Why does Africa’s biggest bank want a stake in OPay? Standard Bank is reportedly in preliminary talks to acquire a strategic pre-IPO stake in OPay, ahead of the fintech’s proposed $4B US listing. @jovebosco looks at what the deal could mean for both sides, as one of Africa’s biggest traditional banking groups eyes a stake in one of the continent’s biggest fintech success stories. Elsewhere this week, Blockradar passed $1B in processed stablecoin volume, Quidax added Kenyan shilling wallets and payouts, and Ghana expanded its virtual asset sandbox. Get @jovebosco's take, plus this week’s biggest African fintech news, in This Week in Fintech Africa:

🚨 BREAKING: @Revolut has crossed 80 million customers. It now has over 80 million retail customers across 40 countries. The pace is the story: it hit 75M only ~3 months ago, meaning it added ~5M in a single quarter. For context, it took ~4 years to go from 1.5M to 15M. The scale shows up in activity, not just sign-ups. Revolut says customers now run over 1 billion transactions every month — a sign accounts are being used for everyday money movement, not sitting idle. The trajectory over two years: → 50M – Nov 2024 → 65M – Sep 2025 → 70M – Jan 2026 → 75M – spring 2026 → 80M+ – now That puts its goal of 100M by mid-2027 well within reach on the current run rate. Growth means less if the economics don't follow. They have. Revolut reported $6B in revenue for 2025 (+46% YoY) and $2.3B in profit before tax. It was valued at $75B in its last primary round, with a more recent secondary reportedly pushing that higher. The bigger shift underneath the customer number is what Revolut is becoming. It secured full banking licenses in the UK, France, and Australia this year – letting it hold deposits, extend credit, and operate as a regulated bank rather than an app on top of one. It already offers loans, credit cards, and overdrafts in several markets, and is now weighing mortgages, with Australia as an early test. A decade in, Revolut is still growing faster than in its early years while turning a profit and becoming, more and more, a global bank.

Who's headed to @thestablecon DC in a few weeks? I'll be your HOST on the Epicenter Stage and can't wait to see all my fintech friends IRL. @zerohashx is a proud partner of this year's festivities. Get your pass →

What if mainstream crypto adoption happens without consumers even realizing they're using crypto? For years, the industry imagined a future where people would pay for everyday purchases directly with crypto. But the path to adoption may look very different. On Episode 5 of Crossing the Chasm, Blake Duncan, Lead Agent Experience Engineer at @Alchemy, explores how stablecoin-backed cards are allowing institutions to build on crypto rails while giving consumers the payment experiences they already know. The technology moves behind the scenes. The experience stays familiar. Could that be what finally brings crypto payments mainstream? Listen to the full conversation with host Justin Friedman wherever you get your podcasts, or via the link in the comments below. Powered by @raincards.

A year ago, lending looked like the obvious next act for payments companies. Then AI happened. In the latest Public Ledger, @jevgenijs looks at what’s happening across Toast, Block and Shopify. All three have lending businesses built on the data flowing through their platforms. But on their latest earnings calls, lending barely got a look in. Instead, it was all about AI. Toast is building agents for marketing, scheduling, payroll, bookkeeping and tax. Block has Managerbot watching sellers’ businesses for problems. Shopify is putting Sidekick at the heart of how merchants use their data. And you can see why. Software has better margins, there’s no loan book carrying credit risk, and the opportunity can extend well beyond what a merchant is able to borrow. But lending still makes a lot of money. Has AI become the better business, or just the better story? Read @jevgenijs’ latest analysis on This Week in Fitnech.

Together with @seon_tech, we brought together fraud & risk leaders from across payments, digital banking, lending and fintech for an intimate dinner in New York. The evening was all about candid, peer-to-peer conversation around the challenges fraud, risk and compliance teams are navigating right now, from the issues keeping leaders up at night to how teams are responding as the industry continues to evolve. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an open and thoughtful conversation around the table. And a huge thank you to @seon_tech for bringing the evening together with us.

