Аsia
Mashreq Introduces NEO, Pakistan’s First Islamic-First Digital Banking Platform
Mashreq, Posted November 24, 2025
Mashreq, one of the leading financial institutions in the MENA region, has officially introduced Mashreq NEO in Pakistan, a fully digital and Shariah-compliant banking experience built around how Pakistanis live, save, and transact. Following the bank’s official launch under the patronage and in the presence of the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Mashreq NEO is now fully operational nationwide, offering a seamless, secure, and values-based digital banking experience for all Pakistanis, including the Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs).
Philippines fintech Higala raises $4m to digitalize rural banks
Startup Researcher, Posted November 26, 2025
Higala, a Philippine inclusive banking infrastructure startup, has closed its seed round at $4 million to accelerate the digital transformation of rural banks and microfinance institutions. The company focuses on regions where access to formal financial services remains limited and costly. This latest raise positions Higala to scale technology that helps smaller institutions compete in a rapidly modernizing payments landscape.
Zavo rolls out AI platform to simplify retail loan settlements
IBS Intelligence, Posted November 26, 2025
Zavo has launched an AI-powered Settlement Marketplace to streamline the resolution of distressed retail loans. The rollout comes amid rising stress in the consumer credit ecosystem, where India’s retail borrower base has crossed 100 million and non-performing assets continue to hover around $60 billion.
Loan settlements in India traditionally occur through fragmented negotiations involving recovery agents, multiple intermediaries and opaque, off-record discussions. As defaults rise, lenders face escalating recovery costs while borrowers struggle with anxiety, limited transparency and, in some cases, harassment during overdue EMI cycles. Zavo’s new marketplace positions itself as a digital alternative to this system, introducing structured workflows and data-led assessments of repayment intent.
Europe
Switzerland Enters the Era of Multibanking for Retail Clients
Finews, Posted November 25, 2025
After extensive preparation, retail clients in Switzerland can now aggregate accounts from multiple banks within a single banking app or integrate them into apps from non-bank providers. SIX is providing the technical foundation with its bLink open-banking platform.
On Tuesday, the operator of the Swiss financial-market infrastructure officially launched multibanking for retail clients Switzerland. According to SIX, the participating institutions (eight Swiss banks and two third-party providers) are making «an important contribution to an open and innovation-driven Swiss financial ecosystem».
Revolut Completes Fundraising Process Establishing $75 Billion Valuation
Revolut, Posted November 24, 2025
Revolut, the global fintech leader with over 65 million customers worldwide, has today announced the completion of a share sale, valuing the company at $75 billion.
The transaction was led by Coatue, Greenoaks, Dragoneer, Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from a broad group of world-class investors including Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z), Franklin Templeton, and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.*
SBS upgrades SBP platform to boost digital payments
IBS Intelligence, Posted November 20, 2025
SBS has unveiled a new version of its SBP Open Banking Platform, introducing expanded regulatory coverage and digital payment capabilities aimed at helping banks navigate Europe’s rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.
The cloud-native SaaS platform is designed to support next-generation services such as Wero, the European Payments Initiative’s (EPI) digital wallet, while preparing institutions for upcoming regulatory changes, including PSD3, FIDA and the Digital Euro.
The global financial community has unleashed a new era for global payments innovation with universal adoption of ISO 20022
Financial IT, Posted November 25, 2025
The global financial community has unleashed a new era for global payments innovation with universal adoption of ISO 20022 as the standard language for cross-border payments worldwide. The final switch happened on 22 November, with the end of coexistence with the traditional MT message format.
The move elevates customer experience in today’s fiat currency system in support of the G20 goals for international payments, enabling faster, more efficient and data-driven payments.
Payment services deal: More protection from online fraud and hidden fees
News European Parliament, Posted November 25, 2025
Parliament and Council have struck a deal on a more open and competitive EU payment services sector, with strong defences against fraud and data breaches.
On Thursday morning, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) and the Third Payment Services Directive (PSD3).
