Balance, the financial infrastructure platform for B2B commerce, launched Instant Bank Connection, a new capability powered by Real-Time Payment (RTP) rails that simplifies ACH setup for buyers and speeds up payments to merchants—improving cash flow and reducing processing costs. Balance’s new RTP-powered Instant Bank Connection capability allows buyers to link their accounts using only routing and account numbers. This real-time verification streamlines the buyer experience while giving merchants immediate payment confirmation, faster payouts, improved cash flow, and the ability to release goods sooner with confidence—accelerating fulfillment and strengthening customer relationships. Balance’s RTP-powered bank connection is more than just a faster onboarding method—it’s a strategic lever for B2B merchants looking to scale with efficiency. By making ACH payments as seamless as cards, merchants can unlock significantly lower processing costs. By combining RTP-powered bank verification with AI-powered credit management, billing, collections, and cash application, Balance empowers merchants to reduce overhead, improve cash flow, and scale with confidence. Bar Geron, CEO and Co-founder of Balance said “With RTP-enabled ACH payments, they can reduce costs and accelerate access to funds—all while giving buyers a smooth, payment experience.”
First Internet Bank offers “high-fidelity ACH” wherein the bank sends out test messages with each large payments file to ensure when those transactions are being received by the Federal Reserve
Standard ACH payments can still take up to four days. First Internet Bank is stepping up to fill that breach with its “high-fidelity ACH” system, wherein the bank sends out test messages with each large payments file (like a “canary in a coal mine”) to ensure when those transactions are being received by the Federal Reserve. In turn, this gives business customers a bird’s-eye view to track those transactions via an application dashboard. Hence, the bank’s business customers, such as Check and Ramp — which are piloting the service — can see exactly when payments clear, and reliably guarantee that their end customers (payroll recipients) are getting their money on time. First Internet Bank has been working with Increase for more than two years in developing and rolling out an ACH system that helps business customers continue to reliably deliver their own payments on-time while offering a clear view of how the payments are progressing on an Increase-developed application and when they hit at the receiving depository financial institution, or RDFI. There have been “a series of improvements,” according to Lorch, as the bank and the Bend, a fintech startup have refined their approach and the technology. For his part, CEO and founder of First Internet Bank’s technology partner Increase, Darragh Buckley, sees his company’s facilitation of ACH payments as more of a means of building improvement on the existing system, rather than trying to rip out the entire network and try to start anew. “No one really wants excitement in their payroll,” said Buckley, who previously was employee No. 1 at digital payments giant Stripe. “We want it all to progress boringly [so that] the payroll client knows they have done their job [and] can sleep better at night.”
Neema’s Dynamic Routing uses multiple real-time routes between countries and instantly analyses exchange rates, speed, and reliability for every cross-border transaction to identify the optimal route
Neema launched Dynamic Routing, an innovative technology designed to enhance every transaction by maximizing both success rates and cost efficiency. Neema’s extensive cross-border payments network empowers financial institutions across the globe to effortlessly process transactions in over 120 countries. It accommodates the most widely used payment methods and currencies specific to each destination, ensuring that users experience a localized payment environment. The introduction of Dynamic Routing further extends Neema’s vision of building a globally connected financial ecosystem. Dynamic Routing, along with Neema’s vast network of financial partners, enables a smarter method for global money movement. Rather than depending on a single pathway, Dynamic Routing establishes multiple real-time routes between countries. Each transaction it powers undergoes instant analysis, taking into account factors such as exchange rates, speed, and reliability to identify the optimal route. Every payment is personalized, with transfers between the same countries often utilizing different, optimized routes. Additionally, Neema’s AI-driven security infrastructure and expansive international reach provide enhanced visibility into coverage and technical vulnerabilities, allowing the company to effectively address potential gaps while offering one of the most robust quality assurance systems in the industry.
Stripe buys crypto wallet startup Privy building products on crypto rails; using a single API, clients can spin up wallets rather than use external ones
Payments giant Stripe is acquiring crypto wallet infrastructure startup Privy for an undisclosed fee. The deal is part of Stripe’s aggressive push back into crypto following a six year hiatus, building on its recent $1.1 billion takeover of stablecoin platform Bridge. Privy aims to make it easy for developers to build products on crypto rails. Through a single API, clients can spin up wallets rather than use external ones, sign transactions, and integrate any onchain system. The firm now claims to power over 75 million accounts across more than 1000 developer teams, orchestrating billions in transactions. Among its clients are trading platform Hyperliquid and restaurant app Blackbird. Like Bridge, the startup will operate as an independent product under Stripe.
