Payments 16 February 2026 - 15 May 2026

Usio shares tick higher as June vote nears and traders look again at payments stock
····

Usio shares tick higher as June vote nears and traders look again at payments stock

Usio Inc. shares traded up midday Tuesday on the Nasdaq, reversing a bit of Monday’s losses. Investors are still watching the small payments company after it posted a record first quarter. The stock was last at $1.59, showing a gain of 3 cents, or 1.9%. Volume was 21,028 shares, with the company’s market value around $44.1 million. Usio is thinly traded, so even small buys or sells can have an outsized effect on the price. According to the company’s investor page, Usio shares finished at $1.56 on June 1, down 3.1% for the day. Volume came in at 57,874 shares.
June 2, 2026
National Australia Bank Just Bought Banked. Why NAB’s Payments Push Matters Now
···

National Australia Bank Just Bought Banked. Why NAB’s Payments Push Matters Now

National Australia Bank has snapped up fintech firm Banked, landing direct ownership of a payments tool that lets merchants pull funds right from a customer’s bank account—no cards needed. The country’s top business lender kept the deal’s price tag under wraps in its release. That’s significant at this stage, with Australian banks stepping up the battle for payments income and merchant ties. Their core lending operations are taking a hit: higher rates, softer consumer demand, and mounting bad-debt provisions are all in play. Account-to-account payments, stripped down, shift money straight between bank accounts—potentially sidestepping some card-network fees.
May 15, 2026
National Australia Bank Limited Just Bought Banked — Why NAB’s Payments Bet Matters Now
···

National Australia Bank Limited Just Bought Banked — Why NAB’s Payments Bet Matters Now

National Australia Bank Limited has snapped up Banked, a global payments tech platform, aiming to ramp up real-time account-to-account payment options for business clients. NAB says the platform enables merchants to take payments straight from a customer’s bank account, sidestepping credit and debit cards. The price wasn’t revealed. Timing is key here. Australian banks are under pressure to protect profits, squeezed by higher rates, shifting housing policy tied to the budget, and credit concerns with roots in the Middle East. With this deal, NAB steps up its push into merchant payments—where the promise of quicker settlements and cost cuts could help it win over more business clients.
May 14, 2026
SoFi taps Mastercard to settle card payments in SoFiUSD stablecoin — here’s what changes
···

SoFi taps Mastercard to settle card payments in SoFiUSD stablecoin — here’s what changes

SoFi Technologies has extended its tie-up with Mastercard, opening the door for SoFiUSD — its U.S. dollar stablecoin — to be used as a settlement method on Mastercard’s global payments rails. “SoFiUSD is at the heart of our strategy to make it faster, cheaper, and safer for people around the world to move money,” CEO Anthony Noto said. This announcement lands at a key moment: settlement—the under-the-hood process that keeps card payments moving—still relies on old-school batch windows and fixed cut-off times. A stablecoin, a type of crypto token pegged to the U.S. dollar or another currency, has backers arguing it enables round-the-clock fund transfers.
March 5, 2026
Stripe hits $159 billion in tender offer as 2025 payment volume reaches $1.9 trillion
···

Stripe hits $159 billion in tender offer as 2025 payment volume reaches $1.9 trillion

Stripe put its valuation at $159 billion on Tuesday, following a tender offer aimed at employees and shareholders. The company described the tender offer as a public solicitation to purchase a significant chunk of securities from existing holders. Stripe’s valuation has surged from roughly $107 billion last year, with Axios noting it’s another indication the company isn’t hurrying to go public.
February 24, 2026