Alipay Brings Mobile Payments to the Car
Hey Payments Fanatic!
Imagine being able to book movie tickets, reserve hotel rooms, or order food through voice commands while you drive.
Well, the future is here, and this is now possible thanks to Alipay and Chinese tech firm Banna Intelligence, who came up with an AI-powered in-car system that allows drivers to make purchases using only their voice.
The “AI cockpit” solution integrates Banma’s in-vehicle intelligence with Alipay AI Pay, enabling hands-free transactions without the need for a smartphone.
Security remains a central feature, with Alipay incorporating multi-layered risk controls and real-time fraud detection to protect transactions conducted through the system.
According to the companies, the AI cockpit has already completed integration testing with several major automakers, and the feature is expected to debut in new vehicle models in the second half of 2026.
How long before we see this in Europe and/or the US? Hit reply and let me know your thoughts!
Don’t lose the pulse on the payments landscape, so find out what else is going on below. See you tomorrow.
Cheers,
HOW PAYMENTS COMPANIES PERFORMED LAST WEEK
📈The Top 10 Payments Companies ranking by Performance this week📉
Here are the big movers of the week:
NEWS
🇺🇸 CompoSecure won five Élan Awards of Excellence at ICMA’s 2026 EXPO, recognizing its achievements in card design, innovation, and personalization. Stephen Luft of CompoSecure said the company is continuing to show its strength as a leading metal card manufacturer and thanked customers for helping bring these projects to life.
🇳🇴 Mastercard and Aritma have formed a strategic partnership to further develop the Aritma Finance Manager Platform, designed to simplify and standardise ERP connectivity for businesses across the Nordics. By combining payments expertise with B2B integration capabilities, the collaboration will deliver smarter workflows, improved efficiency, and stronger financial infrastructure.
🇦🇷 Mastercard becomes Official Sponsor of Boca Juniors, strengthening its strategy of connecting with fans through football. The partnership will enhance stadium experiences, introduce contactless payments, and offer exclusive initiatives, placing supporters at the center of every interaction.
🇦🇺 KuCoin launches its KuCard in Australia through partnerships with Mastercard and Immersve, allowing users to spend crypto seamlessly via card payments. The rollout is being positioned as KuCoin’s first KuCard launch in Australia and marks another step in the exchange’s push to make digital assets usable beyond trading screens and into routine purchases.
🇳🇱 Adyen has agreed to acquire Talon.One for €750 million to enhance real-time decisioning across commerce channels. The deal aims to combine payments data with loyalty and incentives, helping merchants personalize offers, improve conversions, and drive better transaction outcomes.
🇨🇳 Alipay and Banma Intelligence unveiled an AI-powered in-car system enabling voice-activated payments without smartphones. Integrated into smart cockpits, it supports services like ticket booking and food orders, combining convenience with advanced security as connected vehicles evolve.
🇺🇸 MoonPay launched Virtual Accounts in New York, enabling compliant fiat-to-stablecoin flows for FinTechs and institutions. Powered by Iron, the solution connects traditional payment rails with blockchain settlement, supporting payments, trading, and treasury through a single API.
🇺🇸 Sunbit is now available on Stripe, enabling U.S. in-person service businesses to offer flexible, no-fee financing directly within their payment workflows. The integration aims to boost service acceptance and transaction values while simplifying access to financing at the point of sale.
🇺🇸 Karta is building its self-custody money app on Tempo, using its payments-focused blockchain for fast, on-chain settlement. The setup enables real-time transactions, stablecoin-based fees, and scalable card payments, supporting global users and upcoming product launches.
🇺🇸 BaaS provider Coastal Bank partners Tempo for cross border stablecoin payments. The solution will retain a large proportion of banking infrastructure for cross border payments, including AML and compliance, ISO 20022 messaging and bank confirmations. Continue reading
🌍 Remitly has expanded its WhatsApp Send service to new markets, including the UK, Canada, and Spain, and introduced “Request Money,” allowing recipients in Mexico to initiate transfers. Updates aim to simplify cross-border payments, boost digital adoption, and meet rising demand across Latin America. Read on
🇪🇺The European Central Bank has partnered with ECPC, nexo standards, and the Berlin Group to support digital euro payments using open standards. The initiative aims to reduce costs, improve interoperability, and enable scalable, cross-border payment solutions across Europe.
🇺🇸 Paywint provides cross-border payments infrastructure for emerging FinTech markets, with real-time payouts, multi-currency capabilities, and API-driven integrations designed to improve speed, transparency, and scalability across global payment flows. The vision is to target all the sectors with a credible approach, offering instant and secure settlements across rails.
🇦🇺 Ant International is collaborating with Citi to launch a PayTo payment solution in Australia, to enable real-time, secure account-to-account payments for SMEs. Integrated into its Global Account Service, the offering aims to improve cash flow, reduce costs, and streamline B2B transactions.
🇺🇸 Zelle and Truist are piloting bill payments using the Zelle network, aiming to improve payment certainty and transparency. The initiative explores real-time confirmations for recurring bills, helping reduce delays, missed payments, and uncertainty for consumers and billers.
🇮🇳 Punjab National Bank (PNB) joined forces with Kiwi to expand credit access on UPI for its 180 million customers. The collaboration introduces a RuPay-based credit card with seamless UPI integration, aiming to deliver a more accessible and frictionless credit experience.
🇬🇧 Paytently partnered with BVNK to integrate stablecoin settlement and prefunding into its platform. The partnership will enable faster cross-border payments, improved liquidity management, and flexible on/off-ramps, supporting merchants operating in high-volume, time-sensitive environments.
🇰🇷 Banking Circle has onboarded PayGate as its first Korean client. Through this collaboration, it will act as PayGate’s treasury partner, optimising settlement flows and delivering integrated foreign exchange (FX) capabilities on a single platform, supporting Korean merchants expanding into international markets.
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