JP Morgan Payments has extended its B2B virtual card offering to Europe in partnership with Mastercard. The service targets corporate clients seeking accounts payable automation and working capital optimisation across sectors such as insurance, healthcare, travel, and commercial real estate. According to The Paypers, JP Morgan already holds a leading position in virtual card payments in North America as the largest issuer of commercial cards, including virtual cards. The European launch allows corporates to automate payment creation and reconciliation using virtual card infrastructure. A particular focus of the rollout is the wholesale travel sector. Here, online travel agencies manage payments to hotels, airlines, and car rental companies. JP Morgan will use the Mastercard Wholesale Programme to support faster and more secure supplier payments. It will also provide reconciliation data to aid business management. The expansion also incorporates Mastercard’s B2B Supplier Enablement and Activation Service. This service facilitates onboarding for buyers and suppliers and aims to increase acceptance of virtual cards. Karen Ions, Head of Commercial Card Client Management and Delivery at JP Morgan Payments, said: Karen Ions “Virtual cards bring clarity, security, and agility to supplier payment complexity, particularly in the travel industry. The European expansion reaffirms our commitment to helping clients modernise payments globally.” Marc Pettican, Global Head of Corporate Solutions at Mastercard, added: Marc Pettican “The collaboration goes beyond virtual card issuance to remove complexity from both sides of the B2B transaction through supplier enablement, helping buyers and suppliers adopt and scale virtual card programmes.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by shanchali876 via Freepik The post JP Morgan and Mastercard Expand Virtual Card Services to Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Lithuania has emerged as one of Europe’s most active crowdfunding markets, while Latvia’s sector remains at an early stage. According to a report by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), over €4 billion was raised across the EU in 2024 via more than 180 licensed crowdfunding platforms. The five largest markets, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Lithuania, account for over 80% of this activity, with Lithuania alone raising around €280 million. Experts note that Latvia’s crowdfunding platforms could benefit from closer cooperation with public institutions. Lithuania’s experience demonstrates that a supportive regulatory framework and public-private collaboration can drive market growth. A national crowdfunding law introduced in 2017, alongside strong local platforms, helped build investor trust and foster dialogue with regulators. Dr Vytautas Šenavičius, chair of the Lithuanian Crowdfunding Association, observes: Dr Vytautas Šenavičius “It took years of regulatory clarity, the development of strong local platforms and gradual trust-building among investors and with supervision. Cooperation with public institutions such as ILTE helped accelerate the market by combining private investor capital with public financing instruments.” Platforms operating in both countries report that investor activity remains higher in Lithuania, though interest in Latvia is growing. Juris Grišins, CEO of Capitalia, notes: Juris Grišins “To broaden companies’ access to capital and reduce dependence on the banking sector, it is important to develop additional financing channels, including crowdfunding platforms and other alternative financiers.” Cooperation between Lithuanian platforms and state institutions has proven effective. Last autumn, agricultural platform LANDE became an official partner of ILTE, enabling joint financing for farmers. In Latvia, investment platforms and the Fintech Latvia Association are exploring a co-financing mechanism with public partners to expand access to funding, support SMEs, and strengthen the local fintech and capital markets.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by inguskruklitis via Freepik The post Latvia Looks to Lithuania’s Crowdfunding Model to Boost Alternative Financing appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Ripple has announced an expansion of its operations in Brazil, increasing its focus on institutional use of digital assets. The move adds new product capabilities and a wider customer base, enabling the company to offer services across cross-border payments, custody, prime brokerage, and treasury management. The company also plans to apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license with the Central Bank of Brazil, in line with the country’s developing regulatory framework. Monica Long “Latin America has always been a priority market for Ripple, not just because of the scale of the opportunity, but because Brazil has built one of the most advanced and forward-thinking financial ecosystems in the world,” said Monica Long, President at Ripple. “We’ve spent more than a decade building the trust, licensing, and technology required to operate in regulated markets. Now, with our expanded platform, we can meet institutions across the region with everything they need to compete in the modern financial system.” Ripple Payments, its cross-border payments solution, has processed over US$100 billion globally and operates in more than 60 markets. In Brazil, financial institutions and fintechs use it to manage liquidity and execute international transfers across fiat and stablecoins. Clients include Banco Genial, Braza Bank, and Nomad, alongside firms such as Azify, Attrus, and Frente Corretora, which use Ripple’s infrastructure for payments, settlement, and currency exchange. Ripple is also introducing its custody solution in Brazil to support regulated institutions seeking secure digital asset storage, while several local exchanges and platforms have listed its RLUSD stablecoin, which now exceeds US$1.5 billion in market capitalisation.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by pranavkr via Freepik The post Ripple Expands Operations in Brazil as Institutional Digital Asset Use Grows appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Mastercard has launched the third edition of its “Mastercard For Fintechs” programme, aimed at supporting fintech companies in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. The programme provides selected fintechs with access to Mastercard’s expertise, network and operational support to help develop and scale their businesses. The latest edition follows the previous programme, which engaged more than 100 European startups, with over 20 fintechs competing and Cense named the overall winner. The 2026 winner will receive €100,000 in marketing support, along with access to Mastercard’s Start Path programme and mentoring from Mastercard specialists and partners. Paloma Real “Recognising the pivotal role that fintechs play in reshaping the financial sector, we are committed to providing them with the essential resources and tools they need to thrive,” said Paloma Real, Division President, Western Europe, Mastercard. “Building on the momentum of the past two successful years … we are proud to renew this initiative for the third consecutive year.” The programme includes access to Mastercard Academy learning sessions, masterclasses, and industry events, as well as networking opportunities with investors, accelerators and other stakeholders. Applications are open to pre-seed, seed and Series A fintechs operating in at least one of the participating countries. Eligible companies must work in areas such as AI, digital assets and stablecoins, cross-border payments, embedded finance, digital banking, and insurance innovation. Selected fintechs will take part in local competitions between June and September, with winners progressing to a final event in Italy later in the year. Applications will be assessed based on criteria including team experience, innovation, financial strength, scalability, and alignment with Mastercard’s strategic focus.