Identity Automation Regulation

Fintech Weekly Digest — AI, Identity & European Innovation Take the Lead 13 February 2026

Posted on February 13, 2026 at 07:59 PM

🚀 Fintech Weekly Digest — “AI, Identity & European Innovation Take the Lead”

📅 Friday, 13 February 2026

1) Top Headlines (Latest + Most Impactful)

  1. Ripple Granted EU Electronic Money Licence — Finextra Ripple has received full approval for an Electronic Money Institution licence from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, expanding its compliant foothold across the European Union — a major milestone for blockchain‑powered payments and institutional adoption. Read the full article (Finextra)

  2. Business Identity Startup Duna Raises €30M Series A — Finextra / FinTech Futures Duna — founded by ex‑Stripe leaders — secured €30m in funding led by CapitalG to expand its AI‑native business identity platform, helping verify and onboard corporate customers faster and more securely. (Finextra Research)

  3. Amazon Rolls Out Pay by Bank in the UK — Finextra (social post referenced) Amazon is launching Pay by Bank in the UK, giving shoppers the option to pay directly from bank accounts – a potential turning point for bank‑to‑merchant rails and lower‑cost payment pathways. (X (formerly Twitter))

  4. SiFi Bags $20M Series A for AI‑Driven Finance Tools — FinTech Futures Saudi spend‑management fintech SiFi closed a $20m Series A to scale AI‑enabled finance tools for corporate payment workflows and expense automation. (FinTech Futures)

  5. Visa Direct & UnionPay Team Up on Cross‑Border Money Movement to China — Finextra Retail News Visa Direct collaborated with UnionPay International to cement cross‑border money movement into mainland China, upgrading remittances and merchant settlements. (Finextra Research)

  6. Visa Acceptance Platform Adds Tap to Pay on iPhone Support — Finextra Retail News Visa launched SDK support for Tap to Pay on iPhone, enabling contactless acceptance on Apple devices and boosting merchant UX. (Finextra Research)

  7. ClearBank Hires Visa’s Neil Drennan as CTO — Finextra Retail News Real‑time clearing and embedded banking platform ClearBank strengthens its leadership with a seasoned Visa tech executive, signaling continued innovation in clearing and settlement. (Finextra Research)

  8. Remitly Cuts 110 Jobs Amid Strategy Shift — Finextra Retail News Global remittance fintech Remitly laid off 110 staff with closure of its Israel R&D centre, reflecting broader cost rationalisation in cross‑border fintech. (Finextra Research)

  9. CommBank Eases Public Concerns on AI Adoption — Finextra Retail News Commonwealth Bank is working with academia to measure perceptions and trust around AI solutions in banking — a sign AI isn’t just tech‑forward but needs public credibility. (Finextra Research)

  10. Apexx Global Raises $10M for Payments Orchestration — Finextra Retail News Payments orchestration firm Apexx Global received strategic backing to expand its platform that centralises complex payment flows for global clients. (Finextra Research)

2) In‑Depth Highlight

📌 Ripple Secures Full EU Electronic Money Licence — An Inflection Point for Digital Asset Payments

Ripple’s announcement of full European Union Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorisation is more than regulatory paperwork — it represents a watershed for blockchain fintech in regulated markets. The licence from Luxembourg’s financial regulator allows Ripple to issue and manage e‑money services at scale across the EU, significantly enhancing its ability to offer compliant digital asset and cross‑border payment infrastructure to banks and corporates. (Finextra Research)

This development comes on the heels of Ripple’s earlier UK EMI licence, reinforcing the company’s strategy of weaving digital asset rails into mainstream finance. EU licensing opens doors for regulated euro‑denominated services, tokenised payments, and institutional settlement solutions under a harmonised regulatory framework. (Finextra Research)

The market impact is twofold: regulated licence coverage reduces institutional risk concerns while positioning Ripple as a bridge between traditional e‑money networks and emerging digital asset ecosystems. It also signals growing regulatory acceptance of hybrid payment technologies that combine fiat rails with blockchain efficiency — a theme likely to shape Europe’s next wave of payment innovation.

