Samsung Electronics Plans to Expand the Scope of Samsung Wallet
Weekly news up to Thursday, 5th of February 2026.
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Last week in the US, I covered how embedded finance and flexible payments continue to move closer to the center of everyday consumer journeys. The focus wasn’t just on choice, but on how financing and wallets are becoming default layers in large platforms.
That showed up with Expedia Group deepening its partnership with Affirm, making installment payments a core part of travel booking, Samsung Electronics expanding American Express support inside Samsung Wallet, and Superform entering the US market with a mobile-first, user-owned banking model.
Here’s what stood out across FinTech, Payments, and Digital Banking in the US last week 👇
Cheers,
👀 NEWS HIGHLIGHT
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NOW, ON TO THE SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK’S NEWS
🇺🇸 NATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
⭐️ Samsung Electronics plans to expand the scope of Samsung Wallet‘s global payment American Express cards. The existing Samsung Wallet has supported Mastercard and Visa payments overseas, and Amex card users can now use overseas payments through Samsung Wallet without a physical card.
⭐️ Superform expands to the U.S. with mobile app launch for a user-owned neobank. The app is designed for users who want a simpler way to grow their money without the stress of managing wallets, understanding protocols, or navigating multiple chains. Users can create an account, onramp with fiat, and start earning in minutes.
⭐️ Lydian enables crypto acceptance for Fiserv Clover merchants. The app will allow merchants to accept payments from more than 300 digital assets, including USDT, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, directly at the point of sale or online, while continuing to receive settlement in their local currency.
⭐️ Klarna backs Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to enable agentic commerce across platforms. UCP enables consumers to shop seamlessly in AI conversations while giving agents, merchant systems, and payment providers a standardized way to interact across multiple AI platforms.
FINTECH
Robinhood to vie for key retail role in mega SpaceX IPO. Elon Musk's SpaceX is considering earmarking a significant portion of the shares for retail investors, with the listing potentially coming midyear. A potential role for Robinhood in the IPO underscores the company's becoming a major force on Wall Street.
PAYMENTS
Amazon to stop Amazon One palm payments. Amazon will end its Amazon One palm-recognition payment system and remove all palm readers from physical locations by June 3, 2026, citing low customer adoption. All customer data linked to the service will be securely deleted after it ends.
Neobank Dakota launches stablecoin platform for businesses. Dakota was started in 2022 as a banking and stablecoin FinTech for businesses. The company plans to continue offering business banking and stablecoins to clients even as the firm shifts toward tech infrastructure offerings.
Zelle network expands by 15%. The expansion focused on smaller and underserved communities through partnerships with Velera and Alacriti, helping community banks and credit unions integrate Zelle using existing technology infrastructure.
DIGITAL BANKING
Nu secures approval to establish US National Bank. Once fully approved, the national bank charter will allow Nu to operate under a comprehensive federal framework, facilitating the launch of deposit accounts, credit cards, lending, and digital asset custody.
SoFi's profit jumps on strong growth in fee‑based businesses. SoFi's financial services business, which includes credit card and investing products, posted a 78% rise in revenue in the quarter ended December 31 to $456.7 million. Read more
SEC charges Bay Area FinTech entrepreneur with conducting a $37 million Ponzi Scheme targeting members of the Hindu temple he attended. The commission alleges that Satish Appalakutty defrauded at least 100 victims out of $37 million.
Starling targets US expansion by selling software to other banks. The London-based FinTech has called in advisers from Deloitte and PwC to find US clients for its Engine software, which allows lenders to design and build their own digital banking capabilities.
SoFi hits billion-dollar milestone. The results, released on January 30, 2026, showcased a powerhouse performance across its lending and financial services segments, driven by record-breaking loan volumes and a surge in new member acquisitions.
CRYPTO
Crypto exchange Bybit to become more bank-like with new accounts. Bybit plans to start offering banking services with the launch of accounts that will let customers hold balances in US dollars and other fiat currencies. It also plans to launch a new custody product for institutional investors, which will primarily support banks.
Fidelity enters stablecoin market with launch of FIDD-backed 1:1 to U.S. dollar. FIDD will be available to retail and institutional users on Fidelity platforms and crypto exchanges, and will be transferable on the Ethereum mainnet. Continue reading
Crypto custody firm Copper in early talks for IPO as crypto 'plumbing' becomes new Wall Street favorite. Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Deutsche Bank are said to be among the investment banks potentially involved. The move follows the $2 billion IPO of competitor BitGo last week, signaling a market shift away from speculative tokens toward the financial plumbing of digital assets.
BitGo becomes the first public, federally chartered digital asset infrastructure company. BitGo’s federal charter enables the company to provide regulated custody, wallet infrastructure, settlement, and related digital asset services to clients across all 50 U.S. states under a single national regulatory framework.
PARTNERSHIPS
ServiceNow and Fiserv expand strategic commitment to accelerate AI-driven transformation of financial services. As part of the agreement, Fiserv will scale its use of ServiceNow Now Assist for Financial Services Operations and IT Service Management to improve operations across IT and customer service environments supporting Fiserv clients.
Papaya Global launches global workforce wallet powered by Fireblocks. Banco Wallet, the new global workforce wallet, secures digital asset infrastructure and unlocks payment capabilities for global employers, overcoming the limitations of legacy financial systems.
Coinbase rolls out Kalshi-powered prediction markets across the United States. The markets allow individuals to test their knowledge across sports, culture, politics, and crypto, making use of the already established market presence and contracts offered by the leading prediction market platform, Kalshi.
DONEDEAL
Talos extends Series B to $150m in strategic fundraise. Proceeds from the Series B extension will be used to expand product development across the Talos platform, from portfolio construction and risk management to execution, treasury, and settlement tools.
Varo Bank announces growth investment led by Coliseum Capital Management. The all-digital, nationally chartered US bank also added former Executives Alice Milligan and Kevin Watters to its board. Varo uses technology-driven banking and lending products to expand access to credit and reported $547 million in lending volume in 2025.
M&As
FinTech Company Alkami taps adviser to explore sale. The company is working with a financial adviser to assess interest from industry players and private equity firms, though discussions remain preliminary and may not lead to a transaction.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
OnePay names Patrick O'Connell as CFO from AMC Networks. He will oversee finance, strategy, and long-term planning for OnePay. He joins the company’s leadership team amid a period of rapid growth. Keep reading
PayPal appoints Enrique Lores as Chief Executive Officer and David W. Dorman as Independent Board Chair. The appointment follows a detailed evaluation conducted by the Board of Directors on the current position of the company relative to its competition and the broader industry landscape.
United FinTech Americas head Mark Lawrence departs. Lawrence played a key role in United FinTech’s early growth and expansion in the Americas, describing his departure as the end of a successful start-up chapter. He said he plans to take time off with family before pursuing his next professional opportunity.