Merry Xmas to all! Enjoy this holiday season, rest, connect and reflect.

X Money was promised for 2024. Then early 2025. Then "later this year." Now it's late 2025, and they're still hiring the tech lead to "build from the ground up." The "everything app" vision stays perpetually on the horizon.

Reality check: Bitcoin ETF fees are climbing back UP. 0% promos → now 0.20-0.25% is the new normal. Land-grab phase complete. Year 2-3 competition is infrastructure depth: - Options availability - Custody integration - Tax optimization tools - Derivatives liquidity Compete on features, not fees.

PayPal files for bank charter in lending push PayPal's ILC ≠ Stripe's MALPB PayPal: Deposits & lending Stripe/Checkout.com: Card network access Fintechs going vertical—different paths to control 🏦 buff.ly/8ymplpz

Klarna`s experiments with AI and its workforce From W-2 to gig economy: Klarna moving to contractor-based model paired with AI. Question: Does fintech function better with on-demand talent + autonomous agents vs traditional full-time teams? paymentexpert.com/2025/05/16/k...

From Boardroom to Code: How AI and Standards Are Collapsing Banking Transformation Timelines My reflections from the BIAN Summit 2025, Chicago www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-b...

Top AI Books to Read in 2025 www.ai-supremacy.com/p/top-ai-boo...

Animoca Brands announces Nasdaq listing via reverse merger with Currenc Group (CURR). The Web3 giant with 600+ portfolio companies will own 95% of the merged entity, expected to close in 2026. First publicly-listed diversified digital assets conglomerate. www.theblock.co/post/377291/...

Yes it is early for Embedded finance in an Agentic world. But hey, we need to future-proof businesses! `𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐈` on the FS i-Hub led by @ShaulDavidUK in conversation w/ @griffinbank CEO David Jarvis. Bring your questions. Join the conversation. RSVP 👉 buff.ly/56Oul1O

DeepSeek + Huawei are bundling Chinese LLMs with cloud services for Africa—at a fraction of OpenAI's cost. The pitch: GPT-level capabilities, cheaper hardware, less power. 📰 DeepSeek's Push Into Africa Reveals China's AI Power Grab 🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

`𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐈` on the FS i-Hub led by @ShaulDavidUK in conversation w/ @griffinbank CEO David Jarvis. 📅 November 3rd, 2025 | 5:00pm CET | 12:00pm EST Bring your questions. Join the conversation. RSVP 👉 lnkd.in/daTBYMRR

Check out my latest AI Uncovers Africa's Hidden Data Revolution: From 'Thin Files' to Rich Insights www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-unc...

Movers and Shakers: Dramatic shifts in the 2025 AI banking rankings: 📈 Groupe BPCE +15 📈 Charles Schwab +14 📈 Lloyds +12 📈 State Street +12 AI maturity in banking is no longer about experimentation—it's about execution at scale. buff.ly/EJBKtgY #AI #banking

Nobel Prize in economics awarded to Mokyr, Aghion and Howitt for explaining ‘innovation-driven’ growth | CNN Business edition.cnn.com/2025/10/13/b...

New AI maturity benchmark of 50 global banks reveals a surprise: Ally Financial ranks top 20 despite being a fraction of the size of mega-banks. Agility + focus can trump scale when it comes to AI. Full report: buff.ly/EJBKtgY #AI #Banking

USDT and USDC dominance has fallen from 91.6% (March 2024) to 83.6% 📉 Nic Carter says yield-bearing stablecoins like Ethena's USDe and bank consortia will continue eating into their market share. 'Stablecoin duopoly ending' as USDT, USDC dominance falls to 84% cointelegraph.com/news/stablec...

The Battle for Agent Payments: Who Can Challenge Google's AP2? sifintechpulse.substack.com/p/the-battle...

🔵 Hot off the press! Our second part looks into Google`s AP2 protocol. We view this as the new standard set by Google. What does it take to challenge it? Read our in-depth analysis. Leave your comments. Subscribe and Share if you liked it. open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

BANK & FINTECH PARTNERSHIPS - AN INSIDER’S VIEW futures-financial-forum.mn.co/events/bank-...

📌 Google's AP2 protocol just set the standard for autonomous commerce - and you can't afford to miss this shift. Multi-rail payments + cryptographic mandates = the new infrastructure. "From Talking Agents to Paying Agents: Inside Google's AP2 & A2A Protocols" open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

🔥 October's just getting started at FS i-Hub 🔹 Bank-Fintech Partnerships (Oct 1) 🔹 Variable Recurring Payments (Oct 7) 🔹 AI in Banking Reality (Oct 8) Real experts. Real problems. Real solutions. 👇 Details & RSVP www.linkedin.com/pulse/beyond... #FinTech #OpenBanking

🔵 Join us - The Fintech Book Club- on Linkedin live as we discuss Theo Lau`s new book ``Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence. w/ @mi_jim @stessacohen RSVP 👉 www.linkedin.com/events/finte...

