Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest and developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the week.
This week, Visa is preparing to support small businesses ahead of a busy summer period during the World Cup with the launch of a dedicated service designed to enhance their visibility and boost payment performance.
Also this week, Robinhood is bringing stocks to UK ISAs, Checkout.com secured a valuable payment partnership with Spotify and Paysafe has extended its expansion over the Latin America market.
Visa set to empower small businesses ahead of World Cup
Visa is placing greater focus on the US small business market by launching a dedicated platform to provide greater access to scaling their operations.
Announced on February 5, Visa launched Visa & Main aiming to help small businesses access capital, reach new customers and adopt digital-first payments whilst leveraging Visa’s expertise and services.
With the US set to host the FIFA World Cup this year, Visa viewed the global tournament as a major opportunity for growth and visibility for small businesses. In preparation for the World Cup, Visa has launched the “Square Stops Here” initiative in San Francisco in partnership with Square, a hop-off bus tour designed to support local businesses.
“Small businesses are the heartbeat of local communities and represent nearly half of our country’s economic activity,” said Kim Lawrence, Regional President of North America at Visa.
“With Visa & Main, we’re connecting Visa’s products and in-house knowledge with the expertise of our clients and partners to provide small businesses with flexible financing opportunities and customer acquisition and technology support.”
Robinhood enables stock options of UK ISAs
Robinhood launched a new stocks and shares ISA in the UK on February 2, to give customers access to around 5,000 US-listed stocks.
The new service provides zero platform fees, commission and 2% cash bonuses on eligible ISA contributions before the start of the new tax year on April 5, 2026. Investors will also be able to trade whole and fractional shares within a stocks and shares ISA. In addition, Robinhood will integrate its AI-powered tool Cortex Digests. This uses generative AI to provide near real-time context on stock movements
“It’s time to go beyond better access and give investors a real advantage, by changing the incentives in a market that’s made it too hard, and too expensive, to get started,” said Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK.
Spotify selects Checkout.com to bolster its global payments
Checkout.com confirmed it will route payments on Spotify for its 280 million paying subscribers in more than 180 countries across the world. The payments platform will leverage its global and local acquiring services to help secure payment acceptance for Spotify customers.
The music streaming platform will also integrate Checkout.com’s Intelligent Acceptance AI service, which uses real-time data from its global network to route transactions, reduce failures and improve performance. This integration includes Network Tokens and authentication services, providing security and ensuring recurring subscription payments remain uninterrupted.
“Spotify sets the standard for digital experiences for creators and fans across the world, and payments play a critical role in delivering that,” said Guillaume Pousaz, CEO and Founder of Checkout.com.
“By combining our global acquiring network with Intelligent Acceptance – which performs 87 million real-time optimisations daily – we’re helping maximise acceptance rates, reduce costs, and deliver the best possible payment experience for Spotify’s global audience, today and in the future.”
Paysafe deepens LatAm presence with FuturePay
Paysafe announced on February 2 it has partnered with FuturePay to further expand across the Latin America market by enabling FuturePay to offer its SafetyPay solution to merchants and regional banks.
Pix payments in Brazil will also become available to FuturePay customers alongside other local digital payments and online cash solutions, such as SafetyPay’s eCash. The SafetyPay’s eCash solution enables customers to initiate payments at the online checkout to settle at more than 390,000 in-store collection points across the region.
“We’re delighted to support FuturePay’s entry into Latin America, where our SafetyPay solution is renowned as the region’s largest alternative and local payment method network,” said Esteban Sarubbi, Head of Latin America at Paysafe.
“With SafetyPay’s bank transfer, online cash and other local payment options specifically tailored to Latin American consumers, the partnership will enable FuturePay’s merchant customers to reduce friction at their checkouts, increase customer conversions and ultimately grow and future-proof their businesses.”
SumUp launches its latest terminal in the UK
SumUp launched its Solo Lite card reader in the UK on February 4 in a bid to provide businesses a seamless and cost-effective physical payment terminal.
The Solo Lite card reader connects to smartphones via Bluetooth to monitor sales, issue refunds and track business performance in the SumUp app. A payment prompt can be activated for tap payments.
With SumUp having already launched the payment terminal in Europe, it will become widely available in the UK in Q2’ 2026 and has been adopted by retailers such as Curry’s, Screwfix and Ryman.
“When it came to designing Solo Lite, it was critical that we brought to market a product that wasn’t just affordable but powerful, and could be a day-to-day partner of a merchant,” said SumUp Chief Hardware Officer, Tomer Sabag.
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