On 27 August 2025, it was announced that Vietnam’s government approved Basal Pay, Vietnam’s first crypto asset conversion platform, to operate within Da Nang’s controlled fintech sandbox.

Developed by AlphaTrue Solutions JSC, a member of the Vietnam Blockchain and Digital Asset Association, Basal Pay is designed to facilitate instant conversion between crypto assets and fiat currency, reducing transaction costs by up to 30%. It features a three-tier identification system, automatic data transmission, and five-year record retention to support regulatory oversight. The project will undergo a 36-month testing roadmap, evaluation, under the supervision of Da Nang’s Department of Science and Technology.

Basal Pay is part of Vietnam’s broader push to accelerate the implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 57/NQ-TW and National Assembly Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15, which aim to reduce legal barriers, promote innovation, and establish Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City as international financial centres.

On 1 September 2025, it was reported that Wise is exploring the possibility of becoming a fully licensed UK bank, a potential shift from its origins as a money transfer service. While no formal application has been submitted to the Bank of England or the FCA, the company has reportedly approached senior financial services professionals about roles related to a UK banking operation.

Permission to accept deposits would enable Wise to offer bank accounts and pay interest on the deposits they take, and gain direct access to payment systems like CHAPS, reducing reliance on third-party providers and lowering operational costs.

Following their initial partnership announcement in June 2025, mobile payment alliance EuroPA – comprising Bancomat, Bizum, MB WAY (SIBS), and Vipps MobilePay – and the European Payments Initiative (EPI) confirmed on 1 September 2025 that the exploratory phase of their collaboration is nearing successful completion.

The initiative aims to interconnect existing mobile payment solutions via a central technical hub, enabling over 120 million users to make instant, cross-border payments while continuing to use their preferred brands. The hub will support peer-to-peer and commercial transactions, leveraging European standards such as instant account-to-account payments.

A feasibility study is expected to conclude by December 2025, after which implementation will begin. The rollout will start with P2P transfers and expand to other use cases. The initiative will initially span 13 European markets, including Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, and supports the goal of building a sovereign, interoperable European payments ecosystem.

On 26 August 2025, PayQuicker announced that it has expanded its real-time payout capabilities by launching same-day ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfers for payees in the U.S. Same-day ACH allows payments to settle within hours instead of days, helping organisations improve efficiency and meet payees’ financial needs. The feature will be available to select users across industries such as gig economy, affiliate marketing, direct selling, and clinical trials, where fast and secure payments are key.

On 28 August 2025, Mastercard announced that it has partnered with Infosys to expand access to Mastercard Move – its global money movement platform – via integration with Infosys Finacle. This will play a key role in creating an efficient pathway for financial institutions to access Mastercard Move’s cross-border capabilities in less time and without the intensive resourcing traditionally needed for integration projects.

The partnership helps banks deliver faster, more secure payment experiences and also supports Mastercard’s broader goal of scaling the reach of remittance services, especially in high-growth regions like Asia, which accounted for nearly half of global inflows in 2024.

On 2 September 2025, Astropay announced it has partnered with Latin American delivery company Rappi to launch the region’s first wallet-on-file integration, now live in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. The feature enables instant checkout using balances in USD, EUR, or local currencies, with real-time FX conversion and no card-related delays.

With this initiative, Rappi aims to reduce processing costs and increase conversion. The integration supports Latin America’s fast-growing cross-border payments market and reflects the rise of embedded payments in mobile-first economies.

On 16 September 2025, it was reported that Thunes had announced the launch of its real-time cross-border payments solution in Saudi Arabia, enabling instant payouts directly to bank accounts and digital wallets in Saudi Riyals (SAR). This initiative is part of Thunes’ broader strategy to improve international payment accessibility and efficiency across emerging markets.

According to Thunes’ 2025 Report: Money Without Borders, 65% of expatriates consider transaction speed a key factor when choosing how to send money. By connecting directly with the Saudi banking infrastructure, Thunes aims to support the Kingdom’s shift towards digital financial services and meet growing demand for reliable cross-border payment options.

Thunes is also planning to introduce a “Me2Me” service, allowing individuals to top up accounts or wallets in their home country directly from their domestic banking apps, a feature designed to meet the needs of the 15% of expats who send money back to themselves.

On 16 September 2025, it was reported that GoPay had enabled QRIS payments in Japan, allowing Indonesian travellers to make purchases at Japanese merchants by scanning JPQR codes using the GoPay app. This development follows Bank Indonesia’s expansion of its cross-border QR code payment system to Japan.

GoPay, operated by GoTo Financial, already supports QRIS payments in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The move to Japan is part of broader efforts to scale QRIS cross-border payment access and simplify international transactions for Indonesian users.

