The Paypers

Latvijas Banka has granted Nodu Digital SIA a licence for crypto-asset services and a licence to operate as a payment institution. The crypto-asset service licence allows Nodu Digital SIA to exchange crypto-assets for funds and to provide crypto-asset transfer services on behalf of clients. In addition, the payment institution licence permits the company to execute payments, including transfers to payment accounts.

The European Commission has presented an Action Plan on Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence to strengthen the EU's digital resilience. Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the cybersecurity landscape from both a defensive and offensive perspective. According to the Commission, AI can help detect vulnerabilities, prevent cyberattacks, and strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure.

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Swift has confirmed that its blockchain-based ledger is ready for initial use, allowing early adopter financial institutions to support cross-border payments using tokenised deposits on a continuous basis. Seventeen banks from six continents are preparing to pilot live transactions on the new infrastructure. From concept to activation in nine months Swift said the ledger, first announced in 2025, was designed and built with input from international financial institutions over a nine-month period.

Monzo has launched a debt consolidation service with ClearScore that automatically repays customers' existing borrowing. Monzo, the UK-based digital bank, has introduced a debt consolidation service built with ClearScore that the bank says will identify and repay a customer's existing borrowing directly with lenders. The service is available to UK residents aged over 18 who hold a Monzo current account.

Sony has received US regulatory approval to set up a national trust bank subsidiary to support the issuance of dollar-denominated stablecoins. The new entity will operate under Sony Bank, the company's existing online banking unit, and will be based in New York City. It will be capitalised with USD 40 million, with Sony Bank retaining full ownership of the subsidiary.

Mastercard and Neema have signed a commercial partnership to enable real-time money transfers into Israel via Mastercard Move. The service is expected to launch within the coming months, according to Neema. Mastercard Move operates as an alternative to traditional cross-border payment methods conducted through the SWIFT banking network.

Aria, an embedded invoice financing platform, has closed a EUR 7 million Series A extension and launched a EUR 240 million debt facility to expand its financing capacity across Europe. Equity round details The EUR 7 million equity round was led by 115K, the venture capital arm of La Banque Postale, with participation from returning investor 13books Capital. The round brings Aria's total Series A funding to EUR 22 million.

Nu Pagamentos, Nubank's payments arm, has received Central Bank of Brazil authorisation to operate in the foreign exchange market. The approval allows Nubank to conduct foreign exchange operations directly, rather than depending exclusively on third-party partners to supply foreign currency to its customers. When approached for comment, the company did not confirm which products would be affected or provide a timeline for implementation.