The Green Sheet Online Edition
December 22, 2025 • 25:12:02
Industry Update
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DCCSupply gains PCI P2PE certification
DCCSupply achieved PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) certification, earning designation from the PCI Security Standards Council as a P2PE Encryption House authorized to perform secure key injection and encryption services. The accreditation places DCCSupply among a limited group meeting the payments industry's highest security standards. P2PE protects card data from the moment of interaction, reducing risk and simplifying PCI compliance for merchants, ISOs and technology partners. With this certification, DCCSupply can now generate, inject, manage and transfer encryption keys for multiple payment devices, supporting faster deployments, reduced operational complexity, and expanded secure hardware lifecycle and deployment services, the company noted.
Finastra conference highlightsmodern lending innovation
Finastra's User Connect 2025 conference series, recently held in Denver, Colo. and Orlando, Fla., brought together financial institutions, industry leaders and Finastra executives to examine the future of retail lending. Discussions focused on automation, AI integration, cloud-native architecture and customer-centric innovation, with an emphasis on building resilient, compliant lending operations. Sessions highlighted the value of collaborative ecosystems spanning banks, fintechs, regulators and technology partners, as well as the need for agility amid evolving regulatory and market conditions. Featuring insights from customers and Finastra leadership, the conference series underscored how modern lending platforms and partnerships can help institutions enhance efficiency, improve customer experiences and stay competitive in a rapidly changing landscape.
Spotlight! Payments Video Challenge winners revealed
The winners of the second annual Spotlight! Payments Video Challenge, sponsored by Nacha's Payments Innovation Alliance, were announced. Aiming to educate consumers through original, shareable content, the contest invited one-minute videos centered on the theme "Take a Stand Against Scammers." The 2025 Grand Prize of $5,000 went to Marcius Parks for the music video "It's a Scam," which also earned the Sponsor's Choice Award. Jessie Soliday placed second with "Spot the Signs," and Katherine Mitchell placed third with "Puppy Love." The initiative highlights growing efforts to combat widespread payment fraud through creative awareness campaigns.
Volante on IDC FinTech Top 100 for 5th consecutive year
Volante Technologies was named to the 2025 IDC FinTech Rankings Top 100 for the fifth consecutive year in recognition of its role in delivering mission-critical payment services to banks and financial institutions worldwide. The Fortune 500–style ranking evaluates leading fintech providers based on 2024 revenues from financial institutions. Volante's Payments-as-a-Service platform combines secure, cloud-native, always-on technology with deep payments expertise, supporting more than 100 clearing and settlement mechanisms, including FedNow, RTP and SEPA Instant, Volante stated, adding that the recognition underscores growing demand for real-time, ISO 20022–compliant, cloud-first payment infrastructure.
RESEARCH
Accessibility is a business critical issue, Castles warns
Castles Technology released a new report examining accessibility challenges at the point of sale as the European Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into force. The study highlights barriers faced by customers with visual, motor, hearing and cognitive impairments, and points out significant commercial losses tied to inaccessible checkout experiences. With the EAA now requiring accessible POS terminals and related devices across the EU, the report urges retailers to act quickly. It outlines practical steps such as deploying accessible Android POS hardware, offering alternative payment methods and training staff. Castles also details how modern Android POS features can support inclusive, compliant checkout experiences while improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Record Black Friday lifts Klarna's growth
Klarna reported record U.S. Black Friday sales growth, with gross merchandise volume up 45 percent year over year for the period from Nov. 1 through Black Friday 2025. Growth was broad-based, led by strong performance in footwear, technology, beauty and home goods. Birkenstock topped adult shoe brands, while Apple AirPods 4 led tech purchases, alongside strong demand for new PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. In beauty, Baccarat Rouge 540 ranked first, and Ninja dominated home goods. The results reflect Americans' response to Black Friday discounts across categories during the peak shopping period.
Paymentology, Datos report on global credit card shift
Paymentology released a new report with Datos Insights, The Global Credit Card Shift: Next-Gen Platforms Bypass Legacy Limits, highlighting a global shift toward digital-first, flexible credit experiences. Across all major regions, consumers are driving increased credit card usage by demanding instant issuance, real-time controls, personalized rewards and flexible repayments. Neobanks, fintechs and digital lenders are rapidly entering the credit market, using modern issuer-processing platforms to outpace incumbents. The report warns that traditional banks running on legacy systems risk losing market share, as only cloud-first, real-time infrastructure can support the speed, configurability and customer experience now expected in credit products.