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by digitizesc via Freepik The post Mastercard Opens Applications for Third Fintech Programme in Western Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Upvest, a European investment infrastructure provider, has secured US$125 million in financing to support the modernisation of legacy banking systems across Europe and the UK. The US$90 million equity round is led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent, with participation from existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners and BlackRock. The company is also finalising a US$35 million debt facility to strengthen its capital base. As financial institutions face growing pressure to update monolithic systems and expand retail investment offerings, demand for Upvest’s modular, API-based infrastructure has risen. In 2025, the company processed over 100 million client orders, contributing to a higher valuation and a clear path to profitability. Upvest intends to use the new funding to support its B2B banking, wealth, and brokerage clients, including managing the complexity of local tax wrappers such as Germany’s Altersvorsorgedepot and UK SIPPs. This allows institutions to introduce pension products more quickly and with improved user experience and cost efficiency. The company is also rolling out AI-supported investment engines. Real-time, programmable execution APIs will enable financial institutions and AI developers to create personalised advisory services for retail investors at scale. Martin Kassing, CEO and co-founder of Upvest, said: Martin Kassig “The US$125 million round, just 12 months after our Series C, underscores our momentum to be the top choice for financial institutions launching and scaling investment experiences in Europe. We will use the capital to expand into Europe’s largest markets, supporting local pension products and the emerging AI investment economy.” Founded in Berlin in 2017, Upvest serves more than 30 financial institutions, enabling millions of end users to manage investments.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Upvest Raises US$125 Million to Modernise European Banking Infrastructure appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Avaloq is expanding its partnership with Swiss private bank Arab Bank Switzerland to include mobile banking and relationship management capabilities. Under the renewed agreement, Arab Bank Switzerland will also become the first Swiss bank to adopt the joint technology solution from Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth. The two firms have worked together since 2017, with Avaloq providing a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for core banking combined with banking operations outsourcing (BPaaS). This foundation has supported the bank’s growth, with assets under management for the Arab Bank Switzerland Group, including Gonet, reaching close to CHF 20 billion at the end of 2025. The updated partnership will see Arab Bank Switzerland extend the Avaloq platform to mobile banking, providing clients with secure interfaces and the ability to execute trades from smartphones. The bank will also implement Avaloq’s RM Workplace solution to support relationship managers in the front office, improving efficiency in client interactions. Through Avaloq’s collaboration with BlackRock, Arab Bank Switzerland will deploy the joint Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth solution, offering wealth managers an integrated platform for portfolio construction and risk management. The system aims to provide a unified approach across public and private markets, supporting advisory functions and operational efficiency. Martin Greweldinger, Group CEO at Avaloq, said: Martin Greweldinger “With this latest milestone in our partnership, Avaloq will support the bank’s operations across the front, middle and back office, enabling its continued strong growth and keeping its systems at the forefront of technology.” Yves Spörri, CEO of Arab Bank Switzerland, said: “We are committed to offering our clients the best wealth management experience, and we are glad we can rely on both Avaloq’s and Aladdin Wealth’s best-in-class software, integration capabilities and managed services to achieve this.” Zachary Lerner, Head of Aladdin Wealth Tech EMEA at BlackRock, added: Zachary Lerner “By integrating Aladdin Wealth technology alongside Avaloq’s digital platform, we’re equipping Arab Bank Switzerland with a unified solution that elevates advisory capabilities and accelerates digital innovation across their operations.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Arab Bank Switzerland Expands Digital Banking with Avaloq and Aladdin Wealth appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Bolt has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to develop AI systems aimed at scaling autonomous vehicles across Europe. The initiative will combine Bolt’s ride-hailing and car-sharing fleet data with technologies from NVIDIA. These include Omniverse, Cosmos world foundation models, Alpamayo AV models, and NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure. The platform will support the development of autonomous vehicle (AV) systems. It will run on NVIDIA’s DRIVE Hyperion architecture for robotaxi services. The companies said the system will rely on real-world data to train models. It will use Cosmos to curate and augment datasets. It will also use Omniverse tools to reconstruct driving scenarios. Alpamayo models will be used to support behavioural adaptation across different traffic conditions. Bolt stated that all data processing will follow privacy-preserving measures to comply with GDPR and EU cybersecurity requirements. The platform will use NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, which includes dual DRIVE AGX Thor processors and a sensor suite combining lidar, camera and radar. It will run on NVIDIA DriveOS to support real-time processing and level 4 autonomous capabilities. The collaboration will also include open-source tools, interfaces and benchmarks to support wider participation from European developers, including SMEs and universities. Jevgeni Kabanov “Real-world data is the most valuable asset in the race for safe autonomy,” said Jevgeni Kabanov, President and Head of Autonomous Driving at Bolt. “By marrying Bolt’s operational scale with the NVIDIA Hyperion platform and AI infrastructure, we are creating a European-led AV offering while maintaining control over our data and technology.” Philippe Van Den Berge “Autonomous vehicles require a full-stack approach that unifies AI models, high-performance compute, and a robust sensor architecture,” said Philippe Van Den Berge, EMEA Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA. “This collaboration provides a scalable foundation for autonomous mobility services designed for European roads.”     Featured image credit: Bolt The post Bolt Partners with NVIDIA to Build Autonomous Vehicle Platform for Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK for up to US$1.8 billion, including US$300 million in contingent payments. The deal is intended to expand Mastercard’s support for digital assets and value transfers across currencies, rails and regions. Digital assets powered by blockchain technology are growing in use, with payment volumes expected to reach at least US$350 billion by 2025. Regulatory clarity in several jurisdictions has increased interest from financial institutions and fintechs in offering services using stablecoins and tokenised deposits. Card payments continue to provide broad acceptance, consumer protections, and access for billions of people. Crypto wallets have increasingly used cards to enable consumer payments with digital currencies. Stablecoins and tokenised deposits may find applications in cross-border remittances, payouts, peer-to-peer and business-to-business payments, with potential for faster and programmable transactions in commercial areas such as treasury management and capital markets. Mastercard aims to connect digital and fiat payment rails securely and compliantly, ensuring interoperability. Bringing together the capabilities of Mastercard and BVNK is expected to provide infrastructure that connects multiple systems and blockchains. Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, said: Jorn Lambert “We expect that most financial institutions and fintechs will in time provide digital currency services, be it with stablecoins or tokenised deposits. We want to support them and their customers with a best in class, highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenised money to the real world.” Jesse Hemson-Struthers, Co-Founder and CEO of BVNK, said: Jesse Hemson-Struthers “This deal brings together complementary capabilities to define and deliver the future of money. Together, we’re able to deliver an unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.” Mastercard expects to complete the acquisition before the end of the year.