January 30, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Whisperer Weekly Intelligence | Payments And Money Movement, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing

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This live weekly NCFA intelligence page tracks financial technology developments that significantly affect how fintechs build, sell, raise capital, and operate under scrutiny. Coverage prioritizes Canada and includes global events that directly influence competitive conditions, market access, and execution realities across fintech sectors.  This page will be updated throughout the week with market movers in a live format and then each week we'll close the prior week's contents in prep for the upcoming week, and continue on a rolling basis.  (Missed prior week's Fintech Whisperer?  (December 6-12, 2025, December 13-19, 2025, January 1-9, 2026, January 10-16, 2026, January 17-23, 2026)

Weekly Fintech Market Intelligence Jan 24-30, 2026

Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing

UK Open Banking Reaches 351 Million Annual Payments

• Open Banking Limited reported 351 million open banking payments during 2025, an increase of 57% from the previous year.
• Sweeping Variable Recurring Payment volumes increased 98%, while single domestic payments grew 52%.
• The ecosystem processed 24 billion successful API calls, up 27%. Account information services represented approximately four out of five calls, while payment initiation activity increased 53%.
• Monthly user connections reached 16.5 million in December, up 36%, although connections are counted by bank brand and are not deduplicated individuals.
• Weighted availability remained above 99.50% throughout the year, while average response time improved to 324 milliseconds.

Payment activity, API demand and recurring use increased while system performance remained stable. The figures establish an operating benchmark for countries building open banking around data access, payment initiation and commercial services. The later one billion payment milestone shows how quickly that base continued to expand.

Payments And Money Movement

Payments Canada Welcomes Five New PSP Members

• Payments Canada adds five payment service provider members: Brim Financial, Float Financial, KOHO, Paramount Commerce, and Wise Payments Canada.
• The announcement ties PSP membership to payments modernization work, including the Real Time Rail public policy framework.
• The update expands which non bank platforms can participate directly in national payments infrastructure instead of relying only on partner sponsorship and indirect access.

Once a PSP can join the payments club directly, it can cut onboarding friction, tighten settlement and reconciliation, and show stronger operational maturity to banks, enterprise buyers, and regulators. Founders that treat membership readiness as an operating system will move faster when big partners demand proof. Investors should watch which PSPs turn access into volume and repeatable unit economics, not just press.

AI In Finance

FCA Opens Mills Review Call For Input On AI In Retail Finance

• The call for input sets out a review of AI's long-term impact on retail financial services for consumers, firms, markets, and regulators by 2030 and beyond, and seeks views across 4 interrelated and future-orientated themes: (1) Evolution of AI tech, (2) Impact of AI on markets and firms, (3) Consumer trends, and  (4) Regulatory approach.
• The statement says FCA does not plan to introduce extra regulations and intends to rely on existing principles based frameworks focused on outcomes.
• Asks for input from a wide set of stakeholders, including financial firms, consumer groups, trade associations, technology providers, politicians, and academics, and requests responses by Tuesday Feb 24, 2026.

This is a planning signal for how the UK approaches AI in retail finance. Firms that sell into regulated buyers win time if they can show who owns outcomes, how models get tested, and how controls work across vendors and data flows. Teams that cannot evidence that quickly will find AI work slows down at the point of trust, not the point of build.

Market Infrastructure

SEC And CFTC Kick Off Project Crypto Coordination

• The remarks describe a joint effort between the SEC and CFTC that aims to prepare both agencies to implement crypto market structure legislation as Congress advances a federal framework.
• They tie the need for coordination to real operating reality, since trading, clearing, custody, and risk management run across asset classes, technologies, and platforms.
• Frame harmonized standards and definitions as a way to reduce uncertainty and compliance cost for market participants.

This matters to fintechs that sell into regulated buyers because coordination changes the buyer checklist. The winners standardize controls and reporting across spot, derivatives, custody, and settlement workflows so they do not rebuild the stack every time definitions and boundaries tighten.

Tokenized Securities Get A Clear Compliance Map

• The statement defines a tokenized security as a security represented as a crypto asset where the record of ownership sits in whole or in part on or through one or more crypto networks.
• The SEC groups tokenized securities into issuer sponsored tokenization and third party tokenization, and it describes third party models that include custodial tokenized securities and synthetic tokenized securities.
• The statement says the format does not change how federal securities laws apply and it points teams toward existing market roles for issuance, trading, custody, and recordkeeping, including The Depository Trust Company no action letter dated Dec 11, 2025 as context on indirect ownership and security entitlements.