“There’s really only 1% of American households that have any exposure directly to privates, which is crazy if you think about it.” @SPintoPeyronel, Head of @RobinhoodApp Ventures, joins @SashaFintech on the latest episode of This Month in Fintech to explore what happens when some of the biggest wealth creation in technology takes place before most people have the opportunity to invest. With companies reaching trillion-dollar valuations while still private, Sarah shares why Robinhood Ventures is looking to open private-market investing to a much broader audience and give more people the opportunity to participate in the value being created. The episode also explores Sarah’s journey from Goldman Sachs and private equity to Emerson Collective and Robinhood, the challenge of expanding access without sacrificing investment quality, and what AI could mean for the next generation of founders. Listen to the latest episode of This Month in Fintech wherever you get your podcasts, or via the links in the comments below.

The 2026 Stablecoin Ecosystem Map: Africa and the Middle East. Across Africa and the Middle East, stablecoins are addressing some of the regions’ most immediate financial needs, from faster cross-border payments and access to local and global currencies to more efficient settlement and infrastructure connecting digital assets with banking and mobile money rails. Meet the key players featured in our Africa and Middle East map: @fasset @checkercorp @Official_Zand @honeycoinapp @ZARUniversal @cngn_co @kotanipay @Bitnob_official @getpartna @yellowcard_app @VALRdotcom @ZARP_Stablecoin From locally backed digital currencies to payment platforms, exchanges and regulated banks, these organizations are turning stablecoins into practical tools for people and businesses across the regions. Stablecon USA 📍 Washington, DC 📅 September 9-11

Buy-now-pay-later platform @Klarna's stock sank ~21-29% after Q2 earnings and a leadership shakeup. Earnings Actually solid: Revenue rose 27% year-over-year to about $1.04B and a small profit. Why the stock fell Klarna cut its full-year 2026 guidance. It now expects GMV of $149–151B, down from a prior forecast of $155B+, and trimmed revenue guidance. Leadership changes CFO Niclas Neglén and CMO David Sandström both announced they're departing in early 2027. Net effect The stock is now down roughly 46-47% year-to-date, with investors reacting more to the guidance cut and executive uncertainty than to the underlying earnings beat.

Brazil just “tokenized” ten cows to help secure a roughly $20,000 loan. But the interesting part may be that there is no tradable token at all. @DrewBailer suggests the real innovation is verified data that can prove an asset exists, where it is, and whether it has already been pledged elsewhere. That could turn previously hard-to-finance assets into usable collateral.

The 2026 Stablecoin Ecosystem Map. A curated view of the companies, protocols, networks and institutions helping build and drive stablecoin adoption around the world. Spanning six regions, the map captures the breadth of an industry growing across markets, use cases and financial infrastructure. Selected for their impact, innovation, adoption and relevance in their markets, these are the organizations helping move the stablecoin industry forward. Throughout the day, we’ll be taking a closer look at the key players shaping each region. The map shows you who is shaping the industry. Stablecon USA is where you meet them. Stablecon USA 📍 Washington, DC 📅 September 9–11

An AI agent can make a payment. But who decides what it’s allowed to spend? For agentic commerce to scale, businesses and consumers need more than autonomous transactions. They need clear mandates around budgets and conditions, alongside payment rails that can handle acceptance, compliance, auditability and liability when something goes wrong. Nicole Sandler, Chief Ecosystem Officer at @ubyx_, and Amira Karim, Head of International Public Policy, Payments and Financial Services at @amazon, will bring that conversation to Stablecon USA, exploring the infrastructure and governance needed to make machine-initiated commerce trusted enough for real-world adoption. Because the future of agentic commerce isn't just about giving machines the ability to pay. It's about deciding how much control we're willing to give them. Stablecon USA 📍 Washington, DC 📅 September 9–11

BREAKING: @Stripe and @adventintl are (officially) trying to buy @PayPal 👀 ▶️$53.4B joint offer — $60.50/share cash, ~28% premium ▶️~$50B in bank financing lined up (@JPMorgan, @MorganStanley) ▶️Stripe + Advent would co-own PayPal 50/50, no breakup planned ▶️PayPal's board reportedly thinks the price is too low, hasn't formally responded ▶️Possible fallback: spin off Braintree to Advent to ease antitrust concerns ▶️Backdrop: PayPal stock down 40%+ from highs, brutal "transition year," CEO ousted ▶️Stripe just hit a $159B valuation and wants @Venmo, consumer payments, agentic commerce assets

The @TheStablecon USA agenda is liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive. If you're attending I'd love to connect, and if you haven't secured your ticket yet, Friday August 14th is the last day to save $300 on your pass. (You can also use my speaker code for an additional $300 discount, giving you a total saving of $600.) 🎟️ Milanovic300