At MWC Barcelona 2026, the Chinese technology giant used its largest stage to lay out an ambitious - and carefully argued - vision for AI-driven transformation across banking, insurance, and fintech infrastructure.

In recent months, geopolitical instability has led European policymakers, central banks and market participants to increasingly perceive payments as critical infrastructure that should be managed more locally. Some are openly advocating for preferential treatment of homegrown, European or national solutions.

No matter where you stand in this debate, the facts should be clear. A European payment network exists today operating for Europe’s benefit. That network is Mastercard.

The signing of the GENIUS Act in July 2025 was widely hailed as the regulatory green light the digital assets sector had long awaited. Meanwhile, In the UK, the FCA’s legislative framework is now moving into its final consultation phase, signalling a clear path for digital assets to integrate with traditional finance.

LemFi, the global financial platform built for the underserved, has officially been registered as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) by the Bank of Canada under the country’s new Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA). 

LemFi already serves customers in Canada, and this new registration brings the company fully into the country’s enhanced federal supervisory framework, strengthening oversight under the Bank of Canada’s new payments regime.

Mastercard is advancing a new era of AI with capabilities that span the full commerce lifecycle, from understanding how money moves to predicting risk and opportunity to recommending and executing next best actions. Leveraging decades of leadership in payments, data and security, Mastercard’s growing suite of AI-powered capabilities is designed to pioneer the shift from insight to action — all with privacy, trust, and human oversight at the core.

Last year, agentic AI entered the lives of both consumers and businesses raising everyone’s expectations for a more autonomous way of working. The agents were considered an indispensable tool that reasons, plans, and acts around the clock but they need to be grounded in enterprise knowledge to properly improve customer service as well as employee efficiency. 

Akurateco, a global payment orchestration software vendor, has announced a strategic partnership with Kushki, a leading digital payments company in Latin America.

As the global Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market accelerates toward nearly USD 912 billion by 2030, G2A.COM is bringing payments spread in time directly into the gaming economy. In a market where digital content consumption is rising but price sensitivity remains high, payment flexibility is emerging as a strategic growth lever. The world’s largest marketplace for digital entertainment has introduced Klarna at checkout, unlocking instalment and deferred payment options across more than 90,000 digital offers.

eBay UK today announced a new partnership with global finance provider Liberis, to introduce ‘Flexible Growth Financing’. This new funding product will be available for UK business sellers starting from April 2026 as part of eBay's Seller Capital  program. 

Unlimit announced the appointment of Irene Skrynova as CEO, Global Payments, as the company accelerates its evolution into a global financial infrastructure platform powering cross-border commerce.