Category Archives: Leadership, Competition, Human Capital, Health

September 15, 2026 Digital, NEO, Open Banking, Open Finance, Enterprise, Scaleup, FinTech and Alternative Finance, Fintech International, Fintech Services, Innovation and Resources, Leadership, Competition, Human Capital, Health, Marketing, Strategy, Growth, Design, Payments, Transfers, Rewards, Tech, Tools, Productivity, Venture Funding and Building No comments

Wise Launches Chequing Account in Canada With Interac

September 15, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Digital Banking And BaaS, Cross Border Payments And FX, Competition And Market Structure

Wise Adds Everyday Canadian Payments Without Becoming a Bank

On September 14, 2026, UK-based global payments company Wise launched a Chequing Account in Canada with no monthly fee, Interac e-Transfer support, Canadian account details, pre-authorized debits, debit-card access and multi-currency features. The launch takes Wise further into everyday Canadian financial activity while keeping the cross-border tools that built its original customer base.

The account is available to personal and business customers in Canada. Customers can hold more than 40 currencies, receive money using account details available across 22 currencies and send money to more than 70 countries. Wise converts currencies at the mid-market rate and charges a separate conversion fee that currently starts from 0.19%, depending on the currency and transaction.

Interac Makes Wise More Useful Day to Day

Canadian customers can send up to C$25,000 to a supported Interac email address and receive up to C$25,000 per day through Interac Autodeposit. Wise doesn't charge its own fee to receive Autodeposit payments, and the September launch removed the Wise fee for sending CAD to an Interac alias and adding CAD through Interac. Incoming transfers that require a security question and manual acceptance aren't currently supported, and an email registered for Wise Autodeposit can't remain registered for Autodeposit at another financial institution.

Wise also provides Canadian institution, transit and account numbers for electronic deposits and withdrawals. Customers can receive pay, set up pre-authorized debits for recurring bills, spend through a physical or digital debit card and withdraw cash at ATMs. Wise currently charges no withdrawal fee on the first C$100 each month, then C$2.69 plus 2.69% on the amount above C$100, while an ATM operator can charge its own fee.

Group Spend lets customers create a shared balance for expenses such as household bills or trips. Wise's international features are still a key difference. Customers can hold CAD and dozens of other currencies in one account, convert between them and receive money using account details available in 22 currencies.

Wise Offers Chequing Functions Under a Non-Bank Model

Wise Payments Canada Inc. is not a Canadian bank. It is registered with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada as a Money Services Business under registration M15193392 and with the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider under the Retail Payment Activities Act. It also holds a Quebec money services business licence.

Wise keeps customer funds separate from its operating money under Canada's payment-safeguarding rules. For its Chequing Account, Wise says eligible deposits are held in trust at a Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation member institution with customers identified as beneficiaries. Eligible deposits can receive CDIC protection of up to the equivalent of C$100,000 per beneficiary if the member institution fails and the trust-disclosure requirements are satisfied; Wise itself is not a CDIC member.

Foreign-currency balances aren't automatically excluded because CDIC can cover eligible deposits in Canadian or foreign currency. Coverage still depends on the deposit meeting CDIC rules, and balances held for the same customer at the same member institution can be combined when insurance limits are calculated.

Wise also became a Payments Canada member in January 2026 after federal rule changes opened membership to regulated payment service providers. That gives Wise a formal role inside Canada's payments system and makes eligible PSP members able to seek participation in payment systems under the applicable rules. Membership doesn't automatically give Wise direct access to every Canadian payment rail.

Wise Pushes Deeper Into Everyday Canadian Banking

Canadian consumers can already choose among traditional banks, digital banks and fintech accounts that cover much of the same daily activity. Wise competes with domestic payment functions and a deep multi-currency product, while using a regulated non-bank structure for the account itself.

Competitive Snapshot

Big Six banks: Traditional banks still combine chequing with lending, credit, branches, drafts and direct deposit-taking. RBC Day to Day Banking, for example, has a standard C$4 monthly fee and includes 12 debit transactions plus unlimited Interac e-Transfers. Wise removes the monthly fee and adds much deeper multi-currency functionality, but it doesn't replace the full range of services available through a bank.

Wealthsimple: Wealthsimple has expanded deeper into everyday banking with chequing, payments, direct deposit, cards and other daily money tools. Customer cash is held in trust with CDIC member institutions rather than by Wealthsimple as a bank. Wise has the stronger cross-border proposition through currency holding, foreign account details and international transfers.

KOHO: KOHO combines prepaid-card spending, Interac transfers, Autodeposit and bill payments, with customer funds held through a trust structure designed to qualify for CDIC protection. Its product is centred more heavily on Canadian spending, credit building, rewards and budgeting, while Wise puts international money management at the centre of the account.

EQ Bank: EQ Bank's Personal Account also has no monthly fee and includes unlimited Interac e-Transfers, bill payments, direct deposit and card access. The legal model is different because EQ Bank is a trade name of Equitable Bank, a federally regulated bank and CDIC member that accepts deposits directly. EQ already uses Wise for international transfers, making it both a competitor in everyday banking and a distribution partner for Wise's cross-border capability.

Neo Financial: Neo gained direct Interac e-Transfer access in April 2026 and offers digital chequing functions including Interac transfers, bill payments, pre-authorized debits and card spending. Its focus is more Canadian spending, credit and rewards, while Wise brings a much deeper international money layer.

Wise now covers many of the tasks that keep a chequing account central to a customer's financial life, while adding something most Canadian chequing products don't offer at the same depth: one account built around both domestic use and frequent cross-border money movement.

See: Are Payment Networks Opening Access While Tightening Control?

Canada's regulatory changes give non-bank providers more room to compete for that relationship. RPAA supervision applies operational-risk and safeguarding requirements to payment service providers, while Payments Canada membership brings qualifying fintechs closer to national payment systems. Consumer-driven banking could extend that competition further if customers gain easier ways to connect financial data and services across institutions.

Wise is also giving the launch a physical presence through a temporary pop-up at Toronto Eaton Centre on Level 1 from September 14 through October 11. Customers can register, get product help and participate in launch promotions there, but the location is a Wise promotional and service activation rather than a Canadian bank branch.

Talking Point

Wise can now handle many of the transactions Canadians associate with a primary chequing account while remaining a regulated non-bank provider. How much of the everyday banking relationship can fintechs win before customers care less about whether their main account comes from a bank?

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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Canada Investment Summit Adds Nearly $500B in Commitments

September 15, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Competition And Market Structure, Public Sector Policy And Industrial Strategy

Nearly $500B In Commitments And A Proposed 6.4% Investment Tax Rate

Today, on September 15, 2026, Canada's first Canada Investment Summit 2026 commitments reached nearly $500 billion across Canadian pension funds, insurers, banks, investment funds and a major AI infrastructure project. The September 14–15 summit in Toronto also brought together investors from nearly 30 countries managing more than $100 trillion in assets.

The $500 billion isn't one pool of foreign equity. It combines institutional investment, bank financing and capital mobilization, investment funds and corporate infrastructure spending. A large share comes from Canadian institutions putting more capital to work at home while Ottawa tries to attract additional global investment.

Canadian Institutions Supply Much Of The Capital

Canadian pension funds, insurers and other institutional investors committed nearly $100 billion
CPP Investments and Brookfield Asset Management launched the $50 billion Maple Fund for Canadian critical infrastructure and strategic industries
PSP Investments plans another $25 billion of Canadian investment
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan committed an additional $10 billion by the end of 2027
Sun Life Financial committed $5 billion over five years for infrastructure including digital technology, energy and transportation
Banks account for the largest share. TD committed $150 billion in financing over five years across energy, critical minerals and resources, defence and aerospace, digital and AI, and infrastructure
Scotiabank committed more than $100 billion
BMO up to $70 billion
CIBC $2 billion for defence-related and dual-use small and medium-sized businesses
RBC nearly $1.5 billion for high-growth Canadian technology companies

These commitments work in different ways. Bank financing, pension investment, venture capital and corporate spending support different types of projects and companies. Together, they give Canadian businesses and infrastructure projects more ways to access capital.

See: Canada Has C$500B in Private Credit Exposure, But Little at Home

Canadian institutions already invest a lot of money outside Canada. The Bank of Canada recently estimated that pension funds, insurers, investment funds and banks have about C$500 billion invested in private credit, much of it abroad. The summit is trying to put more of that Canadian capital to work at home.

Investment funds added more than $14 billion. Power Sustainable committed to invest and mobilize more than $10 billion for infrastructure including power, grids, fibre, data and food supply chains. Radical Ventures plans to invest and mobilize $4 billion through its new Radical Breakouts Fund for Canadian AI scaleups.

Bell Canada and Saskatchewan also announced an AI infrastructure project of up to $52.5 billion. The proposed 1.2-gigawatt AI hub is expected to create more than 4,500 jobs across construction, operations, management and related services.

Ottawa Is Cutting The Tax Cost Of New Investment

Another September 15 announcement lowers the tax cost of making new business investments. Ottawa's proposed Productivity Mega Deduction would let businesses write off roughly two-thirds of eligible capital investments right away, up from about 15% under the earlier Productivity Super-Deduction.

