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💧 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 ⚡

🌍 Stablecoins just went mainstream — Mastercard and Western Union bet big on them, while Cloudflare and OpenAI are quietly rewiring how AI agents pay and advertise. ⏩ 1. Mastercard closes $1.8B acquisition of BVNK, Ripple's stablecoin partner Mastercard completed its acquisition of BVNK, a London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider, strengthening its stablecoin payments, payouts, and settlement strategy for banks and fintechs. ⏩ 2. Western Union launches Stablecard with Visa and Rain Western Union and Rain launched Stablecard, a stablecoin-based remittance product integrated directly with the Visa network, working across 37 countries. ⏩ 3. Cloudflare unveils programmable wallets for AI agents Cloudflare introduced Cloudflare Wallets, letting AI agents autonomously pay for APIs and online content using stablecoins — a step toward "agentic commerce." ⏩ 4. OpenAI and Yelp strike official partnership, launch new agentic ad format OpenAI and Yelp signed a deal bringing Yelp's reviews, ratings, and business data into ChatGPT's local search. Separately, OpenAI began testing "Agent" ad campaigns, where clicks open a live conversation with an advertiser's AI agent instead of a website. #digest

Everything you need to know about payments, condensed into 8 slides. Use this knowledge responsibly 💎 Enough wisdom for today. Explore payment solutions with Capitalist 🗣️

The Capitalist team is flying to Jakarta — we'll be at Indonesia Blockchain Week 2026 on August 12–13 at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Southeast Asia's largest Web3 summit. 📣 If you're around, come say hi! We're happy to talk about payments, card infrastructure, White Label and API solutions, fintech and Web3 trends — or anything else on your mind. Let's swap contacts and find ways to work together. 📍 Jakarta International Convention Center 📆 August 12–13, 2026 If you want to arrange a meeting, please contact @anna_capitalist. See you in Jakarta! 🟢

A three-legged frog, 12 grapes at midnight or a pig trying to enter your home — depending on where you are, any of these could mean that money is on its way 💵 We’ve collected some of the most curious wealth symbols and traditions from around the world. Take a look and tell us: do you have a money ritual of your own? For the more practical side of money, explore Capitalist.net

We’re starting ❗️❗️❗️ Leave your questions for Jon in the comments under the AMA post above. He’ll be answering them during the session. ➡️

What would you ask Capitalist’s Regional Growth Director? 🔥 Today at 3:00 pm (GMT+3), Jon Acoca will join us for an AMA session. Payments, business growth, partnerships, fintech, or the challenges your team is facing — prepare your questions and join the conversation. We’ll open the discussion under this post when the session begins. See you soon! 🚀

What would you ask Capitalist’s Regional Growth Director? 🔥 Today at 3:00 pm (GMT+3), Jon Acoca will join us for an AMA session. Payments, business growth, partnerships, fintech, or the challenges your team is facing — prepare your questions and join the conversation. We’ll open the discussion under this post when the session begins. See you soon! 🚀

🌎 No revolutions in digital finance this week — and honestly, the calmer, the better, right? Still, there were a few updates worth keeping on your radar. ⏩ 1. Mastercard completes its acquisition of BVNK On August 3, Mastercard completed its acquisition of BVNK, a provider of infrastructure connecting traditional and digital currencies. BVNK supports cross-border business payments, remittances, payouts, settlement and treasury operations. Mastercard plans to combine this technology with its global network to help financial institutions and businesses scale stablecoin-powered services. ⏩ 2. South Africa proposes rules for cross-border crypto transfers South Africa’s National Treasury and Reserve Bank published a draft manual for cross-border crypto transactions. Under the proposed rules, transfers from a domestic authorized crypto provider to an offshore provider or non-custodial wallet would need to be reported to the central bank. Initially, only individuals would be allowed to send crypto abroad through authorized providers and within existing foreign currency allowances. ⏩ 3. Visa plans a $2.4 billion fraud-prevention acquisition Visa has agreed to acquire BioCatch, a behavioral fraud-prevention company, for $2.4 billion in cash. BioCatch analyzes signals such as keystrokes, touch gestures and device handling to identify scams and account takeovers before they reach the payment stage. Its technology currently serves more than 350 financial institutions and 760 million users. ⏩ 4. Stablecoin remittances are not automatically cheaper A new Bank of Italy study tested transfers of $200 in the dollar-pegged USDC stablecoin across ten international corridors. Total costs ranged from 0.3% to almost 9%, showing no consistent advantage over traditional remittance services. The main costs and delays appeared when converting money into or out of stablecoins, while the speed depended largely on the local banking infrastructure. #digest 🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠 👉 capitalist.net 😀 IG 😀 IN ⛔️ YT  🌐 FB  🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠

Payment delays during peak periods don’t always mean something’s wrong ⏳ In these cards, we break down what to expect from card payouts, bank wires, and crypto transfers — and how to plan ahead when processing times get longer. Swipe through for a quick checklist to keep in mind during high-traffic periods ⬆️ 🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠 👉capitalist.net 😀 IG 😀 IN  ⛔️ YT 🌐 FB  🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠

🌍 Cross-border payments are emerging as stablecoins’ clearest real-world use case The UK Financial Conduct Authority has published the findings of its Stablecoin Sprint. Participants from banking, fintech and crypto identified international transfers as the strongest near-term opportunity, especially in emerging markets with limited access to US dollars. Cross-border payments can still involve multiple intermediaries, limited processing hours and unclear fees. Stablecoins add another settlement route that operates around the clock. However, their benefits may be less significant in established corridors where existing banking infrastructure already works efficiently. At Capitalist, we see this as a sign of a more mature, utility-driven market. Stablecoins are gaining traction where they solve specific payment challenges for individuals and businesses. Manage international transfers and payouts to bank accounts, cards, e-wallets and crypto wallets with Capitalist. 🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠 👉capitalist.net 😀 IG 😀 IN  ⛔️ YT 🌐 FB  🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠

CapCard US/UK payment update 📣 The issuing bank has updated MCC coverage for CapCard cards with US and UK BINs that do not support Apple Pay or Google Pay. Some payments for software subscriptions, AI services, developer tools, and games may now be declined. Payments for advertising platforms and educational content remain available as before. If you need to pay for AI tools or entertainment, alternative CapCard BINs remain available. Please note that restrictions are based on the transaction MCC, not the service name. Payment availability may therefore vary depending on how the merchant processes the transaction. Read the full update and MCC breakdown ➡️ on our website. 🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠 👉capitalist.net 😀 IG 😀 IN  ⛔️ YT 🌐 FB  🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠🔠