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.”
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.”
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.
Snoop launches Variable Recurring Payments to supercharge automated saving- allowing users to set flexible, automated deposits from their current account into their Snoop savings account on a weekly or monthly basis
Snoop has launched Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs), letting users automate savings with ease and stay on track with financial goals – all powered by Open Banking. Snoop’s new VRP functionality allows users to set flexible, automated deposits from their current account into their Snoop savings account on a weekly or monthly basis – on the day that suits them. This new capability builds on the app’s existing savings features, which already include smart insights and nudges that help customers shift spare cash into high-interest savings. John Natalizia, chief executive officer and co-founder of Snoop said “With VRPs, we’re unlocking a new level of control and ease. This is about building better habits with less effort – and helping people grow their money without needing to think about it every day.” Since launch, the Snoop savings account has gained strong traction. Over 90% of customers fund their accounts using Open Banking, preferring seamless, secure transfers over manual top-ups. The Snoop savings account offers: 4.25% AER / 4.16% gross (variable) interest; Daily interest payments; Easy access: same working day if requested before 11am; Open from just £1, save up to £85,000; FSCS protection up to £85,000 (held with Vanquis Bank Limited). Over 80% of users have set savings goals, most aiming to build an emergency fund. Snoop recommends monthly contributions and nudges users when spare cash is available. This will expand to include advanced sweep rules, roundups, and payday savings, offering even more intelligent automation. Natalizia added “Unlike traditional accounts, Snoop actively helps customers optimise their savings.
OpenFX’s open, real-time FX network connects traditional banking rails with digital-native systems using a multi-layer liquidity architecture that enables 90% of transactions to settle in under 60 minutes vs industry standard of 2-7 days
OpenFX announced its emergence from stealth with $23 million in funding. OpenFX is building a real-time, open, transparent FX network that enables near-instant settlement of cross-border transactions. The company’s platform dramatically reduces payment friction by making FX transfers 99% faster and up to 90% cheaper, while operating 24/7/365 – eliminating the constraints of banking hours, weekends, and holidays. OpenFX’s multi-layer liquidity architecture leverages next-generation financial technology to connect traditional banking rails with digital-native systems, enabling 90% of transactions to settle in under 60 minutes, compared to the industry standard of 2-7 days. The company’s capital-efficient liquidity model eliminates the need for massive balance sheets typically required by traditional FX providers. Over the last 12 months, OpenFX has validated its cross-border payment platform and settlement network at scale, processing billions in transactions across the top G20 FX pairs while maintaining institutional-grade security and reliability. Early customers have witnessed a remarkable transformation in their FX money movement experience, resulting in 8-10x growth in quarter-over-quarter volumes. In one striking example, a recently onboarded client scaled from zero to $100 million in transaction volume within just 17 days of integration.
Trans-Fi’s platform uses AI-powered dynamic routing to optimize payouts or pay-ins for the fastest and most cost-effective route using fiat or stablecoin rails to enable instant cross-border transactions with >250 payment methods
Global payment infrastructure firm Trans-Fi has launched a unified platform called BizPay that enables instant, compliant cross-border transactions with more than 250 payment methods across more than 100 countries. BizPay enables businesses and individuals to send and receive money, initiate payouts and accept pay-ins, in minutes. The platform uses artificial intelligence-powered dynamic routing and more than 70 back-end integrations to optimize payouts or pay-ins for the fastest and most cost-effective route using fiat or stablecoin rails. It also has a self-onboarding feature that allows users to sign up, connect their details and start moving money in minutes. BizPay features transparent pricing, real-time foreign exchange (FX) rates and zero hidden fees. For many [businesses], this could mean the difference between expanding into a new market — or holding back due to unpredictable costs and delayed settlements Automated checks on every transaction—whether pay-in or payout, standardized error codes, multi-jurisdictional safeguards, and adherence to global regulations ensure every transaction moves not just fast, but right.
Curve Pay launches on iOS as Apple Pay alternative; to leverage iPhone NFC feature to offer more than tap-to-pay experience that includes split payments, rewards stacking and real-time spending
Curve announced the launch of Curve Pay on iOS, the first payment solution to leverage the newly accessible iPhone NFC interface after Apple’s acceptance of the European Commission’s ruling. As a staged wallet with built-in smart features — including real-time spending insights, the ability to switch payment sources post-transaction, and rewards stacking — Curve Pay gives iOS users more functionality than ever before. Now with Apple’s hands forced to open to competition, Curve Pay ushers in a new era of choice for iOS consumers,” said Shachar Bialick, CEO & Founder of Curve. “With Curve Pay also recently going live on Android, we are bringing universal access to all Curve users, regardless of device — so everyone can now manage their money, on any phone, with all the unique Curve benefits that comes with it.” Unlike pass-through wallets like Apple Pay, which simply transmit existing card credentials, Curve’s staged architecture means it actively sits in the payment flow. That allows Curve to offer far more than a tap-to-pay experience. Customers can retroactively change the card they used, split payments, earn cashback, track spending in real time and even pay from accounts like PayPal — all through a single app.
