First time buyers are now being offered Sharia-compliant buy-to-let (BTL) finance by Offa, the UK’s leading Islamic property finance fintech, and the minimum age required has now dropped to 18-years-old – in a series of customer criteria changes aimed at widening access to Sharia-compliant finance for the general public.

In recent years, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services have moved from a niche offering to a mainstream financial tool. BNPL has quickly emerged as an up-and-coming payment method, transforming the way consumers approach purchasing and credit. This evolution has largely been driven by the growth of digital platforms and rising popularity of eCommerce.

Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments provider, today announced its partnership with HEYTEA, the originator and creator of new-style tea drinks and one of Asia’s fastest-growing beverage brands. The partnership has improved HEYTEA’s customer experience and supported its global expansion by offering localized payments solutions.

NCR Atleos Corporation, a leader in expanding self-service financial access for financial institutions, retailers and consumers, today announced that $3.1 billion-asset Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU) has chosen to join the Atleos 

Eurowag, Visa and Nets (part of Nexi Group) have partnered to offer a new open-loop, secure, contactless pre-paid payment card for fleet management.

The new Eurowag Visa card replaces the previous Eurowag Mastercard and is commercially available now. The card complements Eurowag’s existing closed-loop fuel offering, enabling customers to use their cards at any fuel station in Europe. Nets, part of Nexi Group, will remain the supplier of new cards for Eurowag.

Mastercard and Feedzai, an AI solution provider in financial crime prevention, today announced they are joining forces to make it easier for more banks to identify and stop scams, protecting consumers and businesses globally.

Nuvei Corporation, the Canadian fintech company, today announces the appointment of two new executives to its senior leadership team. Moshe Selfin joins as Chief Product Officer, reporting to Nuvei Chair and CEO Philip Fayer, while Chad Gerhardstein assumes the newly created role of Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, reporting to CFO David Schwartz.

Today, Surfboard Payments, the provider of innovative cloud-based payment solutions, now enables its customers in Sweden to seamlessly and securely accept in-person contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Tap to Pay on iPhone accepts all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and the CheckoutX app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed.

TransUnion Kenya, a global information and insights company, and global analytics software leader FICO are leading the charge in transforming the country’s financial landscape with new groundbreaking risk solutions that are designed to broaden access to credit and empower financial institutions. By leveraging enriched data and analytics, lenders can now make more informed decisions, which foster greater economic empowerment and build a more resilient financial ecosystem.

Dashen Bank, one of Ethiopia’s leading private banks, has partnered with global nonprofit Accion and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to better serve small businesses with digital financial services customized to meet their financing needs. Accion is supporting Dashen Bank to build an innovation hub that aims to expand digital banking services to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through a range of new products and a focus on women-owned businesses.