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This year, Capitalist celebrates its 12th anniversary But back in 2014 when it was founded the world was busy with completely different things. Swipe through for the highlights 👉 Tell us what you did back in 2014 in the comments!

Some of them write. Some of them build. All of them shape how the rest of the fintech industry thinks 🟢 Here's who's actually worth your feed space.

⚡ Big consolidation moves across MENA, a major US banking breakthrough for one of the world's fastest-growing digital banks, and a widening gap in Asia's cross-border payment speed — here's what mattered this week. ⏩ 1. Revolut wins conditional approval for a US banking license Revolut received conditional approval from the US OCC, moving closer to launching as a national bank and eventually offering loans, credit cards, and insured deposits in the US. ⏩ 2. PayTabs acquires Amazon Payment Services' MENA business Saudi fintech PayTabs is buying Amazon's Middle East payments arm for over $100M, creating a combined platform processing more than $40B in annual transactions. ⏩ 3. Chainlink and Bottomline bring on-chain settlement to 600+ banks Bottomline, a top-3 SWIFT provider handling $16 trillion a year, partnered with Chainlink to let banks settle cross-border transactions on-chain — using existing SWIFT and ISO 20022 messaging. ⏩ 4. Alaan gets in-principle approval from the UAE Central Bank The Middle East's largest expense management platform received preliminary approval for SVF and RPS licenses from the CBUAE, clearing the path to hold funds and process cross-border payments. ⏩ 5. Asia's cross-border payment speed gap keeps widening Domestic ASEAN payments clear in seconds, but cross-border settlement is slowing: only 35.4% of transactions arrived within an hour in 2025, short of the G20's 75% target for 2027. #digest

💬 Sometimes the best product decisions don't start in a meeting room — they start with one person, one card, and one really good experience. Here's how a Capitalist client went from using their personal card for international purchases to running their entire company's payments through it.

🟢 We put together 5 YouTube channels worth your time: from live demos of cutting-edge banking tech to honest conversations with founders about what's actually working in payments — and what's just hype. 😀 @FinovateTV  😀 @FintechGarden  😀 @PYMNTS  😀 @FintechIsFemme  😀 @FinTechFutures

⏳ Walmart just broke a decade-long standoff with mobile wallets, Revolut entered the stablecoin race, and Mastercard sealed a major crypto infrastructure deal. Here's what mattered in fintech, stablecoins, and ad tech this week. ⏩ 1. Walmart finally accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay Walmart began accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay at select US stores — ending a holdout that dates back to 2016, when it backed the now-defunct CurrentC consortium. A full US store and Sam's Club rollout is planned by the end of 2026. ⏩ 2. Revolut launches its first stablecoin, EURR Revolut began a phased rollout of EURR, a euro-pegged token issued under MiCA through Bridge's Luxembourg e-money institution. It's currently available to eligible customers in Denmark, Poland, and Portugal, with wider EEA availability planned later this year. ⏩ 3. Mastercard completes its BVNK acquisition Mastercard finalized its takeover of BVNK, bringing one of crypto's most established stablecoin infrastructure providers directly into a global payments network spanning hundreds of millions of acceptance points. ⏩ 4. Coinbase brings tokenized US stocks on-chain Coinbase launched tokenized US stocks — starting with Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet — natively on Base, its Ethereum layer-2 network, for eligible users outside the US. ⏩ 5. X opens ad data to AI assistants X launched an Ads Model Context Protocol server, letting advertisers connect campaign data to AI systems like Grok and Claude and query performance using natural language. It's part of a broader wave of platforms — including Meta, Google, and Threads — adding AI-driven ad analysis tools this month. ⏩ 6. Stablecoin card spending triples past $1 billion Consumer spending on stablecoin-linked cards has tripled to over $1 billion, signaling growing everyday use of stablecoins beyond trading and DeFi. #digest

One password isn't a security system ❗️ Here's what actually protects your account in Capitalist — and why layering matters more than you think. Set up your account protection methods now at Capitalist.

The best way to make smarter money decisions? Keep learning 🚀 We’ve picked eight books on personal finance, investing, fintech, and crypto — from timeless market principles to the technologies reshaping how money moves today. Save this list for your next read.

Got paid by an affiliate network? 💲 Here’s how to receive and manage your earnings in one place. Working with multiple affiliate networks often means managing payments across different currencies, payout schedules, and withdrawal methods. With Capitalist, you can receive affiliate payouts into one account and manage your funds from a single dashboard. 🟢Receive payouts from affiliate networks 🟢Keep earnings organised in one place 🟢Manage multiple currencies 🟢Send funds to your team or partners 🟢Choose a withdrawal method that fits your workflow 🟢Less time switching between platforms. More control over your affiliate revenue. Receive. Manage. Move forward with Capitalist.