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by farknot via Freepik The post Mastercard to Acquire BVNK in US$1.8 Billion Deal appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, neobanks and buy now, pay later (BNPL) leaders will continue expanding into full-spectrum consumer banking firms, gaining significant ground over incumbent banks. Simultaneously, cryptocurrency giants are broadening their institutional offerings to capitalize on banks’ growing appetite for digital assets and tokenization, according to CB Insights. These predictions stem from research across more than 23,000 fintech startups. The study examined hiring momentum, commercial maturity, business relationships, and Mosaic scores, a metric which measures the health and growth potential of private tech companies, to identify which companies and sectors are making headway. The findings highlight a profound reshaping of financial services in 2026. In addition to the maturation of the neobanking, BNPL, and crypto sectors, the report notes that the landscape will witness the rise of the agentic economy, and Robinhood’s evolution into a financial superapp. It also expects a shift in the prediction market from betting platforms to data providers as industry leaders like Polymarket and Kalshi convert collective market signals into institutional-grade data products. Competition from neobanks intensifies Neobanks are no longer startups nipping at the heels of incumbent banks. A new class of players is now scaling globally, going public, and filing for full banking licenses. These digital-first institutions are competing directly for the primary consumer banking relationship and are moving into new markets with increasingly full-service offerings. In the business-to-consumer category, Revolut is demonstrating strong hiring momentum, reflecting robust growth relative to company size and job openings. In particular, the company is hiring senior regulatory and compliance leaders across more than countries, underlying a systematic market entry strategy. Other neobanks expanding aggressively include YouTrip from Singapore, which is currently pushing across Asia-Pacific, starting with Australia; Kuda from Nigeria, which secured a license in January 2026 to operate as a national microfinance bank; and Toss Bank from South Korea, which aims to to launch in Australia, marking its first overseas expansion. The maturing of the neobanking industry also reflects in the initial public offering (IPO) pipeline. In June 2025, Chime completed the largest-ever US neobank IPO with its US$864 million public offering. This was followed in January 2026 by PicPay, which debuted on the Nasdaq after raising US$434 million. Neobanks expanding into new markets, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026 Battle of the BNPL banks Buy now, pay later (BNPL) platforms are evolving beyond their initial purpose as a simple checkout feature. Market leaders like Klarna from Sweden and Affirm from the US are transforming into comprehensive consumer banking firms, expanding their services and increasingly overlapping with other verticals. These two companies now rank among the most active payment companies based on partnership volume, and share 27 partners including Apple, Adyen, Google, and JP Morgan, according to CB Insights. These companies are integrating BNPL into various processes and functions, like device-based checkout flows, digital commerce, merchant banking, and payment processing. Affirm, for example, is partnered with Fiserv to bring pay-over-time capabilities to debit card programs for financial institutions. Klarna, meanwhile, is teaming up with Marqeta to embed BNPL into a debit card offering. Klarna holds both a EU banking license, and a UK electronic money institution license, while Affirm applied to the Nevada Financial Institutions Division and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in January 2026 to establish Affirm Bank. The proposed Nevada-chartered industrial loan company aims to complement Affirm’s current business and bank partnership models, and spur opportunities to introduce new products and services. An analysis by CB Insights reveals that Affirm is currently hiring in analytics leadership roles to develop its Partner Bank Debit Program. Meanwhile, Klarna is strengthening its fraud detection and risk management capabilities through specialized roles, with a particularly strong focus on regulatory compliance in the UK market. Klarna and Affirm’s battle for core financial infrastructure, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026 Crypto comes for big banks Crypto firms are shifting their focus from offering alternatives to traditional banking to building the next phase of financial evolution. In 2025, Ripple, Coinbase, and Circle emerged as the most aggressively partnered crypto-native companies, forging over 50 relationships each to target the traditional banking system and expand their offerings of institutional services, as reported by CB Insights. Ripple is currently building institutional-grade custody infrastructure for digital assets and digital treasury management through partnerships with the likes of Securosys, Figment, and Chainalysis, and acquisitions, such as its US$1 billion purchase of GTreasury. The company already serves incumbent banks and financial institutions including BBVA Switzerland, DZ Bank, and Siam Commercial Bank. Similarly, Coinbase is expanding from retail brokerage into institutional prime brokerage, custody and payments infrastructure for financial institutions like BlackRock, JP Morgan Chase and Standard Chartered. Its Coinbase Prime offering is an integrated platform that allows firms to trade, finance, custody, and manage digital assets within a single system built for institutional scale. Finally, Circle is embedded its regulated USDC infrastructure directly into core banking systems and payment processors such as FIS, Fiserv, and Finastra. This aims to make stablecoin adoption seamless for traditional financial institutions. Circle went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in June 2025, making history as the first major stablecoin issuer to achieve this milestone. This momentum carried into 2026, with several notable companies, including the crypto custody firm BitGo, going public in the first months of the year. More are expected in 2026, including crypto exchange Kraken, which confidentially filed to go public in the US in November 2025. With players including Circle, Ripple, Fidelity Digital Assets, BitGo, and Paxos all receiving conditional approval for US national trust bank charters over the past year, CB Insights expects the next stage of the sector will see crypto-native leaders move beyond partnerships and compete for the full-stack banking relationship. Blockchain, stablecoins and the agentic economy In 2026, AI agents will continue to be a key theme in the global fintech landscape, with cryptocurrency rails and blockchain technology creating a new layer for machine-to-machine commerce. This trend will build on the momentum of 2025, where financial services led all sectors in AI agent partnerships, and during which payment processors continued to build agentic commerce rails, accelerating crypto integrations. Notably, Mastercard expanded from six crypto partnerships in 2024 to more than 25 in 2025, according to CB Insights. At the same time, the AI agent payments infrastructure market is growing steadily, with startups like Circuit Chisel, Catena Labs, and Skyfire running on stablecoin rails. Moving further, CB Insights expects stablecoins to transition from crypto-native tools to the settlement layer for agent-driven commerce. These digital currencies will power instant, programmable payments across online marketplaces, cross-border retail, and embedded checkout experiences in 2026 and beyond. Parallel to this payment evolution, a new infrastructure layer is emerging where AI agents operate fully on-chain. Blockchain-based AI agent platforms are now providing the tools for creating, deploying, and managing autonomous agents that operate natively on-chain. These agents can execute decentralized finance (DeFi) trades, participate in governance, interact with decentralized applications, and coordinate with other agents without human intervention. While still an early market, CB Insights notes that this space is rapidly moving from experiment to infrastructure, and poised for explosive growth. On-chain AI agents funding skyrockets, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Freepik The post Crypto, Neobanks, AI Agents Among the Top Fintech Trends of 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Visa and Fiserv have expanded their partnership to roll out the Visa Acceptance Platform within Fiserv’s merchant acquiring