Open banking stories
Merchants in Europe and Asia-Pacific can now offer more local checkout options through one integration, reducing abandoned transactions at payment stage.
Finnish shoppers using Pay by Bank will be alerted if a merchant name does not match the linked account details, helping curb misdirected payments.
The poll of 270 women suggests many want financial messaging framed around reinvention and control, not just life stages.
Merchants can now offer Klarna's instalment and deferred-payment options through Ecommpay without extra technical work or separate systems.
The Auckland fintech plans to double staff as the NZ$5 million funding commitment backs expansion in New Zealand's open banking market.
The award underscores growing interest in bank-payment tools that pair account-to-account transfers with customer verification for merchants.
The investment bolsters a London payments group as Europe's push for home-grown payment rails gains momentum and its network reaches 30 million consumers.
The service gives banks single-account access to instant cross-border transfers in four currencies, reducing the need for local banking ties and infrastructure.
Sole traders could face extra quarterly admin because many UK banks do not clearly explain whether transaction downloads can be exported in usable formats.
The move should help investors automate regular top-ups, with funds available to trade immediately after transfer and fewer failed payments.
Pressure is mounting on traditional acquirers as AI shopping tools, marketplaces and embedded payments reshape who controls checkout and bears fraud risk.
Trust and oversight are now the biggest hurdles for wider Open Banking use, even as 94% of UK businesses say they may trial it soon.
Despite broad use of digital tools, 42% of UK firms still wait for payment confirmation, leaving finance teams to chase status across systems.
Senior payments executives will weigh who carries risk when shoppers use AI assistants to start purchases but still finish them elsewhere.
Applicants for Westpac NZ personal loans can now get faster approvals, as the bank's online system automatically sorts income and expense data.
Overseas sales are now a key growth driver, but more than 70% of pre-revenue and pre-profit fintechs say fundraising remains difficult.
Affordability checks could turn away up to 30% of BNPL users, risking abandoned baskets and weaker sales for retailers.
Businesses will be able to receive SWIFT transfers and push funds onward in one system, reducing the need for extra banking infrastructure.
Renters in New Zealand can now convert loyalty points into KiwiSaver or investments, as Feijoa expands beyond round-ups with Renti Rewards.
Customer backing for Xero's software stayed strong as it secured Canstar's 2026 small business accounting award in New Zealand for an eighth year.