Most qualifying assets bought on or after September 15, 2026 would be covered. That includes software, computers, fibre-optic cable, mining property, certain pipelines, aircraft, vehicles, patents, rail track, bridges and roads. Most buildings, goodwill and some vehicles would remain outside the main rules or receive different treatment.

Finance Canada estimates the change would cut Canada's effective tax rate on new business investment to 6.4% (from 13.0%). For comparison, it estimates the U.S. rate at 16.9% and the OECD average excluding Canada at 19.0%.

This isn't just an incentive for foreign investors. Canadian and international companies could both benefit when they make qualifying investments in Canada.

The federal government estimates the measure would reduce tax revenue by $36 billion over five years. Finance Canada also estimates that about $8.5 billion a year in investment support could eventually generate up to roughly $22 billion in additional annual economic activity. The final impact will be based on how much new investment follows and whether it lifts output and productivity.

The Canada Revenue Agency has also begun prioritizing advance tax rulings for proposed Canadian investments of $1 billion or more. Investors can seek binding tax treatment before committing capital, reducing one source of uncertainty on large projects.

Canada Needs The Capital To Show Up In Productivity

Statistics Canada productivity research found investment per worker in 2022 was nearly 20% below its 2014 level. Real non-residential business investment in early 2024 was still 22% below its peak a decade earlier, and weak capital investment has been a major contributor to slower labour-productivity growth.

See: Fintech's Role in Canada's Productivity Revival

The latest business surveys are more encouraging. Bank of Canada survey data show 43% of firms in the second quarter of 2026 identified improving productivity as an investment objective, up from 31% a year earlier. Equipment upgrades, technology adoption and AI investment give companies ways to convert financing into higher output rather than simply expanding balance sheets.

Foreign capital is also rising. Statistics Canada recorded $96.8 billion of foreign direct investment into Canada in 2025, the highest annual level since 2007. In the second quarter of 2026, inward direct investment reached $25.9 billion, up from $18.8 billion in the first quarter. Manufacturing attracted $7.0 billion and finance and insurance $6.6 billion.

Canada now has more domestic capital earmarked for Canadian assets at the same time that foreign direct investment is rising. Domestic institutions can finance assets and companies through longer investment cycles, while foreign capital adds outside balance sheets, customers, expertise and international connections.

Trade pressure adds another reason to build more productive capacity at home. Canadian companies looking beyond the United States still need capital for technology, production, regulatory work, new customers and foreign operations. Stronger financing at home gives more firms the option to build those capabilities from Canada rather than moving capital-intensive parts of their growth elsewhere. See: Budget 2025 Accelerates Fintech, AI, and Capital Growth

Video: CBC News coverage of Canada’s first Investment Summit, where nearly $500 billion in new investment commitments were announced.

The Scorecard Is Projects, Productivity And Company Scale

For Canadian founders, the most accessible commitments are much smaller than the $500 billion headline. Radical Ventures' $4 billion AI fund, RBC's nearly $1.5 billion technology commitment and CIBC's $2 billion defence and dual-use program can reach companies below major infrastructure scale. Pension and bank commitments can finance the data centres, energy systems, digital infrastructure and customers around them.

See: Can Canadian Fintechs Diversify Beyond The U.S. Faster?

Canada has plenty of capital on paper. It now needs to move the needle in funded projects, higher investment per worker, productive technology adoption, export capacity and Canadian companies reaching larger scale.

$500 billion gives Canada a large starting balance. How much is actually deployed, where it goes and what it produces will determine whether the summit becomes a capital-formation milestone or a very large collection of commitments.

Talking Point

Can Canada turn nearly $500 billion of new capital commitments and a proposed 6.4% investment tax rate into measurably higher productive investment, larger Canadian companies and stronger domestic and foreign capital flows?

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2026 BRICS Summit Advances Cross Border Payment Links

September 14, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Cross Border Payments And FX, Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Competition And Market Structure

New Delhi Declaration Advances Payment Interoperability

On September 12, 2026, BRICS leaders met in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit and backed further work connecting national payment and financial messaging systems. The New Delhi Declaration confirms that the BRICS Payment Task Force has been studying cross border interoperability and the use of local currencies for trade settlement and investment.

BRICS hasn't yet created a common payment network or digital currency. However, payment interoperability has moved into an official technical workstream rather than remaining a series of proposals from individual members.

The progression has been fairly quick. India proposed stronger payment and central bank digital currency connectivity in January. In August, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra confirmed that members were discussing links between fast payment systems and central bank digital currencies. The September declaration gives the Payment Task Force a formal basis to continue that work across the bloc.

The commercial backdrop has also changed significantly since we last covered the 2023 BRICS summit. The group has expanded, supply chains have been rerouted, trade relationships have become more politically charged and tariffs are again influencing where companies manufacture and sell. BRICS now accounts for nearly one quarter of global trade, while intra BRICS merchandise trade reached US$1.17 trillion in 2024.

For banks, payment companies and fintechs, that scale changes the economics of interoperability. Existing domestic payment systems already process enormous volumes. Connecting more of those systems across borders could affect routing, settlement costs and access to large emerging markets without waiting for a new monetary system to be built.

BRICS Is Starting With Payment Systems That Already Work

The declaration focuses on systems that members already operate. The Payment Task Force has studied interoperability between payment and messaging channels and discussed using BRICS currencies for trade and investment. Leaders want further work on cross border payments that are faster, cheaper and easier to access while remaining secure.

India brings considerable operating scale to that discussion. Its Unified Payments Interface processes more than 250 billion transactions annually and is accepted in 11 countries. Other BRICS members have their own domestic payment rails. Connecting those systems can be faster than designing a single BRICS network from scratch.

A merchant payment could still require foreign exchange and liquidity between two currencies. Banks would still need compliance controls, and somebody has to settle the transaction. Interoperability can reduce some of the handoffs between institutions without making those functions disappear.

See: India's RBI On AI Governance And BRICS Payment Links

Local currency settlement can develop alongside those links. A company trading between India and another BRICS economy may eventually have more ways to invoice or settle without routing every transaction through a third currency. That can remove a conversion in some transactions, although the underlying currencies still carry exchange rate risk.

Russia has pushed back against describing every BRICS payment initiative as an attempt to abandon the U.S. dollar. More payment choices and greater use of domestic currencies don't require members to stop using dollars where the economics favour them.

The New Development Bank is pursuing a related approach through financing. BRICS leaders want it to expand lending in local currencies and diversify its funding. Borrowers that can raise money in the same currency as their revenues may face less foreign exchange exposure.

Tariffs Are Adding Pressure to Diversify Trade

Payments can't be separated from what is happening to trade. The New Delhi Declaration warns that rising tariffs and other unilateral trade measures can reduce global trade, disrupt supply chains and add uncertainty for businesses. BRICS finance ministers made the same point before the summit, criticizing unilateral trade and financial measures and calling for more coordination among member economies.

The pressure is visible in 2026. The United States imposed a new 25% tariff on selected Brazilian exports in July, covering billions of dollars in goods. Brazil said it would pursue alternative markets if access to the U.S. became more difficult. India has also taken a harder line in U.S. trade negotiations while expanding commercial ties with Europe and other markets.

See: Can Canadian Fintechs Diversify Beyond The U.S. Faster?

China offers another lesson. Companies spent years moving manufacturing into Southeast Asia and India to reduce exposure to U.S. tariffs, yet some are now returning production to China because supplier networks, skilled labour and operating efficiency remain difficult to reproduce elsewhere. Tariffs can redirect investment, but they don't erase the economics of established supply chains.

BRICS members are responding by trying to strengthen trade within the bloc. India has called for more open markets, simpler customs procedures and deeper supply chain links. Intra BRICS merchandise trade has grown thirteenfold since 2003, reaching US$1.17 trillion in 2024.

Payment connectivity becomes more valuable as those trade relationships deepen. A Brazilian exporter selling into India, or an Indian company sourcing from China, benefits more from direct payment links when the underlying commercial relationship is large enough to support liquidity and repeat transactions.

For Canada and other economies heavily exposed to the U.S. market, the development is worth watching. Tariffs are pushing governments and companies to diversify customers, suppliers and financing relationships. BRICS is building payment and trade links across many of the markets companies may increasingly look to as alternatives.

CBDC Links Are Still Mostly a Design Question

Central bank digital currencies remain much less developed as a BRICS payment option. Members operate at different stages of CBDC research, testing and deployment, making a common technical model harder than connecting established fast payment systems.

Sanjay Malhotra, Governor, Reserve Bank of India:

"Various options are on the table, but it is still at discussion stage, including CBDCs and linkages of fast payment systems."

The September declaration didn't announce a CBDC pilot or identify central banks that will participate in one. There is no shared rulebook for settlement, liquidity or foreign exchange conversion and no governance structure for a BRICS CBDC network.

Fast payment links can progress without solving all of those problems at once. A connection between two existing national systems can use currencies and regulated institutions that already operate in each market. Additional bilateral links could later connect into a larger network if members agree on common technical and regulatory rules.

