Stablecoin issuer and blockchain infrastructure provider Circle has acquired IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The portfolio consists of over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents across the globe.

The patents span foundational blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and secure cloud operations.

On the deal, Circle says: “The expanded IP position directly supports Circle’s foundation for building the internet financial system, including USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc, and a growing suite of onchain products and agentic financial tools.”

Circle adds that following the acquisition, the two companies “also plan to explore additional commercial opportunities”. In January, Circle revealed that it was supporting the Government of Bermuda’s plans to become “the world’s first fully on-chain national economy” by providing it with digital asset infrastructure and tools.

Unlimit and Xiaomi GetApps have expanded their partnership to combine cross-border payments with global app distribution for game studios.

The expanded agreement combines Unlimit’s cross-border payment infrastructure with GetApps’ distribution network, allowing game studios and developers to manage user acquisition and financial operations through a single arrangement.

Under the terms of the expansion, game studios and developers working with Unlimit gain access to preferential rates and dedicated opportunities on GetApps, intended to reduce distribution costs and support user acquisition. In turn, GetApps partners and developers can use Unlimit’s business accounts and payment services, including IBAN accounts and cross-border settlement, to manage their financial operations and fund expansion into new markets. The two companies describe the arrangement as connecting distribution and payment infrastructure that studios have typically had to manage separately.

Market context

According to the official press release, the mobile gaming sector was valued at USD 157.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 256.2 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research, implying annual growth of more than 10%. As studios expand into new markets to capture this growth, cross-border payment processing has remained largely manual: LexisNexis Risk Solutions research cited by the companies puts the average global straight-through processing rate for cross-border business payments at 26%, meaning most transactions require manual intervention. For studios operating across multiple jurisdictions, this creates operational overhead that the expanded partnership is intended to address on both the distribution and payments side.

Sergejs Dupleca, Head of Business Growth and Partnerships at Unlimit, said the collaboration reflects the company’s aim to connect the infrastructure that game studios and digital businesses need to operate internationally, describing the extension of the GetApps relationship as a continuation of an existing partnership rather than a new initiative.

Salt Edge, an Open Banking and Open Finance platform with 13 years of experience in the sector, has invested in Sientia, a payment-linked advertising platform. The investment allows the two companies to jointly explore how Open Banking data can be applied beyond established use cases such as account information and payment initiation, extending it into loyalty, rewards, and marketing services.

Combining bank data access with loyalty technology

Salt Edge provides infrastructure that lets businesses securely connect to and access financial data from over 2,700 financial institutions across Europe and the UK. Through this connectivity, Sientia obtains real-time access to transaction and balance data, alongside enriched financial insights, which it applies to build personalised reward programmes and offers for advertisers, publishers, and financial institutions. Sientia already works with brands including Adidas, Ocado, Lyle & Scott, Hawksmoor, Honest Burger, and Poolhouse, as well as publishers such as Capillary Technologies.

Sina Saidinayer, Co-founder at Sientia, said the business sought a partner that understood how to build services on top of Open Banking connectivity, rather than one offering data access alone. The official pointed to Salt Edge’s reach into more than 5,000 banks globally and described the investment as validation for combining loyalty services with Open Banking infrastructure for advertisers, publishers, and financial brands.

Ilia Dragan, Chief Product Officer at Salt Edge, said the investment reflects the company’s approach of supporting businesses that develop new applications for Open Banking data, adding that combining customer-consented transaction insights with loyalty and marketing use cases represents a developing direction for the ecosystem.

Nu México has received CNBV authorisation to operate as a bank from 6 August 2026, after completing a technical migration. The transition follows a planned technical migration of Nu México’s SOFIPO infrastructure, scheduled for 5 August 2026. During this window, certain services, including SPEI transfers and in-app access to balance checks and statement downloads, will be temporarily unavailable. Debit and credit card operations will continue to function without interruption, and customer funds will remain accessible throughout the process.

In addition, Nu México said it will notify users of the migration window one week in advance via email and in-app messaging, allowing customers to plan transactions accordingly. Support will remain available by phone during the suspension period.

Regulatory background

Nu México previously operated as a SOFIPO (Sociedad Financiera Popular), a category of regulated non-bank financial institution in Mexico that allows deposit-taking and lending activities under a lighter regulatory framework than full banking licences. Securing CNBV authorisation to operate as a commercial bank represents a change in regulatory status, bringing the entity under the supervisory framework applied to licensed banks in the country.

Nu entered the Mexican market in 2019 and, according to the company, currently serves close to 15% of the country’s adult population. Since its entry, customers have saved an estimated USD 2.8 billion in fees, annual dues, and transfer costs, based on figures provided by the company covering the period since 2019.

The company also cited internal survey data indicating that nearly 60% of its Mexican customers report using less cash since becoming Nu customers, while 86% describe the impact of the service on their finances as high, particularly in relation to financial stability and control.

Western Union has announced that it is discontinuing Western Union Digital Bank. Under the company’s General Terms and Conditions, all Western Union Digital Bank accounts will be closed two months after users receive their closure notice.

On the closure date, users will lose access to the Western Union Digital Bank app, and the debit card linked to their account will be deactivated. Customers will receive a confirmation once their account has been closed.

What customers are being asked to do

Ahead of their account closure date, Western Union is advising customers to withdraw or transfer any remaining funds, and to notify anyone using their Western Union Digital Bank IBAN — including employers, service providers, or family members — of alternative banking details, in order to avoid disruption to incoming payments such as salaries, benefits, pensions, or transfers, as well as outgoing payments such as direct debits, bill payments, and subscriptions.

Customers are also being encouraged to download or save any account statements or transaction history they wish to keep before their account is closed, and Premium subscribers are being asked to cancel their subscription before the closure date. Customers who prefer not to wait can close their account earlier through the app, via the Profile > Close Account menu.

The company noted that once an account is closed, any payments sent to the associated IBAN may be rejected or returned to the sender, and that any remaining funds will be handled in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and the account’s General Terms and Conditions.

Spanish artificial intelligence company Multiverse Computing has announced that it has completed a €500 million Series C funding round at a €2 billion valuation. The round marks the largest AI funding round in Spanish history and makes the company Europe’s newest unicorn.

Founded in 2019 by Enrique Lizaso Olmos, Román Orús, Alfonso Rubio-Manzanares, and Samuel Mugel, the company is a global leader in AI model compression. It uses techniques derived from quantum computing to run large language models at less than half the cost and energy consumption.

Multiverse Computing has grown its annualized revenue more than tenfold since its Series B round in June 2025, with sales in the first quarter of 2026 up 96 times year-on-year.

The new round was led by Forgepoint Capital, BNPP SIVF, and Bullhound Capital, and with this investment the company has officially become Europe’s newest unicorn.