Аsia
BofA to take 49.9% stake in Jio Credit India for $1.9bn
FinTech Futures, Posted August 12, 2026
Bank of America is entering a joint venture with Jio Financial Services in India to acquire a stake of up to 49.9% in its digital lending subsidiary, Jio Credit. The total investment amount is up to INR 18,268 crore (approximately $1.9 billion).
Under the terms of the deal, Bank of America will initially receive a 26.5% equity stake through a preferential allotment of shares and warrants. This ownership interest can increase to a maximum of 49.9% if the warrants are fully exercised.
The transaction is currently pending standard statutory and regulatory approvals. Upon completion, the board of directors for Jio Credit will be split equally with representatives from both Jio Financial Services and Bank of America.
Bank Indonesia Unveils Retail Credit Card, Waives QRIS Fees for All Merchants
Fintech News, Posted August 17, 2026
Bank Indonesia (BI) has launched Kartu Kredit Indonesia (KKI) for the retail segment, a new domestic credit card scheme.
Alongside it, BI expanded its QRIS Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) policy, waiving fees for a wider range of transactions.
BI unveiled both policies on 17 August, marking Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day.
Closing Southeast Asia’s Credit Gap With Smarter Risk Decisioning
Fintech News, Posted August 12, 2026
More than 70% of Southeast Asian adults remain unbanked or underbanked. That is not a development statistic. It is the largest untapped credit market on earth.
Millions of these consumers are not poor credit risks. They are simply invisible to the underwriting models banks have relied on for decades.
Southeast Asia’s unbanked population represents a $1.5 trillion financial services opportunity.
Europe
Revolut seeks Finnish branch approval as Europe push intensifies
Fintech Futures, Posted August 20, 2026
UK-based challenger Revolut has applied to establish a bank branch in Finland as part of its ongoing European expansion strategy. The application was confirmed by Kuba Fast, the newly appointed CEO of Revolut’s European banking entity, Revolut Bank UAB, via LinkedIn.
If approved, Fast says customers in Finland will gain access to “local Finnish account numbers, making everyday banking even more seamless, from salary payments to bill management”.
Regtech, Digital Assets, Payments Lead Europe’s Fintech Investment Landscape
Fintech News, Posted August 20, 2026
Fintech funding remained active in Europe in H1 2026, but capital was selective and focused on a limited set of scale assets and category leaders. As the second half of the year unfolds, regulation will continue to be a significant catalyst for fintech funding, with several rules expected to drive demand for compliant infrastructure and governance frameworks, leading to increased funding across the regtech, digital assets, and payments verticals, according to a new report by SBI Ventures Europe.
USA
Strata Credit Union adopts Alkami’s Digital Banking platform to unify services
Fintech Futures, Posted August 17, 2026
California-headquartered Strata Credit Union has tapped Alkami Technology’s Digital Banking platform to modernise and consolidate its financial tools and payments services.
The digital sales and services platform provider states that its Digital Banking platform will reduce friction across Strata Credit Union’s digital interactions by unifying payments, transfers, card management, and security features in one place. Additionally, the “cohesive” platform will provide members with financial wellness tools that will offer “greater visibility into their financial health through spending insights, savings goals, and a more holistic view of their finances”.
Trump family crypto business World Liberty gets preliminary approval to establish a bank
CBS News Posted August 17, 2026
A trust company affiliated with the Trump family’s crypto business, World Liberty Financial, has received conditional approval to establish a bank.
The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday granted preliminary approval to World Liberty Trust Company to establish a bank charter, a move that would allow it to issue and manage its own stablecoins without relying on a middleman.
LatAm
Brazil’s Pix goes global while crypto faces tighter controls
The Digital Banker, Posted August 20, 2026
Brazil is taking two different but closely linked steps in the development of its digital financial system. The central bank is looking at ways to connect Pix, the country’s highly successful instant-payment system, with payment systems in other countries. At the same time, it is placing tighter controls on some cryptocurrency transfers, including a new rule that can require certain transfers to be held for up to 24 hours for fraud checks.
Taken together, these moves show how Brazil is trying to shape the next stage of digital finance. The country is not simply replacing old payment systems with new technology. It is building public payment infrastructure that can compete with traditional private networks, while bringing digital assets further inside the regulated financial system.
Itaú Unibanco partners with OpenAssets on ANBIMA tokenisation pilot
The Paypers, Posted August 17, 2026
Itaú Unibanco has partnered with OpenAssets on an ANBIMA-run pilot to test tokenised bonds and investment funds.
According to CoinDesk, the project will examine how fixed-income securities and investment funds can be issued, traded, and settled using distributed ledger technology, according to the companies.
Beyond testing the technology itself, the initiative is also intended to help define the regulatory and technical standards that banks and asset managers would need in order to operate such systems at scale.
LatAm fintech funding doubles, concentrating in Mexico and Brazil
Disrupts, Posted August 16, 2026
Latin America’s fintech sector recorded its strongest funding quarter in over a year between April and June 2026, with total capital deployed more than doubling from $575 million in Q1 to $1.05 billion. The surge is striking not just in volume but in its geography: Mexico and Brazil together claimed nine of the ten largest venture deals in the region over the past twelve months, with Mexico alone accounting for six of them.
The concentration is a deliberate market signal. Capital is not spreading across the region, it is doubling down on the two markets that have demonstrated regulatory depth, large addressable populations, and the infrastructure to absorb institutional-scale cheques.