BRICS may therefore develop as a collection of connected domestic systems rather than one centralized network. Fintechs could compete in routing, FX, merchant payments and technical connectivity without waiting for a common BRICS currency.

NCFA has seen a similar commercial principle in other markets as direct access to payment rails expands. More direct access can give fintechs greater control over costs and service delivery, provided the regulatory and operating requirements still support a sustainable business.

More Connections Could Change Cross Border Competition

Traditional correspondent banking often sends a cross border payment through several institutions before it reaches the recipient. Each participant can add time, cost and another reconciliation step. Direct connections between national payment systems could shorten some routes, particularly where participating banks already have liquidity in both currencies.

Payment companies could help merchants reach new markets, while fintechs build routing and FX services around connected domestic rails. Banks would still provide settlement and liquidity. Wider access also brings more responsibility around operating controls, fraud and compliance, an issue we reviewed in payment network access and control.

BRICS is also examining connections between securities settlement and depositary systems. Technical discussions have looked at differences between member markets, while the proposed New Investment Platform remains under development. Compatible payment and securities systems could eventually reduce friction in both trade and investment flows.

See: Buy Canadian Returns As Trump Tariffs Hit 50% | Canada Expanding Economic Ties With UAE India And Africa

Established global payment networks and correspondent banks aren't disappearing. They have deep liquidity, global reach and mature compliance systems. BRICS members are trying to create additional routes alongside them, which can increase bargaining power and give businesses more choices when tariffs, sanctions or geopolitical disputes interrupt established channels.

The commercial impact will become visible once transactions go live. A direct connection between two major systems can be measured through settlement time, FX cost and merchant adoption. Several working links could eventually create a meaningful network across BRICS economies.

Talking Point

BRICS doesn't need a common currency to change cross border finance. The bloc already represents nearly a quarter of global trade, and tariffs are giving members another reason to diversify payment and trading relationships. If national rails begin connecting at scale, fintechs, banks and merchants gain more ways to transact outside traditional correspondent routes. The proof will be lower costs, faster settlement and sustained transaction volume once those links go live.

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OSFI Rebalances Regulation for Growth and Competition

September 14, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Competition And Market Structure, Regulation And Policy, Capital Markets Infrastructure And Funding

Routledge Speech Puts Growth and Competition Higher on OSFI Agenda

On September 11, 2026, Superintendent Peter Routledge delivered a speech at the Economic Club of Canada, explaining how the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is refining its risk appetite. Financial resilience remains central, but OSFI is giving more weight to economic growth and competition when it decides whether a regulatory requirement is proportionate to the risk.

For financial technology firms, smaller banks, federal credit unions and prospective entrants, the commercial question is whether those decisions make Canada's regulated financial market easier to enter and compete in. Some fintechs may eventually seek a federal bank, trust or loan company structure. Others need regulated partners that can support new lending, payments or financial products without the economics forcing every partnership toward Canada's largest institutions.

OSFI is already changing parts of that equation. New entrants have a more structured approval process, selected capital requirements are being recalibrated and unnecessary supervisory material is being removed. The value to the market will depend on what happens to entry costs, operating economics and the number of credible competitors that reach customers.

Entry Economics Matter More Than Access

OSFI's Streamlined Approvals Framework for Targeted New Entrants is one of the clearest examples of the new competition objective. Eligible provincial credit unions and firms with innovative or emerging banking models now enter a more defined process that begins with a readiness assessment before formal approval and operational preparation.

A clearer process can materially affect a startup's economics. Legal and advisory costs continue while an application is underway, and management time spent on regulatory work is time not spent building the business. Investors can also have capital tied up well before regulated revenue begins.

Peter Routledge, Superintendent, OSFI

"We aim to create a smoother, more accessible pathway for credible new entrants navigating the federal process, without lowering our standards."

Faster decisions would reduce uncertainty, but approval itself is a poor measure of competition. Approval only matters if those firms can operate, grow and compete once they enter the market. New institutions need enough customers and revenue to absorb regulatory costs while continuing to meet OSFI's prudential requirements.

See: OSFI Clarifies Tokenized Deposits and 2027 Crypto Rules

This is especially relevant to fintechs that never become federally regulated institutions themselves. More smaller banks, trust companies and credit unions can create additional counterparties for new financial products. A fintech gains little from an open market on paper if only a handful of institutions can support the partnership economically.

Proportionate Rules Can Change Who Competes

Regulation weighs differently on a large bank and a smaller financial institution. A large bank can spread reporting and compliance expense across a vast customer base. A smaller competitor has fewer accounts and loans over which to recover the same fixed costs.

Capital rules affect the equation as well. OSFI's 2027 rules reduce the risk weight on unrated corporate small and medium sized enterprise exposures to 75% from 85%. The maximum exposure that can qualify as a small business entity for lower regulatory retail treatment also rises to $2.5 million from $1.5 million.

OSFI's 2027 package also changes the treatment of some corporate exposures, covered bonds, securitization and market risk. Category I and II small and medium sized banks can use simplified capital treatment for qualifying exposures, subject to limits. The rules also introduce a streamlined application process for smaller banks seeking approval to use internal credit models.

OSFI has made selected changes elsewhere, including residential development and covered bonds. The changes are targeted rather than a general reduction in capital standards. Their commercial significance comes from matching regulatory cost more closely to the risk an institution actually takes.

Peter Routledge, Superintendent, OSFI

"We seek to avoid the 'stability of the graveyard' in which a docile, risk-averse financial system impedes prosperous growth."

The effects aren't limited to banks. Fintechs also depend on smaller regulated institutions for partnerships, distribution and access to financial products. Smaller regulated institutions finance businesses, compete for deposits and provide services that fintechs build on top of. If prudential requirements consume more capital or operating expense than the underlying risk warrants, fewer institutions can compete effectively and fintechs have fewer potential partners.

OSFI is also removing material it considers redundant, obsolete or trivial. By April 2026, it said 52 documents and more than 600 pages had been eliminated. The result is lower recurring cost or less management time spent satisfying requirements that don't materially improve supervision.

Competition Mandates Need Outcome Data

Canada already has experience with regulators being asked to consider competition more explicitly. Ontario expanded the Ontario Securities Commission's mandate in 2021 to include fostering competitive capital markets and capital formation. NCFA reviewed that expanded growth duty in a comparison of pro innovation regulation in Canada and the UK. The OSC subsequently built out its Office of Economic Growth and Innovation and continued experimenting with regulatory relief and testing programs.

NCFA had been asking regulators to go further years earlier. Its 2018 OSC priorities submission called for better data and performance measures tied to market outcomes. Capital formation and compliance costs were among the measures that could show whether regulation was actually improving the market.

An innovation office can improve communication with a regulator, and an exemption can remove a specific obstacle. Neither proves that competition increased. If a business still cannot earn enough to support the cost of being regulated, the market doesn't gain a sustainable competitor.

See: NCFA Submission on Regulatory Burden

Investment crowdfunding provides a useful example. A competitive framework should encourage new equity crowdfunding dealers and portals to enter the market in the first place. That requires economics that can support the people, technology and regulatory work needed to operate. If the cost and complexity of registration discourage new entrants before they launch, or make it difficult for existing firms to reach sustainable scale, competition will remain limited.

NCFA raised similar concerns in its 2018 submission to Finance Canada, where regulatory fragmentation and compliance costs were identified as barriers to fintech growth. The association looked at the same issue in a a more recent analysis of financial market access and productive growth. Access has economic value when firms can turn it into customers, capital and competitive products.

Provincial regulators can make their competition mandates easier to evaluate by publishing more market outcomes. Approval times can be compared before and after reforms. Regulators can show how many entrants begin operating and whether they remain active. They can also disclose enough data to assess whether smaller firms are raising more capital or taking a larger role in the market.

Those metrics would distinguish regulatory activity from competitive results. Supporting fifty firms through an innovation office is useful information. Knowing how many of those firms reached the market, survived and won customers tells stakeholders much more about whether the mandate is working.

OSFI Can Make Competition Measurable

Routledge addressed the issue directly at the Scotiabank Financials Summit on September 10.

Peter Routledge, Superintendent, OSFI:

"Our role is to ensure the prudential framework does not create unnecessary barriers to responsible competition."

OSFI already has a decent starting point because its new approvals process includes a public dashboard. Processing times can show whether regulatory entry becomes faster and more predictable. OSFI could also report how many applicants become operating institutions and how long they remain active.

OSFI should also show whether smaller institutions are actually seeing lower regulatory costs, better funding access and more room to compete. If proportional supervision is working (or not), those changes should be visible in recurring compliance costs, capital use and funding outcomes.

See: Canada's C$14T Non Bank Financial System Opens Up

Market performance should complete the picture. A new entrant that reaches customers and grows while maintaining strong capital is evidence that entry and resilience can coexist. A faster application process followed by few successful competitors would point to remaining barriers elsewhere.

Canada's largest banks will retain substantial advantages in distribution and customer scale. OSFI cannot remove those commercial strengths, nor should it try. Its role is to ensure that prudential requirements don't add an unnecessary regulatory advantage on top of them.

