Registry — Vantage Bank Texas (US) added to the registry
Enforcement — Monetary Penalty issued against Shri Ram Finance Corporation Private Limited · RBI · Aug 22, 2026
Partnership — Saudi Arabia's SAMA Grants Vision Bank Non-Objection for Digital Banking · Aug 23, 2026
Product — Absa Develops Embedded Payment Tool for Township Small Businesses · Aug 22, 2026
M&A — I-Remit Approves P20 Million Capital Infusion Into Surepay Technologies · Aug 22, 2026
Funding — Payload Raises Strategic Investment Led by Fifth Third for Embedded Payments · Aug 23, 2026
Deal Feed
Partnerships, funding rounds, product launches, and M&A across the ecosystem.
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) granted Vision Bank a non-objection to commence digital banking operations in Saudi Arabia on Sep 15, 2025. The approval supports SAMA's goals of promoting financial inclusion and competition in the banking sector. It aligns with broader objectives under Saudi Vision 2030.
HSBC and Standard Chartered executed the first live cross-border transaction on Swift's blockchain-based ledger, moving tokenised deposits between the two banks. Settlement ran through each bank's existing infrastructure. The transaction was reported on Aug 20, 2026.
Alipay+ added Hang Seng Bank as its first banking partner in Hong Kong, extending its cross-border QR payments network beyond wallet-based users. The deal gives Hang Seng customers access to QR code payments at merchants across Alipay+'s international network.
Payload closed a strategic investment led by Fifth Third, its first outside capital since the company was founded in 2019. The embedded payments platform processes nearly $500 million per month, trending toward $6 billion in annual volume. The round size was not disclosed.
Hana Bank signed an agreement with Korea Technology Finance Corporation and Korea Credit Guarantee Fund to provide 200 billion won ($144 million) in guaranteed loans to young entrepreneurs. The Y-BRIDGE program covers business owners aged 39 or younger, with loans up to 300 million won per firm.
PDAX and RCBC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build digital asset infrastructure, with tokenized gold as the first asset under evaluation. RCBC's mobile banking channels would serve as the distribution layer. The MOU is exploratory, with no binding product commitments disclosed.
I-Remit approved a binding term sheet for a P20 million capital infusion into Surepay Technologies. The deal gives I-Remit a strategic equity stake in the payments infrastructure provider. Terms are binding, though final closing remains pending.
MTN MoMo Uganda and Centenary Bank reaffirmed their partnership to expand digital financial services in Uganda during a leadership meeting on Aug 19, 2026. The engagement also marked a leadership transition at Centenary Bank, with outgoing MD Dr Fabian Kasi introducing successor Byekwaso Godfrey.
Karur Vysya Bank is targeting a Rs 1,500-2,000 crore personal loan book through its partnership with digital lending platform Axio. The bank plans to leverage its 90 lakh Amazon BNPL customer base for personal loans and credit cards. The Amazon-Axio transition is expected to complete within three months.
U.S. Bank announced an expanded partnership with Amazon Web Services on Aug 22, 2026, migrating hundreds of core banking applications to AWS. The multi-year plan covers payment processing, wealth management, and commercial banking systems serving roughly 13 million consumers and 1.4 million business clients.
Absa Mauritius launched Spark Business, an open-banking merchant app that turns any smartphone into a point-of-sale device. The app accepts payments via QR, Tap & Pay, and SMS Pay across any bank account. It has processed over 200,000 transactions and serves more than 500 businesses across Mauritius.
Indodax, Indonesia's crypto exchange, partnered with Bank INA through the Binadigital digital banking service to offer co-branded cards and digital savings products to eligible members. The collaboration extends licensed banking services to Indodax's user base. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Absa Group and EasyEquities announced a partnership on Aug 6, 2026, to embed investing directly into the Absa banking app. The integration will give Absa's more than 12 million clients access to EasyEquities' investment platform. A full launch is planned for Sep 2026.
PSQ Holdings announced that PSQ Payments is integrating as a payment processing option within LendSuite Software's ecosystem, reaching nearly 150 lenders. Lenders on LendSuite's platform can now select PSQ Payments for processing. The integration embeds payment functionality directly into lending software workflows.
Citizens Bank International partnered with RAPID, an API banking platform, to offer unified banking services to corporate clients in Nepal. The integration lets businesses check balances, transfer funds and process payroll through their own ERP systems. The deal was announced on Jun 05, 2026.
reAlpha (NASDAQ: AIRE) completed its acquisition of InstaMortgage on Aug 19, 2026, in a deal valued at approximately $8.5 million. The transaction adds direct mortgage origination, underwriting and funding capabilities to reAlpha's platform. InstaMortgage operates across 38 states and Washington, D.C.
Datavault AI signed a definitive agreement to acquire BankWyse, a Wyoming-chartered Special Purpose Depository Institution. The deal, described as the "final piece" of Datavault's data monetisation ecosystem, remains subject to regulatory approval. Financial terms were not disclosed.
CIMB Bank onboarded Infineon Technologies' Melaka facility onto its CIMB@Work payroll banking solution, covering more than 10,000 employees. The deal gives workers access to preferential rates, cashback benefits and financing products. It ranks among CIMB@Work's largest payroll onboarding initiatives.
Commercial International Bank–Egypt (CIB) received preliminary approval from the Central Bank of Egypt on Aug 20, 2026, to establish yomo as a standalone digital bank. The licence follows Egypt's 2023 digital banks framework. yomo will now complete operational readiness before launch.
Saudi Awwal Bank and noon, a Middle Eastern e-commerce platform, launched a co-branded Visa credit card on Aug 20, 2026. The card targets online shoppers on noon's marketplace with embedded financial rewards. Visa serves as the card network partner.
ZBD raised $40 million in Series C financing from Blockstream Capital Partners, announced on Jan. 22, 2026. The funding supports ZBD's payments infrastructure for video games, built on the Lightning Network. ZBD processes more than 120 million transactions annually.
Ant International launched an upgraded AI model for managing FX liquidity risks, with Citi, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, and Barclays adopting the tool. The partnership pairs a fintech's AI infrastructure with some of the world's largest banks. Reuters reported the announcement on Aug 20, 2026.
Swift completed the design phase of its blockchain-based shared ledger and began building the MVP. The ledger will enable interoperability between banks' tokenized deposits for 24/7 cross-border payments. The MVP, built on Hyperledger Besu, is planned to go live with real-world transactions this year.
Prosus plans to invest $100 million in Navi, the Indian fintech company, ahead of a planned IPO. The deal adds to Prosus's fintech portfolio in India. Navi operates across lending, insurance, and mutual funds.