This takes tokenization out of the hype lane and into build discipline. If you sell tokenized security rails to real institutions, you win deals when you answer the hard questions fast, who controls the record, how transfers stay legally effective, and where the product plugs into broker dealer, transfer agent, and clearing and settlement expectations.

Checkout.com Acquires Euro Stablecoin Issuer Blue EMI

• Checkout.com acquires Blue EMI, a regulated European electronic money institution authorized to issue euro-backed stablecoins.
• The acquisition brings licensed stablecoin issuance, payments services, and open banking capabilities inside Checkout.com’s platform.
• Checkout.com also establishes a technology centre in Lithuania to support product development and regulatory execution across Europe.

This move embeds regulated stablecoin issuance directly into a global payments platform instead of leaving it at the edge. When stablecoins sit inside licensed EMI rails, settlement, liquidity management, and compliance become part of the core payments stack. Founders building wallets, FX, treasury, or cross border infrastructure should expect buyers to favor platforms that combine regulated issuance with distribution at scale.

Nomura Backed Laser Digital Applies For US National Trust Bank Charter

• Laser Digital, backed by Nomura, applies for a US national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
• A national trust charter would allow federally supervised crypto custody and related services without state by state licensing.
• The application reflects a broader push by digital asset firms toward federal charters as a path to durable US market access.

A federal trust structure offers nationwide reach, clearer supervision, and stronger institutional credibility. Fintechs selling custody, settlement, compliance, or risk tooling should prepare for customers that operate under bank grade expectations. Investors should watch which applicants can survive the supervision burden that comes with federal status.

FCA Consults On Crypto Rules Handbook Part 2

• The consultation opens Jan 23, 2026 and closes Mar 12, 2026, and it sets proposed rules and guidance for firms that conduct regulated cryptoasset activities.
• The package lists requirements that cover Consumer Duty, conduct standards, training and competence, senior manager accountability, reporting, safeguarding, and location policy guidance, with the full details in CP26/4 consultation paper PDF.
• The consultation states that the regulator plans to open its gateway for firms to apply for cryptoasset permissions in September 2026.

This pulls crypto compliance into product planning. Teams that want UK market access move faster when they convert these rule areas into workflows early, especially safeguarding, reporting, and accountable ownership across senior roles.

Conclusion

Payments access expands in Canada while regulators in the UK and US push firms toward clearer accountability in AI, crypto, and tokenized securities. The common thread is execution readiness. Buyers now ask who owns the record, who controls outcomes, and how a platform proves it can operate under supervision without slowing down. Fintechs that build for audit, governance, and market access early earn trust faster and avoid costly rebuilds when rules tighten around custody, settlement, and consumer outcomes. NCFA offers various curated resources to help founders and investors stay current on developments that impact fintech markets, subscribe to NCFA’s weekly newsletter, view a rundown of current fintech news and insights, or dive into the latest fintech industry research.

The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

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January 23, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Whisperer Weekly Intelligence | Artificial Intelligence And Data, Payments And Money Movement, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing, Risk Compliance And Regtech

Image: Freepik

This live weekly NCFA intelligence page tracks financial technology developments that significantly affect how fintechs build, sell, raise capital, and operate under scrutiny. Coverage prioritizes Canada and includes global events that directly influence competitive conditions, market access, and execution realities across fintech sectors.  This page will be updated throughout the week with market movers in a live format and then each week we'll close the prior week's contents in prep for the upcoming week, and continue on a rolling basis.  (Missed prior week's Fintech Whisperer?  (December 6-12, 2025, December 13-19, 2025, January 1-9, 2026, January 10-16, 2026)

Weekly Fintech Market Intelligence Jan 17-23, 2026

AI In Finance

UK Parliament Treasury Committee Publishes AI In Financial Services Report

• 75% of UK financial services firms use AI, with the highest take up among insurers and international banks operating in the UK.
• The report calls for practical FCA guidance by the end of 2026 on how existing consumer protection rules apply to AI, and how senior managers stay accountable when AI harms consumers.
• Calls for AI focused stress testing by the Bank of England and the FCA, and it presses HM Treasury to designate major AI and cloud providers as critical third parties by the end of 2026.  Download the 22 page PDF report, 'AI in Financial Services'