Talking Point

OSFI's revised risk appetite only matters if it changes who can compete and at what cost. More credible entrants, lower unnecessary regulatory burden and better funding economics would be stronger evidence of success than faster approvals alone (provided financial resilience remains intact).

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S&P Global Leads Kaiko’s $110M Round With RBC

September 14, 2026 | NCFA Market Activity | Capital Markets Infrastructure And Funding, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Artificial Intelligence And Data

Institutional Investors Back Tokenized Market Data

On September 14, 2026, Paris-baesed digital asset firm Kaiko raised US$110 million in a Series B extension led by S&P Global. RBC joined BNP Paribas, Nasdaq Ventures, Bpifrance, Broadridge, Coinbase Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, Canton Foundation, Stellar and Susquehanna Private Equity Investments. Existing shareholders Anthemis, Point Nine and Revaia also participated.

Kaiko plans to invest the capital in its market data business and services for onchain capital markets. Its coverage spans more than 150 exchanges and protocols, with data used for pricing, trading, valuation, risk, surveillance and benchmarks.

S&P Global, RBC, Nasdaq, BNP Paribas and Broadridge bring something beyond capital. They operate businesses that depend on reliable prices, benchmarks, market data and institutional distribution. Their investment gives Kaiko deeper relationships with firms that could also become customers, partners or distribution channels as tokenized securities and digital assets enter more institutional products.

S&P Backs Kaiko After Launching 4,000+ Indices

S&P Global was already working with Kaiko before leading the round. On September 1, S&P Dow Jones Indices and Kaiko launched the S&P Kaiko Digital Asset Indices, bringing more than 4,000 rates and indices into one suite. Kaiko provides digital asset data, calculation and connectivity across more than 150 exchanges, while S&P DJI brings benchmark administration, licensing and global distribution.

The relationship also reaches tokenized traditional assets. Earlier work brought the iBoxx U.S. Treasuries Index onto the Canton Network, giving onchain applications access to an established fixed income benchmark. S&P is therefore investing in a company it already uses across digital asset pricing, benchmark production and onchain data delivery.

RBC's participation puts a major Canadian bank alongside global exchanges, banks, data firms and digital asset investors backing Kaiko's expansion.

Tokenized Markets Increase the Value of Trusted Data

A tokenized bond or fund still needs a defensible price. Banks and asset managers also need reference rates, liquidity data and valuations that can flow into trading, collateral, risk, reporting and settlement systems across digital asset markets. Those requirements become harder when assets trade across multiple exchanges, blockchains and around the clock.

Institutional adoption is already growing in tokenized collateral and cash markets, where pricing, valuation and settlement quality directly affect whether products can scale.

Kaiko provides market data feeds, analytics, indices, pricing and monitoring tools. Its onchain services can also deliver licensed data directly into blockchain applications. That gives the company exposure to several parts of the market without depending entirely on crypto trading volumes.

The investors will participate in a Strategic Industry Working Group chaired by Kaiko and focused on data for tokenized capital markets. Nothing formal has been disclosed yet but there will be lots at the table including banks, exchanges, financial data firms, blockchain networks and market technology providers with different requirements for pricing and using tokenized assets.

So what does this mean for traditional data companies? Building digital asset expertise internally takes time, specialist market knowledge and direct connections to fragmented venues. Investing in firms such as Kaiko can give established providers access to those capabilities while they contribute distribution, benchmark credibility and institutional clients.

Competitive Snapshot and Outlook

Coin Metrics competes for institutional market, network and reference data. Lukka is strong in valuation, accounting and audit data. CoinDesk Data competes in digital asset benchmarks and market information. Bloomberg and LSEG have much larger enterprise distribution and can add digital asset products to platforms already embedded inside banks and investment firms.

See: How Tokenization Became A Business Investors Can Measure

Kaiko brings deep digital asset expertise in pricing, benchmarks and institutional data. S&P's investment can help Kaiko reach more financial institutions, but it also highlights the competition. Large data companies already have the customers, distribution and capital to partner with specialists, buy them or build similar capabilities themselves.

Kaiko will need more revenue from indices, tokenized assets and enterprise data if it wants to rely less on crypto trading activity. The working group only becomes strategically beneficial if it leads to products, common data practices or stronger links into existing financial systems.

Talking Point

S&P Global isn't just buying exposure to crypto growth. It is backing specialist data capability it already uses. If tokenized markets scale, reliable pricing and benchmarks may be one of the harder and more valuable pieces for financial institutions to recreate themselves.

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NCFA Weekly Fintech Intelligence Sep 5-11, 2026

Sep 5, 2026 | Last Updated Sep 14, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Whisperer | Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement, Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Digital Identity And Trust, Cybersecurity Fraud And Financial Crime, Digital Banking And BaaS, Capital Markets Infrastructure And Funding, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Cross Border Payments And FX, Wealthtech Investing And Trading, Embedded Finance, Insurance And Insurtech, Lending Consumer Credit And BNPL, Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing, Risk Compliance And Regtech, Treasury Liquidity And Cash Management, Regulation And Policy, Data Privacy And Governance

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, January 17-23, 2026, January 24-30, 2026, January 31-February 6, 2026, February 7-13, 2026, February 14-20, 2026, February 21-27, 2026, February 28-March 6, 2026, March 7-13, 2026, March 14-20, 2026, March 21-27, 2026, March 28-April 3, 2026, April 4-10, 2026, April 11-17, 2026, April 18-24, 2026, April 25-May 1, 2026, May 2-8, 2026, May 9-15, 2026, May 16-22, 2026, May 23-29, 2026, May 30-June 5, 2026, June 6-12, 2026, June 13-19, 2026, June 20-26, 2026, June 27-July 3, 2026, July 4-July 10, 2026, July 11-July 17, 2026, July 18-24, 2026, July 25-July 31 2026, August 1-August 7, 2026, August 8-August 14, 2026, August 15-August 21, 2026, August 22-August 28, 2026, August 29-September 4, 2026).

Weekly Fintech Market Intelligence Sep 5 - Sep 11, 2026

Artificial Intelligence And Data

BharatPe Launches Merchant AI Across More Than 60 Live Systems

September 9, 2026, India

BharatPe launched an agentic AI assistant for merchants inside its business platform.
The company says the assistant connects to more than 60 live systems and can take actions across merchant service workflows in real time.
BharatPe also introduced Credit Coach, which provides merchants with personalized information about their credit position and financing readiness.

Connecting an AI assistant to dozens of live systems gives it more operational authority than a standard support bot. Similar payment operations agents are already appearing elsewhere in India, making permissions, authentication and audit records increasingly important as AI reaches deeper into merchant finance.

Mastercard Agent Connect Creates One Connection for AI Commerce

September 9, 2026, United States / Global

Mastercard introduced Agent Connect to connect merchants, AI agents, digital platforms and payment providers through one integration.
The service covers product discovery, cart creation, final pricing, fulfilment and consumer authorized payment using credentials from Mastercard or other card networks.
Global Payments, Network International, Nexi, Samsung, Trip.com and other companies are among those Mastercard says expect to use or explore the service.

Agentic commerce needs more than an AI model and a payment button. As agentic commerce expands, merchants need controlled ways to expose products, pricing and payment permissions across many agents without building a separate connection for each one.

HyperVerge Deploys AI Agents in MSME Loan Underwriting

September 9, 2026, India

HyperVerge launched AI agents for financial underwriting, multilingual video assessment and background due diligence in MSME lending.
The company says roughly 10 mid sized lenders are testing the tools and three lenders already use its video assessment agent in production.
HyperVerge reports that the agents reduce several underwriting tasks from hours to minutes while retaining traceability for review.

AI is moving into the work that happens before a small business credit decision, including financial review, borrower interviews and due diligence. The growing use of agentic AI under regulatory scrutiny makes traceability and human responsibility increasingly important as lenders automate more of the assessment process.

Focal AI Launches Agentic Workflows for Canadian Wealth Advisors

September 8, 2026, Canada

Toronto based Focal AI launched agentic workflows for Canadian financial advisors across KYC, onboarding, client documents, CRM updates and financial planning systems.
The platform can read and complete forms, draft client communications and update information across connected advisor software.
Focal cites Canadian data residency, SOC 2 Type II controls and advisor oversight, with integrations across several Canadian wealth technology platforms.

Advisor AI is moving beyond notes and summaries into work that touches client records, KYC and planning systems. The deeper Focal AI analysis looks at where productivity gains meet consent, recordkeeping and advisor accountability as agents begin acting across regulated workflows.

Digital Banking And BaaS

U.S. Regulators Clarify Oversight of Community Bank Core Providers

September 11, 2026, United States

The OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC issued a joint statement clarifying risk based supervision of certain core services provided to community banking organizations.
Regulators will consider how community banks engage with core providers when deciding the level of supervisory oversight applied to those services.
The statement also addresses supervisory and enforcement authority when a core provider engages in, or causes a community bank to engage in, unsafe or unsound practices or violations of law.

