Marcel van Oost

Founder/CEO 

Connecting the dots in FinTech...

Connecting the dots in FinTech...

The largest FinTech community in the world of 100k+ FinTech Fanatics!

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Founder

FinTech Running Club

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Connecting the dots in payments...

Founder & News Editor

Choice Financial

Choice Fin provides thoughtful and tailored global banking services. An accomplished BaaS sponsor bank since 2017, Choice Fin provides a wide array of financial and technological solutions guided by a #PeopleFirst mission. 

Choice Fin is a part of Choice Bank, a community bank dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and economic viability of families and businesses.

Advisory Board Member

Treinta

Investor

Mozper

Lana

Sokin

Penta Network

Advisor

Nufi (Techstars Western Union 2021)

Advisor and Investor

Email for brand collaboration: bonjour @ marcelvanoost.nl 

About me:

What do I want to become when I grow up? That's a question I asked myself for a long time. My childhood dream, playing for Ajax, was soon out of the question (I wasn’t even close…). So what's next? 

I studied Communication & Media, dropped out, and started working at an Acquiring Bank.

After these first steps in the Payments Industry I founded a Payments consultancy business, followed by a Collecting Payment Service Provider, with an exit in 2017. 

Nowadays I'm back in (FinTech-) Media, and invest as an Angel Investor in FinTech startups on the side.

NO, I don't do any speaker gigs, podcasts, webinars etc. 

I DO share the latest FinTech Industry trends and news updates here on Linkedin, and in my daily newsletter. 👉 Get the most important FinTech news and analysis in a 5 minute daily briefing you’ll actually look forward to reading, by signing up here: https://www.connectingthedotsinfin.tech

🚨𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡: Revolut to open its first Branch in Greece by the end of the year.

Targeting 2 million Greek 🇬🇷 users by 2026. 

With local IBANs, a physical branch, and even mortgage loans on the roadmap.

Revolut is preparing to shake up the Greek banking market even further: according to information from powergame.gr, the neobank plans to open a physical branch in Greece by the end of this year or early next year. 

The company has already informed the Bank of Greece about its plans, which also include issuing Greek IBANs to new customers. Existing Greek users with Lithuanian IBANs will be migrated to Greek IBANs as well.

The decision to establish a local presence aligns with Revolut’s goal of reaching 2 million Greek users by 2026, up from around 1.7 million today (and only 270,000 in 2021). 

The branch is part of a broader European strategy: Revolut operates across ~30 European countries thanks to its EU passporting rights and is now pushing deeper into full-service banking.

Revolut is also exploring offering mortgage loans in Greece.

The neobank already launched mortgage products in Lithuania and previously announced it would expand them to Ireland and France by the end of 2025.

Globally, Revolut intends to expand into 30 new markets by 2030, investing $13 billion to reach 100 million users.

Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/dxTgQ3fC


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🚨 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: Visa and Mastercard are reportedly nearing a landmark settlement with merchants that could reshape how card fees and rewards work.

Under the deal, the networks would cut interchange fees (typically 2–2.5%) by around 0.1 percentage point over several years and loosen “honor-all-cards” rules, giving merchants more power to reject high-fee cards.

This would mark the end of a 20-year legal battle over card-acceptance rules and could have ripple effects across the industry, from merchant margins to consumer rewards programs.

Why it matters:

Lower interchange means potential relief for merchants, but it could also undermine lucrative credit card rewards that banks and consumers have come to depend on.

In 2023 alone, issuing banks collected $𝟳𝟮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 in interchange fees 🤯

Those fees fund much of the loyalty economy, but also fuel tension between merchants, banks, and networks.

A major moment for the payments ecosystem, and another sign that the balance of power between networks, banks, and merchants continues to evolve.

Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/dT7Jdnjh


Do you think this could be the beginning of the end for premium rewards cards?

Countries That Use the Most Cash in 2025👇

How is your country doing? 

Source: Visual Capitalist - https://lnkd.in/diVqq4uH


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The biggest token revolution in payments isn’t happening in crypto.

It’s happening at Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Most people still think of them as “card companies.”
A piece of plastic in your pocket.
A 16-digit number on a screen.

But that era is ending fast.

