EMEA

London-based Vegannection has launched a prepaid card for vegans that’s accepted only at merchants that pass its standards test.

Samsung is exploring the development of a smartphone-based cryptocurrency wallet, according to a recent patent application the electronics giant filed in the U.K.

U.K. credit card spending rose an annual 7.5 percent in November, as consumers increasingly prefer to spend on plastic, according to UK Finance.

Visa has a deal to acquire the London-based bank payments provider Earthport for 198 million pounds ($250.6 million U.S.), pending approval from Earthport's shareholders.

Cadence has upped the exchange ratio by 10%, a move made necessary by the 40% decline in its stock price since the deal was announced in May.

China's Ant Financial, the Alibaba payments affiliate that operates Alipay, is reportedly in the advanced stages of talks to buy WorldFirst, an international payments provider based in London.

The combination of CCF Holding, Heritage Bancorp. and Providence Bank will create a $1 billion-asset institution. Veteran bank investor Kenneth Lehman will be its chairman.

TransferMate, a cross-border B2B payments provider based in Ireland, has announced plans to buy Devisenwerk, a Swiss foreign exchange firm, to expand its capabilities and geographic reach.

In the last two years, the Georgia-based institution has returned $25 million to members.

Colony will also gain a loan production office in Atlanta when the transaction closes.