and processing services across Europe. The integration introduces a unified, API-driven acceptance layer designed to simplify integration for acquirers, while helping merchants improve authorisation rates, reduce fraud and deliver more consistent customer experiences. The expansion builds on existing collaboration between the two companies across payments and AI-enabled services. It combines Visa’s front-end authorisation capabilities with Fiserv’s acquiring and processing infrastructure to deliver a cloud-based system that supports intelligent routing, enhanced data and additional services. Paul Adams “This partnership with Visa marks a significant advancement in delivering value to our clients,” said Paul Adams, SVP, Head of Merchant Product EMEA at Fiserv. “By embedding the Visa Acceptance Platform into our merchant acquiring and processing solutions, we simplify payment acceptance, enhance digital capabilities and accelerate time to market for acquirers and merchants across the region.” Dan Parsons, Head of Acceptance Sales at Visa Europe, said: Dan Parsons “Together, we are giving acquirers a simpler operating model that helps improve authorisation rates and reduces fraud and chargebacks. For merchants, that translates into richer data and higher approval rates, making it easier to deliver the new experiences their customers now expect, whether that’s shopping online, in store or tapping to travel, with speed and confidence.” Through the partnership, acquirers can access Visa’s acceptance services through a single API-first integration within Fiserv’s platform, reducing the need for multiple connections and bespoke development while enabling greater scalability across markets.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Borin via Freepik The post Visa and Fiserv Expand Partnership to Streamline Merchant Payments in Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Experian has launched the UK’s first credit score app within ChatGPT apps, introducing a postcode-based credit score comparison tool. The app provides aggregated and anonymised Experian Credit Score data, allowing users to see how typical scores vary by postcode and age group. In seconds, consumers can view local and demographic score averages, offering context as part of financial education. The tool provides average credit scores by age and postcode and includes a straightforward sign-up process for users who wish to check their own Experian credit score. It also offers a conversational experience that helps users engage with financial information at their own pace, addressing the needs of adults with lower financial capability. Edu Castro, Managing Director of Experian Consumer Services UK&I, said: Edu Castro “By bringing the power of Experian’s trusted data into a leading AI platform, we’re giving people a quick and simple way to explore how their credit score compares locally and by age, making it easier for them to sign up to Experian to discover their personalised score and insights.” By embedding credit score insights into ChatGPT, Experian aims to make financial information more accessible, particularly for younger users who make up a large proportion of the platform’s audience but are among the least likely to have checked their credit score.       Featured image credit: AI Generated by Freepik The post Experian Integrates Credit Score Insights into ChatGPT for UK Users appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Globally, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology leaders have recognized that responsible AI standards are an essential innovation enabler for achieving tangible enterprise return on investment (ROI). However, organizations are falling short on the implementation of these standards, according to a global survey conducted by Corinium in collaboration FICO. The research, which surveyed 254 C-suite AI and tech leaders in Q2 2025, found that more than half of those surveyed (56.8%) identify responsible AI standards as a leading contributor to increasing reliable and consistent ROI. This highlights that these practices are no longer viewed purely as regulatory checkboxes or ethical obligations, and are also increasingly seen as business enablers that contribute directly to financial performance. This also suggests that organizations are maturing in their AI journey. Early AI adoption often prioritizes rapid experimentation, but now that companies are scaling AI, they need predictable outcomes. Responsible AI standards likely reduce risk, prevent costly failures, and build stakeholder trust, all of which stabilize returns. AI technologies with the greatest impact on ROI, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 The standards gap Despite recognizing that AI standards are critical to long-term AI benefits and ROI, few organizations have actually integrated AI development and development standards. Of the organizations surveyed, just 12.7% have fully adopted key AI development and deployment standards, such as bias mitigation, performance monitoring, and secure data handling. Security and customer experience quality are the most widely adopted AI standards, each at about 16%. In contrast, model monitoring and bias mitigation are particularly underdeveloped, with just 7% of organizations reporting full adopted. This suggests that once models go live, they often operate with minimal oversight. These gaps raise fundamental questions about AI readiness. Models rolled out without AI standards lack defined and sanctioned metrics for drift, bias, or fairness. This leaves organizations unable to substantiate claims of responsible AI deployment. Even in organizations that have made progress defining internal standards, responsible AI protocols are often confined to specific teams or projects, rather than enforced across the entire corporation. This makes AI governance both a philosophical and logistical challenge. Standards incorporated within AI operationalization processes, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Infrastructure gaps The study also unveiled infrastructure gaps. Globally, CIOs and CTOs identified the biggest barriers to scalable AI as unpredictability in system execution performance (62.02%), data storage, and processing limitations (58.1%), and gaps in real-time monitoring (36.6%). These findings suggest that organizations struggle to guarantee consistent output speeds and reliability as AI workloads grow. It also indicates that existing hardware and cloud architectures are often insufficient to handle the massive computational demands of advanced AI models. Furthermore, teams are struggling to effectively track system health or detect anomalies as they happen. Collectively, these results show that the business community is bottlenecked not by a lack of strategic vision, but by immature infrastructure. This infrastructure fails to support the stability and scale required for enterprise-grade AI deployment. Infrastructure-related barriers to scaling AI solutions from pilot to full-scale deployment, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Improving customer experience, cost savings as main catalysts The study also asked AI and tech leaders about the main catalysts for AI investments in their organizations. Respondents cited customer experience improvement (66%) as the main driver, followed by executive goals to do more with AI (63%), and increased revenue or market share (61%). These results emphasize AI’s role in unlocking new business opportunities and revenue streams. This comes as organizations globally are facing pressure to cut costs and remain competitive. 