Gig workers across generations want quick payouts
New research from Worldpay shows that fast payments are a top priority for U.S. gig workers, especially during the holiday season, as more Americans increase gig hours to cover seasonal expenses. Sixty-nine percent of participants in the study cited quick payouts as a key factor when choosing gig work, and 81 percent indicated they would prioritize platforms offering instant payments. Instant card payouts are most common among transportation gig workers, with Mastercard and Visa the preferred networks. Two-thirds of gig worker respondents expressed willingness to pay for faster access to earnings, particularly Gen Z and millennials. The findings highlight growing expectations for real-time payouts across the expanding gig economy.
PARTNERSHIPS
AU10TIX chosen for Microsoft Entra platform
AU10TIX is now a premier identity verification issuer on the Microsoft Entra platform, bringing its advanced IDV and biometric technology to Entra Verified ID. The integration supports AU10TIX's "Verify Once, Use Everywhere" strategy adopted to enable secure, decentralized digital credentials for more than 600 million users. Enterprises can issue reusable, privacy-centric verified IDs that can reduce friction, lower fraud risk and simplify compliance, AU10TIX stated. Available through the Microsoft Security Store, the solution uses cryptographic security and consortium-based fraud detection to strengthen identity assurance, streamline onboarding and enhance account recovery across multiple industries.
Logicbroker, PayPal team up on agentic commerce
Logicbroker partnered with PayPal to enable merchants on its Intelligent Commerce Network to activate PayPal's agentic commerce services to make product catalogs instantly discoverable across emerging AI shopping channels. Through a single integration, merchants can connect catalogs, inventory and fulfillment systems to PayPal's store sync, gaining access to multiple AI-driven commerce experiences without custom development. The collaboration combines Logicbroker's enterprise-grade orchestration with PayPal's global payments, fraud protection and buyer safeguards, helping merchants participate in the growing agentic economy, the partners stated. Together, the companies aim to reduce complexity and accelerate adoption of AI-powered product discovery, transactions and fulfillment across retail and brand ecosystems.
MANTL, Method Financial aim0to modernize loan refinancing
MANTL, an Alkami solution team, partnered with Method Financial to integrate real-time liability data into the MANTL Loan Origination platform. The collaboration is designed to enable banks and credit unions to streamline loan decisioning, improve pre-qualification accuracy, and modernize refinancing and debt consolidation workflows. By embedding Method's permissioned liability and payoff data directly into the application process, the integration eliminates manual payoff letters, reduces friction and ensures up-to-date, verified information, the partners stated. The solution, they added, supports faster underwriting, accurate collateral verification and more transparent borrower experiences across digital and branch channels, reinforcing MANTL's strategy to deliver integrated, automated lending technology that modernizes both deposit and loan origination.
MassPay integrates Visa Direct
MassPay integrated Visa Direct to enable faster, compliant global B2B payouts to debit cards, bank accounts and digital wallets through a single platform connection. The collaboration allows businesses to streamline cross-border payments for gig workers, marketplace sellers and contractors without managing multiple banks or processors, MassPay stated. Using MassPay's AI-driven orchestration layer and Visa Direct's global network, payouts can be routed in real time based on speed, cost and compliance requirements. The integration supports payouts across more than 200 markets, offering transparent FX, built-in compliance and identity verification. Together, MassPay and Visa Direct aim to simplify global money movement while delivering the speed and reliability enterprises increasingly expect, MassPay added.
Synergetics.ai, Tcell partner to accelerate agentic AI
Synergetics.ai formed a strategic partnership with Tcell, a Central Asian telecom operator serving nearly 3 million subscribers, to advance agent AI and agent commerce. The collaboration integrates Tcell's user base into Synergetics.ai's Agent Marketplace, expanding adoption of autonomous, AI-driven digital experiences. Synergetics' platform enables agent creation, orchestration, payments and communication at scale. The partnership will also deploy agentic AI across Tcell's internal operations to improve efficiency and reduce churn. By enabling subscribers to create and transact through digital twins, the initiative positions Tcell as a regional leader in autonomous agent technology and AI-powered commerce, the partners stated.
ACQUISITIONS
ID-Pal acquires KYB specialist NorthRow
ID-Pal acquired Know Your Business (KYB) specialist NorthRow to deliver a unified compliance intelligence platform spanning KYC, KYB and AML. The acquisition adds native end-to-end KYB capabilities to ID-Pal's AI-powered identity verification and screening services to enable continuous monitoring of individuals and businesses through a single risk view. Together, the platforms support compliance across more than 250 jurisdictions using real-time data from hundreds of sources, the partners noted, adding that the move strengthens ID-Pal's strategy to address rising regulatory demands and AI-driven fraud, while expanding its customer base across financial services, government and enterprise markets.
