From quantum processors beating Wall Street algorithms to Walmart-backed apps going full crypto, the week’s headlines read like a roadmap of what “financial infrastructure” means in 2026.
Australia’s Zeller crossed borders, Mexico’s Kueski proved ethics can scale, and even the back-end builders like Elinext made noise by quietly powering the rails everyone else runs on.
Money’s moving across three fronts now: AI, blockchain, and quantum, and fintechs are learning to play all three at once.
1) Walmart-Backed OnePay Brings Crypto to the Masses
Walmart has officially stepped into crypto – quietly, but decisively.
According to CNBC, the retail giant’s fintech arm OnePay (founded in 2021 and majority-owned by Walmart) will soon let customers buy, hold, and convert crypto directly inside its mobile banking app.
The rollout will start with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), in partnership with ZeroHash, the infrastructure provider that just raised $104 million from major financial institutions to expand its crypto-as-a-service rails.
OnePay users will be able to store digital assets in-app, convert them to cash, and use those funds for everyday purchases or credit-card payments, all without leaving the platform.
It’s a major shift for U.S. retail fintech: a Walmart-backed bank-style app ranking fifth in Apple’s Finance category, outpacing heavyweights like Robinhood and JPMorgan Chase, now offering crypto alongside traditional money-management tools.
The move mirrors the direction of competitors such as PayPal and Venmo, both of which already provide digital-asset functionality.
But OnePay’s angle is broader: it was built to reach Americans outside the traditional banking system, not just Walmart shoppers.
By fusing deposits, payments, and digital assets under one brand, OnePay is positioning itself as a new-era financial super-app – regulated, retail-tested, and ready to compete on both convenience and cost.
2) HSBC’s Quantum Bet Delivers 34% Trading Edge
Quantum computing just landed its first commercial win, and it came from HSBC.
In collaboration with IBM, the bank achieved a 34% performance gain over classical computers in bond-trading algorithm tests, marking the first documented “quantum edge” in finance.
Using IBM’s Heron processors and real trading data, HSBC’s quantum setup outperformed conventional algorithms on complex optimization problems tied to bond pricing and execution.
The breakthrough signals that quantum is no longer confined to research labs. HSBC and IBM say the hybrid system – blending quantum and classical hardware demonstrated clear advantages in predictive accuracy and risk modeling for large trading datasets.
3) Walmart’s Fintech Ambition Meets AI: OpenAI and Stripe Bring Checkout to ChatGPT
If last year’s headline was “banks adopt AI,” this year’s twist is that AI is adopting banks.
OpenAI has officially partnered with Stripe to launch Instant Checkout, a new feature that lets users buy products directly inside ChatGPT – no redirects, no shopping carts, no apps. It’s a move that quietly turns a conversational AI into a full-fledged payments interface, and it’s running on Stripe’s secure financial rails.
The pilot is rolling out first in the U.S. across ChatGPT’s free, Plus, and Pro versions, with OpenAI positioning it as a frictionless bridge between discovery and purchase.
You ask, the model recommends, you click “Buy,” and the transaction clears, all within the chat window.
For fintech, this is the logical next step in embedded payments: AI-driven commerce that collapses the gap between intention and transaction.
For Stripe, it’s validation of its long-term strategy, staying invisible but indispensable to every major platform shift in finance.
What Amazon did for one-click shopping, ChatGPT and Stripe may just do for conversational commerce, one query at a time.
3) Zeller Expands to the UK in First Global Move
Australian fintech Zeller is taking its all-in-one business banking model abroad, announcing its first international expansion into the United Kingdom.
Founded in 2020 in Melbourne, Zeller built its name as a one-stop financial platform for small and medium businesses, combining payments, business accounts, cards, expense tracking, and reporting in one ecosystem.
The company now serves over 100,000 businesses in Australia and reached unicorn status after a AU$100 million (US$66 million) Series B led by Hostplus and Square Peg in 2022.
For its UK launch, Zeller has appointed former ByteDance executive Lars Weber as country manager and plans to hire 40 local staff over the next three years. The rollout will integrate with Oracle, Xero, Tevalis, and Redcat, ensuring a smooth handoff for merchants already using existing accounting or point-of-sale systems.
Founder and CEO Ben Pfisterer says the goal is to solve a familiar global pain point: fragmented financial tools that slow down small-business growth.
Zeller’s bet is that the same formula that unified business banking in Australia will resonate in the UK – fast, connected, and built for scale.
4) Kueski Crowned Mexico’s Most Ethical Financial Company — For the Fourth Year Running
Fintech and ethics don’t always share the same headline but Kueski is rewriting that story.
The Mexican buy now, pay later (BNPL) and online lending platform has been named one of Mexico’s Most Ethical Companies by AMITAI for the fourth consecutive year, standing as the highest-ranked financial institution in the country – ahead of both banks and other fintechs.
Since its founding, Kueski has focused on responsible financial inclusion, expanding access to credit for millions of underserved consumers through its flagship products Kueski Pay and Kueski Cash.
The company has now issued more than 30 million loans, and internal surveys show that 94% of its customers view Kueski as more trustworthy and transparent than traditional financial institutions.
Senior vice president Carlos Sánchez Almada called the recognition “a reflection of integrity across every part of the company,” adding that Kueski’s growth model is built on “innovation that doesn’t cut ethical corners.”
With 33% of Mexico’s top e-commerce merchants offering Kueski Pay as a checkout option, the firm is now as much a payments infrastructure player as it is a credit provider, proving that in fintech, trust can scale just as fast as technology.
5) Elinext Named a Top Fintech Software Developer for 2025
Poland-based Elinext just secured a spot on Techreviewer’s 2025 list of Top Fintech Software Developers, joining a shortlist of global firms recognized for powering the financial sector’s digital backbone.
With over 25 years in custom software development, Elinext builds infrastructure for banks, insurers, and fintech startups – from digital banking platforms and B2B payment systems to RegTech, investment, and analytics tools.
The company’s projects span Europe, Asia, and North America, serving both established institutions and fast-scaling challengers.
Elinext’s edge lies in security, scalability, and regulatory compliance.
Every product follows standards like PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOC 2, combining technical rigor with a focus on automation and user experience. The company’s Fintech portfolio includes solutions for cash and liquidity management, investment CRMs, and API integrations with modern rails like Plaid, Stripe, and Open Banking.
By modernizing legacy systems and helping financial institutions migrate to cloud-native, API-connected infrastructure, Elinext has become one of the quiet enablers of fintech’s global scale, proving that sometimes the most important innovation happens behind the interface.