70% of respondents cited cost savings or process efficiency as a key catalyst for AI initiatives, followed by competitive pressures (65%), and the desire to leverage the benefits of disruptive technology (55%). The main catalysts of change, Source: 2025 State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale, Corinium and FICO, 2026 Rapid adoption and early benefits Adoption of AI has surged over the past years. The 2025 McKinsey Global Survey on the state of AI reveals that 88% of nearly 2,000 respondents regularly use AI in at least one business function, a sharp rise from 78% in 2024 and just 50% in 2022. Organizations that use AI in at least one business function, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025 Organizations also reported early benefits. A majority said that their organizations’ use of AI has improved innovation, and nearly half reported improvement in customer satisfaction and competitive differentiation. Extent at which AI use has affected organizational measures over the past year, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025 The most significant cost savings from AI are occurring in software engineering, with 56% reporting decreased cost in this business unit over the past year, followed by manufacturing (56%), and IT (54%). Conversely, revenue increases are most frequently reported in use cases within marketing and sales (67%), strategy and corporate finance (65%), and product and service development (62%). Revenue increase within business units from AI use, past 12 months, by function, Source: McKinsey and Company, Nov 2025   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Dmitrii Travnikov via Freepik The post The State of Responsible AI in Financial Services appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2025, the fintech industry witnessed a significant recovery, driven by a reopening initial public offering (IPO) window, rising revenues, and the emergence of category leaders. By year-end, the F-Prime Fintech Index, which monitors the performance of emerging, publicly traded, financial technology companies, reached a market capitalization of US$947 billion. This figure represents a 142.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase from US$391 billion the previous year, marking a robust rebound following the swift corrections of 2022 and 2023, and a period of stabilization in 2024. The F-Prime Fintech Index market capitalization, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Created by venture capital (VC) firm and Fidelity Investments subsidiary F-Prime, the F-Prime Fintech Index tracks the fintech market. It comprises more than 50 emerging publicly traded fintech companies selected based on criteria including capitalization, liquidity, growth rates, founding year, and listing exchange. IPO activity The index reveals a significant rebound of the fintech industry in 2025, reflecting the strong and sustained performance of fintech disruptors, alongside the opening of the IPO window. Last year, 16 fintech companies went public, including 11 VC-backed firms. Notable names included digital investment and social trading platform eToro, buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant Klarna, digital banking platform Chime, and blockchain firm Circle. Momentum is continuing into 2026, with also several companies going public in the first months of the year. These include BitGo, a crypto custody firm; PicPay, a Brazilian digital bank; and Ethos Technologies, an insurance platform. More fintech IPOs are expected this year, including crypto exchange Kraken, which confidentially filed to go public in the US in November 2025, as well as payment firm Stripe, and digital bank Revolut, the two most valuable fintech startups in the world at US$159 billion and US$75 billion, respectively. Fintech public listings in 2025 and 2026, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Revenue growth and sector leadership Revenue multiples also rose last year as investors continued to favor companies with rigorous unit economics and sustainable, profitable growth. Companies in the F-Prime Fintech Index grew at an average of 29% over the past year, and every sector increased its net income margins since the growth-at-all-costs era in 2021. F-Prime Fintech Index companies annual average revenue growth, Source: F-Prime, 2026 The year also saw several fintech firms emerge as leading players in their respective verticals. In banking, Revolut, SoFi and Nubank now rank among the top 1.5% of US banks by deposit, at US$30 billion, US$29.7 billion, and US$28.9 billion, respectively. In lending, BNPL firms Klarna, and Affirm have become among the top 25 issuers in the US by credit card purchase volume, with gross merchandise volume (GMV) of US$105 billion and US$26.6 billion, respectively. In payments, Stripe and Adyen are among the top five global merchant acquirers by total payment volume (TPV), each processing US$1.4 trillion. Finally, in wealth management, crypto exchange Coinbase and electronic trading platform Robinhood are now among the top ten online brokerages in the US by assets on platforms at US$516 billion, and US$333 billion, respectively. Fintech forges the next generation of great financial services companies, Source: F-Prime, 2026 Crypto takes the spotlight Another key trend in 2025 was cryptocurrencies. This emerging asset class earned a prominent position alongside traditional finance amid soaring demand and favorable regulations. In 2025, stablecoins became a real, non-speculative digital asset, crossing US$1 trillion in monthly volume in August. About US$10 billion of this volume stemmed from off-chain economic activities, underscoring their growing role as practical payment instruments for cross-border commerce and remittances. 2025 also saw over 75 new crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) being launched. These regulated investment funds, which trade on traditional securities exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq, allow investors to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies without directly owning them, broadening access to both retail and institutional investors. These instruments have achieved widespread success. BlackRock’s crypto ETFs are the firm’s most profitable product line. Crypto ETFs flows, Source: F-Prime, 2026 The growth of the crypto industry 2025 was fueled by supportive regulatory developments and clearer frameworks. In July, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act) was signed into law, establishing requirements that stablecoin issuers maintain high-quality reserves and operate under federal regulatory supervision. In the European Union, the Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) Regulation took full effect on December 30, 2024. The regulation covers crypto-assets not previously regulated by financial services legislation, including cryptocurrencies, and stablecoins, with key provisions for issuers and traders addressing transparency, disclosure, authorization and supervision of transactions.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by worlddesign2 via Freepik The post Fintech Market Rebounds as IPO Window Reopens appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Equinix has launched the Distributed AI Hub, powered by Equinix Fabric Intelligence, to provide a unified framework for enterprises to connect and manage distributed AI infrastructure. The Hub allows businesses to access AI infrastructure providers, including model companies, GPU clouds, data platforms, and network and security services, through private, low-latency connections across Equinix’s 280 data centres. The Hub unifies distributed workflows, bringing together training data and inference workloads across public clouds, private data centres, edge locations, and specialised neoclouds, each with distinct performance and governance requirements. This centralisation aims to reduce operational complexity and enable AI workloads to run closer to the data that drives them. Jon Lin “AI isn’t centralised, but the right infrastructure can make it run as seamlessly as if it were,” said Jon Lin, Chief Business Officer at Equinix. “Equinix is the neutral ground where AI, cloud and networking infrastructure converge. With our Distributed AI Hub, we’re giving customers a simpler, smarter, and far more connected way to run and scale their AI today.” The Hub’s first integration with Palo Alto Networks allows enterprises to secure AI interactions and manage policy centrally, using Prisma AIRS on Equinix Network Edge. Equinix now offers the Distributed AI Hub across its 280 global data centres and will preview it at NVIDIA GTC, Booth 1030.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post Equinix Launches Distributed AI Hub to Simplify Enterprise AI Infrastructure appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Commerzbank and Hawk, a provider of anti-fraud and anti-money laundering (AML) technologies, are collaborating to optimize internal banking processes using AI. The bank has deployed Hawk’s “AML AI Extended Risk Model” to complement its existing rule-based compliance systems, aiming to improve the detection of financial crime while meeting regulatory requirements. The initiative forms part of Commerzbank’s broader strategy to apply AI across customer and market processes. Viktor Kraus “Given the complexity of the landscape, we can only successfully combat financial crime with the help of AI. It is a high strategic priority for us to proactively and continuously expand our compliance system architecture,” said Viktor Kraus, Cluster Lead Global Financial Crime Prevention Platform at Commerzbank. Hawk’s extended risk model enables banks to use advanced AI models without requiring major upgrades to existing technology. The software integrates with legacy systems through an integration layer, improving alert accuracy, reducing false positives, and detecting new patterns of money laundering or fraud. The implementation also expands software validation to include stronger AI model governance. Tobias Schweiger “Banks must adapt to new threat scenarios in money laundering. Our AI-driven solution helps achieve this,” said Tobias Schweiger, CEO of Hawk. He added that the platform enables compliance teams to improve the quality and transparency of money laundering detection and investigations, noting that the explainability of the AI models is particularly important for regulatory approval.       