This lands in the middle of a problem every operator knows. AI stops being a feature once it touches credit, pricing, advice, fraud decisions, or customer outcomes. Buyers and supervisors ask one thing first. Can you prove how it behaves, who owns the decision, and what happens when it fails. Founders who build strong logs, clear accountability, and testable controls keep momentum when scrutiny rises. Investors should back teams that can ship AI inside regulated environments without betting on fuzzy governance.

Payments And Money Movement

SUNRATE Announces New Alliance With Juniper Travel Technology

• Juniper integrates SUNRATE cross border payments and commercial card issuing into its travel technology ecosystem for travel companies.
• The announcement lists card issuing and settlement in more than 15 currencies, plus controls like smart spending limits and customizable security settings.
• The announcement lists collections in more than 30 currencies and positions the rollout as progressive with further product expansions planned through 2026 and beyond.

Travel payments stay messy because suppliers, currencies, fraud controls, and reconciliation collide in one workflow. When a travel platform embeds issuing plus FX plus collections, it turns payments into a default layer that buyers adopt without a separate vendor decision. Fintechs that sell cards, FX, or payables into travel win faster when they integrate into the platforms that already control inventory and supplier routing, and when they ship audit ready controls that finance teams can trust at scale.

Digital Assets, Blockchain And Tokenization

UBS Prepares Crypto Investing For Select Private Banking Clients

• UBS prepares to offer cryptocurrency investing options to select private banking clients in Switzerland.
• The report says UBS is selecting partners for a crypto offering and discussions have been underway for several months.
• UBS could start with bitcoin and ether trading for some clients, with potential expansion to Asia Pacific and the United States.

Private bank adoption changes buyer expectations fast. Once a top tier wealth manager treats crypto as an investable asset inside the core private bank, every crypto vendor selling into wealth has to meet private bank standards on suitability, controls, reporting, and operational discipline. Founders that sell custody, execution, portfolio reporting, or risk tooling should expect tougher diligence and longer lists of required evidence. Investors should watch for picks and shovels that fit inside existing wealth compliance rather than products that need new rules to work.

India Central Bank Proposes Linking BRICS Digital Currencies

• India’s central bank proposes linkages between BRICS central bank digital currencies to support cross border trade and tourism payments.
• The proposal could be introduced at the 2026 BRICS summit that India hosts.
• India’s e-rupee launched in December 2022 and has attracted seven million retail users.

Cross border CBDC linkage puts sovereign governed interoperability back on the table as an operating roadmap. Fintechs that sell wallets, settlement tooling, compliance rails, and treasury workflows should plan for rule dense governance, shared operating standards, and audit grade traceability that can survive multi jurisdiction scrutiny.

Market Infrastructure

Revolut Scraps US Bank Acquisition Plan And Pursues Standalone US Banking Licence

• A report says Revolut drops plans to buy a US lender and pivots toward applying for its own US banking licence.
• Revolut holds discussions with US officials about a national bank licensing route through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
• A standalone licence path puts Revolut on a track to offer deeper, locally supervised banking products instead of staying limited to partner led distribution.

A serious push for a US banking licence tells the market Revolut wants durable US distribution, not a light footprint. Once a global fintech commits to supervised rails in the United States, competitors face a tighter clock on product depth, compliance maturity, and funding strategy. Founders that sell infrastructure into banks and fintechs should expect more demand for audit ready controls, clean reporting, and resilient operations that hold up under US supervision.

BitGo Prices IPO And Begins Trading On NYSE

• BitGo prices its initial public offering and begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under its stated ticker.
• The offering includes an underwriter option for additional shares, as described in the release.
• The company frames the raise around scaling custody and related infrastructure for institutional digital asset activity.

Public markets put custody under a harsher light than private capital. Reporting cadence, risk controls, and operational proof start becoming the product. Founders selling into custody, compliance, and settlement stacks should expect tighter vendor scrutiny and cleaner evidence demands. Investors can treat this as a live benchmark for how the market values regulated digital asset infrastructure once it sits in plain view.

