05 Aug 25 @ 17:07

In an era where geopolitical uncertainty increasingly influences the flow of money, the security and sovereignty of national payment infrastructures have never been more vital. As economic sanctions disrupt financial... read more

05 Aug 25 @ 16:59

Africa has taken a decisive step towards financial independence with the launch of PAPSSCARD—the continent’s first Pan-African card scheme. Unveiled on 27 June at the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in... read more

05 Aug 25 @ 16:58

Europe’s vast card payments market—processing trillions of euros annually—remains dominated by two American giants: Visa and Mastercard. Together, they handled over €7 trillion in European transactions in 2023, reinforcing concerns... read more

14 May 25 @ 10:57

In an era where geopolitical uncertainty increasingly influences the flow of money, the security and sovereignty of national payment infrastructures have never been more vital. As economic sanctions disrupt financial... read more

06 Jun 23 @ 13:02

While corporations and governments tout the advantages of digital ID to simplify access to digital services, consumer concerns about privacy and control of data are surging. Self-sovereign ID (SSI) –... read more

05 Aug 25 @ 17:01

A new rouble-pegged cryptocurrency, A7A5, has quietly become a potent tool in Russia’s efforts to circumvent Western sanctions — moving $9.3bn in transactions within four months of its February launch.... read more

14 May 25 @ 10:16

A landmark stride in European payments infrastructure has been achieved as Italy’s Bancomat, Spain’s Bizum, and Portugal’s MB WAY initiate cross-border mobile transfers under the EuroPA (European Payments Alliance) umbrella.... read more

11 Feb 25 @ 11:54

Account to account (A2A) payments are making strides and 2025 looks to be the year they will truly take off. Between Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs) and other A2A solutions, apps... read more

21 Feb 24 @ 10:56

As Asian economic powerhouses join up their faster payment systems and Africa follows suit, Europe lags in confusion, directives, initiatives and strategies. James Wood asks why Europe can’t copy Asia’s... read more

21 Feb 24 @ 09:56

Bizum (Spain), BANCOMAT (Italy) and SIBS (Portugal), three leading mobile payment companies in their respective markets, have signed a Letter of Intent to implement interoperability between their systems. This agreement... read more

06 Jun 23 @ 12:42

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is in the news for three reasons: first launch of a pilot phase offer, a double acquisition and the addition of four new shareholders. At... read more

05 Apr 23 @ 09:56

Recent weeks have seen a slew of bad news about the ongoing scandal of rising payments fraud – especially in the online environment. According to LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Oxford... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 09:33

Just as the European banking sector started to see some attractive tail winds pushing it along, the first since the crisis in 2008, Europe is now on the brink of... read more

24 Aug 21 @ 08:49

The introduction of a digital euro would boost consumers’ privacy and protect the eurozone from the “threat” of competing cryptocurrencies that could undermine the bloc’s monetary sovereignty, according to the... read more

24 Aug 21 @ 08:48

The last time banks and infrastructure providers in the European payments market tried to build a payments network capable of taking on the US companies that dominate the sector, they... read more

15 Jun 20 @ 04:34

In a new report, the European Credit Sector Associations (ECSAs) – which includes the continent’s Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB), the European Banking Federation (EBF) and the European Savings and... read more

15 Jun 20 @ 04:26

China will begin trialling payments via its new Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in four major cities, according to domestic media. In recent months, China’s central bank has stepped up... read more

14 Oct 19 @ 08:40

As recently reported by the China Finance 40 Group, China will soon roll out its central bank digital currency (CBDC). Mu Changchun, Deputy Chief in the Payment and Settlement Division... read more

08 Jun 17 @ 13:03

Identification and verification have always been at the heart of financial services and payments, which is even more the case in the digital age. So, while banks have long been... read more

07 Apr 17 @ 10:03

The Islamic finance industry has expanded rapidly in the last decade, growing at around 10-12 percent annually, according to the World Bank. We examine the underlying Shariah principles and how... read more