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Tanu via Freepik The post Commerzbank Teams Up With Hawk to Deploy AI in Anti-Money Laundering Efforts appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, Tencent Cloud announced a collaboration with Turkish fintech company iyzico to support its European expansion and launch its first cloud-based production platform in the region. Tencent Cloud built the platform on its IaaS infrastructure to meet regulatory requirements for financial services. Founded in Türkiye, iyzico provides virtual, in-store and supplier network payment solutions for e-commerce, retail and B2B businesses. Its platform supports transactions for over 185,000 merchants, including major e-commerce players and SMEs, and aims to simplify payment processes while maintaining security and reliability. To facilitate its European operations, iyzico required a secure and compliant cloud environment with end-to-end support, including infrastructure setup and code delivery via Terraform. Tencent Cloud developed the platform across its Frankfurt availability zones, providing a dual zone architecture with rapid database failover and elastic resource scaling to ensure uninterrupted transaction processing. Fred Sun, General Manager of Europe at Tencent Cloud International, said: Fred Sun “We are focused on delivering secure, compliant and high-performance infrastructure that enables fintech innovators like iyzico to scale with confidence and provide seamless payment experiences to millions of customers.” Şamil Nevruz, CTO of iyzico, added: Şamil Nevruz “The partnership has strengthened our ability to meet stringent regulatory requirements, scale efficiently and deliver reliable services to our merchants and customers. As we start to grow in Europe, this relationship also provides a platform for further innovation in digital payments.” The collaboration covered architecture design, automated deployment and operational handover, enabling rapid rollout and establishing a foundation for growth while maintaining regulatory compliance.       Featured image credit: Tencent Cloud The post Tencent Cloud Powers iyzico’s First European Payment Platform appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Revolut Bank UK has received approval from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to exit the mobilisation phase and operate as a fully licensed bank in the UK. The bank enters this stage with an existing base of 13 million UK customers and follows Revolut’s recent pledge to invest £3bn and create 1,000 high-skilled jobs in the country. The approval allows Revolut Bank UK to offer accounts to retail and business customers, with deposits protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) on eligible accounts. It also opens the possibility of introducing additional services in the future, including lending. The rollout of current accounts will begin in the coming days with a small group of new customers, gradually expanding over the following weeks to ensure a smooth transition. Existing customers will not experience any immediate changes; their Revolut app and cards will continue to function as usual. Notifications regarding the migration to the new bank will be sent over the next few months. Nik Storonsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Revolut, said: Nikolay Storonsky “The UK is our home market and central to our growth. We look forward to introducing a full suite of banking services to our millions of UK customers, bringing the same innovative experience we already provide across the rest of Europe.” Francesca Carlesi, UK CEO at Revolut, added: Francesca Carlesi “Securing this license lays the foundation for our next chapter: expanding into a broader suite of products, including credit, to sit alongside the services our customers already rely on every day.”       Featured image credit: Revolut The post Revolut Bank UK Granted Full Banking License by PRA appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, artificial intelligence (AI) and wealth aggregation will continue to gain traction in the wealth management sector as firms respond to the growing demand for comprehensive, tailored advice. Simultaneously, cryptocurrencies and digital assets will continue to gain legitimacy, requiring firms to develop their own offerings. Asset tokenization, meanwhile, will enhance the accessibility of previously illiquid assets, including real estate and commodities. Finally, direct indexing will emerge as a highly profitable tool driven by the rising demand for flexibility. These are among the key wealthtech trends in Europe for 2026 highlighted by industry stakeholders. These experts, which represent banks, wealthtech companies, and consulting firms such as Morningstar, Allianz, and Upvest, shared their predictions in a new report produced by German wealthtech software provider Fincite. Overall, these insights underscore an industry undergoing a profound digital transformation. This transformation is calling for infrastructure modernization efforts, and new products that align with evolving customer preferences and which unlock new revenue streams. Top Wealthtech Trends in Europe 2026 Asset tokenization In 2026, the industrialization of money, bond, and fund tokenization will witness significant productive scaling, and through 2030, real world assets (RWAs) tokenization is expected to evolve from a niche innovation into a fundamental capital markets infrastructure. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and digital exchange ADDX forecast that asset tokenization will expand into a US$16.1 trillion business opportunity by 2030, while global management consultancy Roland Berger estimates that the market could mushroom to at least US$10 trillion in the same timeframe. Tokenization refers to the transfer of ownership rights in assets, including bonds, funds, and real-estate, into programmable digital assets on distributed ledger technology (DLT). For banks, tokenization will create a new settlement and collateral layer with potential for T+0 settlement, fractional ownership, and automated compliance. For high-net-worth private clients and the upper affluent segment, the primary value lies in bankable RWAs that were previously illiquid or inaccessible. Direct indexing In 2026, personalized indexing will become a highly profitable premium tool if positioned correctly. The technology is mature, and the market is experiencing growth, with direct indexing assets in the US closing year-end 2024 at US$864.3 billion, according to Cerulli Associates. Direct indexing is an investment strategy where instead of purchasing a fund that tracks an index, investors buy the individual stocks that make up that index directly. This granular ownership gives investors direct control over each individual stock position, enabling strategies like tax-loss harvesting. Furthermore, in contrast to standard indices, client-specific criteria can be translated into automated investment rules, creating a customized portfolio of directly held securities that aligns precisely with an investor’s goals and values. While direct indexing has technically reached the mainstream, driven by sophisticated platforms, falling minimum investment amounts, and clear use cases, significant adoption runway remains as only a small segment of financial advisors has adopted the solution. As of 2024, 18% of advisors report using direct indexing strategies, according to Cerulli Associates, highlighting substantial growth opportunity. Real estate Following a period of significant price corrections, rising interest rates and global uncertainty, real estate is regaining prominence, reemerging as a more contemporary, highly digitized, and data-driven asset class. Demand remains robust, as private investors