Core providers are becoming a more explicit supervisory control point for community banks. Technology vendors need implementation quality, contract terms, operational controls and regulatory cooperation to withstand scrutiny because provider conduct can now feed directly into supervisory and enforcement decisions.

Chime Agrees to Acquire Stride Bank for US$590M

September 8, 2026, United States

Chime entered a definitive agreement to acquire longtime banking partner Stride Bank for US$590 million in cash.
Stride has worked with Chime for more than seven years and would become Chime Bank, N.A. after closing.
Chime expects more than US$100 million in net synergies and says bank ownership would give it greater control over lending, funding and banking operations.

Chime is trying to own the regulated banking capacity behind a relationship it has spent years building through a partner. Its recent expansion into investing and workplace distribution shows why owning more of the banking economics underneath the account could become increasingly valuable if the acquisition closes.

Cross Border Payments And FX

Unlimit Gets Hong Kong Money Service Operator Licence

September 10, 2026, Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Commissioner of Customs and Excise granted Unlimit a Money Service Operator licence.
Unlimit says the licence will support local payment channels for businesses operating across Asia Pacific from its Hong Kong hub.
The company operates a proprietary payment network spanning more than 180 countries and says it connects directly with local payment systems across multiple markets.

The licence gives Unlimit another regulated access point for cross border payment distribution in Asia Pacific. For merchants and fintechs expanding regionally, the operating value comes from combining local payment channels with one provider rather than building separate regulated connections in each market.

Circle Agrees to Acquire Tazapay for Global Payment Access

September 8, 2026, Global / Singapore

Circle signed a definitive agreement to acquire Singapore based Tazapay, subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Tazapay brings more than 60 banking and fintech partners and local payout access across more than 100 markets.
Circle says the acquisition would extend USDC distribution by combining stablecoin settlement with Tazapay's banking relationships and local payment connections.

Stablecoins still need banks and local payout rails at the edges of the transaction. The Tazapay deal shows Circle buying those connections rather than building each market one at a time, bringing more of the route between USDC and domestic payment systems inside the company.

Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization

OSFI Finalizes 2027 Bank Crypto Capital and Liquidity Rules

September 10, 2026, Canada

OSFI finalized its 2027 Capital and Liquidity Treatment of Crypto Asset Exposures guideline for Canadian banks and other federally regulated deposit taking institutions.
OSFI says the final version includes targeted changes following consultation to better align capital requirements for certain crypto activities with their underlying risks.
The revised treatment follows OSFI's May proposal, which included recognition of certain cross exchange hedges for Group 2a crypto assets while retaining prudential safeguards.

Capital treatment determines how expensive it is for banks to hold or support crypto exposures. The final rules now become part of Canada's wider stablecoin and digital asset regulatory regime, giving institutions a firmer basis for deciding which activities are economically viable inside prudential capital and liquidity controls.

Nine Swiss Institutions Begin CHFD Stablecoin Tests

September 8, 2026, Switzerland

UBS, PostFinance, Sygnum, Raiffeisen, Zürcher Kantonalbank, BCV, SIX, TWINT and Swiss Stablecoin AG have begun testing CHFD in a secure live sandbox.
SIX and TWINT have joined the initiative, bringing national market and payment infrastructure into the nine institution group.
The tests cover automated interbank transactions, tokenized asset settlement, programmable payments, fraud reduction and public disbursements. CHFD has been technically live inside the sandbox since the end of June.

Switzerland is testing one digital franc instrument across banks, payments and capital markets rather than keeping each use case separate. It is still a sandbox, but bringing SIX and TWINT into the same test gives the work more weight. Commercial use will depend on what survives the tests and how participating institutions agree to use it.

Fuze Gains Supervised Financial Intermediary Status in Switzerland

September 8, 2026, Switzerland

Fuze Finance says SO-FIT approved its Swiss entity as an affiliated financial intermediary subject to supervision under Switzerland's Anti Money Laundering Act.
The company plans to provide institutional crypto infrastructure and stablecoin settlement in Switzerland.
Fuze intends to connect those services with established payment infrastructure including SWIFT, SEPA and SIC.

Fuze now has a supervised operating position in another major financial centre. The Swiss entry gives institutional clients another provider for regulated crypto and stablecoin services while keeping settlement connected to established banking systems. The approval is financial intermediary status, not a Swiss banking licence.

Digital Identity And Trust

Ant, Mastercard and Visa Work on Common AI Agent Identity

September 10, 2026, Singapore / Global

Ant International, Mastercard and Visa have begun work on a Know Your Agent interoperability model for identifying AI agents across payment networks, wallets, marketplaces and agent platforms.
The work connects Visa Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard Verifiable Intent and Ant International's Agentic Mobile Protocol around shared identification principles.
Each network would retain its own verification and transaction decision processes while improving how agent identity can be recognized across participating systems.

AI agents cannot transact widely if every payment network identifies them differently. The work directly connects to the emerging questions around consent and liability in AI payments, where identity, authorization and responsibility need to travel with the agent across payment systems.

U.S. Regulators Clarify Digital Credentials for Bank KYC

September 8, 2026, United States

The Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, OCC and FinCEN jointly clarified that banks may use government issued verifiable digital credentials to verify natural person customers under Customer Identification Program rules.
The guidance includes state issued mobile driver licences and other government credentials that can be cryptographically verified.
The agencies say existing Bank Secrecy Act requirements remain unchanged and institutions remain responsible for meeting their compliance obligations.

Digital identity now has a clearer route into everyday U.S. bank onboarding. Banks can use government issued mobile credentials without waiting for a new KYC rule, giving identity providers and financial institutions more room to replace document checks with verifiable digital credentials while keeping existing compliance responsibility intact.

Open Banking Open Finance And Data Sharing

Lumin Digital and MX Add Standards Based Open Banking Connectivity

September 10, 2026, United States

Lumin Digital integrated MX to give banks and credit unions standards based connections to third party financial applications.
The integration uses APIs and OAuth 2.0 so users can connect accounts without giving third parties their banking usernames and passwords.
Lumin FDX supports multiple data aggregators through a common Financial Data Exchange based approach and reduces reliance on screen scraping.

The implementation shows what open banking looks like when standards become operating infrastructure inside bank technology. It also provides a useful comparator for Canada's Open Banking intelligence, where secure API access, consent controls and interoperability remain central implementation questions.

Payments Infrastructure And Money Movement

Mastercard Wallet Pay Connects Digital Wallets to Global Acceptance

September 10, 2026, Singapore / Global

Mastercard launched Wallet Pay, a global portfolio designed to connect digital wallets with contactless, QR and online payment acceptance.
Mastercard says AlipayHK, Clip, GCash, KakaoPay, TNG eWallet, TrueMoney, Axian, CRED, DaviPlata, Mercado Pago, MTN and TenPay Global are already using Wallet Pay capabilities.
The services extend wallet use from everyday payments into cross border money movement while giving wallet providers access to Mastercard's global acceptance infrastructure.

Digital wallets are becoming more useful when customers can take them beyond their home market. Mastercard is giving independent wallet providers common ways to reach contactless, QR and online acceptance without each provider building those connections alone. With multiple wallet operators already participating, Wallet Pay adds another route for local wallets to compete across borders.

DBS, OCBC and UOB Complete Live SGD Transactions on Swift Ledger

September 10, 2026, Singapore

DBS, OCBC and UOB completed live domestic Singapore dollar interbank transactions using tokenised deposits on Swift's blockchain based ledger.
DBS says this is the first time Singapore's three domestic banks have completed live interbank transactions using tokenised deposits.
Swift's ledger matched and netted tokenised deposit obligations between the banks before final settlement through existing systems, adding Singapore dollar transactions to the live USD and other currency activity already demonstrated on the network.

Swift's ledger is gaining practical use across more banks, currencies and payment windows. Bringing Singapore's three domestic banks into live SGD transactions adds a local interbank use case to the cross border and weekend payments already completed. For banks and treasury teams, the value will depend on how routinely that shared capability can be used outside conventional processing hours.

U.S. Bank Completes Live USBDC Stablecoin Payment

September 9, 2026, United States / Europe

U.S. Bank completed a live cross border payment between its North American and European entities using USBDC, its proprietary U.S. dollar backed stablecoin, on Stellar.
The transaction connected onchain value movement with the bank's existing finance, risk, compliance and operations infrastructure.
U.S. Bank also validated its internal Digital Asset Platform for issuing and moving tokenized assets, including minting, redemption, freezing and clawback capabilities.

A large regulated bank has connected a proprietary stablecoin to the control systems it already uses for real money movement. The important test now is whether USBDC progresses from an internal live transaction into recurring treasury, liquidity or client payment activity where 24/7 settlement changes how the bank manages value across borders.

PhonePe and Visa Expand Cardless Payments in India and Abroad

September 9, 2026, India / Global

PhonePe and Visa launched a suite covering Tap to Pay, Cross Border Scan to Pay and Smart Accept alongside existing online tokenization.
Tap to Pay began a phased rollout on September 9, allowing Android users to pay at contactless terminals using tokenized Visa cards stored in PhonePe.
Cross Border Scan to Pay is planned for 14 international markets, while Smart Accept gives small merchants another way to accept card payments through smartphones.