These companies are quietly transforming into global money-movement networks, and one of the biggest shifts underway is 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

For years, every online payment relied on the PAN (those 16 digits).
If it leaked, it could be used anywhere.
If your card expired, your subscriptions broke.
Merchants lost revenue. Consumers got annoyed. Everyone lost.

Tokenization flips the model.

Instead of sharing your real card number, the network issues a 𝘁𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻, a dynamic, secure credential bound to a specific device, merchant, or use case.

► A stolen token is useless outside its original environment
► When your card is reissued, the token updates instantly. No more failed Netflix/Spotify subscriptions 😉
► Merchants see higher approval rates across Visa, Mastercard, and Amex when transactions run on tokens

And the scale is exploding:

👉	Visa already processes more tokenized transactions than traditional PAN submissions

👉	Mastercard has billions of tokens live and is pushing them into every major checkout experience

👉	American Express is rolling tokenization across wallets, card-on-file, recurring billing, and embedded payments

This isn’t a “security feature.”

It’s an architectural overhaul, the biggest since the migration from swipe to chip.

Except this time, it’s completely invisible.
No new hardware. No consumer education.
Just smoother payments, fewer declines, and a safer global network.

While the world keeps arguing about crypto tokens, the real token revolution is already happening at the very heart of the existing payment rails.

How long before the 16-digit PAN becomes nothing more than a legacy artifact?

ING is launching its next-generation debit cards in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 

A milestone 40 years after the first debit card transaction.

In November 1985, Neelie Smit-Kroes made history with the first-ever Dutch card payment, using a Postgiro card, a predecessor of ING.

Fast-forward to 2025: from magnetic stripe → chip → contactless → mobile wallets, the Dutch payment experience has transformed beyond recognition.

And now ING marks this 40-year milestone with a next-step evolution:

Introducing the renewed ING Debit Card (Visa or Mastercard 👉 see pictures below👇).

Nearly 10 million cards will transition to a modern, globally accepted format. 

Same debit functionality, but with new capabilities:

► Better acceptance outside Europe for both physical and digital cards

► Contactless cash withdrawals using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay

► Online payments using the card number, just like a credit card

► Sustainable design, made from recycled plastic

► Fresh, vertical layout + clear distinction between personal (orange),  and business (white) 👉 see pictures below👇

► Accessibility features remain, including the tactile notch for visually impaired customers

𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁:

Before the first “pin payment” in 1985, Amsterdam’s Gemeentegiro (another ING predecessor) introduced the Geldkaartin 1976, the first magstripe card with a PIN.

That simple card laid the foundation for the entire modern Dutch payment ecosystem.


Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/d5SkrGEs

And sign up for my newsletter for more interesting FinTech/Payments/Digital Banking updates: https://lnkd.in/e-tzDwh7


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

European 🇪🇺 FinTech Market Map 👇

Which company is missing?

Source: https://lnkd.in/dvp2B739


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Mollie is getting into banking 🤯


You can find more info, and early access to Business Banking here: https://lnkd.in/d-6PzZjZ

More about this, and more FinTech News updates, in my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e-tzDwh7


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

Another payments scandal is shaking up Germany 🤯

Here's what happened:

German Authorities have uncovered a massive €300M fraud and money-laundering scheme under “𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸” leading to multiple arrests.

More than 60 house searches were conducted and a total of 18 arrest warrants executed. 

The criminal networks are suspected of misusing credit card data from over 4.3 million cardholders across 193 countries.

The network allegedly operated through payment firms, and investigators believe former employees of four major German providers may have known about, or even participated in, the scheme.

No names were released, but the case reignites scrutiny on Germany’s FinTech sector, still rebuilding its reputation years after the Wirecard collapse.

Meanwhile, BaFin has already been tightening oversight, and even industry giants like Worldline have recently faced allegations of overlooking risk warnings (more info: https://lnkd.in/d8FTr2Zr).

Germany’s payments ecosystem just can’t seem to shake off its ghosts...

Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/dJ-bBram

To be continued..


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👀Next week, Perplexity will launch a free agentic shopping product for U.S. users, letting people go from search → decision → purchase in a single flow. And they’re doing it with a major partner: PayPal.

This is a big moment in the race to own the AI-powered checkout layer, and here’s what stands out:

1️⃣ Agentic = buy directly from the answer

Perplexity streamlines the full journey: you ask a question, get product suggestions, and complete the purchase instantly, all inside the platform.