in Europe now allocate approximately 8 to 10% of their portfolios to real estate, a level approaching institutional strategies. Furthermore, the momentum is being accelerated by the revised European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIF 2.0), which entered into force in early 2024. ELTIF 2.0 is designed to make it easier for both institutional and retail investors to invest in long-term assets such as infrastructure, private equity, and real estate across the European Union (EU). For real estate, it allows funds to more easily pool capital from investors to finance property projects while offering more flexible diversification and liquidity rules than the original ELTIF regime. Tokenization is also poised to further transform the real estate by providing additional flexibility in the medium term, lowering entry barriers, removing friction, and enabling near-instant transfer of ownership. Digital wealth backend The wealth backend, which encompasses the entire infrastructure for the execution, settlement, and custody of end-customer portfolios and associated securities for banks and asset managers, is undergoing a profound digital transformation. The digital wealth backend utilizes cloud technology for greater flexibility and scalability. Almost all systems offer real-time and event-based data availability, and the best ones are developed API-first, enabling faster time-to-market for transformation projects and ongoing product innovation. This shift is being driven by ever-increasing regulatory requirements and reforms demanding a significantly more flexible backend infrastructure. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data demand cost-effective processing and new backend functionalities which legacy systems can’t support. Wealth aggregation Wealth aggregation represents a significant development in wealth management. By integrating and aggregating financial data across various sources, banks and wealth managers can offer their customers comprehensive, personalized financial advice. In 2026, the market for wealth aggregation will continue to grow due to the increasing spread of open finance and regulatory developments. In particular, the Financial Data Access (FiDA) regulation in the EU aims to improve access to data and boost competition in financial services. The regulation, which is still in the legislative process, will force financial data holders to share customer data with licensed third parties under standardized technical schemes. Technological advances will further fuel the growth of the sector. In particular, more and more providers are relying on cloud-based systems, making it easier to deploy wealth aggregation. Furthermore, increased integration of AI and data analytics is allowing providers to create personalized recommendations for customers and automate financial advice. Wealth aggregation refers to the process by which all relevant financial data of a customer is digitally consolidated. It leverages modern technologies and open banking to offer a 360-degree overview of a customer’s entire wealth, allowing wealth managers to develop personalized investment strategies and offer comprehensive, data-based advice. AI in wealth management In wealth management, experts predict that AI will not replace managers but rather augment their capabilities. The “AI-powered advisor” will understand clients’ emotional nuances and complex life situations, while AI will provide precise, unbiased, data-driven decisions and compliances. Leveraging machine learning (ML) and generative AI (genAI), firms will be able to deliver more individualized, faster, and more consistent advisory services. These will be embedded in solid governance and robust data processes. Organizations have widely recognized the necessity of adopting AI. A 2025 study conducted by global wealth management platform FNZ polled more than 500 financial institutions and found that 72% of financial executives consider AI to be critical to the future of their business. 63% agree that AI will revolutionize the wealth and asset management sector. Crypto assets Crypto assets are increasingly becoming an established component of financial markets. For banks and asset managers, it will be essential in 2026 to closely monitor this asset class and build their own offerings. This development comes as regulatory frameworks for digital assets in many major jurisdictions have been clearly defined, providing institutional players with a reliable path to participation. Simultaneously, the asset class has grown significantly, and client demand is evident. Crypto assets are digital representations of values or rights that are issued and managed as tokens on a blockchain. This asset class can be divided into three main categories, namely tokenized assets, tokenized money, and cryptocurrencies. Tokenized assets, which include treasuries, private credit, equities, and collateral markets, has scaled from US$5.5 billion at the end of 2024 to about US$20 billion a year later, according to tokenization platform Securitize. Tokenized money, primarily comprises tokenized deposits, stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), claims a market capitalization of US$305 billion for stablecoins alone, according to Coindesk. Finally, cryptocurrencies, which include assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, is now worth approximately US$2.3 trillion.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on images by Sodiq99art and rawintanpin via Freepik The post Top Wealthtech Trends in Europe for 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Switzerland’s payments landscape will look very different by 2027. The changes coming are not marginal regulatory tweaks but structural overhauls: the end of euroSIC, the retirement of LSV/BDD, the arrival of PSD3/PSR in the EU, and a far more demanding regime for operational resilience driven by FINMA and Europe’s DORA. The combined effect is that Swiss banks and NBFIs must prepare not only for compliance, but for a world where payments infrastructure becomes a source of competitive differentiation. The euroSIC Discontinuation: A Quiet Milestone with Loud Consequences For nearly 30 years, euroSIC has quietly underpinned EUR transactions inside Switzerland. That era closes on 31 December 2027, when SIX will switch the system off entirely. After that date, not a single euroSIC transaction, whether domestic or routed through dependent third-party services, will be processed. The change forces institutions to rethink the very plumbing of their euro payments business. Banks must now decide whether to pursue direct SEPA participation, rely on correspondent banks, or integrate specialist access providers. Each path comes with new operational, liquidity, and compliance implications. Complicating matters further, the euroSIC shutdown overlaps with the 2027 SEPA Instant deadlines, which oblige non-Eurozone PSPs, including Swiss institutions, to be able to receive instant payments by January, and be able to send by July. For many institutions, this will be the first time their euro flows encounter truly competitive rails. As one Swiss market analysis observed, the sunset of euroSIC has “far reaching implications for numerous actors” especially for institutions that have relied on a single domestic EUR pipeline for decades. A Second Tectonic Shift: The Retirement of LSV/BDD Running parallel to the euroSIC deadline is the dismantling of Switzerland’s longstanding direct debit schemes. LSV⁺ and BDD will cease on 30 September 2028, ending a system that still underpins millions of recurring collections. SIX has been transparent about why: LSV/BDD cannot be configured for the ISO 20022-based, digitally authenticated standards that define modern payments. For banks and billers, this is not simply a migration exercise: it is a cultural shift in how Swiss consumers and companies authorise payments. In place of LSV/BDD will be eBill and eBill Direct Debit, launched formally in mid-2025, along with QRbill options and standing orders. However, euro-denominated LSV/BDD collections face an even earlier cutoff. Because euroSIC disappears in 2027, EUR mandates must stop being submitted by 31 August 2027, with a final processing date of 31 August because of the discontinuation of euroSIC. As of January 1, 2026, no new invoice issuers or FIs can be activated. It is worth mentioning that PostFinance’s proprietary “CH-DD” (Debit Direct) is not affected by this shutdown and will continue to be available. Nonetheless, financial institutions with large corporate biller portfolios cannot afford to wait. The volume of mandate conversions could overwhelm operational teams if left to a final year scramble. PSD3 and PSR: Europe Raises the Regulatory Bar While Switzerland is not an EU member, the emerging PSD3 and Payment Services Regulation (PSR) framework will still shape the country’s payments operations. Two elements stand out: first, a tougher fraud liability regime with more accountability under which PSPs shoulder more responsibility for reimbursing victims (akin to mandatory reimbursement in the UK); and second, the requirement for Verification of Payee (VoP), a real-time name/IBAN match for all credit transfers. VoP phase two covers non-euro SEPA countries, but not all of them start from the same legal position. EU countries operating with non-euro currencies are generally on track for the July 2027 obligation. But for non-EU markets such as Switzerland VoP intersects more directly with privacy law and banking secrecy. However, VoP in particular will have Swiss repercussions. As cross-border and SEPA flows increase post–euroSIC, institutions connected to European rails must avoid mismatches that could trigger costly disputes or abandoned transactions. Bottomline’s research into the state of real-time and cross–border payments has found that pre–validation mechanisms like VoP- are becoming central to lowering friction, aligning perfectly with PSD3’s intent. The Resilience Mandate: From Paper Theory to Provable Capability Perhaps the most profound change coming is not in payment rails, but in operational resilience. FINMA’s Circular 2023/1, in force since January 2024, embeds a new philosophy: Swiss boards are now explicitly accountable for defining an institution’s critical functions, its tolerances for disruption, and the organisation’s ability to continue operating under cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, or prolonged outages. It compels banks to maintain real-time inventories of ICT assets, rigorously protect critical data, and conduct scenario tests that simulate not just short interruptions but severe, multi-month failures. This is not simply Swiss regulatory tightening. It mirrors Europe’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which came into effect for EU firms in 2025. While DORA does not formally apply in Switzerland, it applies to any Swiss bank with EU subsidiaries or those providing ICT services to EU entities. Many Swiss groups will therefore adopt DORA-level controls globally to avoid fragmentation. The logic behind this policy convergence is clear: disruptions are now structural, not episodic. Bottomline’s global report The Future of Competitive Advantage in Banking and Payments paints a stark picture. Banks are now contending with a “growing array of multilateral rails” including domestic instant payment schemes, cross-border fast payment corridors, and one-leg-out transactions, each with its own rules and vulnerabilities. Complexity, the study argues, is now itself driving risk. Transformation that Must Finally Prove its Value If the early 2020s were about building new rails and meeting new standards, 2026 marks a turning point. Payments transformation is now expected to show ROI. Bottomline’s Global B2B Outlook for 2026 captures a sentiment heard repeatedly in Swiss and European boardrooms: years of investment in ISO 20022, new connectivity, and new digital channels must now translate into higher straight-through processing, cleaner reconciliations, fewer exceptions, and clearer cash positions. Strikingly, the research notes that many banks technically “met” the ISO 20022 deadline using workarounds. However, they did not complete the migration in a way that eliminates breakpoints. An example is structured address data. According to Swift statistics cited in the report, around 80% of messages still contain unstructured address fields, despite another mandatory ISO upgrade looming in November 2026. This matters because poorly structured data is one of the chief causes of cross-border delays and STP failures — problems that will become acute as Swiss institutions shift more EUR flows to SEPA. And behind all of this sits a familiar antagonist: legacy architecture. Whether looking at real-time routing, VoP, multi-rail orchestration, or resilience testing, institutions repeatedly identify outdated core systems as the breakpoint that turns regulatory requirements into operational headaches. Real-time and cross-border payments now demand “speed, scale, and pre-validation,” and financial institutions that lack modern infrastructure risk higher costs and lower resilience. The Strategic Pivot Switzerland Must Make Now Switzerland’s financial sector has always excelled at precision, security, and reliability. But this next phase requires a useful skill: adaptability. The financial institutions that will thrive through euroSIC discontinuation, LSV/BDD sunset, and PSD3 implementation will not be those that merely “migrate” systems. They will be the ones that rethink their payments architecture to embrace automation, multi-rail intelligence, structured data, and resilience that can be demonstrated, not just declared. FINMA’s direction is unambiguous. Operational resilience is no longer just a defensive discipline; it is a measure of institutional competence. European trends in real-time cross-border interoperability, VoP, anti-fraud mandates, ISO compliance, and DORA-class ICT governance are not burdens but indicators of competitive advantage. By the time the calendar flips to 2028, Switzerland’s payments system will be running on new rails, new rules and new expectations. Banks and NBFIs that prepare early by modernising architecture, completing ISO migrations properly, embedding VoP and pre-validation, redesigning EUR clearing pathways, and rigorously testing resilience will emerge not only compliant but strategically stronger. Those that do not may find end up fighting for relevance in a region that’s moving faster than ever. Set your immaculately efficient Swiss time pieces to ‘go’.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by kavalenkava via Freepik The post Swiss Payments System Getting Its Most Consequential Overhaul in Decades appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

International payment acquiring company PAYSTRAX plans to expand its workforce in Lithuania, with up to 75 new hires expected in 2026 and as many as 150 additional employees over the next three years. Founded in Lithuania in 2018 by Icelandic entrepreneurs Johannes Ingi Kolbeinsson and Gunnar Mar Gunnarsson, the company has grown to more than 150 employees across six offices in Europe. The planned hiring will take place across PAYSTRAX’s Lithuanian offices in Vilnius and Klaipėda and will focus on roles in IT, finance, marketing, account management, operations, and onboarding. The company has already moved to larger premises in Klaipėda and expanded its Vilnius office by adding a second floor to accommodate the growing team. Johannes Ingi Kolbeinsson “Lithuania has been the heart of PAYSTRAX since day one. The talent, the ecosystem, and the work culture here have been instrumental to our growth, from our very first hires to becoming an award-winning international payments company. This expansion reflects our confidence in Lithuania as the right place to build the next generation of payment solutions,” said Johannes Ingi Kolbeinsson, Group CEO and co-founder of PAYSTRAX. According to the company, Lithuania’s educated workforce, strong English proficiency, and work culture have been key factors supporting its continued expansion. PAYSTRAX also noted that the attention to detail and adaptability of Lithuanian professionals are important in the highly regulated payments industry. PAYSTRAX operates as a principal-level payment card acquirer with licenses from Visa and Mastercard, serving online and point-of-sale merchants across 24 countries in the European Economic Area and the UK. The company is also developing additional services, including new e-commerce platform integrations, a merchant portal with live business intelligence reporting, card payout capabilities, stablecoin settlements, and a Payment Facilitator (PayFac) service for platforms and marketplaces. Lithuania currently accounts for around 115 of the company’s 150 global employees. PAYSTRAX is an authorised Payment Institution in both the EU and the UK, with offices in Vilnius, Klaipėda, London, Leeds, Malta, and Reykjavík.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Johannes Kolbeinsson via LinkedIn The post PAYSTRAX to Hire Up to 150 Staff in Lithuania as It Expands Operations appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.