CommerceThe Eurosystem launched Pontes: tokenised asset deals can now settle in central bank moneyOn 21 September the ECB and the national central banks launched Pontes - a bridge between blockchain platforms for securities and central bank money. The first banks and operators can use it immediately, and the full feature set is expected by 2028. The ECB itself said it is preparing to invest a small portion of its own funds in tokenised securities through Pontes.CommerceStripe: AI startups were targeted by attempted fraud 4.3 times more often than startups overallStripe's explanation is simple: compute is easy to resell. A stolen card number can buy tokens or a subscription, the access is sold on, and when the real cardholder disputes the charge, the loss stays with the company.CommerceMeta became an AI channel in the Shopify admin, and your products are shared with it by defaultSince 8 September Meta appears among the AI channels in Shopify's Agentic Storefronts. Your catalog flows to it by default, and it is up to you whether to stop it.CommerceStripe mapped where people pay for AI: Mexico is growing 264 percentStripe processes payments for 88 percent of the Forbes AI 50 and sees who buys from where. Median growth in AI spending is close to 100 percent a year; India, Mexico, Poland and the UAE spend disproportionately on AI.CommerceCash is accepted by 92 per cent of shops in the euro areaAcceptance actually grew against 2024. The fastest riser is paying by phone: from 36 to 68 per cent in two years.CommerceShopify ends duties paid at the door on August 24Managed Markets is dropping support for the scheme where the recipient pays duties on delivery. Merchants who do nothing switch automatically to payment at checkout.CommerceThe digital euro will go beyond Europe's accessibility minimumThe ECB laid out what the digital euro app will look like for people with disabilities - and promised to go above the legal requirements. The pilot is set for 2027. For us, this is a rare case where accessibility is a decision made from the start, not cosmetics tacked on at the end of the project.CommerceX launches the wallet: money, a card and 6% interest inside the social networkFrom 27 July X Money is rolling out to select users in the US: an in-app wallet, free transfers between people, a Visa card with cashback and up to 6% annual interest. Another step toward the 'everything app.' The question is worth asking now - do you want your bank to live where you message people.
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