The regulation aims to harmonise payment services and strengthen fraud prevention across the EU. It applies to payment services provided by banks, post-office giro and payment institutions, as well as technical service providers supporting payment services, and in some cases electronic communications providers and online platforms. The directive seeks to ensure fair competition among payment service providers (PSPs), by addressing authorisation and supervisory powers, and to improve access to cash, particularly in remote areas.
USA
Mastercard Launches Access Pass in UAE to Deepen Consumer Engagement
PYMNTS, Posted November 25, 2025
Mastercard has moved to strengthen its footprint in experiential payments by debuting Mastercard Access Pass, a platform designed to give issuers and brands new tools for driving engagement, in the United Arab Emirates. The launch, announced in a Tuesday (Nov. 25) news release, comes as global payment networks and banks accelerate efforts to differentiate their digital card propositions through personalization, loyalty and embedded experiences.
The program is rolling out first with the McLaren Formula 1 Team and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), giving eligible FAB cardholders access to exclusive content, merchandise, events and limited-edition digital card art tied to the McLaren Racing brand. According to Mastercard, Access Pass lets consumers layer unique perks and visual designs onto their existing debit, credit, or prepaid cards without needing a new physical card.
Nasdaq Announces Expansion Of Partnership With Revolut
Nasdaq, Posted November 26, 2025
Nasdaq today announced a significant expansion of its strategic regulatory technology partnership with global fintech Revolut. The partnership centers on the deployment of Nasdaq AxiomSL, a regulatory reporting and risk platform used by 90% of global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) to comply with domestic and international regulatory obligations.
Revolut has consolidated the majority of its regulatory reporting infrastructure across Europe, having most recently integrated all workflows in the United Kingdom. The growing partnership will see Nasdaq support Revolut’s global expansion helping to ensure rapid and scalable compliance with new requirements.
How Banks and Fintech Will Verify in 2026: Regula Study
Regula, Posted November 25, 2025
Regula’s report, “What’s Reshaping IDV in Banking & Fintech: 2026 Trends and Predictions,” reveals that biometric verification has become the most attacked point in the digital identity verification (IDV) process across financial organizations. New global data shows that at least three in ten financial institutions are hit by impersonation fraud, driving a shift toward more robust identity verification.
Top 10: Fintech Predictions for 2026
Fintech Magazine, Posted November 26, 2025
The fintech sector enters 2026 facing a period of significant structural change.
Companies face the reality of having to adopt digitalisation or be left behind. The industry is transitioning from a growth-focused phase to one emphasising profitability, regulatory compliance and operational resilience.
Traditional financial institutions continue to close the gap as digitalisation provides a competitive advantage, leading to growth. The market also calls for an increase in scale and regulatory expertise.
Technologies including AI, blockchain infrastructure, and advanced security protocols have moved from experimental deployments: will they become core to operational systems?
LatAm
dLocal Joins Circle Payments Network to Enable Stablecoin Payouts
Crowdfund Insider, Posted November 22, 2025
dLocal (NASDAQ: DLO) a cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, has integrated with Circle Payments Network (CPN), operated by Circle Technology Services, LLC, an affiliate of Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), to enable seamless payouts across emerging markets. Supported by Circle’s payment stablecoins, USDC and EURC, CPN connects FIs to allow for real-time settlement of cross-border payments.
With dLocal’s infrastructure integrated, CPN participants are now able to disburse funds in various local currencies across emerging markets.
Despite fintech breakthroughs, cross-border payments are still costly and slow, burdening businesses in emerging markets.
Coinbase Launches Easy Access to DEX Trading in Brazil
Coinbase, November 19, 2025
Coinbase users in Brazil historically have had to navigate the more complicated user interface of decentralised protocols to access the millions of assets launched onchain everyday. Coinbase users will soon be able to access these assets through our decentralised exchange (DEX) trading integration within moments of their creation, all within the trusted interface of the Coinbase app. This will increase the number of assets they can trade on Coinbase from 300 to tens of thousands, and potentially millions in the future.
