European Union

"Apple may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution Apple Pay," Margrethe Vestagar of the European Commission said. It's an accusation Apple's fought many times across the globe.

Germany has emerged as the main roadblock to broaden European Union sanctions against Russia by targeting the country’s biggest bank and its energy sector. 

The European Union is discussing the exclusion of seven Russian banks from the Swift financial messaging system, but the proposed list spares the nation’s biggest lender and a bank part-owned by the Russian gas giant Gazprom. 

Western central banks trying to develop sovereign cryptocurrency models face pushback from lawmakers and other obstacles, while the digital yuan has a much clearer path.

The European Union has updated value-added-tax regulations that predate digital payments, hoping to reduce compliance burdens for foreign online sellers and simplify consumer billing.

An initiative among EU nations called Project Jura focuses on financial institutions as the users of central bank digital currencies, removing variables that could slow testing and deployment.

U.S. regulators blocked the card network's attempt to buy Plaid last year for antitrust reasons. Its bid to acquire Tink, a similar company based in Sweden, may have a better shot given European officials' desire to promote open banking.

A European Union regulation that promotes data sharing among banks and third parties is making it easier for neobanks like Tide and Monese and other companies to help small merchants track their cash flow and access credit.

The initiative would standardize and expand security, but marketing restrictions weigh against the business case for adoption.

EU regulation permits digital connections between banks and fintechs, creating ways for pension providers and brokerages to streamline payment acceptance and cut costs by replacing manual processes with automated ones.