Digital Currency

Mastercard Inc. has launched its Crypto Partner Program, an effort to bring together more than 85 companies and financial institutions involved in cryptocurrency payments around the world. The aim is to encourage dialogue and collaboration on crypto-based ventures. Bilt Technologies Inc., a payments and rewards platform related to homeownership, announced it …

Alchemy Pay, a payment gateway for cryptocurrency transactions, said it received a money-transmitter license in Delaware, the 15th state in which it has been so recognized. Strike, which offers services related to bitcoin, said it has received a BitLicense and money-transmitter license from the state of New York. Cinnaholic, a …

CPI Card Group Inc. posted improved fourth quarter and full year 2025 results with $153.1 million in fourth quarter revenue, up 22.4% from $125.1 million in the year prior quarter. Its net income for the quarter of $7.4 million was an 8.8% increase from $6.8 million a year earlier. For the …

Kraken Financial, a Wyoming-based special-purpose depository institution operated by Payward Inc., has become the first digital bank to get a Federal Reserve master account. With the account, Kraken will be able to settle transactions directly on core payment rails in the United States, such as Fedwire, the Federal Reserve’s real-time …

Google updated the software for its Pixel Watch with an express-pay feature that enables users to turn and tap a Pixel Watch against an NFC-equipped point-of-sale reader to make a purchase without the need to first open the Google Wallet app. E-commerce retailer Newegg Commerce Inc. said it has added Venmo as a …

PAR Technology Corp., a payments-technology provider, has launched PAR Retail Drive, an AI tool aimed at aiding convenience stores and fuel retailers in data analysis and decision-making. Shift4 Payments Inc. said it has closed on its acquisition of Bambora North America, collectively the North American unit of Worldline, the big Paris-based processor. …

N3XT Inc., a blockchain-powered bank, has partnered with YouHodler, a Web3 platform that supports crypto-backed loans, crypto-reward accounts, cryptocurrency trading, and universal currency exchange. Launched in 2025 by former Signature Bank executives, N3XT provides instant, programmable USD Coin business-to-business payments. A so-called narrow bank, N3XT Inc., uses smart contracts for automated, …

ATM operator Bitcoin Depot Inc. is moving into the social-betting arena with the acquisition of Kutt, a peer-to-peer social-betting platform. Meanwhile, ECI Software Solutions Inc., a business-software and management-services firm, acquired fintech Drypowder to help modernize its financial services platform, including digital payments. Atlanta-based Bitcoin Depot, known for its cryptocurrency …

Block is cutting its headcount by more than 40%, the company announced late Thursday during its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call. The move—which will leave Block with less than 6,000 employees, down from more than 10,000—comes as the fintech posted one of its best financial performances for 2025, according to company …

ATM deployer NCR Atleos Corp. said it has agreed to be acquired by The Brink’s Company in a transaction valued at approximately $6.6 billion, including 13.3 million shares of Brink’s common stock and $2.2 billion in cash. Brink’s will also assume approximately $2.6 billion in debt held by NCR Atleos. The deal, …