Fintech news: July 29, 2026

A short round-up of what happened at the fintechs we track. Each item links to the outlet that reported it.

US regulator rejects Wise trust charter bid

The OCC declined Wise's application for a US trust charter, citing deficiencies according to Banking Dive. The British fintech said it plans to resubmit under a Genius Act framework.

Source: bankingdive.com · also covered by: emarketer.com, amlintelligence.com, forbes.com

SEC settles with Coinbase over missing texts

Coinbase and the SEC reached a settlement regarding erased message chains from the agency, according to CoinDesk. CEO Brian Armstrong had publicly criticized the agency over the missing communications.

Source: coindesk.com · also covered by: americanbanker.com, financefeeds.com, finance.yahoo.com

Algbra founder linked to Wirecard fugitive

The founder of ethical fintech startup Algbra sought to help a businessman later exposed as a fraudster raise $2.75bn for Russian military technology, the Financial Times reported. The businessman was connected to the Wirecard scandal.

Source: ft.com

Jack Mallers exits XXI Capital as merger fails

Mallers stepped down as CEO of XXI Capital after the proposed three-way merger between Twenty One Capital, Strike, and Elektron Energy was abandoned, according to CoinDesk. Strike is no longer part of the deal.

Source: coindesk.com · also covered by: bitcoinfoundation.org, finance.yahoo.com, theblock.co

Natural raises $30M for AI payments platform

The one-year-old startup Natural closed a $30M funding round to build financial infrastructure for autonomous AI transactions, according to TechCrunch. The company aims to compete with established payments players like Stripe.

Source: techcrunch.com · also covered by: bebeez.eu, axios.com, cryptobriefing.com

Robinhood, Crypto.com in prediction market talks

Robinhood is in discussions with digital-currency exchange Crypto.com to expand into prediction markets, according to the Wall Street Journal. The talks signal intensifying competition in the prediction market sector.

Source: wsj.com · also covered by: reuters.com, ft.com, pymnts.com