Visa is introducing a premium service to the Middle East, and Lloyds Banking says its cash protection product is showing results. Plus, Brex teams up with Doordash and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

Google has launched its Agent Payments Protocol, an open protocol that establishes a payment-agnostic framework for users, merchants and payments in agentic AI. Payment companies such as Adyen, American Express, Mastercard and PayPal helped develop the protocol.

Early Warning Service's peer-to-peer payments network saw payment volume growth accelerate in the first six months of 2025, buoyed once again by small-business payments.

The world's largest stablecoin issuer is preparing to launch USAT, its U.S.-regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin, by the end of the year, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told reporters at an event in New York. Bo Hines was also named CEO of USAT.

Block's transfer service partnered with fundraising and donor management platform Givebutter for philanthropic payments in an effort to capture even more young consumers' payment volume.

The U.K.-based super app expanded its partnership with Google Cloud as it looks to advance account-to-account payments; Global Payments launches Genius platform in the U.K.; and more in this week's global payments roundup.

The Swedish lender best known for buy now/pay later financing in the U.S. became a public company Wednesday, five months after it delayed its IPO due to President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

Zelle secured a deal with Alacriti to help Alacriti's bank clients adopt person-to-person payments; Paze teamed up with Canadian payment processor Nuvei to expand merchant use of the wallet.

The appointment ends a seven-month search for a permanent CEO. Milotich was named interim CEO in February following the resignation of former CEO and director Simon Khalaf.

Financial technology veteran Steven Pinado, who assumed the fintech's top role this week, says the demand for an easy checkout experience will drive growth.

Buy now/pay later lender Affirm hit profitability goals for its fiscal year 2025 and set aggressive guidance for fiscal 2026 ahead of Wall Street's estimates. Its stock soared more than 10% Friday.

Self Financial sees earned wage access as the perfect complement to its suite of credit building products. It's the latest example of EWA being paired with broader financial wellness products.

By using a public blockchain, a potential digital euro could be made more widely available. Plus, Klarna expands its merchant reach as it resurrects plans for an IPO, Binance faces an audit and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

The deal will allow Workday to offer Chime Workplace, the neobank's suite of enterprise financial wellness solutions, to its clients. For Chime, the partnership provides a wider reach to new potential deposit accounts.

As more states pass legislation, it's become a challenge for firms to stay on top of compliance. Executives spoke with American Banker about their strategies.

The Swedish financial institution will sell future buy now/pay later originations to Nelnet. Also, RBC and BMO may sell their payments joint venture; and other news in the global payments and fintech roundup.

In Brazil, QR codes have been powering Pix, the country's instant payment scheme, for years. Two fintechs are hoping that connecting QR codes to instant payment schemes such as FedNow will help drive uptake for instant account-to-account payments.

The firm, which is relaunching its signature payment system, gets a branding opportunity and a testing ground in dozens of stadiums and arenas.

Stablecoin issuers often use Treasury bills as backing reserves. That could put pressure on other parts of the financial system if the industry continues at its current growth trajectory.