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FinTech & AI on 13 October: 8 stories

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02All stories in this issue

  1. 02Global financial watchdog calls for cross-border information sharing, planning for stablecoin crisisThe Financial Stability Board warned that global stablecoins and national rules remain untested in a severe crisis and called for more cross-border information sharing, monitoring and crisis planning. Its note, sent with Chair Andrew Bailey's letter to G20 finance ministers before their 15 October meeting, flags multi-issuer models where reserves sit in one jurisdiction and redemptions hit another.Why it mattersThe FSB is shifting the stablecoin debate from licensing to failure: where reserves sit, which insolvency law applies and who can redeem. Payment firms that treat a regulated stablecoin as cash-equivalent could face sharper supervisory questions about redemption under stress.TakeawayIf stablecoins sit in your settlement or prefunding flows, know which issuer entity and jurisdiction you redeem with, and set exposure limits per issuer. Add a fallback route to fiat rails in case redemptions slow.CoinDeskRead the source Regulation12 OctRegulation12 Oct
  2. 03MAS updates safeguards for AI agent-driven financial transactionsThe Monetary Authority of Singapore released Version 1.1 of its Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime (SAFR) white paper, proposing agent identity and authorisation, pre-execution checks of actions against user instructions, and accountability and auditability. MAS also published an open-source reference implementation through the Future of Finance Institute.Why it mattersA major regulator is defining the control points for agent-initiated payments before the market settles on its own: identity, mandate checks at runtime and audit trails. Institutions elsewhere now have a reference design that supervisors are likely to borrow.TakeawayMap SAFR's three measures against your stack: agent identification, a pre-execution check of each payment against the user's mandate and your limits, and a log of every decision. The open-source reference implementation is a cheap way to test the gap.Singapore Business ReviewRead the source AI12 OctAI12 Oct
  3. 04MAS Plans Next Phase of Wholesale CBDC Settlement With Tokenised BillsThe Monetary Authority of Singapore plans to use wholesale central bank digital currency to settle tokenised MAS Bills, Managing Director Chia Der Jiun said on 9 October. MAS made wholesale Singapore dollar CBDC available on its Singapore dollar Test Network in 2025, and its first trial settled interbank overnight lending between DBS, OCBC and UOB.Why it mattersSettling tokenised MAS Bills in central bank money brings tokenised assets and the safest settlement asset onto common infrastructure. It also signals that MAS sees central bank money as the anchor for private stablecoins and tokenised deposits as they scale.TakeawayNo immediate change for payment orchestration teams: this is wholesale interbank settlement. Watch whether tokenised deposits under MAS's BLOOM initiative gain access to the same rail, which would bring it closer to commercial flows.Fintech News SingaporeRead the source Infrastructure12 OctInfrastructure12 Oct
  4. 05Standard Chartered launches RLUSD custody and joins planned collateral integration with Ripple and LMAX GroupStandard Chartered launched institutional custody for Ripple USD (RLUSD) on the XRP Ledger through its branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). The bank is also working with Ripple and LMAX Group to make RLUSD eligible collateral for agreed LMAX products, mirroring its value to the venue without moving the tokens.Why it mattersA global bank that holds a stablecoin in custody and plans to let its value back trading without moving it would treat the token like conventional collateral. It strengthens the DIFC as a venue for bank-run stablecoin services.TakeawayBank-custodied stablecoins in the DIFC widen the options for holding prefunding and collateral without leaving regulated custody. Check whether your risk rules distinguish bank-custodied stablecoin balances from those on exchanges or self-hosted wallets.Standard CharteredRead the source Crypto12 OctCrypto12 Oct
  5. 06Fed names new payments chiefFederal Reserve Financial Services appointed Kim Robbins, first vice president and chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, as its top payments executive, succeeding the retiring Mark Gould. She takes over the division that provides payment services to financial institutions on 16 November.Why it mattersThe division that runs the Fed's payment services gets a new leader at what she calls a pivotal moment in payments. Her priorities will shape the pace of FedNow and other Fed services that banks build on.TakeawayNothing to change now. Watch her first statements for FedNow roadmap, limits and fraud-tooling priorities, which feed directly into routing and risk rules for instant payments.Payments DiveRead the source Payments12 OctPayments12 Oct
  6. 07Ransomware Gang Claims MoneyGram Data TheftA ransomware gang claimed on 12 October that it stole data from MoneyGram and threatened to publish it unless the company negotiates, Cybernews reported, citing a dark-web post. MoneyGram has not confirmed an incident, and the attackers have not shared data samples.Why it mattersEven unconfirmed, a claim against a large payment network matters: if customer data does leak, it would fuel account takeover and social-engineering fraud downstream. Partners are better off planning for that scenario before confirmation than after.TakeawayIf you route payouts or collections through MoneyGram, prepare rules to tighten limits and step-up checks on affected corridors should the breach be confirmed. Monitor for a company statement before acting.PYMNTSRead the source Payments12 OctPayments12 Oct
  7. 08Kraken Targets UAE Launch After Payward’s Final VARA ApprovalKraken parent Payward received Full Market Approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, the final stage of licensing, allowing it to serve retail, professional and institutional clients. Kraken plans to start serving UAE clients in the coming weeks, with dirham funding and withdrawals and AED-denominated spot and margin trading.Why it mattersAnother top-tier exchange with direct dirham rails deepens the UAE's crypto-to-fiat flows and the demand on local banks and PSPs that service them. Payward's plan to offer trading as a service to regional partners puts licensed crypto inside more Gulf financial apps.TakeawayExpect more dirham flows to and from licensed virtual asset providers in the UAE. Check that your risk rules separate VARA-licensed counterparties from unlicensed ones rather than treating all crypto flows alike.Fintech News UAERead the source Crypto12 OctCrypto12 Oct

03Past issues

  1. Tue13 October 2026Upgrade is latest fintech to seek ILC charter8 storiesShowing
  2. Mon12 October 2026Ramp Valued at $60 Billion Following New Funding Round6 storiesOpen
  3. Sun11 October 2026Threat Actors Exploiting Payment and Disbursement APIs for Unauthorized Fund Transfers in BFSI Entities6 storiesOpen
  4. Sat10 October 2026Trump Urges Congress to Pass Credit Card Competition Act3 storiesOpen
  5. Fri9 October 2026OCC Assesses $350 Million Civil Money Penalty Against American Express6 storiesOpen
  6. Thu8 October 2026NPCI receives requests to postpone UPI MDR implementation to January 20278 storiesOpen
  7. Wed7 October 2026Fed's Bowman unveils major overhaul of its bank supervision11 storiesOpen
  8. Tue6 October 2026ANZ completes cross-border tokenised deposit payment with Swift ledger7 storiesOpen
  9. Mon5 October 2026Mal Raises $230m Seed to Build AI-Native Islamic Bank from Abu Dhabi4 storiesOpen
  10. Sun4 October 2026Exclusive: ICBA sues OCC over trust charters5 storiesOpen
  11. Sat3 October 2026EMVCo Framework Targets Consumer Intent in Agentic Payments7 storiesOpen
  12. Fri2 October 2026Fiserv’s stablecoin system starts10 storiesOpen
  13. Wed30 September 2026Circle and Volante partner to help banks integrate stablecoins into payment operations10 storiesOpen
  14. Tue29 September 2026Fed proposes stablecoin rules10 storiesOpen
  15. Sat26 September 2026Fed proposes stablecoin rules9 storiesOpen
  16. Tue15 September 2026ECB calls on merchants to join digital euro pilot scheme12 storiesOpen