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What changed in fintech regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
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Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk announced that the company is preparing to provide technology and distribution support for won-backed stablecoins in South Korea.
Read at wsj.com ↗03
Johann Kerbrat, the crypto chief at Robinhood, stated that the company is currently navigating the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) latest innovation exemption regarding tokenized stocks.
Read at theblock.co ↗04
Hyperliquid's policy group has submitted a proposal to the European Commission suggesting that perpetual futures contracts should be regulated under MiFID II.
Read at theblock.co ↗05
Kalshi has filed to terminate its volume incentive program.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗06
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has proposed new regulatory guidelines under the MiCA framework.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗07
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has mandated that all banks and payment system participants must store and manage payment data locally by January 1, 2027.
Read at techcabal.com ↗08
On September 1, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed the first major update to transfer-agent rules since the 1970s. The proposal, supported by SEC Chair Paul Atkins, aims to modernize record-keeping standards to accommodate blockchain technology and tokenized securities.
Read at coindesk.com ↗8 of 9 regulation and policy events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in fintech this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
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London-based payments firm OpenPayd, led by CEO Iana Dimitrova, plans to complete its Nasdaq listing via a merger with Titan Acquisition Corp. by the end of 2026.
Read at coindesk.com ↗10
NG.Cash, a Brazilian fintech startup founded by a former YouTuber, has raised $15 million in funding.
Read at finextra.com ↗11
Nayax Ltd. has completed the acquisition of IPS Group, Inc. from Windjammer Capital Investors.
Read at finextra.com ↗12
Space insurance startup Charter Space has successfully raised $5 million in a seed funding round.
Read at payloadspace.com ↗13
Brazilian banking giant Nubank has officially terminated acquisition talks with UK-based digital bank Monzo.
Read at sifted.eu ↗14
Prediction market platform Kalshi is in advanced talks to raise approximately $1 billion in a new funding round.
Read at unchainedcrypto.com ↗15
Chime has announced the acquisition of its long-term partner Stride Bank for $590 million in cash.
Read at tearsheet.co ↗16
Reports have emerged regarding potential acquisition talks between UK-based fintech company Monzo and Brazilian digital banking giant Nubank, with valuations estimated between £6 billion and £10 billion.
Read at sifted.eu ↗8 of 15 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in fintech this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
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WealthAi has launched a new suite of AI agents designed to automate and oversee the end-to-end client onboarding and KYC process for wealth managers and advisers.
Read at finextra.com ↗18
Kroger has launched the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard in partnership with fintech company Imprint and Mastercard.
Read at digitalcommerce360.com ↗19
Robinhood has introduced agentic trading accounts that allow individual investors to use AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to research, strategize, and execute trades.
Read at paymentsjournal.com ↗20
The Ethereum Foundation and the Open Anonymity Project launched zkAPI on the Ethereum mainnet on October 1, 2026.
Read at decrypt.co ↗21
Stripe has officially launched Open USD as its default stablecoin for payments.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗22
Aztec Labs has relaunched its self-custodial privacy wallet, zk.money, on the Aztec Network.
Read at theblock.co ↗23
Robinhood announced at its HOOD Summit in Houston that it will offer crypto perpetual futures with up to 10x leverage for U.S. customers, routed through Bitstamp.
Read at unchainedcrypto.com ↗24
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino announced that the USDT stablecoin will return to the Bitcoin network.
Read at techmeme.com ↗8 of 33 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in fintech this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
25
Fintech unicorn MNT Halan is moving forward with an initial public offering on the Egyptian stock exchange.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗26
Kenyan e-commerce startup Copia Kenya, which entered administration in May 2024, currently holds realisable assets of approximately KES 206.6 million ($1.6 million).
Read at techcabal.com ↗27
ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, added shares of the private prediction market company Kalshi to three of its ETFs: ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF.
Read at thestreet.com ↗What court rulings and legal actions hit fintech this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
28
Kalshi and Coinbase have secured a partial ruling in an Illinois court regarding the legality of sports-based financial contracts.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗What research was published in fintech this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
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The European Central Bank (ECB) has outlined three distinct models for integrating central bank money into on-chain infrastructure.
Read at theblock.co ↗30
Castle Labs released a report indicating that onchain perpetual futures platforms are narrowing the execution performance gap with centralized exchanges (CEXs).
Read at thedefiant.io ↗31
Uphold released a survey on September 29, 2026, revealing that 75% of American banks are currently developing blockchain finance programs.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗32
A report by Dune Analytics published on Wednesday states that tokenized real-world assets reached a total value of $34.5 billion by the end of August 2026.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗What incidents and outages hit fintech this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
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A data leak investigation by the Financial Times revealed that the Russian fintech company A7 laundered billions of dollars through global banks.
Read at complianceweek.com ↗34
Near Intents recovered the full $3.8 million stolen during an exploit that occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Read at decrypt.co ↗35
MetaMask initiated precautionary exits for Ethereum validators following a security incident that diverted approximately 0.36 ETH in block-production rewards.
Read at coindesk.com ↗36
The hacker responsible for the $387.5 million theft from crypto exchange Bitget began moving approximately 2,700 ZEC, valued at $3.8 million, into the Zcash Ironwood privacy pool on September 30, 2026.
Read at decrypt.co ↗37
The cross-chain protocol NEAR Intents suffered a security breach resulting in the loss of approximately $3.8 million in USDT due to a bug in its Omni deposit and withdrawal infrastructure.
Read at unchainedcrypto.com ↗38
MetaMask is shutting down its Ethereum staking validators following a security incident that compromised part of its infrastructure.
Read at unchainedcrypto.com ↗39
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has initiated a phased resumption of withdrawals following a security exploit that resulted in a $388 million loss.
Read at theblock.co ↗40
The cross-chain trading platform NEAR Intents suffered a security exploit on Thursday, September 24, 2026, resulting in approximately $3.8 million in losses.
Read at coindesk.com ↗8 of 9 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What partnerships were announced in fintech this week?
Partnerships, integrations and joint projects announced this week.
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CBS News has entered into a partnership with the prediction market platform Kalshi to cover the upcoming US midterm elections.
Read at futurism.com ↗42
OpenZeppelin and T-REX Network have announced a new framework designed to manage regulated token eligibility and recovery.
Read at thedefiant.io ↗43
StraitsX announced plans to launch its XSGD and XUSD stablecoins on the Monad network.
Read at finextra.com ↗44
Cboe Global Markets and S&P Dow Jones Indices have extended their exclusive licensing agreement for S&P 500 index options through 2051.
Read at decrypt.co ↗45
Cboe Global Markets and S&P Dow Jones Indices have extended their exclusive licensing agreement for S&P 500 Index options by 25 years, securing rights through 2051.
Read at unchainedcrypto.com ↗5 of 16 partnerships events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.