European banks are increasing liquidity buffers, upgrading fraud and sanctions screening tools and adjusting their risk management frameworks to prepare for expected loss in interest due to new liquidity demands under the Sepa Instant Payments regulation
Nearly half of European banks expect to lose millions in interest due to new liquidity demands under the Sepa Instant Payments regulation, but still believe the benefits of the change will outweigh the costs. Higher limits make it harder for banks to predict how much money they need. Nearly every bank surveyed (93%) expressed concern. Almost half (48%) said they are “very concerned”. To prepare, nearly half of respondents are increasing their liquidity buffers, while a similar number are upgrading their fraud and sanctions screening tools to handle higher volumes at odd hours. Two in five banks are adjusting their risk management frameworks, and a similar percentage are setting up bilateral agreements to set limits with other banks. Over half report a surge in rejected payments tied to sanctions screening under Sepa Instant. Most see a 30-50% increase due to requirements to clear payments in 10 seconds. To keep up, two-thirds of banks say they plan to use AI to reduce false positives in sanctions screening, while a similar number are investing in tools to improve the speed and accuracy of transaction monitoring. Despite the pressures, over eight in ten banks believe the benefits of Sepa Instant outweigh the costs. And, while nearly half of respondents say that they struggled to meet the first January deadlines, 85% believe the October date is realistic.
ACI Worldwide integrates major global networks’ capabilities into its cloud-native payments hub to offer account-to-account (A2A), card payments and AI-driven fraud prevention on a unified platform
ACI Worldwide has announced the integration of the major UK, EU and global networks’ payment capabilities into ACI Connetic, ACI’s transformative, cloud-native payments hub. These include Swift cross-border payments, RTGS payments including Target2, SEPA Instant RT1 and TIPS payments, with the addition of more capabilities planned. For the first time in the industry, ACI Connetic brings together account-to-account (A2A), card payments and AI-driven fraud prevention on a unified cloud-native platform – making it simpler, faster and more cost-effective for banks and financial institutions (FI) to modernize their payments infrastructures. It offers FIs unequalled scalability and resilience while minimizing risk and enabling them to deliver new services to customers much faster. Thomas Warsop, President and CEO of ACI Worldwide. ACI Connetic empowers financial institutions to unlock new revenue opportunities and navigate compliance in order to drive growth and financial inclusion. The platform’s cloud-native architecture, modular design and open APIs simplify integration with existing systems, speeding up deployment and time to value. Designed for financial institutions of any size, it is particularly suited for banks looking to modernize quickly and cost-effectively without sacrificing enterprise-grade capabilities. ACI is collaborating with the world’s leading clearing and settlement systems—including the Bank of England, Pay.UK, ECB, EBA Clearing, and Stet, as well as Swift, the Federal Reserve and The Clearing House—to integrate their payments capabilities to offer banks across the globe the most prolific payment methods as part of ACI Connetic. “We built ACI Connetic to give banks a future-proof foundation to meet the ever-increasing demand for faster, smarter and secure payments,” said Scotty Perkins, head of product for banking and intermediaries at ACI Worldwide. “Built for scalability, intelligence and resilience, ACI Connetic empowers banks to reduce complexity, accelerate product innovation and deliver new solutions to their customers in an unprecedented way and at unprecedented speed.”
Bluevine enables small business owners to create professional invoices and secure payment links that can be sent by email, text, custom links, or social media for free while getting paid directly into their Bluevine accounts
Bluevine has launched Invoicing and Payment Links to allow Bluevine customers to create and share professional invoices and payment links within minutes. Small businesses can now get paid faster and accept multiple payment methods while getting paid directly into their Bluevine accounts. The launch brings a new level of sophistication and ease to businesses that have traditionally been underserved by other banking and payment platforms. Bluevine’s Invoicing and Payments Links make it easy for small business owners to create professional invoices and secure payment links that can be sent by email, text, custom links, or social media for free, with owners only having to pay processing fees. Via Stripe, Bluevine customers can get paid via credit card, debit card, digital wallets, or ACH direct debit payments. Stripe’s trusted payment processing infrastructure brings enterprise-grade speed, reliability, and security to invoicing in Bluevine’s all-in-one platform. These features will add more value for Bluevine’s diverse base of business customers including accounting and consulting firms, contractors and tradespeople, medical practices, and many more. The tools are designed to eliminate the friction of chasing payments and juggling multiple platforms. Key features of Bluevine Invoicing and Payment Links include: Free professional invoicing, Easy, secure payment links, More ways to get paid.