Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard laid out the framework for the central bank's instant payments system on Thursday, saying the Fed's plans call for getting the system online as fast as possible.

Japan's new top financial regulator Ryozo Himino voiced caution over taking fresh steps to promote cryptocurrency trading, arguing that doing so may not necessarily promote technical innovation.

Germany's financial watchdog BaFin said on Tuesday it was conducting an audit of the accounts for collapsed payments firm Wirecard covering a period running from 2017 to 2019.

The German body in charge of regulating auditors is examining the work of EY, the auditor that approved the books of collapsed payment services firm Wirecard, the German Economy Ministry said on Monday.

Brazil's central bank said on Monday that tests had begun to trial payments via Facebook Inc's messaging service WhatsApp in the country, calling them an "important advance."

Paya Inc is nearing a deal to merge with blank-check acquisition company FinTech Acquisition Corp III which could value the U.S. payments solutions provider at around $1.3 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mastercard Inc's quarterly profit beat analyst estimates on Thursday, as lower costs softened the blow from fewer people using the payment processor's cards during the coronavirus pandemic.

German lawmakers on Wednesday questioned Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier over their failure to detect and prevent the Wirecard [WDIG.DE] accounting scandal, one of the biggest in post-war history.

German payments firm Wirecard collapsed in June after its auditor EY refused to sign off on the 2019 accounts, following months of investigation into missing 1.9 billion euros from its books, and forcing out Chief Executive Markus Braun.

A leading U.S. banking regulator said on Wednesday that national banks may provide custody services for cryptocurrencies.