Marqeta’s processing volumes surge 27% on card issuance; that non-Block TPV grew at 2x faster than Block TPV
Marqeta’s first quarter results surged across several metrics as new and existing card issuance programs grew on a global stage across debit and credit channels, and the company’s platform gains a tailwind as it enables new BNPL and embedded finance offerings. Total processing volume (TPV) of $84 billion was up by 27%. Forward looking guidance looks for net revenue growth in the range of 13% to 15%. Mike Milotich, interim CEO and CFO, said that net revenue growth of 18% to $139 million. Beyond Block (the company’s largest customer at 45% of Marqeta revenues), Milotich said that non-Block TPV grew at 2x faster than Block TPV, “fueled by a wide range of customers across several use cases. Consistent with the last several quarters, financial services, lending including buy now, pay later, and expense management drove the bulk of our TPV growth.” Lending and expense management TPV continued to grow over 30% “and both accelerated a bit from last quarter,” given a boost by the combination of Klarna’s migration to the Marqeta platform in Europe, and “our BNPL customers benefiting from the increased adoption of Pay Anywhere card solution and distribution through wallets, both are supported in part by newly available flexible network credentials and strong user growth among SMB lending solutions.” He also said that despite a challenging macro environment, there has not been a spending shift across the platform, telling analysts, “Breaking down the spend by low, medium and high discretionary TPV based on merchant category reveals no meaningful shift in the mix of spending in Q1 versus the past several quarters.”
Cardlytics solution allows any merchant with digital channels and a loyalty program to become a publisher on its platform and roll out targeted card-linked offers targeted on purchase data from a third-party vendor
Cardlytics announced the general availability of Cardlytics Rewards Platform (CRP), a new solution that provides publishers the opportunity to enhance their customer loyalty programs with card-linked offers. With CRP, a merchant with digital channels and a loyalty program can now become a publisher on the Cardlytics network and offer more value to their customers. This opens up Cardlytics’ supply to new verticals beyond financial services – such as retail and restaurants – and provides advertisers increased exposure, reach and engagement with consumers where they are already transacting. Publishers can also boost engagement with their customers by incentivizing them to earn rewards on their purchases and improving the shopping experience, helping to create a flywheel for CRP partners. CRP is an extension of Cardlytics’ core platform for financial institution partners, with the same advertiser offers flowing seamlessly to new publisher channels. Offers on CRP are delivered within a publisher’s loyalty program and targeted based on purchase data from a third-party vendor. After opting in to receive offers and connecting their bank account information, customers can activate offers and earn rewards in the form of the publisher’s loyalty currency, such as points or loyalty cash, which can be used for future purchases. Amit Gupta, CEO of Cardlytics said “By enabling our advertisers to become publishers, we are unlocking new opportunities for growth and redefining what it means to be a partner in our ecosystem.”
Tether USDT and, Tron dominate fast-growing stablecoin payments arena, survey shows; Tron was the preferred settlement network, hosting around 60 percent of volume
Tether’s USDT token and the Tron blockchain network dominate the rapidly growing stablecoin payment industry, according analytics firm Artemis with help from investment firms Dragonfly and Castle Island Ventures. Their report looked at data from 31 stablecoin payment companies, and found USDT, the largest stablecoin, accounted for 90 percent of payment transaction volume, followed by Circle’s USDC, the second-largest. Tron was the preferred settlement network, hosting around 60 percent of volume, followed by Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain and Polygon. It’s perhaps surprising that the share of Circle’s USDC isn’t larger, given the firm’s involvement in payments and recent plans to introduce a dedicated cross-border payments network. In addition, Circle, which this week filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, has been taking market share from Tether in terms of issuance, so the expectation might have been a similar or pro-rata level when it comes to payments volume, said Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick. “For the 31 providers we got data from at least, it’s clear that’s not the case for the payments use case,” Hadick said. “In fact, a higher portion of the volume, relative to the issuance, is happening with Tether, and it’s happening primarily on Tron and then Ethereum. This was quite surprising to us.”