💧 No policy talk this week — just the product moves, infrastructure bets, AI upgrades, and market signals worth watching. ⏩ 1. Ant International brings FX AI to major banks Ant International launched an upgraded AI model designed to help financial institutions manage FX liquidity risk. Citi, HSBC, and Standard Chartered are among the banks adopting the tool — a sign that AI is moving deeper into day-to-day treasury and cross-border payment operations. ⏩ 2. EURC crosses €400M in circulation Circle’s euro-backed stablecoin, EURC, surpassed €400 million in circulation. Its supply has more than doubled year over year, showing growing demand for euro-denominated on-chain liquidity alongside the much larger dollar-stablecoin market. ⏩ 3. Stablecoins remain in growth mode The stablecoin market reached roughly $312 billion, up 27% year over year, according to Dune data cited in a weekly Web3 report. USDT reportedly settled around $95 billion in commerce in the first half of 2026, versus approximately $14 billion for USDC — evidence that stablecoins are increasingly used as transaction infrastructure, not only as trading collateral. ⏩ 4. Google expands testing tools for AI Max Google announced new testing and planning tools for AI Max in Search campaigns. Advertisers will be able to run multi-campaign A/B tests across budgets and ROI targets while keeping selected brand and location controls in place; the rollout is scheduled for September. ⏩ 5. Apple changes data-consent prompts for advertisers Apple will update how its App Tracking Transparency consent prompts work on iPhone and iPad. Third-party apps’ consent screens will have to use more neutral wording and visual design — a development that may affect how advertisers and app developers approach user-permission flows and addressable audiences on iOS. #digest

🟢 Binance remains one of the most influential players in the crypto market — so its product updates, compliance decisions, and regulatory headlines often signal wider shifts across the industry. From AI-powered trading tools to tighter transfer controls, here’s a quick look at the latest news around Binance. Swipe through➡️

Cross-border payments move fast and fraud can hide in the smallest details. Swipe through➡️ the most common schemes and learn what to check before you send. Manage your international payments with Capitalist

📶 Record stablecoin caps, card networks going all-in on crypto rails, and a BRICS payments shake-up — this week's fintech news reads like the future arrived early. ⏩ 1. Visa expands stablecoin settlement New partnerships with Lightspark and Zerohash bring programmable USDC settlement deeper into Visa's network, speeding up cross-border transactions. ⏩ 2. Mastercard pilots cross-border stablecoin payments Teaming up with Borderless.xyz to trial trusted international stablecoin transfers using Mastercard Crypto Credential standards. ⏩ 3. Stablecoin market hits record $308B USDT holds ~60% market share, Circle's USDC liquidity reaches $73.3B, and TRON's stablecoin cap peaks at $89.2B with $2.1T in quarterly USDT transfers. ⏩ 4. BRICS explores linking payment systems & CBDCs RBI Governor confirms talks on connecting fast-payment rails and interoperable digital currencies ahead of next month's summit. ⏩ 5. Deutsche Bank becomes China's yuan clearing bank A first for a European lender, streamlining cross-border yuan settlement for EU businesses. ⏩ 6. Nielsen acquires DoubleVerify for $2.15B Consolidating ad fraud detection and viewability tools amid growing investor scrutiny of public ad-tech players. #digest

Warren Buffett’s advice has stayed relevant through every market cycle: understand where your money goes, think long term and do not let emotions lead the way 💲 Swipe through ➡️ the cards for five simple principles worth keeping in your financial toolkit. And if you’re ready to take your finances under full control, check out Capitalist.

😮 What should you listen to next? Fintech can mean everything from payment infrastructure to venture funding. Instead of ranking five very different podcasts, we matched each one with the question it helps answer. ↗️ “What changed in fintech this week?” Fintech Insider by 11:FS Monday news roundups and Thursday deep dives covering banking, payments, crypto, and digital financial services. A good starting point when you want a broad view of the industry. 💵 “Where is banking heading?” Breaking Banks Conversations with bankers, founders, and industry innovators about digital banking, new business models, and the forces reshaping financial services. 🛫 “How are fintech companies built and funded?” Wharton FinTech Podcast A student-led show featuring founders, investors, and industry thinkers. Choose this one for conversations about startups, investment, and the ideas developing across global fintech. 📇 “What are major financial institutions building next?” In the Vault by a16z The a16z Fintech team speaks with financial industry leaders about emerging technologies, strategic decisions, and innovations that could shape the sector’s future. 📈 “What is really happening behind the headlines?” Fintech Business Podcast Jason Mikula and his guests unpack regulation, bank-fintech partnerships, crypto, and industry business models. Best suited to listeners looking for a more analytical, insider perspective. Your next commute now has a syllabus. Which podcast are you starting with? For the practical side of digital finance, explore Capitalist ⚡