product roadmaps should assume write access will stay gated. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. (Source: CNBC) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-harbor-10m-ai-agent-risk/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-harbor-10m-ai-agent-risk/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Harbor announced $10 million in seed funding from Base10, Abstract and 8VC for a platform that manages AI-agent risk. The product inventories a company’s agents, scores operational, security and regulatory risk, and can block actions that break internal rules. It also offers insurance when an agent fails or causes a loss. Harbor targets banks, insurers and other regulated firms in the United States, Europe and Latin America. Specialised agent insurance shows traditional cyber and E&O policies may exclude or misprice this risk. For Greek banks, insurers and fintechs, the first step is an agent inventory and action-approval policies before shopping for cover. Without measurement, insurers cannot price and customers cannot prove control to auditors. Mapping to frameworks such as NIST and the AI Act helps compliance but does not replace internal controls. Teams building payment or collections agents should design kill switches and human approval for high-risk actions from day one. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. (Source: Insurance Journal) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-bny-citadel-tokenized-treasury-repo/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-14-bny-citadel-tokenized-treasury-repo/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 BNY completed a triparty repo workflow with Citadel Securities using a tokenized representation of a U.S. Treasury. A two-year note was bought on Tradeweb, recorded on BNY’s private digital ledger, settled in minutes, then used as collateral in an overnight repo. BNY calls it the first use of tokenized assets on a major triparty repo platform. It also plans to extend settlement hours toward European and Asian trading sessions next year. The test shows institutional tokenisation moving from issuance pilots into live financing and collateral flows. For Greek banks, asset managers and payment firms, settlement and collateral infrastructure is changing faster than retail channels suggest. Anyone designing digital-cash or tokenized-deposit products should watch operating hours, private ledgers and compatibility with existing triparty models. Extending hours toward Europe in 2027 may affect cross-border dollar and euro liquidity. SMEs will not see POS changes overnight, but their bank partners will face pressure to modernise settlement and risk reporting. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. It belongs in operational planning for Greek SMEs. (Source: BNY) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-stripe-constructor-agentic-checkout/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-stripe-constructor-agentic-checkout/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Search company Constructor is working with Stripe on an Agentic Checkout offering. The goal is for an AI agent to find a product and complete payment inside the same conversation with the shopper. Constructor brings a recommendation engine that learns from buyer behaviour, while Stripe adds payment options such as Link, which has more than 250 million users. Payment providers want to be present at the moment an agent decides to buy. The partnership between Constructor and Stripe shows product search, catalogue and payment starting to work as a single service built for machines rather than for people browsing shop pages. When a shopper is chatting with an AI assistant, the classic path from homepage to basket to checkout no longer exists, and whichever provider sits at the point where the buying decision is made gains enormous value, which is why payment companies are rushing to integrate there. Link's large user base gives Stripe an advantage, since the agent can complete payment without the customer typing card details again, while Constructor's recommendation engine contributes knowledge of what the buyer probably wants. For shops, the risk is becoming invisible: if their product data is not clean, complete and up to date, agents will simply suggest a competitor, so investing in well-structured catalogues is now a sales issue rather than a technical detail. (Source: American Banker) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-shopify-ai-agents-catalog/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-shopify-ai-agents-catalog/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Shopify will let shoppers set up their own AI agents to buy products on their behalf. That gives more agents access to over a billion product listings. The move expands the company's push into so-called agentic commerce. For online stores, it means their customers will more often be software. Shopify letting shoppers set up their own AI agents to buy on their behalf opens access to more than a billion product listings and shows agentic commerce moving from announcements into practice. For online shops, the change is substantial: when the visitor is software, photos and page design matter less than data quality, meaning correct prices, accurate stock, complete specifications and clear shipping and returns terms. At the same time it raises new questions about payments and liability, such as who is responsible if an agent buys the wrong item or overspends, and how to prove what the customer had approved, issues payment providers are already trying to solve with new tools. For small online shops, the practical step today is to improve structured product data and feeds, because both search engines and agents will read them, and whoever has the cleanest catalogue will have an edge when the trend reaches Europe at scale. (Source: The Verge) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-india-upi-merchant-fee-delay/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-india-upi-merchant-fee-delay/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 NPCI, which runs India's UPI instant payment system, has postponed a 0.4% fee on merchant payments above 2,000 rupees that was due to start on 15 October. The rollout now moves to after Diwali, with no new date set. Retailers and fuel stations had threatened to stop accepting UPI. In September alone the network processed more than 24 billion transactions. The postponement of the UPI merchant fee shows the dilemma facing any instant payment system that became huge because it was free: someone eventually has to pay for the infrastructure, security and fraud protection, yet the first attempt to charge triggers immediate resistance. Retailers and fuel stations, which run on thin margins, threatened to stop accepting the system, and the operator chose not to risk disruption just before Diwali, the