Frequently Asked Questions
Everything people ask about PaymentLeaks, the intelligence pipeline, and global payments.
What is PaymentLeaks?
PaymentLeaks is a daily intelligence briefing on global payments and fintech. Every morning it synthesizes payments and regulatory developments from many jurisdictions —with a focus on non-Anglophone markets the Anglophone press tends to cover late or not at all— and explains the day's highest systemic-impact stories, the regulation coming down the pipe, and how they connect to what came before. It's free.
What does each briefing cover?
The day's highest systemic-impact stories with original analysis, the regulation with its deadlines, how today's news connects to what published in recent weeks, the payment systems of markets other outlets overlook (PIX, UPI, QRIS, mBridge, e-CNY), and weak signals from non-Anglophone sources. Every cited URL is verified before publishing.
How is this different from PYMNTS, Finextra, Reuters Payments, or Bloomberg?
The key difference is non-Anglo coverage. Tier-1 global outlets tend to cut emerging-market stories or delay regional news by 48-72 hours. PaymentLeaks follows local press across many markets in their own languages (LATAM, Brazil, India, Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, the Arab world, Eastern Europe…): that's how we catch things like Argentina's COELSA NFC or Korea-China QRIS interop days ahead of the Anglo press.
Is PaymentLeaks free?
Yes, 100% free. No subscription, no signup, no paywall. The daily briefing is openly accessible to everyone.
When is each briefing published?
Every morning, Madrid time. It combines an automated collection process with human editing and analysis.
What is PIX and why does it appear so often?
PIX is Brazil's instant payments system operated by the Central Bank (BCB), launched in 2020. It processes 200M+ transactions daily and is becoming the global reference model for public RTGS. It appears often because: (a) its international expansion threatens Visa/Mastercard, (b) the US has opened Section 301 investigations, and (c) other central banks use it as benchmark.
What's the difference between UPI, PIX, FedNow, and SEPA Instant?
All four are instant payment systems but with very different models. UPI (India, NPCI) handles >22 billion tx/month with cross-app interoperability and is expanding internationally. PIX (Brazil, BCB) is central-bank-operated and massive in scale. FedNow (US, Federal Reserve) launched in 2023 and grows slowly with <5% of ACH volume. SEPA Instant (Eurozone) became mandatory in 2025 but remains fragmented across banks. PaymentLeaks covers them in detail via the Parallel Systems section.
What are stablecoins and why do they matter for payments?
Stablecoins are crypto-assets pegged to a stable asset (usually the dollar). USDT (Tether, ~$186B), USDC (Circle, ~$79B), and USDS (Sky, ~$8.6B) dominate the $319B market. They matter because: (a) they already move >$6T/year per Fireblocks, (b) remittance corridors use them as an alternative rail to correspondent banking, (c) regulators (GENIUS Act US, MiCA EU, Korea FSC) are defining what's legal in 2026.
What is a CBDC and which ones are relevant?
CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) is the official digital version of a currency, issued by the central bank. Most relevant today: e-CNY (digital yuan, China, massive pilot since 2020), digital euro (ECB, design phase), digital rupee (India, pilot), Project Agora (BIS, multi-country wholesale). The open question is whether retail CBDCs displace private stablecoins or coexist.
Who's behind PaymentLeaks?
Ignacio De Navascués, Madrid-based payments analyst, with editorial assist from Claude Opus (Anthropic). Contact: hola@paymentleaks.com.