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Archive · October 21, 2026

October 21, 2026.
Five payments stories that matter.

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.

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The Lead

Story 01

UK Proposes Lower-Cost iPhone Contactless Access for Competing Wallets

The CMA proposed requiring Apple to support secure-element and host-based card emulation access for competing contactless services. Its proposed pricing principles aim to substantially lower charges without setting prices directly. The regulator says no competing wallet-type product has launched under current UK arrangements, contrasting that with launches in the EU. The consultation closes November 17, 2026; the final technical requirements and fees would shape how UK banks and wallet providers offer competing services.

Source: Competition and Markets Authority
Also Worth Knowing
№02

JPMorgan Extends Deposit Token to Ethereum for Institutional Customers

JPMorgan is bringing JPM Coin to Ethereum for institutional customers, PYMNTS reported, citing Bloomberg interviews. Bank representatives identified blockchain payments and settlement or collateralization of tokenized assets as intended uses. The expansion brings a commercial-bank deposit instrument to public blockchain infrastructure: the token remains a liability of its issuing bank, distinct from a nonbank stablecoin.

Source: PYMNTS, citing Bloomberg interviews
№03

TabaPay Plans Bank Ownership While Retaining Banking Partners

TabaPay plans to retain its roughly 20 partner banks as it pursues the acquisition of Transact Bank. CEO Rodney Robinson expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to final regulatory approvals, and the renamed TabaBank to become operational by April 2027. Partner banks would continue handling cross-border business and processing for some large merchants, while TabaBank would support additional products and acquiring capabilities. Bank ownership would therefore expand TabaPay’s capabilities without bringing every service in-house.

Source: Banking Dive
№04

Mobile Wallets’ Share of Latest US In-Store Purchases Nearly Doubles

A survey of 2,458 US consumers found that 8.2% used a mobile wallet for their latest in-store purchase, up from 4.3% in 2023. Researchers fielded the survey August 20–September 9, 2026; the results describe self-reported latest purchases, not overall wallet adoption or total payment value. Wallet use does not erase issuer competition: 70% of wallet users said they were likely to choose the card offering the most rewards.

Source: PYMNTS Intelligence
№05

Visa, BILL and Billtrust Pilot Authenticated Agents for Invoice Payments

Visa announced a live pilot on October 20 allowing authorized BILL agents to complete approved invoice payments through Billtrust supplier portals. Billtrust authenticates the agents and permits access under supplier acceptance policies; tokenized payment credentials align payments with buyer instructions. The workflow combines agent identification with payment controls to let authorized agents use portals that otherwise block bots. The companies disclosed no transaction volumes or performance results.

Source: PYMNTS
The Long Memory
“India’s 2016 Unified Payments Interface was designed to let users send money using a virtual payment address—such as a name-like ID—instead of sharing bank account details; the system routes payments between accounts across participating banks.

Filed under: Payments History · The Long Memory

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