💥 I am honored to contribute to the first book documenting the global "Peak Branch" phenomenon! 🔴 Branch Tomorrow by @brettking launched as a Kindle bestseller at #Money2020ME Order your copy 📖 BranchTomorrow.com Includes contributions @richardturrin @thepsironi @JimMarous @brunoevdiniz @efipm

🔴 The global "Peak Branch" phenomenon is reshaping banking worldwide – 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 is the ONLY Book documenting this. @brettking launched it at #Money2020ME as a Kindle bestseller! 🚀 Honored to contribute w/ @richardturrin @thepsironi @JimMarous @brunoevdiniz Order now 📖 BranchTomorrow.com

🏦➡️🧠The "single brain" concept could transform banking forever Fascinating discussion with @DharmeshMistry about breaking down barriers between AI natives and traditional banking thinking. Full video: "𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧'" youtu.be/U2bHxPAvTW8?... #fintech #Banking #AI

Challenges and Ethical Considerations of Deploying Agentic AI in Banking - ACA International www.acainternational.org/news/challen...

🔵 My Analysis of Digital Black Markets! Stablecoin Access Premiums up to 30% & How Digital Technology Caps Government Control open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

🔵 Fresh off the press; my latest research: Stablecoin Access Premiums up to 30% & How Digital Technology Caps Government Control An Analysis of Digital Black Markets open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

I just published: Wealthfront's IPO: Betting on Execution Excellence or Betting Against AI Disruption? A comprehensive analysis of proven performance, strategic positioning, and existential transformation risk open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

We discuss the democratization illusion in our latest post on Robinhood`s foray into tokenization! open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

This week's AI in FinServ curation: Infrastructure meets reality 🏦🤖 The shift from AI-as-a-tool to AI-native financial infrastructure is accelerating. Full analysis below (Subscribe for weeklies) ⬇️ www.linkedin.com/pulse/infras...

I just published The most insightful EU AI Act intro medium.com/p/the-most-i...

Mobile Money continues to make a difference in people`s lives! c. 50% increase yoy! The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2025, GSMA

Telegram News: Pavel Durov Confirms xAI Deal is Still 'Pending' buff.ly/zmlm70v The rumors are of a 50% revenue share. IMHO, Telegram is as close as it gets to being a Western-born SuperApp! Watch them.Telegram crossed the 1 billion MAU this March!

Marketing Giant or Banking Innovator? The Polarizing Chime IPO Debate buff.ly/ZXfBiwN

🔵 @CDixon just led the seed round for Catena Labs focused on payment rails for AI agents. We know that our payment infrastructure is stuck in the human era. 📍3 infrastructure items that need attention: 🔐 Verifying Trusted Agents 🏛️ Built-in Compliance ⚡ Fraud Detection

Data Power Trifecta : The Transformative Impact of Data on Society and Economy www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-p... by @IngridVasiliu

🔵 The fugu guide to jobs in a world of AI, by @sanguit open.substack.com/pub/platform... This is an industry and function-agnostic read that one cannot miss. It provides a new lens to rethink our changing world. How to re-evaluate the value we create.

FinTech IPO Index surges 4.4% on strong earnings! v/ @PYMNTS • Toast shares jump 23%, expects 25-27% YoY growth • dLocal rockets 25%, hits record $8.1B in Q1 payment volume, up 53% YoY • Digital payments & AI-driven efficiencies fuel gains www.pymnts.com/news/fintech...

Unlocking Robinhood’s Five Strategic Opportunities for Fintech Leadership open.substack.com/pub/sifintec...

🟣 Happy World Book Day! The chapter I`ve contributed on `𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐈-𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞` is a must-read for any professional! It will guide you no matter what stage you are at in the implementation of the advancements in AI in your business. The Fast Futre Blur: lnkd.in/ep5zZpec #worldbookday

🔵 European Businesses have invested in Crypto!!! Want to know more? Read my latest www.linkedin.com/pulse/40-eur... TY @Bitpanda_global #crypto #fintech #banking

One of the most popular 2025 videos `The AI Gender Gap: Can AI help Women make better decisions? w/ @cortneyharding a AR/VR expert buff.ly/tDk7LhB

🔵 My latest: 40% of European Businesses have Crypto: The Adoption Gap Financial Institutions must Bridge www.linkedin.com/pulse/40-eur... I`ve curated for you the takeaways, the paradoxes, and the opportunities #crypto #Bitpanda #banking #Saas #fintech

Astronomers using a space telescope have found signs of biological activity on K2-18b, a distant water-covered planet that is 8.6 times bigger than Earth. www.ft.com/content/0142...

LATEST: TSMC maintains 2025 growth outlook, defying trade war fears that sparked global tech selloff

🔵 FinTech Under Fire: The Underrated Victims of the Trade War w/ @Georg_Hauer buff.ly/bSHBwAi Watch and Subscribe

#Bunq, a neobank for 'digital nomads,' accelerates U.S. expansion effort as profit jumps 65% www.cnbc.com/2025/04/15/d...

🟣 The Silent Slow Revolution: China's New White paper buff.ly/ZIPEGST A Semantic analysis you can't miss. Subscribe to our new Substack newsletter @steffenkonrath @richardturrin @spirosmargaris

🔵 Join today at 6pm CET! How Generative AI is Revolutionizing Risk Management in Banking-as-a-Service! Discover 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. Register buff.ly/PoLUkw0 #GenAI #Baas #banking