Cross-border payments have become the backbone of international commerce and investments. From tourists using their home bank card while abroad, to businesses paying a global network of suppliers, the use cases and applications for such transactions are both plentiful and diverse.

iPipeline®, a leading provider of comprehensive and integrated digital solutions for the life insurance, pensions, savings, and investment markets in the UK, has launched E-Apply, a new digital option for annuities within their Assureweb® portal. This innovation allows advisers to complete the entire annuity application process online for the first time, saving valuable time and resources.

Mesh, the first truly global crypto payments network, today unveiled its Apple Pay integration live on stage at Token2049 during Co-Founder and CEO Bam Azizi's keynote address. This marks the first public demonstration of the new capability – available later in Q2 – that will enable merchants partnered with Mesh to accept crypto payments through Apple Pay without building their own crypto infrastructure.

Clearwater Analytics, the most comprehensive technology platform for investment management, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Beacon Platform Inc. (Beacon), a provider of enterprise risk analytics and developer infrastructure.

Today, programmable financial services company Stripe announced an expansion of Radar, Stripe’s AI-powered fraud prevention product, for ACH and SEPA payments.

Radar assesses more than 1,000 characteristics of a potential transaction in order to determine, in less than 100 milliseconds, the likelihood that it’s fraudulent. On average, Radar users see a 42% reduction in SEPA fraud and a 20% reduction in ACH fraud.

Rain, a global card issuing platform built for stablecoins, is helping usher in a new era of onchain finance through its work with Visa.

Today, Rain announced it has joined Visa's pilot program for stablecoin settlement. Rain has fully tokenized its credit card receivables and has transitioned all settlement transactions for its Visa cards to USDC, to now be able to settle with Visa 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Square announced new Square Banking tools that give sellers instant access to their cash flow and free, easier ways to manage their earnings. Today, business owners can conveniently sign up for a Square payments account and a free Square Checking¹ account in just minutes through one streamlined application—right on Square’s website and point of sale app.

Stablecoins – once a technology confined to crypto communities – are making their way into headlines, dinner party conversations and soon, everyday transactions. Visa, a global leader in digital payments, and Bridge, a leading stablecoin orchestration platform and a Stripe company, today announced a new card-issuing product. Fintech developers using Bridge can now offer stablecoin-linked Visa cards to their end customers in multiple countries through a single API integration.

Persona, the leading verified identity platform, today announced a $200 million Series D funding round, bringing the company's valuation to $2 billion. The round was co-led by Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital, with participation from existing investors including BOND, Coatue, First Round Capital, and Index Ventures and Chemistry.

AI, fraud, and fragmentation are redefining online identity

Global leader in enterprise data automation for the financial services industry, Gresham, today announces a major enhancement to its reconciliation solution, Control for Investment Management, previously sold under the Electra brand.