2️⃣ PayPal powers the rails

More than 5,000 merchants will be accessible through Perplexity at launch, with PayPal acting as merchant of record. 

That means:

👉PayPal handles payments, refunds, and customer service
👉Full PayPal buyer protection applies
👉Merchants stay connected to PayPal even as commerce shifts to agentic platforms

3️⃣ This goes far beyond their “Buy With Pro” feature

Perplexity already tested this for paid subscribers, but the free product comes with better intent detection and personalized results using memory from previous searches.

4️⃣ The agentic checkout war is on

OpenAI launched Instant Checkout in September, with Etsy and Shopify as partners, plus PayPal coming onboard next year.

Now Perplexity joins the fight with a free model and a holiday-season launch window.

Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/dX2mZnRh

Who wins this race: OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, Amazon… or someone we’re not talking about yet?

What do you think?

Payment Gateway 🆚 Payment Orchestration 👇

Payment Gateway 🆚 Payment Orchestration

🚨 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: Nubank is said to be close to finalizing a 10-year agreement for naming rights to Inter Miami CF’s New Stadium, worth around US$19 million per year, totaling roughly 𝗨𝗦$𝟭𝟵𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 🤯

The planned venue, Miami Freedom Park, will seat 25,000 fans and is expected to open in April 2026. 

The investment would be a major step in Nubank’s U.S. expansion strategy. 

Co-founder and CGO Cristina Junqueira recently relocated to Miami to focus on building the company’s U.S. operations, and Nubank has already applied for a U.S. banking license.

Sources told Bloomberg Línea (https://lnkd.in/dZfWdfMu) that stadium management is also in discussions with other potential buyers of the naming rights, meaning a deal with Nubank is not guaranteed.

Inter Miami is owned by Jorge and Jose Mas, along with David Beckham. The new US$1 billion stadium complex covers 53 hectares near Miami International Airport and will include:

👉 A 750-room hotel
👉 A 23-hectare public park
👉 Retail and office space

The club will inaugurate the stadium on April 4, 2026, in a match against Austin FC.


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

🚨 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: Revolut officially confirmed a $𝟳𝟱 𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 valuation 🤯, and considers acquiring Singular Bank to boost their Private Banking Business.

Revolut has completed a major share sale led by Coatue, Greenoaks, Dragoneer, and Fidelity, with participation from a16z, Franklin Templeton, T. Rowe Price, and even NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture arm) — deepening their AI partnership.

This is a significant jump from its previous $45 billion valuation.

💬 Nik Storonsky sums it up well: 

This milestone reflects the remarkable progress we have made in the last twelve months towards our vision of building the first truly global bank, serving 100 million customers across 100 countries. I’d like to thank our team for their determination and energy, and for believing that it is possible to build a global financial and technology leader from Europe.”

💬 Victor Stinga, CFO of Revolut, added: 

“The level of investor interest and our new valuation reflect the strength of our business model, which is delivering both rapid growth and strong profitability. We welcome onboard a series of world-class investors and look forward to working with them for the next stage in Revolut’s evolution.”

The next 12 months will show whether Revolut can convert this momentum into full-stack banking dominance in the Americas and Asia.


𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲, Warburg Pincus has begun the sale process for Singular Bank, a Spanish private banking and wealth-management firm, and both Abanca and Revolut are evaluating potential bids, according to industry sources. 

Offers would value the bank, led by former Santander CEO Javier Marin Romano, at around €100 million.

“We have many customers with high balances, and we want to offer services tailored to clients managing significant wealth. It’s a vertical we plan to open, and we’re hiring talent in several countries,” a Revolut spokesperson said.

Buying Singular Bank would instantly provide Revolut with an experienced team capable of serving high-net-worth clients. The company declined to comment on timing: “We have no dates or further information to share,” the spokesperson added.

More about this, and other FinTech news, in my newsletter!


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

🚨 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: Mastercard brings agentic payments to life in the UAE 🇦🇪

Check this out 👇

Mastercard has officially launched 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘆 in the UAE, marking the first rollout outside the US and a major step in the shift toward fully autonomous payments.

