Column Launches Four New Products to Rebuild Financial Infrastructure
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Column is going all-in on the idea that financial infrastructure should be easier to build on — and it just launched four new products to prove it.
The FinTech bank is bringing stablecoins, card issuing, global banking, and multicurrency accounts into one infrastructure stack. The goal is pretty simple: instead of stitching together banks, processors and multiple vendors, FinTechs can build complex financial products through a single integration.
What caught my attention is how these pieces work together. Column says you can move USDC from one country, convert it into dollars instantly, send part of it over FedNow and another part in euros over SWIFT — all through a few API calls. That’s a pretty different way of thinking about banking infrastructure.
And stablecoins are becoming a big part of that shift. dLocal CEO Pedro Arnt recently discussed on the Comparable podcast why stablecoins could change payments in much the same way cloud computing changed technology — making money movement faster, cheaper and more scalable.
Let’s get into today’s FinTech stories. 👇 See you tomorrow!
Cheers,
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INSIGHTS
💡 dLocal: Why Stablecoins Are Becoming a Payments Infrastructure Shift. In a recent Comparable podcast, dLocal CEO Pedro Arnt discusses why stablecoins could transform payments in much the same way cloud computing transformed technology — not by changing the underlying business, but by making money movement faster, cheaper, and more scalable. The key question for payments leaders is increasingly not whether to build a stablecoin strategy, but how quickly to build one. Watch the full conversation here
FINTECH NEWS
🌏 Mastercard's Dreamonomics report finds Asia-Pacific SMEs pursue growth but seek greater control as business complexity rises. The report highlights how SMEs across the region are navigating rising complexity while prioritising growth and financial control.
🇺🇸 Lenders Cooperative integrates Mastercard Open Finance into its unified commercial lending platform. The integration provides borrower-permissioned access to data from roughly 95% of U.S. deposit accounts, helping streamline underwriting and portfolio monitoring.
🇨🇱 Chilean FinTech Global66 wins FINRA approval in the U.S., clearing the path to connect Latin America with Wall Street. Through its subsidiary Global81 US LLC, the firm gains broker-dealer membership to offer access to U.S. equities and ETFs from the region.
🇬🇧 Experian launches Fast Track pre-approvals, removing guesswork from credit applications. The tool uses bureau data to let consumers see which products they qualify for before applying, reducing unnecessary hard searches.
PAYMENTS NEWS
🇸🇦 SAMA announces cross-border acceptance of mada and HIMYAN cards, rolling out gradually between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The initiative uses the Gulf Payment Network to enable POS and ATM transactions across both countries, advancing GCC payment integration.
🇬🇧 Apron integrates with QuickBooks Online, letting small businesses pay supplier bills without leaving their ledger. The integration supports domestic and international payments in 30 currencies with automatic bill status updates. Keep reading
DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
🇬🇧 Monzo introduces Aura, described as the UK's first credit card that auto invests cashback. The product channels spending rewards directly into investments as cardholders spend.
🇨🇭 Revolut applies for a Swiss banking licence and commits CHF 150 million investment. The move would extend Revolut's regulated banking presence into Switzerland, adding to its growing list of European licences.
🇺🇸 FIS builds core banking momentum across a new $100B bank and five new charters. The FDIC approved 14 deposit insurance applications in the 12 months through April 2026, double the prior year, with FIS capturing a significant share of new launches.
🇬🇧 Revolut and N26 alumni launch Quartz, an AI personal banking app. The new venture aims to bring AI native features to everyday consumer banking in the UK market.
🇬🇧 Zopa unveils what it calls the UK's most helpful banking AI, an always-on assistant for its Biscuit customers. The "Ask" feature uses agentic architecture to complete tasks like sending money, splitting bills, and setting savings goals via natural language.
🇺🇸 Reseda Group launches Bolt, a new BaaS platform, with TAPP Engine as its first FinTech partner. Bolt connects TAPP Engine's cash management solutions to MSU Federal Credit Union as the Financial Institution of Record. Read more
BLOCKCHAIN/CRYPTO NEWS
🇺🇸 Circle launches Arc mainnet, an open Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for financial markets and agentic economic activity. Arc goes live with native USDC integration, over 100 applications, and validators including BlackRock, Mastercard, and Visa. Continue reading
🇹🇷 Paribu supports Arc as a day one launch partner in Türkiye, enabling USDC deposits and withdrawals over the network. Gas on Arc is paid in USDC, with Circle reporting average transaction costs below $0.01 on the public testnet.
🇬🇧 Wirex One launches publicly on Arc, bringing stablecoin private banking to the mass affluent market. The platform amassed over 20,000 users in closed beta and now offers card cashback, yield, and transfers. Read more
🇩🇪 Deutsche Bank to launch digital asset custody for institutional clients, managing wallets and private keys on their behalf. The service targets European institutions and corporates, with first clients expected to go live this year.
🇬🇧 The FCA issues guidance for crypto firms ahead of the new UK regime, which takes effect on 25 October 2027. The guidance covers stablecoin issuance, trading platforms, custody and staking, with authorisation applications opening 30 September 2026.
🌏 Binance adds 11 US-listed ETFs to its Wealth Management service, expanding investment options for users. The new additions allow Binance users to gain exposure to traditional equity ETFs through the platform.
STABLECOIN NEWS
🇺🇸 America's status as the world's crypto hub is secure, argues Shah Ramezani Founder & CEO, Noah, even if the CLARITY Act stalls in Congress. Bank and payments industry stablecoin activity already underway makes the regulatory direction irreversible, he writes.
🌐 syrupUSDC is live on Arc from day one, giving builders on the network access to Maple's institutional lending yield. Maple has around $1B deployed across overcollateralized onchain loans, letting teams add an earn product through integration.
