Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest and developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the week.
This week, Mastercard teamed up with TerraPay to broaden global digital wallet acceptance, signalling another push to make contactless wallet payments work anywhere a card does.
Also this week, Stripe doubled down on agentic commerce, Klarna expanded instalments through Apple Pay in France and Italy, and a string of crypto partnerships – from Coinbase’s Chainlink CCIP bridge pick to Crypto.com’s tie-up with e& money – kept interoperability and utility firmly in focus.
Mastercard partners with TerraPay to expand global digital wallet acceptance
Mastercard has partnered with global money movement firm TerraPay to extend acceptance for digital wallet users at more than 150 million Mastercard locations worldwide.
Through the collaboration, wallet providers including fintechs, banks and mobile money operators will be able to enable NFC-based contactless payments, while leveraging TerraPay’s new Xend interoperability platform to simplify integration and speed up go-to-market.
In a press release published on December 11, the firms said the partnership supports the continued growth of digital wallets, particularly in emerging markets, as contactless payments gain traction for their speed and security. Mastercard added that working with TerraPay helps scale wallet-led financial inclusion by giving consumers broader access to global payment acceptance.
“Collaborations with key ecosystem players like Terrapay play a key role in scaling the positive impact via their multiple wallet partners and simplifying the implementation process,” said Prakriti Singh, Executive Vice President, Core Payments, Mastercard, EEMEA.
Klarna expands Apple Pay availability to France and Italy
Klarna has made its flexible payment options available through Apple Pay for customers in France and Italy, extending its “pay later” and instalment services across eight markets globally.
Eligible shoppers can now split purchases into interest-free instalments or pay up to 30 days later when checking out online, in-app or in-store using Apple Pay.
The expansion, announced on December 9, follows strong uptake in markets including the US, UK and Nordics, as Klarna continues its push to be available at every checkout. Klarna said the move gives millions more consumers greater choice and transparency at the point of payment, while maintaining Apple Pay’s security and privacy standards.
“We’ve seen incredible excitement from consumers using Klarna on Apple Pay across the U.S., UK, and Canada, and more recently across the Nordics and Southern Europe,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-founder and CEO of Klarna. “By delivering this innovative capability to even more users and expanding to France and Italy, millions more people can choose the payment schedule that works best for them — all within the Apple Pay experience they already know and love.”
Crypto.com partners with e& money to advance UAE crypto ecosystem
Crypto.com has partnered with e& money, the fintech arm of UAE technology group e&, to support the development of cryptocurrency-enabled financial services in the region.
On December 10, Crypto.com announced the collaboration will initially explore trade execution via Crypto.com’s crypto-as-a-service platform, giving e& money access to global liquidity through the Crypto.com Exchange, with potential custody and payments use cases subject to regulatory approval.
“We are continuously building towards providing consumers more ways to access and utilise cryptocurrencies in their everyday lives,” said Eric Anziani, President and COO of Crypto.com, as both firms pointed to growing consumer engagement with digital assets and a supportive regulatory environment in the UAE.
ClearBank partners with Finseta on multi-currency and cross-border payments
ClearBank has partnered with FX and payments firm Finseta to provide agency banking services supporting GBP and multi-currency accounts, powered by ClearBank’s API-driven platform.
The collaboration, announced on December 9, will see Finseta leverage ClearBank’s virtual IBAN technology to offer faster, real-time payments and access to additional currencies for individuals and merchants with complex international and high-value transaction needs.
Initially focused on the UK, the partnership is set to expand into Europe, with plans to access SEPA rails as Finseta scales its cross-border offering.
“Finseta’s speed in integrating into ClearBank’s API and bringing accounts to market demonstrates how our technology-first approach enables our partners to act quickly to serve their customers,” said John Salter, Chief Customer Officer at ClearBank.
“These accounts will help Finseta to deliver faster, more efficient payments solutions for larger-scale or complex transactions. It demonstrates ClearBank’s position as a partner of choice for the most exciting fintechs in the UK and Europe, and we look forward to working together to explore new opportunities for growth.”
Stripe launches Agentic Commerce Suite for AI-driven shopping
Stripe has launched its Agentic Commerce Suite, a new solution designed to help businesses sell through AI agents with a single integration, removing much of the complexity associated with agent-led commerce.
In a blogpost published on December 11, Stripe said the suite enables merchants to make products discoverable to AI agents, manage checkout and fulfilment, and accept agent-initiated payments, all while retaining control of customer relationships and existing commerce stacks.
The offering also introduces Shared Payment Tokens, a new payment primitive aimed at reducing fraud and disputes in agentic transactions, with Stripe Radar used to surface risk signals tailored to non-human traffic. Brands including Etsy, URBN and Coach are already onboarding, as Stripe looks to position itself at the centre of emerging AI-driven shopping channels.
Coinbase selects Chainlink CCIP for cross-chain wrapped assets
Coinbase has selected Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as the exclusive bridge infrastructure for all Coinbase Wrapped Assets, enabling them to expand across multiple blockchain ecosystems.
The partnership, announced December 10, covers assets including cbBTC, cbETH and cbXRP, which together represent around $7bn in market capitalisation, and reflects Coinbase’s focus on secure, scalable cross-chain connectivity.
“We chose Chainlink because they are an industry leader for cross-chain connectivity,” said Josh Leavitt, Senior Director of Product Management at Coinbase, adding that CCIP provides a reliable foundation to grow Coinbase’s wrapped asset offerings.
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