At the launch, leaders including H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach, and Majid Al Futtaim CEO Ahmed Galal Ismail highlighted a clear message: The UAE wants to set the global benchmark for AI-powered digital commerce.

The global rollout begins now, and agentic transactions will reshape e-commerce faster than most expect.

Check out the video below for the first live transaction and 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘆 Demo👇

📷 Source video: Prakriti Singh/Mastercard 


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

Revolut integrates Polygon Labs, and quietly processes $690M already.


One of the biggest real-world proofs of Web3 payments just dropped. Revolut, with 65M+ users across 38 countries, has fully integrated Polygon for stablecoin transfers, payments, trading, and staking.

And the adoption is already there: $690 million in volume has been processed over Polygon rails inside the Revolut app.

This is what mainstream crypto usage actually looks like👇

What Revolut users can now do on Polygon:

• Send/receive USDC & USDT with near-zero fees
• Pay for everyday purchases using the Revolut crypto card
• Trade & stake POL directly in the app
• On/off-ramp seamlessly to fiat inside Revolut

This turns Polygon into a consumer-facing payments rail embedded inside Europe’s largest neobank - not theory, not pilots, but real daily usage.

Why this matters:

• 14M Revolut users already engage with crypto
• Polygon’s Rio upgrade now enables ~5,000 TPS and near-instant finality
• Fees are fractions of a cent — perfect for global payments and remittances
• It positions Polygon as the leading enterprise blockchain for stablecoin money movement

Revolut now joins a growing list of institutions choosing Polygon for payments: Mastercard, Stripe, Flutterwave, Worldpay, BlackRock/Securitize, Reliance Jio, NRW.Bank, and more.

Source/more info: https://lnkd.in/dSpVv_82


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🚨Uber expands financial inclusion in Mexico 🇲🇽 with the 𝗨𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱


Uber has teamed up with Consubanco and Bkaya to launch the Uber Pro Card across Mexico, a new financial solution built for drivers and couriers.

This card gives Uber partners:

👉 Instant payouts after every trip or delivery
👉 Loans up to MXN $5,000, repayable in 8 weeks
👉 Smartphone financing directly through the Uber app
👉 Buy now, pay later options at Chedraui stores
👉 A no-fee debit card yielding up to 7% interest, issued by Consubanco

Since January 2025, more than 150,000 drivers and couriers have joined the program, with over 100,000 loans extended and 50 million payments disbursed automatically.

This collaboration between Uber, Consubanco, and Bkaya is a major step in promoting financial inclusion and embedded finance in Latin America, giving gig workers more control, flexibility, and access to credit.

More about this in my newsletter!


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(It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)

Here are the latest Digital Banking News Updates you don't want to miss today. 

I’ve sourced and listed the most important Digital banking news so you don't have to:

1️⃣- Coinbase Hits Resistance in Bid for Trust Bank Status

2️⃣- Revolut Appoints Yacine Faqir as CEO for Its Operations in Morocco

3️⃣- Tencent-Backed Uzum Eyes Pre-IPO Funding in Hong Kong

4️⃣- United Fintech Acquires AI-Powered Lending Platform Trade Ledger™ in All-Share Deal

5️⃣- Banco Central Europeo’s Digital Euro Plan Hits Resistance from Banks and EU Lawmakers

6️⃣- 카카오뱅크 Kakaobank Posts Record Cumulative Earnings on Robust Fee-Based Services

7️⃣- Nu Launches Pix Protegido

8️⃣- YouLend and Tide Expand Embedded SME Financing Partnership to Germany

9️⃣- KCB Confirms Acquisition of Minority Stake in Digital Payments Service Provider Pesapal

🔟- National Bank of Bahrain and BBK (Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait) Sign a Memorandum of Understanding

Dive into the full newsletter for more updates, insights, and essential global news and analysis in Digital Banking!

This newsletter also includes: Paul Grewal, Nikolay Seleznev, GoHenry, and more!

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#banking #bankingindustry #digitalbanking

Hey Digital Banking Fanatic! Coinbase’s push for a U.S. federal trust charter has triggered resistance from traditional banking groups, spotlighting t

Open article: Coinbase Hits Resistance in Bid for Trust Bank Status by Marcel van Oost • 4 min read

Coinbase Hits Resistance in Bid for Trust Bank Status

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