PhonePe is pulling more card functions into the wallet interface, from contactless acceptance to international QR payments. That fits a wider pattern of payment networks opening access while retaining control over the rules, credentials and infrastructure underneath each transaction.

Network International Runs Live AED Stablecoin Payments at UAE Stores

September 9, 2026, UAE

Network International began the UAE's first in store pilot of AED backed stablecoin payments using DDSC.
Customers with supported wallets can pay through Network's existing point of sale devices at selected merchant locations.
The live pilot includes Marks & Spencer at Dubai Festival City and Lulu Hypermarket at Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi.

A regulated local stablecoin is now being tested through payment terminals merchants already use. That is the type of transition behind the question of whether stablecoins are becoming payment infrastructure: digital money entering ordinary merchant acceptance rather than remaining inside crypto trading venues.

IFC Launches US$700M Payment Settlement Risk Initiative

September 9, 2026, Global / Emerging Markets

IFC launched a risk sharing initiative providing up to US$700 million in guarantees to cover part of the settlement credit risk faced by financial institutions participating in global payment networks.
Separate facilities include about US$200 million in risk sharing with Visa and a US$500 million global settlement exposure facility with Mastercard.
IFC estimates participating institutions could generate about US$280 billion in additional digital payment volume, issue 360 million more cards and add 90 million active users.

Settlement requirements can keep smaller or lower rated institutions out of global card networks even when customer demand exists. IFC is using guarantees to absorb part of that risk, giving more banks and fintechs a practical route into international payment infrastructure without requiring the networks to carry the full exposure themselves.

Jaywan Goes Live on Mastercard Gateway With noon payments

September 9, 2026, UAE

noon payments and Mastercard have enabled Jaywan e-commerce transactions through Mastercard Gateway, with the capability available through Mastercard Merchant Cloud.
Al Etihad Payments says Jaywan acceptance for e-commerce transactions is live.
The connection gives merchants using noon payments another route to accept the UAE's domestic card scheme alongside international payment methods through the same gateway infrastructure.

Jaywan already had merchant acceptance in the UAE. The new evidence is distribution through Mastercard Gateway, which gives the domestic scheme a larger e-commerce route and makes it easier for merchants to support Jaywan alongside international cards through one setup.

FOMO Pay Brings Live UPI Acceptance to Singapore

September 9, 2026, Singapore / India

FOMO Pay and NPCI International have enabled UPI acceptance in Singapore, with Resorts World Sentosa among the first merchant partners.
Indian visitors can now use their existing UPI apps to book and pay through the Resorts World Sentosa website in Indian rupees while the merchant receives Singapore dollars.
The partnership is intended to extend UPI acceptance across additional FOMO Pay merchants in Singapore after the first live deployment.

UPI is extending beyond India by connecting familiar consumer payment apps directly into foreign merchant acceptance. The first Singapore deployment is already live, while the larger opportunity is distribution through FOMO Pay's merchant network without asking Indian users to change how they pay.

TerraPay Connects African Wallets to Alipay+ Merchant Payments

September 9, 2026, Africa / Global

TerraPay is connecting its Xend wallet interoperability network to Alipay+, extending Xend from account transfers into international merchant QR payments.
In the initial phase, 15 African wallets connected to Xend will be able to pay at more than 150 million merchants across the Alipay+ network.
Xend already supports real time cross border payments across wallets, and TerraPay says the Alipay+ connection extends that operating network into merchant acceptance through one integration.

A wallet that works locally becomes much more useful when it can travel. TerraPay is connecting existing African wallet networks to a global merchant network without requiring each wallet provider to build separate acceptance relationships market by market. That gives local wallets a larger role in cross border commerce.

Visa Connects Onchain Credit to Stablecoin Card Settlement

September 8, 2026, United States / Global

Visa is combining VisaNet settlement data with stablecoin denominated revolving credit to finance settlement obligations for stablecoin linked card programs.
The model has supported more than US$2.5 billion in financed settlement volume since 2023, with more than 3,000 borrowing events and 9,000 repayments processed onchain. Visa reports zero defaults across participating facilities.
More than 160 stablecoin linked card programs now operate on Visa's network, while Visa says stablecoin settlement has passed a US$20 billion annualized run rate.

Stablecoin cards still need working capital behind the payment. Visa is using live settlement data to help lenders finance that gap and automate repayment from settlement flows. If the model spreads, onchain credit could become part of the everyday funding machinery behind card programs rather than a separate crypto lending market.

NymCard Gets In-Principle Approval for UAE Stored Value Licence

September 7, 2026, UAE

NymCard received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE for a Stored Value Facility licence.
The company already holds a Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Category II licence and an Open Finance licence from the same regulator.
If final approval is granted, the additional permission would extend NymCard's regulated capacity across payments, open finance and stored value services.

NymCard is assembling more of the regulated payments stack under one platform. Final approval would give banks and enterprises another infrastructure provider able to combine issuing, money movement, open finance and stored value services without splitting those functions across as many vendors.

Viva.com Connects Directly to Portugal's Multibanco Scheme

September 7, 2026, Portugal / EU

Viva.com says it is the first international bank to connect directly to Portugal's national Multibanco payment scheme.
The connection provides access to more than 9 million MB cardholders and 7 million MB WAY users across in-store and online payments.
Viva.com can process MB and MB WAY transactions through its own terminal software while extending acceptance to merchants elsewhere in Europe.

Direct scheme access gives Viva.com more control over local payment acceptance than a standard processor integration. It also shows how a cross border bank can expand across Europe by connecting directly to domestic payment rails instead of treating the region as one uniform payments market.

DBS and Citi Complete Weekend USD Payment With Tokenised Deposits

September 5, 2026, Singapore / United States

DBS and Citi's New York office completed a USD payment between Singapore and the United States over a weekend using tokenised deposits on the Swift Digital Ledger.
The payment settled in minutes instead of waiting for the next business day, giving participating banks a way to move institutional liquidity outside conventional banking hours.
The transaction follows earlier live Swift Digital Ledger activity involving Citi, FAB and OCBC and adds a working Singapore to U.S. corridor to the evidence.

Weekend settlement makes 24/7 tokenised deposits more useful for treasury, not just payments. Companies can move cash across entities and markets when they need it instead of waiting for banks in another time zone to reopen. The next test is whether this becomes a routine treasury service across more banks and currencies.

Lending Consumer Credit And BNPL

FHA Sets January 2027 Date for New Mortgage Credit Scores

September 10, 2026, United States

The Federal Housing Administration set January 1, 2027 as the implementation date for VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T in FHA insured mortgage underwriting.
The two models will become eligible alongside Classic FICO rather than replacing it.
FHA also issued a preparedness guide for mortgagees and other stakeholders ahead of implementation through its TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard process.

Mortgage lenders now have a firm implementation date for multiple credit scoring models inside FHA underwriting. That creates a delivery deadline for credit data, automated underwriting, lender workflows and model governance while reducing reliance on a single legacy scoring model.

Fannie and Freddie Expand VantageScore 4.0 to All Approved Lenders

September 9, 2026, United States

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expanded VantageScore 4.0 availability to all approved lenders, removing the prior written approval requirement.
Approved lenders can now use VantageScore 4.0 when originating and selling eligible loans to the government sponsored enterprises.
The expansion follows a limited rollout and advances a multi model credit scoring framework alongside Classic FICO, with FICO 10T adoption timing still to come.

Credit score competition is moving into mainstream mortgage origination rather than remaining a controlled rollout. Lenders can now choose VantageScore 4.0 across eligible Fannie and Freddie loans, putting more pressure on scoring providers, credit bureaus and underwriting systems to support multiple models at production scale.

Yubi Launches Multi Lender Marketplace for Retail Borrowers

September 9, 2026, India

Yubi launched Pye, a retail borrowing platform that can route one customer application across multiple regulated lending partners.
The platform matches borrower profiles with lenders based on financing need, loan type and timing rather than sending each application to one institution.
Pye is designed for distribution through digital storefronts and embedded channels while allowing customers to complete core application information once.

Pye gives borrowers a way to compare lender access from one application while lenders compete inside the same digital distribution point. If adoption grows, the model could change who controls customer acquisition in retail credit, especially where merchants and software platforms embed borrowing directly into the purchase or service experience.

Capital Markets Infrastructure And Funding

Zamanat Launches Up to US$100M Tokenized GCC SME Credit Fund

September 10, 2026, United Arab Emirates

Zamanat sponsored a DIFC domiciled tokenized private credit fund targeting up to US$100 million.
The fund will focus on SME private credit across Gulf Cooperation Council markets and is being tokenized on ZIGChain.
Zamanat describes the fund as its first live proof point for regulated fund tokenization and cites an estimated US$250 billion SME financing gap across the GCC.

The fund connects tokenization with an existing financing problem rather than creating a digital asset in isolation. NCFA's tokenization analysis tracks the same transition from issuance experiments toward measurable financial products and operating infrastructure.

