The 2026 Fintech Funding Boom Is About More Than AI

Innovation

What's hot in India's fintech scene according to QED's Nigel Morris

Co-founder and Managing Partner of QED Investors, Nigel Morris, says that despite recent valuation corrections across India’s public and private markets, startup valuations in the country remain relatively elevated. He adds that QED’s new $300 million commitment in India will translate into larger cheque sizes, and more focus on writing Series B investment cheques.

AI

Why The 2026 Fintech Funding Boom Is About More Than AI

There is no doubt that AI fever among investors has yet to break, despite several years of heated speculation about a bubble. AI-related startups accounted for roughly 90% of global venture funding in February, with U.S.-based firms dominating the landscape, raising US$174 billion in that month alone. Fintech firms that were once known for their capabilities in payments, digital banking, or financial infrastructure have transformed into AI startups.

Cryptocurrencies

MercadoLibre's fintech terminates its cryptocurrency Mercado Coin

Mercado Pago, the fintech arm ‌of e-commerce firm MercadoLibre, said ‌on Tuesday it is discontinuing its cryptocurrency, called Mercado Coin, which it had launched in 2022 as part of its loyalty program.

Malta Opposes EU Crypto Centralization

Malta has warned that the European Union’s plan to centralize cryptocurrency oversight under the European Securities and Markets Authority could drive crypto firms to relocate to the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia.

Payments

‘Too Early Is The Same As Being Wrong’—The YC Fintech Graveyard

In 2017, a Y Combinator-backed fintech startup called Lyrebird built technology that could clone a human voice from just a few seconds of audio. The product worked. The team was strong. Two years later, Descript acquired the company and folded the technology into a podcast editing feature. That was more or less the end of Lyrebird.

Fintech Infrastructure: Six Fronts for Payment Leaders

Infrastructure investments across payments, fraud detection, AI and networks form an interconnected system. Smart sequencing creates compounding advantages rather than isolated wins.

Research

Perspective Is Power: Rethinking Storytelling in Fintech

Diverse perspectives aren't just an inclusion priority in fintech — they're what makes storytelling credible, resonant, and commercially effective.

The Women Shaping Fintech Infrastructure And Banking Strategy

Technology

The Blogs: Somaliland’s FinTech Shift to Integration Now

In much of the developing world, financial inclusion is framed as a problem of access, how to bring the unbanked into the system. Somaliland has already solved that problem. What it has not solved until now is integration. Over the past decade, widespread adoption of mobile money has enabled financial access at scale, (GSMA, 2023), even in the absence of deep banking penetration.