Latest FinTech & Blockchain News
Cross River Secures $50M for Embedded Finance Expansion
US-based Cross River Bank Group raised $50 million in equity from T. Rowe Price to fuel AI integration, global expansion, and new products in embedded finance including payments, cards, lending, and crypto. The funding builds on a $620M raise in 2022, supporting 'embedded finance 2.0' with AI layers.
CEO Gilles Gade emphasized bundling crypto and traditional services on one platform.
BVNK 2026 Report: Half of Crypto Holders Increase Stablecoin Use
The BVNK Stablecoin Utility Report 2026, based on a YouGov survey of 4,600 respondents in 15 countries, shows half of crypto-holding consumers boosted stablecoin holdings last year for payments and savings. It highlights stablecoins enabling faster access and opportunity over traditional systems.
The report urges fintechs and merchants to build products meeting this demand.
OCC National Trust Bank Rule Effective April 1, 2026
The OCC amended 12 CFR 5.20 effective April 1, clarifying national trust banks can handle non-fiduciary custody like crypto needs, removing prior textual ambiguity. Eleven firms including Circle, Ripple, BitGo, Paxos, and Fidelity received conditional approvals recently.
Coinbase and World Liberty Financial have pending applications.
WeFi CEO: Crypto's Future Hinges on Payments Innovation
WeFi Group CEO Maksym Sakharov stated crypto adoption depends on seamless payments, with stablecoins slashing cross-border transfer times from days to instant and costs from 5-10%. WeFi offers a deobanking platform for global payments, yield, ATM access without blockchain complexity.
Institutions see stablecoin potential but note policy risks in capital flows.
Blockchain FinTech Market to Hit $49.2B by 2030
A 2026 review projects the global fintech blockchain market from $3.4B in 2024 to $49.2B by 2030 at 55.9% CAGR, driven by DeFi, stablecoins, and regulations. It covers applications across eight domains with security and scalability analysis amid $3.4B crypto thefts in 2025.
The paper addresses taxonomies, interoperability, and institutional deployments.
Congress Introduces Bills to Curb Prediction Market Insider Trading
Three bipartisan bills target prediction markets: PREDICT Act bans Congress trading; Public Integrity Act prohibits officials using nonpublic info; STOP Corrupt Bets bans election/sports contracts. These follow March 25-26 introductions by Reps. Smith, Budzinski and Sens. Young, Slotkin.
Full texts available via congressional releases.
California Governor Bans State Officials from Prediction Market Insider Trades
Gov. Gavin Newsom's March 27 executive order prohibits gubernatorial appointees from profiting on prediction markets using confidential info, effective immediately. It's the first state action specifically on this, separate from AG lawsuits on platform legality.
Announcement details state controls on official trading.
Top 7 FinTech Trends for 2026: AI, Instant Payments, Embedded Finance
Fintech in 2026 shifts to scalable infrastructure for compliance, with trends like AI orchestration, instant payments, and embedded finance moving beyond pilots. The market prioritizes real-world deployment over experimentation.
Focus on infrastructure supporting growth and regulatory demands.
Binance Fined by ASIC for Australian Onboarding Failures
Binance admitted to compliance lapses like unlimited quiz retakes and poor oversight, leading to misclassified clients losing AU$12M in trading. ASIC Chair Joe Longo warned global firms to comply from day one in Australia.
Case highlights regulatory scrutiny on crypto exchanges.
Alpha Ladder and MetaComp Partner with Maqam on Crypto Solutions
Alpha Ladder Group and MetaComp partnered with Maqam in Singapore for advanced fintech and crypto initiatives, announced April 2, 2026. The collaboration aims at innovative blockchain applications amid market volatility.
Details tie into broader crypto news like Bitcoin fear index movements.
Stablecoins Transform Cross-Border Payments and Remittances
Institutions increasingly view stablecoins as key for faster, cheaper international transfers and remittances, per WeFi insights. Traditional methods face high costs and delays via intermediaries.
Policymakers must address risks while enabling adoption.
Eleven Firms Advance on OCC National Trust Charters for Crypto Custody
Companies like Ripple, BitGo, Paxos, Fidelity Digital Assets, Crypto.com filed or got OCC national trust bank approvals for crypto custody. Rule change solidifies non-fiduciary activities support.
More applications pending from Coinbase.