The digital-asset trading platform Kraken announced the U.S. launch of its Krak Card, a debit card that allows users to conduct transactions in cash and digital currencies. Issued by Kansas City, Mo.-based Lead Bank, the card can be used at Visa-accepting merchants and offers up to 2% cash back. Stripe Issuing …
Read More »COMMENTARY: Stablecoin Adoption Doesn’t Have To Be a Deposit Retention Problem
When people discuss mainstream stablecoin adoption, the conversation usually focuses on payments: Will consumers pay with stablecoins? Will merchants accept them? Will blockchain replace card networks? The bigger challenge is not payments—it is deposits. The real battle is where money lives, not how it moves. Banks have spent decades building …
Read More »Francisco Partners Acquires Weave and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/18/26
Francisco Partners has agreed to acquire Weave Communications Inc. in a deal valued at $650 million, representing a 34% premium to Weave’s share price. Weave is an 18-year-old payments-software developer specializing in health care. The news follows by a week Francisco Partners’ deal to acquire Canadian payments platform Moneris Solutions Corp. in a $1.43 …
Read More »Fiserv, Thunes Pair on Payouts and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/17/26
Clients of Fiserv Inc. will reach 12 billion bank accounts and mobile wallets for payouts in more than 140 countries through a collaboration between the processor and cross-border payments platform Thunes, the parties announced. Xsolla, which supports payments for videogame players, said it has added more than 15 local payment methods worldwide …
Read More »SMBs Readily Employ AI and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/12/26
A survey from Stax Payments found that 80% of small and midsize business executives have used artificial intelligence services for work they otherwise would have hired an advisor to complete. The survey, conducted in June, was of 500 U.S. business executives. Sionic said its Instant Bank Pay and Fraud Detection service, which it announced last …
Read More »Venmo Now in Google Play and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/10/26
PayPal Holdings Inc. said its Venmo payment service is available to consumers using the Google Play store, a digital content store. Google Play has accepted PayPal payments since 2014. Paysafe Ltd. announced it has launched PaysafeWallet in Poland. The digital wallet allows users to spend online or offline, withdraw cash, and send …
Read More »Repay Speaks up and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/7/26
Payments platform Repay Holdings Corp. launched REPAY Voice, a voice-response system using artificial intelligence to process consumers’ bill payments. Earlier this month, the company said it was working on a system to enable bill payments via text messaging. PAR Technology Corp., a specialist in restaurant point-of-sale processing, reported June-quarter revenue of $133.4 million, …
Read More »Stablecoins Come to Money Transfers Via Western Union’s Stablecard
The Western Union Co. and payments-technology developer Rain have launched a digital wallet and credit card that can enable money transfers using stablecoins from a card-linked account. Called Stablecard, the product works with the stablecoin USDPT, also introduced Tuesday. Stablecard is going live in 37 markets, according to Western Union, …
Read More »Apps and Digital Wallets Outpace Other Payment Methods
More evidence has emerged that consumers are wholeheartedly embracing payment apps and digital wallets as these two payment methods are used by most consumers, finds the WSFS Bank 2026 Money Trends Survey. Among the 1,022 respondents, 73% regularly use a payment app in 2026, up from 67% in 2023, and …
Read More »Mastercard Focuses on Gains in Crypto And Agentic Commerce
As payments executives wrestle with fast-moving trends in AI-driven commerce and in cryptocurrency, particularly stablecoins, card networks are gearing up to win more business in both markets. And network executives see those trends accelerating, creating opportunities to grab market share if they act fast. “Agentic commerce is the next evolution …
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