Mastercard has secured a BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), granting its subsidiary Mastercard Transaction Services (U.S.) LLC formal authorization to conduct digital asset business in one of the world's most demanding regulatory environments. The approval, announced on May 27, 2026, positions the world's second-largest card network to begin integrating stablecoin and tokenized deposit settlement into its core infrastructure, operatin

Frankfurt-based AllUnity intends to launch SEKAU, a Swedish krona stablecoin fully reserved 1:1 and compliant with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), with a target go-live of June 2026. The move positions the SEKAU stablecoin as the first regulated digital krona aimed at institutional payments, settlement, and FX, and extends AllUnity's existing portfolio beyond its euro (EURAU) and Swiss franc (CHFAU) tokens. The issuer, a joint venture between DWS, Flow T

The Bank of England has set out a phased plan to move CHAPS and the underlying RTGS system toward near 24/7 operation, with Sunday and bank holiday settlement targeted for no earlier than 2029 and a 22-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week model by 2031. The consultation is the clearest signal yet that sterling wholesale settlement is being rebuilt around always-on payments, tokenised assets and stablecoins, with the primary keyword for finance professionals being CHAPS settlement hou

Tether, issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, has taken an equity stake in cross-border payments fintech LemFi, in a deal designed to replace multi-day SWIFT settlement on Africa and Asia corridors with near-instant USD₮ transfers. The investment, announced on 18 May, makes stablecoin remittance infrastructure the central plank of LemFi's roadmap for the roughly two million immigrants who use the app to send money from the UK, US, Canada and Europe to more than 30 receivi