🌐 Mercuryo and Tangem launch a zero-fee USDC on-ramp for Stellar network users. The partnership removes fees on USDC purchases made through Tangem wallets. Keep reading
🇦🇪 Fasset will become the first platform worldwide to list DDSC, the UAE's Dirham backed stablecoin. Subject to VARA approval, the listing will enable swapping between DDSC and leading stablecoins including USDC and USDT.
PARTNERSHIPS
🇪🇺 Mifundo and Yapily bring open banking data into cross-border credit, targeting Europe's 45 million mobile citizens. The partnership aims to support more complete credit assessments for people with financial histories across multiple countries, addressing a €719B lending market.
🇦🇪 Mastercard and Trip.com pave the way for agentic commerce in the travel sector. TripGenie, Trip.com's AI agent, uses Mastercard Agent Suite for Merchants and Network International's acquirer capabilities to enable end-to-end agentic travel bookings, with a phased commercial launch expected in early 2027.
🇯🇴 Network International expands digital payment capabilities in Jordan through Mastercard Move. The collaboration enables licensed institutions and payment service providers to access digital money movement capabilities in the market.
🇵🇰 Mastercard and Bank of Khyber partner to accelerate digital payments in Pakistan. The collaboration will expand digital payment access across the region for Bank of Khyber customers.
🇬🇧 Thredd selected by iPayLinks to power a new virtual commercial debit card programme on Mastercard. iPayLinks acts as self-issuer while Thredd delivers processing, 3D Secure, and fraud monitoring through a cloud-native platform built for speed to market.
🇦🇹 Bitpanda launches Fusion with TradingView charts built in, bringing professional-grade charting to its high-volume trading platform. Fusion offers over 2,000 crypto pairs, degressive fees down to 0.02%, and analysis and execution in a single interface.
🇦🇹 Klarna teams up with Alza. at, bringing flexible payments to Austrian shoppers. Alza. at customers can now pay in full, in 30 days, in three interest-free installments, or via financing at checkout. Read more
🇫🇮 Saldo Bank and finperks partner to drive rewards and cashback to users in Finland and beyond. Saldo Bank customers gain instant access to rewards from international brands powered by finperks' API. Read more
🌍 Standard Chartered and LMAX Group expand their partnership to include digital asset custody in Luxembourg and DIFC. LMAX Group is the first client on Standard Chartered Luxembourg's custody platform following its MiCA authorization in June 2026.
🇳🇿 Xero expands AI partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI, launching live integrations in Claude for Small Business and ChatGPT. The integrations let small businesses access real-time financial data inside AI tools they already use daily.
🇵🇱 Amazon and Santander's Openbank Pay launch new payment options, for customers in Poland. Shoppers on Amazon. pl can now finance purchases with 30 day interest free payments or instalments up to 60 months, following successful launches in Germany, Austria and Spain.
🇺🇸 Louisville Basketball embraces digital finance with a Ripple partnership, bringing XRP branding to Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center. Ripple will also support financial and technology education for student athletes and the campus community.
🇨🇦 Yellow Card expands stablecoin infrastructure to North America, via its Alkepay launch in Canada. The Africa focused crypto company is extending its global footprint into a new continent with regulated stablecoin rails.
DONEDEAL FUNDING NEWS
🇺🇸 Forward Financing surpasses 100,000 small businesses served, bringing total capital provided to over $5.4B since 2012. The company also announced a multi year $1.8B forward flow agreement with a New York based private credit fund.
🇺🇸 USD. AI secures a $40M stablecoin-based revolving debt facility, provided by K3 Capital. The facility is collateralized by sUSDai and will support the launch of new financing products with short term credit rather than idle capital.
🇩🇪 Integral raises €18M Series A led by Mosaic Ventures and Reid Hoffman, to build an AI native accounting, tax and payroll firm for SMEs. Total capital raised now exceeds €30M, with the round backed by Cherry Ventures, General Catalyst and Puzzle Ventures.
🇫🇷 Opio raises €4M to automate financial due diligence, backed by Frst, Seedcamp and GFC. The Paris based startup helps auditors verify and structure data ahead of acquisitions, saving transaction services professionals 27% of their time.
🇩🇰 Danish insurtech Norlix raises $1.5M, from investors including ex-EQT partner Kasper Knokgaard and footballer Thomas Delaney. The digital insurance broker will use the funding to continue developing its platform in Denmark.
🇬🇧 ETFBOOK raises $13M to expand its ETF data intelligence layer, into the Americas and Asia Pacific regions. The funding will help the platform scale its data and analytics infrastructure beyond its European base.
🇺🇸 Tare raises $13.25M seed round led by Blockchain Capital to manage private credit transactions on the blockchain. The Brooklyn-based FinTech plans to build software on Avalanche that automates loan administration on a single platform.
🇺🇸 Ridgeline raises $250M Series E, valuing the AI-native FinTech at $1.425 billion. The round marks a significant milestone for the company's cloud platform serving asset managers. Continue reading
🇨🇦 Portage closes $600M Fund IV focused on FinTech startups. The new fund continues the firm's strategy of backing early and growth stage FinTech companies globally. Read more
🇸🇦 Fina launches a SAR 500M embedded finance fund with Joa Capital to expand SME financing in Saudi Arabia. Fina has already facilitated over SAR 2 billion in trade liquidity and now aims to serve the wider B2B economy.
🇺🇸 Transient secures a Nasdaq Ventures investment to expand its AI governance platform for regulated financial institutions. Nasdaq, also a Transient client, joins lead investor NEXT Investors in the Series A to support enterprise AI deployment in capital markets.
M&A
🇺🇸 Enova scraps its proposed acquisition of Grasshopper Bank, ending the planned deal. The online lender has walked away from the transaction without disclosing specific reasons. Keep reading
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