Hello Fintech Friends,
Welcome to the 2,396 new readers whoโve joined us since last week. Youโre joining 168,000+ other subscribers who. Today's newsletter is brought to you by our friends at Plaid (who just raised $575 million).
Our Community Manager, Sam Reichstein, conducted our first members' survey of the TWIF Premium community to better understand who is in the group and what people are looking for.
I'm sharing a few notes below โ this will be helpful as we work to make the group a more helpful, informative, and productive place for everyone!
What is the makeup of TWIF Premium members?
Roles: Founders (40%), Operators (44%), Investors (8%), and Advisors/Consultants (8%)
Experience: Predominantly senior professionals with 11-15+ years of experience (80%)
Location: Mostly US-based, with concentration in NYC and San Francisco
What Members Want
More Interactive Events:
Informal conversations/AMAs with Fintech leaders (76% interested)
Q&A Sessions with Founders/C-Suite (68% interested)
In-person meetups (64% interested)
Preferred Engagement Methods:
Discussion threads/forums (64%)
Direct 1:1 messaging (64%)
In-person meetups (64%)
Specific Requests:
More active discussions in Slack
Virtual and in-person meetups
Thinking about joining us at Stablecon on May 29th? Ticket prices go up this evening at midnight โ grab yours now!
Join leaders from Fireblocks, Ripple, Paxos, Anchorage, Zero Hash, BVNK, Mesh, Coinbase, Circle, and more in NYC on May 29th.
Please enjoy another week of fintech and banking news below.
(๐๐ Have feedback for us? Let us know. Find me at @nikmilanovic, @twifintech, and @ndm)
๐ก
A Message From our Partner
Cash flow data has revolutionized consumer lending. See how it can help you make smarter credit decisions and lead the next era of lending.
Want to sponsor a newsletter? See our sponsorship information here.
๐ฆ Financial Services & Banking
๐ Product Launches
Axis Bank and J.P. Morgan launched a blockchain-based system for 24/7 cross-border payments, improving speed and transparency for Indian clients.
Mastercard rolled out embedded virtual card technology for commercial payments, enabling businesses to issue secure, single-use virtual cards within their platforms.
๐ฐ Other News
The CFPB announced plans to revoke a former rule that classified Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services as credit card-like products (originally prompting backlash from fintechs).
Zelle shut down its standalone P2P payments app, consolidating its services within partner banking apps to simplify user access and reduce redundancy.
Visa reportedly offered Apple $100 million to make Mastercard the sole network for Apple Pay, escalating competition in the mobile payments space.
And Mastercard is reportedly building out its blockchain and crypto capabilities for consumers and finance firms, aiming to be the "Venmo of crypto."
INTEL: Mastercard is developing a system for consumers, merchants, and financial institutions to transact digital assetsโ Solid Intel ๐ก (@solidintel_x) April 1, 2025
๐ฌ Quote of the Week
This is the plot to The Phantom Menace, by the wayโ Isi Breen (@isaiah_bb) April 3, 2025
๐ป Fintech
๐ Product Launches
Ziglu launched a โcrypto on cardโ feature, allowing users to spend cryptocurrencies directly through their debit cards for everyday purchases.
Amazon unveiled an AI shopping agent that browses online stores and makes purchasing decisions on behalf of users, streamlining the e-commerce experience.
PayPal introduced an advertising platform in the UK to target shoppers within its ecosystem, aiming to drive revenue through personalized promotions.
๐ก
A Message From our Partner
Cash flow data has revolutionized consumer lending. See how it can help you make smarter credit decisions and lead the next era of lending.
Want to sponsor a newsletter? See our sponsorship information here.
๐ป Upcoming Events
๐ฐ Other News
Revolut warned that fraudsters are increasingly using encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp to scam users, exploiting the lack of visibility and regulation on these apps.
Arta launched a Gen Z-focused wealth managment and investment tool that is able to provide conversational advice โ through writing or voice โ even in slang, incorporating AI-generated language such as โno capโ to appeal to younger investors.
Ripple integrated its new stablecoin into its cross-border payments platform.
The State of Yield-Bearing Stablecoins in 2025 (Part 1)
๐๐งต pic.twitter.com/UjAyYbrthVโ arndxt (@arndxt_xo) April 2, 2025
๐ค Partnership Corner
Exchange provider ICE partnered with Circle to explore use cases for its USDC stablecoin, focusing on improving settlement and liquidity in financial markets.
Ingo Payments selected Marqeta as its issuer-processor to enhance its embedded banking platform and streamline funds disbursement.
Chipper Cash signed a deal with Ripple to enable faster and cheaper cross-border payments across Africa using blockchain technology.
๐ The Bad News
Aspiration, a climate-tech fintech startup and neobank backed by celebrities and billionaires, filed for bankruptcy after facing operational challenges and failing to meet growth expectations, accumulating a net operating loss of $580 million, and being ensnared in a fraud scandal.
Galaxy Digital agreed to a $200 million settlement with the SEC over its role in promoting the failed Luna token, seeking to resolve liabilities linked to the 2022 crypto collapse.