Key players including banks, PSPs and digital wallets now have a sanctioned option for euro‑based, compliant tokenised liquidity and settlement — a strategic advantage as competition heats up in digital payments and cross‑border transfers.

3) Market & Industry Insight

AI’s Strategic Role Expands Beyond Cost Savings

AI investments in fintech are transitioning from tactical bots to strategic backbone systems — powering compliance, risk, identity verification, and automated finance workflows. Startups such as SiFi are attracting venture capital specifically for AI‑driven tools that streamline expense management and payments workflows, capturing rising demand for efficiency and automation. (FinTech Futures)

This mirrors broader trends where AI is seen less as a novelty and more as an integral operating model for fintechs and banks alike. As mainstream institutions embrace AI for analytics, decisioning, and fraud reduction, the next wave will be agentic AI, where systems autonomously handle multi‑step tasks with limited human intervention — from onboarding to real‑time transaction resolution.

Digital Wallets & Bank‑Led Rails Accelerate Payment Innovation

Digital wallets and direct bank‑to‑bank payment rails continue gaining ground. The UK rollout of Pay by Bank via Amazon signals a broader shift where ecosystems move away from card fees toward account‑to‑account flows — lowering costs and unlocking real‑time payment experiences. (X (formerly Twitter))

Wallet experiences are also expanding into everyday commerce with initiatives like Visa’s Tap to Pay on iPhone, which bring contactless acceptance to millions of merchants and stimulate broader wallet adoption. (Finextra Research)

Embedded finance, where payments and financial services are deeply integrated into non‑financial platforms, remains a strategic growth frontier — reducing friction while capturing high‑frequency user journeys.

4) Company & Startup Spotlight

🔎 Duna (Identity & Compliance) What they do: AI‑native business identity platform helping banks, fintechs and regulated institutions onboard and verify corporate entities. (Finextra Research) Latest Development: Raised €30m Series A led by CapitalG to scale its compliant identity infrastructure globally. (FinTech Futures) Why it matters: Identity friction accounts for up to 20% of banking costs and is a key pain point for payments, compliance, and KYC workflows — Duna’s acceleration signals investor confidence in AI solutioning for trust infrastructure.

🔎 SiFi (Finance Automation) What they do: Spend management and finance toolset that uses AI to automate expense workflows. (FinTech Futures) Latest Development: Secured $20m Series A to deepen AI capabilities. (FinTech Futures) Why readers should care: Corporate finance functions increasingly demand automation; platforms delivering value here can capture large share from traditional enterprise ERP players.

5) Regulatory & Policy Watch

  • Ripple’s EU e‑money licence sets a precedent for blockchain/crypto infrastructure firms securing regulated status within the EU. (Finextra Research)
  • UK’s earlier EMI + crypto registration for Ripple highlights evolving UK regulatory frameworks around digital assets. (Finextra Research)
  • Central banks and regulators continue assessing AI governance frameworks as financial AI adoption rises (observable in CommBank’s research initiative). (Finextra Research)

6) Quote of the Week

“Compliance and identity now consume up to 10‑20% of a bank’s total costs… This makes it an ideal use case for AI automation.” Duco van Lanschot, Co‑Founder, Duna — Finextra / FinTech Futures reporting. (Finextra Research)

7) What’s Next

📌 Payments & Tech Events

  • PayTech Webinar (26 Feb 2026): “The future of payments: trends shaping a cashless world” — FinTech Futures hosted discussion. (FinTech Futures)
  • Finextra Webinars on AI in payment exception handling and smarter authentication scheduled this month. (Finextra Research)

📌 Ongoing Regulatory Milestones

  • Further ECB and PSD3 consultations expected to influence EU payments.
  • Open Banking 3.0 and ISO 20022 adoption continuing to shape cross‑border and instant payment infrastructure.
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