Nayax gains Lynkwell EV charging platform
Nayax acquired Lynkwell, an AI-enabled EV charging management platform, to expand its commerce enablement and payments ecosystem into EV infrastructure. The acquisition strengthens Nayax's strategy of combining payment acceptance with advanced operational software across key verticals, Nayax stated. Lynkwell's platform supports deployment and management of EV charging across retail, fleet, workplace, multi-family and government use cases, and is approved by numerous utilities and public programs. Together, the companies are expected to offer an integrated solution that aligns payments, software and financing to accelerate EV charger deployment, improve operational efficiency and enhance the charging experience.
PayRange to acquire KioSoft
PayRange acquired KioSoft Technologies to accelerate the digital transformation of unattended retail and modernize millions of coin-operated machines worldwide. The combination brings together PayRange's mobile-first commerce platform and KioSoft's global footprint in cashless payments and IoT solutions, creating a more comprehensive end-to-end offering for operators and consumers, the partners stated. The combined company will serve connected machines across the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, and is expected to provide digital payments, deeper engagement and improved business insights. KioSoft will operate under the PayRange brand, with its president, Charles Lee, joining PayRange as vice chairman while continuing to support existing customers and partners.
Socure to form real-time BNPL credit system with Qlarifi
Socure acquired Qlarifi, a real-time buy now, pay later (BNPL) consumer credit database, to create a unified identity, fraud and BNPL credit infrastructure. The combination integrates Qlarifi's cross-provider BNPL repayment visibility with Socure's identity verification and risk decisioning to help lenders approve qualified consumers faster while reducing first-party fraud and supporting regulatory transparency. BNPL has historically operated outside traditional credit systems, creating risk blind spots for lenders and consumers. The combined platform promises to provide real-time insight into loan stacking and overextension, supports responsible credit building for thin-file consumers, and strengthens fraud prevention across merchants and lenders as BNPL adoption accelerates globally.
APPOINTMENTS
Ran Grushkowsky to lead MassPay
MassPay co-founder Ran Grushkowsky will assume the role of CEO effective Jan. 1, 2026, succeeding co-founder Jeffrey Katz, who will remain on the board. Grushkowsky brings to the role more than 20 years of experience building and scaling global financial platforms, with deep expertise in cross-border payments, AML/KYC compliance, embedded finance and fraud prevention. He previously served as COO and CTO of USend, which was acquired by Inter & Co. He also founded multiple ventures including WireCash and ATMCash. A serial entrepreneur and technologist, Grushkowsky has led platform development, global expansion and M&A, and will now guide MassPay during its next phase of growth in instant global payouts.
Visa Foundation Board taps Najada Kumbuli
Najada Kumbuli signed on as president of Visa Foundation, where she will also serve as Visa Inc.'s head of global philanthropy. She brings more than 15 years of experience in impact investing, investment strategy and global philanthropic leadership to the foundation. Kumbuli previously served as investment director at Calvert Impact Capital and, since 2020, has led Visa Foundation's investment strategy, helping guide more than $350 million in commitments across 150 global partners. In her new role, she will oversee impact investing and grant-making initiatives supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and job creation worldwide. Kumbuli succeeds Graham Macmillan and will continue advancing economic mobility through strategic capital deployment.
Fiserv welcomes Walter Pritchard
Walter Pritchard was appointed senior vice president and head of investor relations at Fiserv. He brings to the company more than 25 years of experience spanning investor relations, corporate strategy, finance and equity research. Most recently, Pritchard served as senior vice president of investor relations and corporate development at Palo Alto Networks, where he aligned investor communications with corporate strategy and supported growth initiatives. Earlier in his career, he was a managing director at Citi and Cowen & Co., covering global software and technology sectors. A chartered financial analyst, Pritchard began his career at SoundView Technology Group.
Matthew Thompson moves up at Socure
Matthew Thompson was named president and chief commercial officer at Socure, partnering with founder and CEO Johnny Ayers to lead global expansion and commercial growth. A digital identity pioneer and decorated combat veteran, Thompson most recently served as Socure's chief revenue officer, driving strong revenue growth, profitability and international expansion. He previously launched and scaled Socure's public sector business and played a key role in transforming the company into a full end-to-end identity and risk-decisioning platform. Thompson brings nearly two decades of experience across fintech, government and enterprise identity sectors; holds multiple patents; and previously held leadership roles at ID.me, IDEMIA, Capital One, McKinsey and Goldman Sachs. 
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