Daily News

EU Parliament Backs the Digital Euro

Hey Payments Fanatic!

The digital euro has been discussed for years. This week, the project finally cleared another major hurdle after the European Parliament voted to begin negotiations on the legal framework needed to bring it to life.

The vote doesn't mean Europeans will be using a digital euro tomorrow. But it does move the project from planning toward implementation, with negotiations expected this year, pilot testing planned for 2027, and a potential launch in 2029.

For the EU, this is about more than creating another payment option. It's part of a broader effort to strengthen European payments infrastructure and reduce dependence on global platforms such as Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

There's much more waiting below.

We also break down Maple's strongest half-year on record, from record AUM and loan growth to its new on-chain Transparency Dashboard, and, as always, you'll find How Payments Companies Performed Last Week.

See what else is shaping Payments. 👇 See you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Marcel

INSIGHTS

🚨 Maple just posted its strongest first half on record.

Here's what stands out from H1 2026:

NEWS

🇪🇺 Mastercard has expanded its airport Fast Track network in Europe, adding Madrid and Barcelona to existing locations in Athens and Istanbul. The expansion gives eligible cardholders access to faster security lanes as part of The Mastercard Collection, which now includes more than 200 Fast Track lanes worldwide.

🇲🇽 Openbank Mexico, Mastercard and Cinépolis partner to launch new digital credit card in the country. The launch marks the bank's first co-branded card globally and Cinépolis' first branded credit card, combining digital banking with rewards linked to the Club Cinépolis loyalty program. The offering underscores how banks, payment networks, and brands are expanding digital-first financial products with loyalty features.

🇺🇸 Circle has received final OCC approval to establish Circle National Trust, a national trust bank. The charter enables federally regulated digital asset custody services, strengthens USDC’s infrastructure, and brings the bank under direct oversight by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

🇪🇺 EU parliament greenlights digital euro. The European Parliament has approved opening negotiations on the legal framework for a digital euro, paving the way for talks with EU member states. If an agreement is reached by the end of 2026, the European Central Bank aims to launch the digital currency in 2029.

🇳🇬 Xoom, a PayPal service, has partnered with Flutterwave to enable direct money transfers into Nigerian bank accounts. The collaboration combines Xoom’s global network with Flutterwave’s local payout infrastructure to support faster and more efficient cross-border remittances. Read on

🇰🇷 South Korean police launches a probe into Kakao Pay Corp.'s transfer of 40 million of its users’ information to Chinese payment app Alipay, in what has become one of the country's most closely watched FinTech controversies. Continue reading

🇺🇸 FedNow readies cross-border and payment request pilots. Three years after its launch, it now reaches more than half of U.S. checking and savings accounts through 1,800 financial institutions. The Federal Reserve is preparing pilots for cross-border payments and requests for payment, while expanding fraud prevention and payment capabilities.

🇰🇿 Binance Pay partners with Alatau City Bank to expand crypto payments in Kazakhstan to 5,000 POS terminals, Cointelegraph reported. The move will allow merchants across the country to accept cryptocurrency payments through Binance Pay.

🌎 BingX has launched the BingX Visa Debit Card in partnership with Wirex, allowing users to spend digital assets through Visa’s global payment network. The card supports purchases, ATM withdrawals, and mobile wallets, while offering rewards and automatic currency conversion for international transactions.