It has also been reported that Bank Indonesia is also conducting a pilot to connect QRIS with China’s payment systems, with a full launch targeted by the end of 2025.

On 11 September 2025, Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, announced that it has partnered with Visa to launch Visa Pay, a cloud-native Payments-as-a-Service platform in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The solution enables consumers in the DRC to fund Visa Pay wallets directly from mobile money channels, offering seamless access to digital and e-commerce payments.

Powered by Onafriq’s APIs, the platform supports mobile money collections and disbursements from M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Orange Money wallets, expanding Visa’s reach to millions of users. The initiative aims to drive financial inclusion by integrating Visa Pay with existing mobile money infrastructure and promoting interoperability.

Alongside the DRC rollout, the partnership sets the stage for Visa Pay’s expansion into other African markets, where mobile money adoption continues to grow and demand for interoperable, digital-first solutions is rising.

On 28 August 2025, it was reported that OpenFX had announced the rollout of its cross-border payment platform in Mexico, aiming to provide domestic companies with faster, cost-effective access to global FX markets and international companies with near real-time currency conversion. While transaction fees have long been seen as the main barrier to global trade, delays are a greater obstacle, tying up working capital. By reducing this time to minutes, the platform helps Mexican businesses reinvest more in expansion.

The launch follows a USD 23 million funding round and forms part of OpenFX’s plan to expand to over 40 countries and 15 G20 currency pairs by the end of 2025.

On 26 August 2025, full-suite payments platform 2C2P announced it has been granted a Major Payment Institution licence by the Monetary Authority of Singapore under the Payment Services Act 2019. The licence enables the company to offer domestic and cross-border money transfer services, as well as merchant acquisition services to businesses in Singapore.

The move supports 2C2P’s regional expansion and strengthens its role in Southeast Asia’s digital payments ecosystem, following recent partnerships in Malaysia’s travel industry.

On 27 August 2025, it was reported that Online IPS has launched, in partnership with INCUSE and SKÅL Cusco, Brazil’s instant payment system, PIX, to Peru’s tourism sector. The initiative aims to improve travel experiences for Brazilian tourists by offering familiar payment options, strengthen Peru’s digital payment infrastructure and foster regional collaboration in Latin America’s hospitality industry.

On 25 August 2025, Walmart Canada announced that it has partnered with Klarna to offer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options at over 400 stores, expanding its existing online offering. Customers can now pay in-store via QR code at checkout, choosing between Pay in Full or Pay in 4 for purchases over CAD 50.

The move responds to growing demand for flexible payments in Canada, where the BNPL market is projected to reach USD 11.32 billion by 2030.

On 2 September 2025, Klarna announced the launch of its debit-first Klarna Card in ten European markets, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The card allows consumers to pay upfront anywhere Visa is accepted, while also offering flexible options like Pay in 3, Pay Later and longer-term financing via the Klarna app.

The launch follows a successful rollout in the U.S., where 685,000 users have signed up since July. Klarna plans further expansion across Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Poland as part of its growing card-based product portfolio.

On 2 September 2025, TrueLayer announced it has officially launched in Poland, marking its 22nd live market and adding the Zloty as its third supported currency alongside GBP and EUR. This will allow Polish businesses to sign up for its instant payouts product, offering faster settlements, reduced costs, improved success rates, and real-time reconciliation.

The launch is part of TrueLayer’s broader European growth strategy, which recently included an expanded partnership with Stripe to support Pay by Bank in France and Germany.

On 9 September 2025, it was reported that BNP Paribas and HSBC have joined the Canton Network, a privacy-centric blockchain, widely adopted by banks and financial institutions.

Their entry follows recent additions like Goldman Sachs, Hong Kong FMI Services, and Moody’s Ratings in March. The network now reportedly hosts over USD 3.6 trillion in tokenized assets.

BNP Paribas cited the move as part of its digital transformation strategy, focusing on blockchain applications in client services, while HSBC highlighted its potential to enhance liquidity in digital asset markets and support multi-asset transactions.

On 6 September 2025, it was reported that Itaú Asset Management, Brazil’s largest private asset manager, has launched its first dedicated cryptocurrency division, marking a significant expansion of its digital asset capabilities.

The new division will operate within Itaú’s multidesk investment structure, which oversees more than 117 billion reais (USD 21.6 billion) across 15 trading desks. It is expected to introduce a range of products, from fixed-income-style instruments to higher-risk funds tied to derivatives.

On 22 August 2025, it was reported that Haycen, a fintech infrastructure provider, has received a stablecoin issuance licence from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). The licence allows Haycen to issue stablecoins in multiple currencies.