Elavon and Jscrambler partner to strengthen PCI DSS compliance for merchants for requirements of 6.4.3 and 11.6.1
Elavon and Jscrambler have partnered to help merchants comply with PCI DSS requirements 6.4.3 and 11.6.1. Through this agreement, Elavon’s network of more than 400 merchants can leverage Jscrambler’s Client-Side Protection and Compliance Platform to safeguard their business from escalating web skimming attacks. Using Jscrambler’s Client-Side Protection and Compliance Platform and PCI DSS solution, merchants can meet PCI DSS requirements while preventing web skimming attacks, securing payment pages, and maintaining compliance efficiently. Now, through this collaboration, the two companies combine Elavon’s extensive experience as a global leader in payment processing with Jscrambler’s innovative technologies to address the critical need for robust payment security. Jscrambler’s PCI DSS solution delivers the following capabilities: Script Management: Auto-discovers and authorizes payment page scripts, reducing manual approvals by grouping vendor behaviors. Skimming Prevention: Blocks unauthorized data access in real-time, protecting against web skimming and formjacking. Tamper Detection: Monitors HTTP headers and page content, alerting on unauthorized changes via email, SIEM, or Slack. Hybrid Architecture: Supports agentless and agent-based deployment for flexibility, enabling rapid compliance for complex or acquired payment pages. PCI DSS Expertise: Provides direct access to former PCI Security Standards Council members and a strong bench of PCI DSS experts. QSA Alliance Program: Provides access to enablement sessions, assessor forums, and inventory reports to streamline audits. Andrew McCarroll, PCIP Customer Payment Security Executive, Elavon said “By partnering with Jscrambler, Elavon is offering merchants easy access to Jscrambler’s PCI DSS solution.”
Spotify reports surge in iOS Premium subscriptions after enabling external payment links, following U.S. court ruling against Apple
Spotify says its ability to direct its customers to external payment links in its iOS app has already had a positive impact on sales. Spotify claims its internal data indicates that its recent update supporting web payments has resulted in “a significant increase in iOS users upgrading to a Premium subscription.” Now, iOS app developers in the U.S. can choose to tell their customers about web billing options and whether there’s a discount for paying directly. Spotify was one of the first to update its iOS app to take advantage of the new policy. The updated version explains to customers what subscriptions cost, points them to its website to purchase, and allows users to purchase audiobooks directly. The results have been largely positive, Spotify wrote in the new filing. “The 2025 Order has created substantial benefits for developers and — more importantly — consumers,” the filing states. “Spotify’s internal data show that its iOS app updates have already resulted in a significant increase in iOS users upgrading to a Premium subscription. Apple’s compliance has also enabled new product innovations that would not have been possible without the Injunction.” Spotify said that its revised “Premium Destination Page” in its iOS app tells free users how to upgrade to a paid subscription by offering information about prices and a link to a checkout page. Since adding the link and pricing information, Spotify says it’s seen the immediate impact of the changes. In the two weeks the new page has been live, Spotify says the rate of conversions from the free to Premium tier has remained “relatively constant” on Android, where Spotify has already been able to offer basic pricing information. Meanwhile, the conversion rate among iOS users has increased substantially, the company says. “This strongly suggests that the increase is due to Apple finally complying with the Injunction thanks to the 2025 Order,” Spotify wrote. Plus, the company adds that it’s beginning to see the effects on audiobook purchases just three days after the new product options were launched.
GoCardless’s platform enables merchants to manage both account-to-account collections and customer payouts within a single platform with built-in payments security through reuse of stored bank details and Confirmation of Payee
Bank payment company GoCardless announces the launch of Outbound Payments, a significant expansion of its platform that will enable merchants to send money directly to customers, suppliers, and third parties via GoCardless. Merchants will be able to use GoCardless to manage both account-to-account collections and payouts within a single platform, streamlining operations, simplifying reconciliation and enhancing payment visibility. The introduction of payouts will also help merchants save time and money as they eliminate costly set up, maintenance, and contractual processes by managing both collections and payouts in the same place. Outbound Payments provides built-in payment security as merchants can reuse stored bank details from payment collections to reduce manual errors when paying out. In addition, Confirmation of Payee helps to ensure that payouts reach the right recipient by confirming that the payee’s name matches the registered bank account details before funds are transferred, helping reduce the risk of accidental or fraudulent transfers. Outbound Payments is a direct result of the strategic acquisition and rapid integration of Nuapay, which has a proven track record of processing billions in payout volume.