Skip to content
Archive · June 21, 2026

Five critical payments insights.
Zero noise.
Daily.

The 5-minute briefing for payments professionals who need to know what happened, what it means, and what to do about it — before their 9am.

Trusted by payments operators

Joined by 60+ product, risk, and partnerships leads at networks, issuers, acquirers, and fintechs.

The Lead

Story 01

Elavon Expands All-In-One Payments Platform Across North America

Elavon, a U.S. Bank subsidiary, is rolling out its All-In-One payments platform throughout North America, aiming to provide merchants with unified in-store and online payment capabilities. The expansion positions Elavon to serve merchants seeking integrated commerce solutions, directly competing with providers offering similar breadth, such as Stripe and Adyen. Merchants may now weigh the benefits of a single provider against specialized local offerings as they evaluate payment partners.

Source: Finextra
Also Worth Knowing
№02

JPMorgan and BofA Enter BNPL Market, Targeting Klarna and Affirm’s Share

JPMorgan and Bank of America are launching buy now, pay later products, directly challenging fintech incumbents Klarna and Affirm. By leveraging their existing customer bases and established trust, these banks can offer BNPL at scale, potentially undercutting fintech pricing and capturing prime borrowers. BNPL specialists now face margin compression and must differentiate on user experience or unique underwriting models to retain volume as banks enter the space.

Source: Banking Dive
№03

Repay Completes Stablecoin Payments Proof of Concept, Eyes Mainstream Integration

Repay Holdings has completed a proof of concept for stablecoin payments on its platform, signaling readiness to support digital asset transactions for mainstream clients. This positions Repay to attract merchants and fintechs seeking faster, lower-cost settlement options via stablecoins like USDC and PYUSD. If Repay moves forward with enterprise pilots, clients could gain access to near-instant settlement and reduced cross-border payment friction, prompting other processors to evaluate stablecoin strategies.

Source: Finextra
№04

Secret Network’s Axelar Bridge Exploit Exposes $4.67M Security Gap in Crypto Infrastructure

A vulnerability in Secret Network’s Axelar bridge led to a $4.67 million exploit, with $770,000 still in the attacker’s wallet after a week undetected. The breach undermines trust in both Secret Network and Axelar, highlighting persistent security risks in cross-chain crypto infrastructure. Competing networks are likely to emphasize their own security protocols, and the incident may prompt regulators to increase scrutiny of bridge operators and drive investment in crypto bridge audits.

Source: The Block
№05

MidFirst Bank Acquires Dallas Commercial Bank, Expanding Regional Footprint

MidFirst Bank is acquiring a Dallas-based commercial bank, extending its reach across Texas and Oklahoma and deepening its presence in key growth markets. The deal boosts MidFirst’s commercial lending and deposit base, intensifying competition for regional incumbents and fintech challengers. Other regional banks may pursue similar acquisitions to expand their customer base and achieve greater operational scale.

Source: Banking Dive
The Long Memory
“Digital signatures in payment systems use asymmetric cryptography, allowing a transaction to be verified without revealing the private key—crucial for secure, scalable digital commerce.

Filed under: Payments History · The Long Memory

What's Hot