busiest shopping period of the year. The enormous monthly transaction volume shows how deeply UPI is embedded in daily life, which gives merchants bargaining power, since losing them would hurt the whole ecosystem. Europe will face the same question with instant euro payments and the digital euro, where merchant fees are already one of the most disputed points in negotiations, and India's experience suggests pricing should be designed early and transparently, before habits are formed and users expect payments to stay free forever. (Source: TechCrunch) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-amex-agent-purchase-intent/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-13-amex-agent-purchase-intent/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 American Express has introduced a framework that records and verifies what a customer actually approved before an AI agent completes a purchase. An API creates an intent with limits such as the merchant, a maximum budget and product preferences. That intent produces a token which gives the agent a temporary digital payment credential instead of the real card number. The tool is part of the Agentic Commerce Experiences toolkit Amex launched in April. The core problem with purchases made by AI agents is not technical but one of trust: when software pays on someone's behalf, it must be possible to prove later exactly what the cardholder approved, at which shop, up to what amount and for which kind of product. The American Express approach records that intent before the purchase and hands the agent a temporary token instead of the real card number, so a leak or a mistake by the agent has limited consequences and the card does not need replacing. Standards like this will in practice decide who bears the loss when an agent buys the wrong thing, whether the customer, the merchant or the issuer, and they will shape how easily transaction disputes are resolved. Online shops should watch which methods their payment providers support, because those unable to accept such tokens may be left out of purchases that increasingly start with an agent. (Source: TechCrunch) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-07-modern-treasury-rain-trust-banks/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-07-modern-treasury-rain-trust-banks/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Two payments infrastructure companies, Modern Treasury and Rain, filed applications on 5 October to set up limited-purpose national trust banks. Modern Treasury wants to add supervised digital asset custody, without lending and without issuing a stablecoin. Rain is aiming at custody, reserve management and stablecoin issuance for institutional clients. Both filings are still under review by the federal banking regulator. The applications by Modern Treasury and Rain for limited-purpose national trust charters show payments infrastructure firms no longer wanting to rely entirely on partner banks, and instead wanting to control more of the chain, especially digital asset custody and, in Rain's case, stablecoin issuance for institutional clients. A charter of this kind does not allow lending, but it places the company under direct federal supervision, which can raise the confidence of large clients who require regulated counterparties before entrusting their funds. It is another sign that stablecoins are moving from the fringe into the supervised banking system, a trend that in Europe takes shape through MiCA and the licences it sets out for issuers and providers. The applications are still under review, so nothing is guaranteed, but fintechs now choosing to seek banking supervision rather than avoid it shows how much the climate for digital currencies has changed. (Source: The Financial Current) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-06-wise-esim-qr-payments/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-06-wise-esim-qr-payments/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Wise has added eSIM data plans to its app that travellers size themselves by data and days, with refunds for anything left unused. It has also connected to local QR payment schemes such as Pix in Brazil and PayNow in Singapore. Through a partnership with Alipay+, users can pay merchants in more than 50 destinations, including mainland China. Alipay+ is not offered to customers in the US and Canada. With eSIM data plans and links to local QR payment schemes, Wise is gradually turning from an international money transfer app into an all-in-one travel app that covers both connectivity and spending without the traveller needing to switch cards or SIM cards. Refunds for unused data are a practical difference from many roaming packages, and show fintechs competing on simplicity and price transparency, where traditional providers often fall short. Access to schemes such as Pix and PayNow, along with the Alipay+ partnership, solves a real problem, since in many countries QR codes are the dominant way to pay and foreign cards are not always accepted by small shops. For mobile operators, the message is that roaming revenue outside Europe is under threat from players that are not even telecom companies, while for business travellers it means fewer apps and more predictable costs on every trip abroad, whether for a short meeting or a longer stay. (Source: PR Newswire (Wise)) https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-06-revolut-pay-harvey-norman-ireland/ https://streamcode.gr/en/news/2026-10-06-revolut-pay-harvey-norman-ireland/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0300 Revolut has partnered with Harvey Norman so shoppers can pay on the chain's Irish online store in one click, using their Revolut balance or saved cards. Revolut has more than 3.4 million customers in Ireland and 80 million worldwide. The company cites an average approval rate of 98.5% and checkout drop-off below 5%. The deal extends an existing partnership between the two firms in the UK. Revolut's deal with Harvey Norman in Ireland shows neobanks no longer content with offering accounts and cards, and wanting to sit on the merchant side as well, as a payment method at online checkouts, claiming a share of revenue that until now went to card networks and traditional processors. Revolut's large customer base in Ireland is a strong argument for the retailer, because one-click payment without typing in details reduces abandoned baskets, although the approval and drop-off rates the company cites are its own figures rather than an independent measurement. The fact that the partnership extends an existing relationship in the UK shows these deals are built step by step, market by market, on results the merchant has already seen. For European online shops, it means checkout options will grow beyond cards, and it is worth comparing costs and conversion before adding new payment methods to their own checkout. (Source: Business Plus)