Trade Republic, multifi x GoCardless, and Nearpay: Quiet Moves, Big Impacts
Hey Payments Fanatic!
Some days, the news hits like a headline parade. Other times, it’s quieter shifts that speak louder. Today feels like the latter.
Bizum lands in payroll as Trade Republic launches Spain’s first salary account with instant transfers and 2% interest on unlimited balances. It’s not flashy, but it might just reset expectations for how getting paid should work.
In the B2B space, Multifi’s partnership with GoCardless is taking shape. By combining flexible payments with direct bank transfers, the collaboration aims to ease a longstanding challenge for SMEs: managing recurring payments without the friction.
And Nearpay, previously focused on the Middle East, has just entered the U.S. market. It’s their first international expansion, placing them directly in the world’s most competitive landscape for contactless payments.
Across consumer, B2B, and merchant payments, it's becoming clear that the rails are shifting. Quietly, but quickly.
Let's scroll on for global payment industry updates below 👇 and I'll be back with more tomorrow!
Cheers,
INSIGHTS
🇬🇧 Sustainability & Social Impact in Ecommerce by Ecommpay and IMRG, consumer trends in charitable giving, and environmental expectations. With consumers increasingly looking beyond product and price, and seeking brands that reflect their values, findings from the survey of 1,000 UK consumers provide valuable insights for the e-commerce landscape. Download the complete report here
💰 How much does it cost to advertise through Connecting the Dots in FinTech…? That’s not something I’d just share publicly, but now I’ve decided to just share it all: our full media kit, including pricing and ad formats.
NEWS
🇸🇦 ACI Worldwide and iNet extend partnership to bolster FinTech growth in Saudi Arabia. iNet will deploy and manage a Point of Sale (POS) infrastructure using ACI Postilion, an acquiring platform that enables banks, FinTechs, and merchants to deliver fast and seamless omnichannel transaction processing while staying compliant with evolving regulatory standards.
🇬🇧 How DEUNA’s Athia is redefining payment intelligence. At the Payments Leaders' Summit, Roberto E. Kafati, Co-Founder and CEO of DEUNA, delivered a keynote presentation addressing key gaps in global payment infrastructures. He introduced Athia, designed to convert raw payments and commerce data into strategic, context-aware actions that align with business objectives.
🇪🇸 Mollie has officially launched Tap to Pay on iPhone in Spain, enabling businesses to accept in-person, contactless payments directly through their iPhone using the Mollie app, no additional hardware required. It also opens up new possibilities for innovative in-store setups.
🇺🇦 Solidgate has teamed up with Monobank. This collaboration opens powerful new opportunities for international businesses. Solidgate is now making it easier than ever to succeed in the Ukrainian market with seamless, tech-driven card payments powered by Monobank’s innovative platform.
🇦🇺 Fonto partners with Mastercard on Open Banking solutions. The deal creates opportunities to expand Fonto’s data and research products in Australia and supports its ambitions for international expansion by accelerating its entry into new markets.
🇬🇧 Yonder launches debit cards. The new Mastercard debit cards offer the same perks as Yonder's credit card: points earning, zero foreign exchange fees, curated local rewards, and travel-friendly benefits. The Yonder Free Debit earns one point per £1 spent with no monthly fee.
🇬🇧 Landmark ruling finds Visa and Mastercard breach interchange fees law. In a decisive legal blow to the global card giants, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled that Visa and Mastercard’s default multilateral interchange fees (MIFs) breach European competition law.
💰 Visa and Mastercard race to capture a $253 billion crypto threat. Tech firms and crypto start-ups are challenging Visa and Mastercard's dominance in digital payments with stablecoins, promising lower fees, faster settlement, and bypassing traditional card networks.
🇮🇩 Indonesian AI spend management platform Monit nets $2.5M. Monit plans to use the new funds to improve its product capabilities, particularly in AI and machine learning. The company also aims to expand its leadership and sales teams. Keep reading
🇯🇵 Soft Space and Hokkoku enable stablecoin payments on SoftPOS in Japan. The solution will allow merchants in the country to accept both contactless cards and stablecoin payments using only an NFC-enabled Android smartphone or tablet. It is scheduled for launch in Q4 2025.
🇦🇺 Coinbase integrates PayPal as a payment method in Australia. By linking their PayPal account, users have a simple and speedy way to buy crypto on Coinbase. This will allow users to more seamlessly access Coinbase Australia’s suite of products: simple and advanced trading, stablecoin rewards, and staking.
🇻🇳 JCB rolls out Apple Pay for Vietcombank, MBBank, and VPBank Cardholders. The rollout supports the growth of digital payments in the country, offering a more convenient way to pay in stores, within apps, and online. Keep reading
🇺🇸 Thredd expands global footprint with New Office in the U.S. The new office will serve as a central and strategic hub to support Thredd’s operations across the Americas, enabling deeper support for the company’s growing network of clients and partners throughout the region.
🇪🇸 Viva.com rolls out Tap to Pay on iPhone in Spain, empowering local merchants with a fast, simple, and secure way to accept contactless payments using just an iPhone and Viva.com’s Terminal app, no additional hardware or payment terminal needed.
🇳🇿 Westpac and POLi partner to deliver secure open banking payments. With this new integration, POLi transitions to secure, bank-approved open banking APIs, allowing Westpac customers to authenticate and authorise payments directly within Westpac’s secure digital banking environment.
🇺🇸 Peter Thiel-backed Valar Ventures FinTech sells $70 million stake in Wise. The price was a less-than-1% discount to Wise’s closing price. Wise shares fell in early trading in London before erasing losses and trading up about 0.6% at £10.46. Continue reading
🌍 Robinhood, Kraken-Backed Global Dollar (USDG) comes to Europe. “USDG is a fully regulated global USD-stablecoin that is compliant with MiCA and now available in the EU, a testament to our commitment to offering global digital assets that are supervised by prudential regulators and also meet the highest standards of consumer protection,” said Walter Hessert, head of strategy at Paxos.
🇪🇸 Revolut follows CaixaBank and launches a new service in Spain. Revolut confirmed that its Pro or Business customers will be able to accept contactless payments using only an iPhone and the Revolut app. Read more
🇺🇸 Circle applies for US trust bank license after bumper IPO. If the charter is granted by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, it would enable Circle to act as a custodian for its reserves and hold crypto assets on behalf of institutional clients.
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