Nasdaq Invests US$100M in Payward as Tokenized Equities Work Expands

September 10, 2026, United States

Nasdaq Ventures agreed to invest US$100 million in Payward, the parent company of Kraken.
The companies are continuing work on Nasdaq Equity Tokens, an issuer focused structure intended to connect regulated equities with blockchain markets.
Nasdaq and Payward also announced a market surveillance agreement covering Payward trading venues.

This is a material follow on to the Nasdaq and Payward relationship announced in March. NCFA’s xStocks analysis tracks how Payward has been building distribution, brokerage connections and tokenized equity infrastructure. Nasdaq is now adding capital and surveillance technology to that relationship.

Tether and Fasanara Launch US$400M Stablecoin Private Credit Fund

September 9, 2026, Global

Tether and Fasanara Capital launched StableFund with US$400 million committed by the two sponsors.
The evergreen private credit fund is targeting up to US$3 billion in third party institutional capital.
The strategy will finance real economy borrowers while using stablecoins across origination, settlement, treasury and money movement.

Stablecoin capital is entering private credit at institutional scale. StableFund also connects two markets NCFA has been tracking separately: private credit and digital money. The practical test is whether stablecoin settlement changes funding speed, administration or access once the capital is deployed.

RBC Launches C$1.4B Canadian Technology Growth Initiative

September 9, 2026, Canada

RBC announced a C$1.4 billion initiative to invest in Canadian technology companies with the potential to scale globally.
RBC will commit up to C$416 million and use RBCx Growth Fund I to make direct equity investments in Canadian growth companies.
The fund will target sectors including AI, cybersecurity, data, health technology, frontier technology, energy and climate.

Canada's scaleup financing gap is attracting direct balance sheet attention from its largest financial institutions. RBC is pairing growth capital with banking, market access and commercial relationships, which could give later stage Canadian companies another option when large domestic lead investors are difficult to find.

India Completes Tokenized Corporate Bond Pilot With CBDC Settlement

September 7, 2026, India

REC completed a ₹500 crore tokenized corporate bond pilot under SEBI's regulatory sandbox.
The transaction used permissioned distributed ledger infrastructure, atomic delivery versus payment and CBDC enabled settlement.
Pay in, allocation and listing were completed on the same day, and the bonds were listed on NSE and BSE.

India has now put tokenized securities and central bank digital money into the same corporate bond process. Same day issuance and settlement gives regulators and market operators concrete evidence to compare against conventional workflows, including whether tokenization can cut settlement risk and operating work without weakening existing investor protections.

Insurance And Insurtech

Prudential Hong Kong Launches AI Underwriter

September 9, 2026, Hong Kong

Prudential Hong Kong fully launched AI Underwriter for all of its financial consultants.
The tool uses customer financial, medical, occupational and residential information to return preliminary underwriting guidance within minutes.
Guidance can cover likely acceptance, exclusions, additional premiums and information that may still be required before an application proceeds.

Underwriting AI is moving into the point of sale rather than operating only behind insurer workflows. Faster preliminary guidance can help advisors set expectations before submitting a case, while final underwriting authority remains with the insurer. That makes accuracy, explainability and escalation controls central to whether the service improves conversion without adding risk.

Treasury Liquidity And Cash Management

Ripple Treasury Expands Governed AI Across Enterprise Finance

September 10, 2026, United States

Ripple expanded GSmart AI across forecasting, liquidity, risk, reconciliation and treasury reporting workflows.
Agents can identify issues and recommend actions against company policies, while financial actions remain subject to human approval.
Ripple says 60% of eligible customers have enabled Risk Insights and 44% use Forecast Insights.

This is production adoption rather than an AI demonstration. The design follows the control pattern NCFA examined when AI agents entered governed workflows: defined policies, traceable recommendations, approval gates and human accountability around financial actions.

Wealthtech Investing And Trading

FINTRX Launches Always On AI Agent for Private Wealth

September 9, 2026, United States

FINTRX introduced Fin, an AI agent that continuously monitors private wealth data and delivers intelligence through email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Outlook and Google Calendar.
The product covers more than 850,000 financial firms and contacts, including 45,000 RIA and broker dealer firms and more than 4,600 family offices.
Fin can generate alerts, prospect lists, meeting preparation and research without requiring a new user prompt for each task.

Wealth AI is starting to operate between systems and meetings rather than waiting inside a chat window. Canada's OneVest AI platform shows a similar direction as wealth technology moves from analysis toward continuous workflow automation.

Envestnet Agrees to Acquire Vestmark as Wealth Platforms Consolidate

September 9, 2026, United States

Envestnet entered a definitive agreement to acquire Vestmark, adding portfolio management, institutional trading, tax transition and outsourced investment capabilities.
Envestnet reports approximately US$8 trillion in platform assets across its businesses.
Vestmark supports more than US$2 trillion in assets and more than five million accounts.

The transaction combines two large technology layers used behind advisor and wealth firms. It also builds on Envestnet's Canadian wealthtech expansion, adding more trading, tax and portfolio infrastructure underneath advisor workflows.

BMO Brings Zero Commission Stock and ETF Trading to Canada's Big Five

September 9, 2026, Canada

BMO InvestorLine will eliminate commissions on all stock and ETF trades for self directed clients effective September 14.
BMO says it is the first direct brokerage owned by one of Canada's five largest banks to eliminate stock and ETF commissions.
Options commissions will also fall to zero, with a $0.90 per contract fee, while brokerage administration fees will be removed.

Zero commission trading has reached a major Canadian bank owned brokerage. Wealthsimple had already put pressure on brokerage pricing, and BMO's response now tests how quickly the country's other large bank brokerages follow.

Savvy Wealth Raises US$100M as Advisor Platform Scales

September 9, 2026, United States

Savvy Wealth raised a US$100 million Series C at a US$600 million valuation.
The company reports more than 150 advisors on its platform and says it is on track to reach US$100 million in annual recurring revenue by year end.
Savvy says its valuation has increased 6.6 times in 15 months as it expands its technology enabled independent advisor model.

Savvy is pairing a large financing round with measurable advisor and revenue growth, giving investors another data point on how quickly technology led wealth platforms can scale. The capital also raises competitive pressure on traditional advisor firms as independent teams gain more software, operations and growth support from integrated platforms.

Danske Bank Puts BlackRock Aladdin Wealth Into Private Banking Advice

September 9, 2026, Denmark

Danske Bank launched Butterfly for Private Banking clients using BlackRock's Aladdin Wealth technology.
Danske says it is the first Nordic bank to offer investment advice powered by Aladdin Wealth.
The platform adds continuous portfolio monitoring, stress testing and scenario analysis to advisor workflows.

Institutional portfolio technology is moving directly into private banking advice. Danske is giving advisors and clients more continuous analysis rather than relying only on periodic portfolio reviews, raising the competitive bar for digital advice, portfolio monitoring and the technology behind affluent wealth relationships.

Embedded Finance

Quantoz Launches Embedded Payments With Potje Live

September 9, 2026, Europe

Quantoz Payments launched modular embedded payment services that let fintechs and platforms add regulated accounts, wallets, payments and compliance functions through APIs.
Potje is the first live partner and is using the infrastructure for European Pay by Bank top ups and instant payouts.
Quantoz operates the payment infrastructure under its regulated European electronic money business.

Embedded finance becomes more useful when a software company can add regulated money functions without building each component itself. Potje gives Quantoz a live reference customer for that model, connecting accounts, payments and compliance behind one product while the regulated provider handles the financial infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Fraud And Financial Crime

Peoples Group Adds Feedzai Fraud Controls Ahead of Canada’s RTR

September 10, 2026, Canada

Peoples Group is integrating Feedzai’s RiskOps fraud technology into its core transaction infrastructure ahead of Canada’s Real-Time Rail launch.
The first phase covers real-time transaction monitoring and alert management, with additional payment types and financial crime capabilities planned later.
Peoples Group provides payment, sponsorship and banking infrastructure to Canadian fintechs and challenger financial companies.

Canada’s instant-payment build is now reaching the fraud layer inside financial institutions that support fintech distribution. This RTR intelligence guide tracks the fraud, access and operating requirements firms face as settlement becomes continuous and final. Peoples Group is putting those controls into production before launch.

FinCEN Finds US$17.5B Potentially Linked to Health Care Fraud

September 9, 2026, United States

FinCEN identified approximately US$17.5 billion in suspicious financial activity potentially linked to health care fraud after analyzing 5,702 Bank Secrecy Act reports.
Depository institutions filed about 89% of the reports and accounted for nearly 87% of the suspicious activity amounts in the dataset.
The reported activity involved Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance payments and included subjects across every U.S. state.

The size of the activity gives banks and fintech fraud teams a useful view of where financial crime controls are being tested. Health care fraud can pass through ordinary deposit accounts and payment flows, putting more pressure on transaction monitoring, entity screening and the kind of counterparty checks that become critical when formal registration alone does not tell the full story.

