Money moving into the industry: funding rounds, acquisitions, valuations and market exits.
Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov joined the board of payments company A7.
推荐理由：The article links changes to A7’s board with U.S. sanctions, proposed restrictions by FinCEN, and A7A5’s fund flows, presenting its scale and compliance risks in Russia’s foreign trade payments.
Visa and Mastercard filed a joint response with the court, urging approval of a swipe fee settlement involving more than 12 million merchants. The final approval hearing is scheduled for November 16. The agreement would reduce credit card interchange fees by 10 basis points, set a 1.25% rate for standard consumer cards, and allow merchants to decline some high-fee Visa and Mastercard premium and commercial credit cards. Walmart and several merchant groups oppose the proposal, while Visa and Mastercard said the objections repeat arguments the court previously rejected.
推荐理由：The filing presents the settlement’s rate adjustments, merchants’ right to decline some high-fee cards, and the main opposing parties, helping explain the litigation’s impact on merchant costs and card network rules.
Kraken parent company Payward has agreed to acquire Finnish holding company Saldo Finance Oy, which owns Saldo Bank, holder of a Lithuanian banking license. The transaction will give Payward an EU banking license.
推荐理由：The article details Saldo Bank’s coverage of the EU market, SEPA capabilities, and deposit, lending, and card-issuing businesses, providing a concrete picture of the scope of Payward’s expansion into banking.
Payward has signed an agreement to acquire Finnish holding company Saldo Finance Oy, which owns Saldo Bank UAB, to obtain an EU banking license. The transaction still requires regulatory approval and is expected to close in 2027; following the acquisition, it plans to offer deposits, lending and SEPA euro payments in five markets, while opening banking-as-a-service tools such as card issuance to fintech companies.
推荐理由：The acquisition links the parent company of a crypto trading platform’s entry into EU banking with its existing market coverage and plans for deposits, lending and SEPA payments in a single transaction, with regulatory approval as a prerequisite for completion.
Polygon Labs has completed its acquisition of Coinme, gaining money transmitter licenses in 37 states, 11 exemptions, and FinCEN MSB registration, expanding its regulated payments coverage to 48 U.S. states. These credentials will be integrated into Open Money Stack, which brings fiat on- and off-ramps, wallets, cross-chain routing, and settlement into a single integration. Businesses can use stablecoins to hold or settle funds and pay recipients in their local currency.
推荐理由：The material presents both the expansion of licenses and the compliance disposition, allowing readers to see the regulatory constraints that accompany Polygon’s efforts to complete its payments infrastructure through the acquisition.
Payward has agreed to acquire Lithuania’s Saldo Bank and its Finnish holding company, planning to use the deal to obtain an EU banking license and upgrade its existing Irish electronic money institution license. The transaction terms were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close in 2027. The transaction is expected to enable Payward to offer deposit interest, lending products, and banking-as-a-service capabilities in Europe, including card issuance and SME lending; Saldo Bank currently has passporting coverage in Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands.
推荐理由：The article outlines how the acquisition would elevate Payward’s licensing status in Europe and lists the five markets covered by Saldo Bank, along with the banking products it plans to expand.
Kraken parent company Payward has agreed to acquire Lithuania’s Saldo Bank. The transaction value was not disclosed, and upon completion, Payward will obtain an EU banking license. The deal still requires regulatory approval and is expected to close in 2027; Payward will thereby be able to offer EU customers interest-bearing deposits, loans, bank card services and euro payments.
推荐理由：The acquisition will extend Payward’s business into EU banking services, with the materials listing deposits, loans, bank card services and euro payments among the services it plans to offer local customers.
Kraken parent company Payward announced the acquisition of Finland's Saldo Bank to advance Payward Banking's European banking business. Saldo serves customers in Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Germany, and holds a passport to operate in the Netherlands; combined with Payward's infrastructure, the transaction is expected to support services including interest-bearing deposits, lending, passporting, card issuance and lending for SMEs.
推荐理由：The transaction combines an EU banking license with Payward's existing regulatory infrastructure and Saldo's coverage across five countries, showing its path to expanding banking, payments and lending services in Europe.
Anchorage Digital 收购了付款平台 Routable，交易条款未披露。Routable 将以“Routable by Anchorage Digital”品牌运营，原生稳定币和代币化存款结算将嵌入其服务，双方计划在未来几个季度推出整合产品。
推荐理由：这笔收购把企业付款分发与稳定币发行、托管和结算基础设施纳入同一组合，呈现了两类业务整合的方向。
Checkout.com称，2025年处理支付总额超$300 billion，同比增长64%，净收入连续第二年增长超30%，并恢复全年EBITDA盈利。公司全年交易处理可用性达99.999%，近100亿笔交易中95%在1秒内完成，并于12月在Microsoft Azure上处理首笔交易，转向多区域、多云模式。
推荐理由：年度信给出支付处理规模、盈利恢复和多云基础设施进展，便于判断Checkout.com在企业商户市场的经营质量与扩张路径。
Checkout.com在2024年实现整体净收入增长40%，Commerce and Fintech业务增长45%，并以盈利状态结束该年度；公司预计2025年实现全年盈利。
推荐理由：这封年度信把 Checkout.com 的增长、盈利、全球收单扩张与产品指标放在同一框架中，便于观察其从支付性能到资金管理的业务推进。