Capital One Agrees To Acquire Brex

• Capital One enters a definitive agreement to acquire Brex in a $5.15B cash and stock transaction.
• Brex provides corporate cards, spend management, and payments software used by growth stage and technology companies.
• The transaction is expected to close in mid 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

This deal pulls a modern fintech spend platform directly inside a large US bank instead of leaving it at the partnership layer. Once a bank owns the full card, payments, and spend stack, pricing pressure increases and distribution advantages compound fast. Founders building expense management, treasury, or commercial card tooling should expect tougher competition from vertically integrated banks. Investors should treat this as another signal that late stage fintech exits increasingly come through acquisition by incumbents that want product control, not just vendor relationships.

NYSE Develops Tokenized Securities Platform

• The NYSE announces development of a platform for trading and on chain settlement of tokenized securities, and it will seek regulatory approvals.
• The platform design includes 24-7 operations, instant settlement, orders sized in dollar amounts, and stablecoin based funding.
• The design pairs the NYSE Pillar matching engine with blockchain based post trade systems, with support for multiple chains for settlement and custody.

Tokenization stops looking like a side experiment once a core exchange puts its matching engine and brand behind it. The winners don't come from who talks loudest about crypto. The winners come from who can run clean market structure under supervision, with settlement, custody, funding, and controls that broker dealers and clearing members can defend. Founders building post trade, custody, reconciliation, collateral, and stablecoin treasury tooling should treat this as a buyer signal. Regulated infrastructure buyers want fewer moving parts, stronger audit trails, and reliable operating hours that match global capital flows.

OSFI Sets Two Near Term Touchpoints For Data Collection Modernization

• OSFI schedules an Industry Day on Feb 12, 2026 to walk filers through the technology and data work tied to Data Collection Modernization.
• OSFI schedules a Technology Open Door Forum on Feb 23, 2026 to cover practical details for institutions preparing for the new platform.
• OSFI positions these sessions inside its multi year Data Collection Modernization program that runs with the Bank of Canada and CDIC, with a new platform expected to go live in 2026.

Data modernization rarely feels exciting until it hits production. When a supervisor modernizes filing rails, every regulated team ends up rewriting workflows, data mapping, controls, and audit evidence. Fintechs that sell reporting, data, regtech, or infrastructure should treat this as a near term buying trigger. Institutions will pick vendors that reduce change risk and make compliance proof simple, not vendors that add another layer of complexity.

Revolut Applies For Full Banking License In Peru

• Revolut applies for a full banking license in Peru as it expands further in Latin America.
• Revolut targets 100 million customers by 2027 and has more than 70 million retail customers globally.
• A full banking license would expand Revolut’s ability to offer local products inside Peru under local supervision.

Charter expansion at scale. When a global fintech pursues full licenses market by market, it raises the competitive bar on compliance execution, local product depth, and funding strategy. Competitors feel pressure through faster distribution, tighter pricing room, and regulators expecting stronger controls across the category.

Closing Outlook

The firms that win are the ones that control where money moves and can prove they run a tight and compliant shop. Payments and treasury are getting built into the software people already live in, not sold as a separate product. Big fintechs keep chasing full licenses so they can offer more, price tighter, and rely less on partners. Governments keep pushing cross border settlement ideas that bring more rules, more reporting, and more scrutiny.

Founders should treat three things as product work. First, build evidence into the workflow so every action leaves a trace you can explain. Second, design for partner and regulator questions before they show up, not after. Third, sell into distribution points that already own the customer and the switching moment, because that's where adoption actually happens. Investors can use the same filter. Back teams that reduce operating risk while keeping shipping speed. Avoid models that need regulatory fog, fragile partners, or perfect market timing. The upside concentrates in infrastructure and platforms that buyers can trust at scale.

NCFA offers various curated resources to help founders and investors stay current on developments that impact fintech markets, subscribe to NCFA’s weekly newsletter, view a rundown of current fintech news and insights, or dive into the latest fintech industry research.

The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

Zown Offers Up to 8% Rent Rewards in Canada

Wise Launches Chequing Account in Canada With Interac

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2026 BRICS Summit Advances Cross Border Payment Links

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NCFA Weekly Fintech Intelligence Sep 5-11, 2026

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