Zip, the digital financial services company offering innovative, people-centered products for underestimated Americans, today announced the launch of Pay in 21, a new payment option that allows consumers to split a purchase into two installments paid over two weeks.

APEXX Global, the leading merchant-centric Payment Orchestration Platform, today announced a strategic investment of up to $10 million USD led by  Finch Capital, a European growth investor with deep expertise in payments and scaling financial technology players internationally. 

Commonwealth Bank becomes the first Australian bank to release a report outlining how it is ideating, developing, deploying and managing Artificial Intelligence (AI) at an organisational level with a focus on responsible practices. The report explores the Bank’s approach to AI, its journey over the past decade, and practical examples of AI in action across the organisation.

Smart Money People has announced the appointment of Peer Jelendorf as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding longstanding CEO Jacqueline Dewey, who is stepping down at the end of February after nearly six years in the role. Jelendorf joins from savings and investment platform Moneybox, where he most recently served as Head of Commercial, bringing with him a strong track record in commercial growth and strategic leadership within UK fintech.

Visa today announced the launch of Visa & Main, a new platform designed to give small business owners across the United States better access to the resources they need to succeed. Built in direct response to the most pressing challenges entrepreneurs face—access to capital, reaching customers and adopting modern business tools—the platform brings together capabilities across Visa’s network to help small businesses succeed.

A new kind of money mindset is taking hold - one built around confidence, control, and smarter choices. 

After years of economic turbulence, consumers have become more intentional about how they manage their money. Many are turning away from traditional finance and are now seeking flexible, digital-first tools that support better budgeting and long-term planning.

A shift in financial habits

NatWest has today announced a major expansion of its support for UK entrepreneurs, aiming to grow the Accelerator community to 50,000 members – a five-fold increase on the 10,000 ambition set for 2025.

This step-up‑ follows a strong 2025, when the bank exceeded its ambition by growing the community to c12,000, beating in a single year the total number it had supported over the previous ten years in total and underlining the acceleration of the scale and impact.

The Republic of South Africa has today officially acceded to the Establishment Agreement of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Africa’s leading Multilateral Financial Institution, marking the formal entry of one of Africa’s largest economies into the Bank’s membership, heralding deeper financial sovereignty. 

Evolve Bank & Trust (“Evolve”) today announced Arlon Duke as Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”). Duke began his Evolver career in 2023 as Director of Information Technology.

Affirm and Virgin Media O2 are today announcing a new partnership that will see the transparent and flexible payment network provide upfront and honest hardware financing to O2 - one of the UK’s leading mobile providers.

Through the partnership, new and existing O2 customers will be able to enjoy increased flexibility to choose a payment option that suits their needs when purchasing a device.