-
Digital Euro déjà vu: Europe’s fast-tracked CBDC e-cash still lacks believers
–
European Central Bank board member Piero Cipollone was back on the wires last Thursday promising that “by early 2026” politicians will have nailed down the legislation for their CBDC: a digital euro – news framed as a decisive push after months of drift. On paper the goal is bold: finish parliamentary wrangling, publish the rulebook…
-
Good-bye US paper checks, hello fintech tail-wind: why Washington’s digital payment order is bigger than it looks
–
I used to keep one U.S. Treasury cheque in my Singapore office drawer. Seriously. It was a $3.08 tax refund that arrived after I had already gone fully digital with the IRS. The paper, the micro-print border, the security ink that rubbed off on my thumb – every element felt like a relic of the…
-
India Finally Wakes its Payments Regulatory Board – Here’s What Comes Next
On 9 May 2025, a bureaucratic sleeper cell came to life. With a short notice – S.O. 2031(E), signed on 6 May, the Ministry of Finance pressed “activate” on §152 and §153 of the Finance Act 2017, the long-dormant clauses that add sweeping new powers onto the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007 (PSS Act).…
-
Golden Week Goes Global: How Alipay+ Turned a Five-Day Holiday into a Cross-Border Cash-Splash
For years, China’s May Day “Golden Week” has been the bell-weather of mainland consumer confidence. This year it doubled as a stress-test for cross-border digital wallets—one that Alipay+ passed with a flourish. New data from Ant International shows that transactions and total spending by international visitors inside China using the 13 overseas e-wallets plugged into…
