🕶️ Meta Moves, Klarna Pays
Future of Finance - Edition #166 (3rd - 9th June‘ 25)
The future of finance is kicking down doors. Credit scoring’s evolving, hardware’s going on layaway, and crypto’s dressing for Wall Street. This week’s pulse is part frontier, part infrastructure upgrade.
✔️ Lending goes contextual
✔️ Wallets get smarter skins
✔️ Crypto cosies up to institutions
No fluff. Just fire. Let’s dive. 🔍
Circle’s IPO had a strong first showing - and with it, a quiet nod from traditional markets. The kind that says: maybe crypto infrastructure is ready for prime time.
Not every listing makes waves, but this one signalled something deeper: crypto’s backend is stepping into the front row, with trust, structure, and public market momentum lining up.
Is this the start of a new era for stablecoins and the infrastructure behind them?
👇 This thread connects the dots beautifully
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What’s on the fintech menu today?
🌟 Fintech Fiesta: The Week's Hot 10!
🌐 ‘Byte’ Buzz: Fintech highlights, sorted by segment!
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Edition 166 is here - steeped in fresh drops, stitched with smart plays, and finished with a zest of disruption. 🍋
The Week's Hot 10!♨️🔟
Financing the Future
⤷ Meta teamed with Klarna for “Play Now, Pay Later” bundle in the UK, letting consumers buy mixed reality hardware through monthly installments, making immersive tech more accessible.
⤷ OCBC and Ant International launched embedded finance in Indonesia, offering SMEs automated credit within digital ecosystems to boost inclusion.
Smarter Lending Rails
⤷ Experian and Plaid partnered to combine credit data with real-time cashflow insights for lenders, improving credit decisions.
⤷ Allica Bank partnered with Lendscape to upgrade its SME lending platform, enhancing scalability and integration for asset finance operations.
Local Moves, Big Reach
⤷ Revolut deployed branded ATMs across Spain, enhancing local access to fee-free cash, FX, and instant cards.
⤷ Fiserv acquired full ownership of AIB Merchant Services, expanding its presence and strengthening POS offerings in Europe.
Crypto in the Big Leagues
⤷ Gemini confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC, signaling a move to go public and gain institutional traction.
⤷ JPMorgan now accepts Bitcoin ETFs as loan collateral, integrating crypto-backed assets into its wealth and trading services
Smart Payments, Safe Pockets
⤷ Visa launched A2A payments with guarantees in the UK, offering protections like dispute resolution and real-time settlement for account-based transactions.
⤷ Mastercard and PayPal teamed up to develop One Credential, enabling secure, flexible payments across online and in-store channels.
Now, for the ‘byte’-sized fintech buzz –
It’s not just embedded finance—it’s intuitive finance, anticipating needs from underwriting to checkout without missing a beat.
Affirm expanded its partnership with Williams‑Sonoma to enable consumers to use Affirm’s pay‑over‑time at Williams‑Sonoma and affiliated brands, offering transparent fixed monthly payments with no hidden fees.
Liberis launched “Ada,” an AI underwriting agent that uses real‑time financial, compliance, and digital‑footprint data to support human underwriters, reducing manual decision time, and improving risk detection and bias correction.
Open Finance is flexing its muscles this week, powering smarter workflows and bringing business insights front and centre.
Plaid launched Transactions for Business, enabling real‑time, business‑specific transaction data for SMBs for spend tracking, capital access, and automated bookkeeping.
Deutsche Bank and Mastercard teamed up to integrate Mastercard’s Open Banking tech into Deutsche’s Merchant Solutions platform, enhancing its R2P (Request‑to‑Pay) service with faster settlement, real‑time A2A payments, improved reconciliation, and payment transparency for merchants.
Digital Finance is dialling into mobility: seamless, global, and designed to move with the modern user.
N26 launched "N26 Go," a travel-focused premium tier with global ATM withdrawals, travel insurance, lounge access, and partner perks, replacing its older "N26 You" plan.
Wise received approval from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a cross-border payment aggregator, expanding its services for freelancers, SMEs, and exporters.
Fintech Infra is getting intelligent, where flexible architecture meets real-time capabilities built for scale.
FIS and Episode Six launched the cloud-native International Issuing Hub at Money20/20 Europe, enabling banks and fintechs to configure and scale global card programs (credit, debit, prepaid, virtual) efficiently.
Skaleet and BPCE Payment Services teamed up to offer a SaaS-based, integrated payment and banking services platform to fintechs, payment institutions, and banks in Europe, simplifying access to payments, card issuance, and transaction processing.
Digital assets are getting street legal - fully licensed and frictionless, ready to cross borders and compliance lines alike.
BVNK teamed with LianLian Global to enable merchants in over 100 countries to make stablecoin-funded cross-border transactions, with automatic conversion to USD and faster settlement times.
MoonPay received both the New York BitLicense and NY state money transmitter licenses, enabling full operation across all 50 U.S. states.
And that's a wrap 👋
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Weekly Fintech Brew!
As a reward for making it this far, enjoy a curated list of awesome fintech resources to keep your curiosity cuppa full to the brim. Cheers to continuous learning!
🔗 Link Up! –
Crypto Wallet Use Cases Report- Bitget Wallet
Navigating the U.S. Payments Evolution Report- Deluxe
Looking for regulation and innovation in the same room Blog- Chris Skinner
Beyond banking: Can bank apps boost engagement by going the extra mile Blog- Marqeta
Nubank Deep Dive Report - WhiteSight
If you're someone who likes to read think pieces, you will likely love our monthly blog, Fintersections, where our team members analyse the convergence of fintech with the world.
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