About US$320M in Bitcoin Leaves Liquid Network Federation Wallet

September 6, 2026, Global

Liquid Network said roughly 4,000 BTC worth about US$320 million was withdrawn from a federation wallet holding about 4,200 BTC.
The network paused new transactions while the incident was investigated, affecting access to the Bitcoin sidechain.
Liquid said the SideSwap authorization key used in the transaction flow was not compromised. Most of the withdrawn Bitcoin was subsequently returned after remediation work.

A reserve system can fail even when the obvious signing key is still intact. NCFA's technical review of the Liquid incident examines why bridge software, federation controls and reserve monitoring matter when the backing asset can leave without the expected key being stolen.

Risk Compliance And Regtech

U.S. Regulators Propose New Third Party Risk Guidance

September 11, 2026, United States

The Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA and OCC requested comment on proposed guidance for financial institutions managing risks associated with third party relationships.
The proposal would replace existing third party risk guidance and let banks and credit unions tailor oversight to the risks of individual relationships, their size and complexity, and the services involved.
The proposed guidance is principles based and nonbinding, with comments due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The Federal Reserve also proposed a companion guide for traditional community banks.

Bank fintech relationships could face a more risk based supervisory model instead of uniform vendor controls. Fintechs selling into regulated institutions should expect due diligence, contracts, monitoring and evidence requirements to track more closely with the financial, compliance and operational risks of the service they provide.

FinCEN Seeks Whistleblower Tips on Iran Related Illicit Finance

September 10, 2026, United States

FinCEN issued a whistleblower bulletin seeking information about Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions violations connected with Iran related illicit finance.
The bulletin includes activity involving Iranian proxies and facilitators operating outside Iran.
People who voluntarily provide qualifying information may be eligible for whistleblower awards.

The bulletin adds another source of intelligence to sanctions and AML enforcement beyond bank reporting alone. For financial institutions and fintechs, it increases the value of defensible ownership, counterparty and transaction records when activity crosses jurisdictions or involves higher risk intermediaries.

Aveni Expands AI Compliance Testing Across Complete Customer Cases

September 10, 2026, United Kingdom

Aveni expanded Detect so compliance teams can assess calls, emails, webchat, SMS and documents together as one customer case.
Aveni says traditional manual monitoring often samples 5% to 10% of interactions, while Detect can assess the full population.
The company says automated triage can reduce outcome testing time by up to six times while maintaining a case level audit trail.

Compliance AI becomes more useful when it can reconstruct an entire customer experience rather than score individual conversations in isolation. NCFA's question on whether AI creates new compliance burden is directly relevant as firms automate more monitoring while remaining responsible for evidence, review and escalation.

Regulation And Policy

U.S. Regulators Expand Eligibility for 18-Month Bank Exams

September 10, 2026, United States

The OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC raised the asset threshold for qualifying banks to use an 18-month examination cycle from US$3 billion to US$6 billion.
Eligible institutions must generally have strong supervisory ratings, be well capitalized and avoid specified enforcement or recent change of control conditions.
Regulators retain authority to examine an institution more frequently when they consider it necessary.

The rule reduces routine examination frequency for a larger group of qualifying community and smaller banks without changing their underlying supervisory obligations. For fintech partners, the practical effect may appear in bank compliance capacity, vendor reviews and the amount of supervisory work institutions need to manage between examinations.

OSFI Finalizes 2027 Bank Capital Requirements

September 10, 2026, Canada

OSFI finalized its 2027 Capital Adequacy Requirements guideline for federally regulated banks and other deposit taking institutions.
The regulator says the changes better align required capital with underlying risk and reduce unnecessary capital burden.
OSFI also says the revised treatment is expected to support increased lending to smaller corporate borrowers.

Bank capital rules affect how much balance sheet capacity is available for lending, investment and new financial products. The 2027 changes could make some business lending more economical at a time when Canada's business funding mix remains heavily dependent on banks and public markets.

Data Privacy And Governance

OPC Issues New PIPEDA Guidance on Third Party Service Providers

September 10, 2026, Canada

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released new guidance to help businesses subject to PIPEDA assess third party service providers before beginning to work with them.
The OPC says organizations remain responsible for personal information under their control, including information collected by a third party on their behalf or transferred to a third party for processing.
The guidance covers privacy and compliance risk assessment, decisions about whether to work with a provider, contractual terms and accountability to regulators.
The OPC is accepting comments on the guidance until December 4, 2026.

This raises the operating bar for vendor due diligence in Canada. Privacy compliance is no longer just about a company’s own controls. It also turns on how well the business assesses processors, cloud providers, AI vendors and other external partners before data is shared. That has direct implications for fintech partnerships, outsourcing and open banking style data flows, where third party access and accountability remain central issues. See OPC's five open banking fixes.

Weekly Close

Another week of market proof that financial infrastructure is becoming more programmable, automated and tightly controlled at the same time. Banks, fintechs and market operators are putting AI, tokenized assets, real time payments and digital identity into production while regulators tighten expectations around access, capital, fraud and accountability. Which leading firms can connect new capabilities to regulated infrastructure without losing control of risk, economics or the customer relationship?

Get the weekly Whisperer and related market intelligence through NCFA's newsletter, view the latest fintech insights, industry research, or launch into emerging financial innovation opportunities.

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September 11, 2026 Digital, NEO, Open Banking, Open Finance, FinTech and Alternative Finance, Fintech International, Innovation and Resources, Leadership, Competition, Human Capital, Health, Legal Issues, Regulation, Consultation, Research, Tech, Tools, Productivity, Venture Funding and Building No comments

Open Banking Intelligence for Canada and Global Markets

September 11, 2026 | NCFA Resource | Open Banking And Consumer Driven Finance, Artificial Intelligence And Data, Competition And Market Structure

Market Map, Learning, Global Benchmarks And Intelligence

Understanding Open Banking and Consumer Driven Finance means keeping several things in view at once. Canada has proposed regulations and an implementation program underway, other markets already have years of operating experience, and fintechs are testing products around financial data, identity, credit, payments and decisioning.

The NCFA Open Banking & Consumer-Driven Finance Interactive Intelligence resource brings that material into one interactive environment. It is Canada-led, with international examples and global benchmarks where they help explain market structure, implementation choices and commercial activity.

Readers can learn through a Canadian Open Banking Market Map, 146 learning modules, company intelligence, discussions, innovation themes, global benchmarks or Quick Checks (there's even an NCFA arcade perk for completing modules). There is no required starting point.

What It Does In Practice

The Canadian Open Banking Market Map shows who is participating and where different capabilities fit, helping readers identify competitors, infrastructure providers, potential partners and areas of market activity.

The 146 learning modules break Open Banking and Consumer Driven Finance into smaller topics that can be explored individually or in sequence. Quick Checks let readers test what they understand before continuing, making it easier to get current on a specific issue without working through a long report.

Company intelligence connects firms to market categories, technologies and use cases, while discussions and innovation themes explore where new capabilities are developing and where parts of the ecosystem may already be crowded.

Global benchmarks put Canadian developments in perspective. Australia, the UK, Europe and other jurisdictions have tested different approaches to data access, consumer consent, accreditation, payments and competition. Their experience cannot be copied directly into Canada, but it gives Canadian teams evidence to compare against emerging policy and market choices.

Canada’s detailed operating requirements are still being finalized. Worth nothing that NCFA also offers a separate Open Banking Regulatory Intelligence Guide, a dedicated resource for proposed regulations, implementation requirements and regulatory readiness.

Who Gets Value

Founders and product teams can see where a product fits before committing time and capital, while banks and credit unions can use the same market view across strategy, product and innovation teams. Investors can trace a market theme into the companies working on it and compare the opportunity with evidence from operating jurisdictions.

Policymakers, advisers and industry organizations can examine what happened after policy choices reached the market without assuming another country’s model belongs in Canada. The practical question is what worked, what did not and which lessons are relevant here.

NCFA’s separate Open Banking In Canada Opportunity Brief goes deeper on commercialization, evidence and product opportunities. Interactive Intelligence is broader, giving readers the market and international context before they narrow in on a specific commercial thesis.

Strengths And Limits

The main strength is a one stop destination to research and learn about Open Banking. They can start with a company, market category, learning topic, international example or innovation question and follow the connections that are relevant to their work. Further, the page will be refreshed periodically to capture key updates and changes.

Data-sharing requirements affect product design, new technical capabilities can create commercial opportunities, and evidence from other markets can challenge assumptions about adoption or competition.

Open Banking Decision Intelligence analysis takes that thinking further by examining what firms can do with permissioned financial data, including credit, fraud detection and financial guidance.

There are limits. Canada’s proposed Consumer Driven Banking Regulations may still change, international examples operate under different legal and competitive conditions, and company intelligence dates quickly in an active market. The resource is designed to be revisited as the market develops and should not replace legal advice, due diligence or primary regulatory sources.

Key Resources

Canada Open Banking And Consumer Driven Banking Rules (proposed Canadian requirements, implementation and regulatory intelligence)

How Canada Started Opening Its Financial Infrastructure (payments, data access and financial infrastructure context)

Canada’s Open Banking Strategy Starts With Trust (consent, fraud, liability and consumer protection)

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