Theme Payment

While cryptos wreak havoc in pockets and ideas, Francophone Africa plays a digital card... but wouldn’t this revolution have a little hint of the euro?

The dollar, the cornerstone of the global financial system, once again finds itself at the heart of a geopolitical controversy. Donald Trump accuses the BRICS of wanting to undermine its supremacy. In response, the Kremlin firmly denies any intention of destabilization, stating that the alliance does not target any foreign currency. Behind this tense exchange, one question remains: are the BRICS quietly working to reshape the global monetary order, or is this an alarmist reading of the ambitions of this emerging bloc?

Faced with a global financial system dominated by Washington, the BRICS are accelerating the implementation of an alternative payment network: BRICS Pay. This project, supported by a bloc expanded to ten countries, aims to reduce dependence on SWIFT and US sanctions. More than a simple technical initiative, it is a strategic bet to reshape the global monetary order and assert financial sovereignty in a world that has become multipolar.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is moving forward with preparations for a possible digital euro, marking another step in its ongoing multi-year project. In a recent notice, the ECB has signed agreements with several technology firms to develop key components of a potential digital currency. Although no final decision has been made, the groundwork underscores Europe’s push to modernize payments.

Strasbourg could soon become the first major French city to adopt a municipal crypto. What was yesterday reserved for Web3 activist circles is now entering the local public debate. The City Council has adopted an unprecedented motion: to study the feasibility of a local digital currency. The goal is to explore new economic, social, and technological avenues. An unprecedented initiative for a major French metropolis, which explores digital levers serving the local economy and citizen participation.

While Europe accelerates towards digital payments and prepares the digital euro, the ECB creates a surprise. It recommends keeping cash at home. This injunction reveals a reality too often overlooked in official speeches: the fragility of digital systems in the face of crises. Such a deliberate return to cash does not mark a step backwards, but a clear anticipation of systemic risks, between outages, geopolitical tensions and cyberattacks.

World Liberty Financial appears poised to build on its market entry by pursuing utility-focused growth. The crypto venture, backed by the Trump family, has outlined plans to issue a debit card and retail application, as per recent reports.

Promised for 2026, the digital euro is already causing waves: Lagarde sees sovereignty, Navarrete calls it a useless gadget, and banks fear a digital bank run.

Fitch has downgraded France's sovereign rating from AA- to A+, mainly due to governmental instability and difficulties in reducing the public deficit. This situation reveals the failure of the French government, but also massive interventions by the European Central Bank (ECB).

PayPal plays the magician: a simple link, and hop, your cryptos fly by SMS. But behind the sparkling innovation, who really holds the strings of your digital payments?

New project: a crypto bank could be launched in Russia. We deliver all the details in this article.

Stripe, once skeptical, now has its own in-house blockchain. Officially for stablecoins, unofficially to outshine the crypto heavyweights. Engineers grumble, Collison celebrates.

Crypto exchange Bybit officially launches its payment card in the European Economic Area with an exceptional welcome offer of 20% cashback. An aggressive strategy to conquer the European crypto payments market.

The European Central Bank intensifies its communication around the digital euro. Piero Cipollone, board member, presented new arguments in favor of the project to the European Parliament. Will the ECB manage to rally users who are still largely detractors?

Paybis announced a major enhancement to its platform, making it easier for users worldwide to buy USDT through a broader and faster range of payment methods. With these updates, Paybis offers users an easier way to access and use stablecoins worldwide.

The idea of paying for vacations in crypto, once marginal, is becoming established in the European landscape. A recent survey conducted by Bitget, an exchange platform and major Web3 player, highlights a strong trend: crypto is attracting more and more travelers despite technical and regulatory obstacles. And the numbers speak for themselves.

Digital assets have transcended the corridors of financing, entering the realm of space exploration. In a recent update, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has joined forces with American firm Shift4 Payments to offer crypto payment services for expeditions to outer space.

While it was already being buried, cash is experiencing a revival! Between techno mistrust and tactile nostalgia, Europe is torn between digital euro and tangible banknotes...

PayPal is doubling down on crypto. The payments giant just revealed a new checkout feature that lets U.S. merchants accept payments in over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and major stablecoins like USDT and USDC.

Pay the national debt with a simple click on Venmo and PayPal: an absurd idea? Not for the U.S. Treasury, which is now allowing citizens to voluntarily contribute to the $36.7 trillion federal debt via PayPal and Venmo. Integrated into the Pay.gov platform, this unexpected measure combines consumer technology and macroeconomic management in a gesture that is symbolically significant but heavy with meaning.

While Bayrou struggles with the budget, Occitanie is mining convictions: France's local regions are flirting with crypto, and it could very well earn them more than a Livret A.

Crypto: Western Union aims for a borderless future with a global stablecoin wallet. Discover all the details in this article.

A star shines brighter than the others in the saturated arena of neobanks: Revolut. In London, ambitions are no longer hidden. With a funding round of one billion dollars in preparation, the company aims for a colossal valuation of 65 billion dollars. And at the heart of this ascent? One word: crypto. Because it's not just a diversification, it's a strategy. A conviction. A compass.

The debate on leaving the euro is resurfacing regularly in France. With new presidential elections set for 2027, a victory for the National Rally could lead to an exit from the euro. The French could very well come out of it ruined!

Crypto cards are now competing with traditional banks for everyday purchases in Europe. With nearly half of transactions under 12 dollars, these new payment tools are transforming consumer habits. A silent revolution that is redefining the future of European payments.

While Wall Street sets more records, the dollar is collapsing at an unprecedented rate since 1973. This wide gap is not trivial. It reflects a global shift fueled by geopolitical tensions, a Federal Reserve under political pressure, and macroeconomic uncertainties. The benchmarks are crumbling, and markets are seeking safe havens. In this silent but brutal reconfiguration, cryptocurrencies are once again asserting themselves in the strategic landscape, propelled by their decentralized logic in the face of state currency instability.

Russia no longer tests. It imposes. By decreeing the mandatory integration of the digital ruble into the national banking and commercial system, Moscow leaves no room for doubt. The transition to a controlled, programmable, and centralized currency is underway. Gone are the ambiguities of experimentation, making way for the architecture of an unprecedented monetary system where each transaction could, tomorrow, be traced, regulated... or even blocked. This choice is not merely technological: it is political, strategic, almost ideological. For behind the apparent modernization of payments lies a much larger game.

Can the dollar lose its global supremacy? What was once speculation is now taking a concrete diplomatic turn. As the BRICS summit approaches in Rio, major emerging economies are placing local currency transactions at the heart of their strategy. This shift occurs within a context of growing geopolitical tensions and demands from the Global South for a more balanced financial system. Behind this dynamic lies a possible redefinition of the rules of global trade.