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Catch up on some of the stories our payments compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Agentic AI and the Next Chapter in Payments Regulation

As the next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) begins to affect the payments sector, regulators will need to adapt and evolve existing frameworks to manage the risk to consumers.

Agentic AI refers to AI systems composed of autonomous agents that can make decisions and take actions with minimal human intervention to achieve goals.

Unlike traditional AI, which is reactive, agentic AI is proactive. It can plan, adapt and even collaborate with other agents or systems to complete complex tasks.

Across the payments industry, a variety of products and services have recently begun to reach the market.

In April 2025, Mastercard Agent Pay, an agentic-payments programme introducing “Agentic Tokens” that allow AI agents to transact on behalf of consumers and merchants. The initiative includes partnerships with Microsoft and IBM.

Visa has its own frameworks for agentic commerce, notably a Trusted Agent Protocol designed to recognise AI agents making purchases. This protocol aims to let merchants and payment providers securely identify authorised AI agents, pass payment credentials and support agent-initiated transactions in a controlled and traceable way.

In addition, Google has the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and is with PayPal on agentic commerce experiences.

African Nations’ Removal From FATF Grey List Offers Boost To Region

The news that Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa are no longer subject to increased monitoring with regard to their anti-money laundering regimes should restore confidence among international payments organisations and open the jurisdictions to cross-border activity.

The of the four African nations from the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, or “grey list”, was one of the key developments from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) plenary meeting in Paris, which concluded on October 24, 2025.

Burkina Faso had been on the list since 2021 and Mozambique since 2022; South Africa and Nigeria were placed on the list in 2023.

FATF works with jurisdictions under increased monitoring to address strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regimes. This process helps align countries with international financial standards, making them safer for cross-border payments and investment.

Grey-listed countries commit to resolving the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed-upon timeframes. The removal of these four countries from the list signals that FATF is satisfied they have significantly improved their AML/CTF regimes.

In its statement confirming the nations’ removal from the grey list, FATF noted that Burkina Faso and Nigeria will continue working with their FATF-style regional body (FSRB), GIABA, to ensure their improvement is maintained.

It added that Mozambique will continue working with its own FSRB, ESAAMLG, and South Africa will continue working with FATF in coordination with ESAAMLG.

“This milestone is a boost for South Africa’s international reputation and global standing,” South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a .

“Much work remains to be done to reduce and prevent financial crimes, and ensure speedier investigations, prosecutions and convictions of those committing such crimes. With the necessary regulatory frameworks in place, our focus must now be on improving and strengthening implementation.”

Australia’s Strategic Approach to Payments Modernisation

By adopting a comprehensive strategy to update systems and regulation, Australia is positioning itself to have a safe, effective and scalable payments infrastructure that can adapt to technological advances and evolving consumer behaviour.

The country is systematically modernising its payments ecosystem, responding to technological developments and shifting consumer habits while ensuring its infrastructure remains fit for purpose in a digital economy.

In September 2025, the received royal assent, marking a significant milestone in regulatory reform. The legislation expands the payments regulatory framework to encompass new and emerging payment systems and participants, including digital wallets, buy now pay later (BNPL) services and crypto-asset payment facilitators.

It also introduces new ministerial powers to designate payment systems in the national interest, alongside new civil penalty provisions and higher maximum penalties for certain criminal offences.

Australia’s finance minister, Daniel Mulino, that the goal of the law is to make the country’s payments system more seamless, safer and stronger, thereby supporting economic productivity.

“These changes are another important step in delivering a modern, world‑class and efficient payments system in Australia. A safer, more trusted and more accessible payments system will help boost competition, innovation and productivity across the economy,” he added.

Earlier in September, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on its regulatory simplification efforts, noting that it had eliminated more than 9,000 pages of regulation since the beginning of the year.

The regulator added that it had improved access to regulatory information through a redesign of its website. Its focus on clarity and accessibility reflects its recognition that firms require agility to navigate compliance requirements in a rapidly evolving payments landscape.

Russia Completes Preparations for the Digital Ruble Rollout

The phased rollout of the delayed central bank digital currency (CBDC) could enhance the country’s economic autonomy and regional integration, though questions remain over cybersecurity, regulation and the balance between banks and the state.

Following the successful completion of an experiment involving the first transactions using the digital ruble, Russia’s financial authorities say the system is technically ready for phased adoption.

After severe delays, the digital ruble initiative is finally picking up pace, although financial analysts warn of risks to users and the payment system.

During the experiment, the Russian federal budget made the first payments to digital accounts opened on the Central Bank of the Russian Federation’s digital ruble platform, the Finance Ministry said in a on September 30, 2025.

The Russian treasury made CBDC payments to government officials, students receiving social payments under state-targeted programmes, and some government contractors.

The paving the way for the introduction of the digital ruble in Russia was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on July 23, 2025.

Malta Aims to Accelerate Payments Modernisation by Phasing Out Cheques

The Central Bank of Malta’s (CBM) public consultation aims to encourage wider use of digital payment methods and reduce reliance on cheques, marking a vital step towards a more competitive EU-wide payments environment.

The proposed , open for consultation until December 19, 2025, are designed to align Malta’s payments landscape with evolving European standards, particularly following the introduction of the EU’s Instant Payments Regulation (IPR).

The central bank has introduced these changes to promote instant payments as a faster and safer alternative to traditional paper-based instruments.

Among the key reforms proposed are a reduction in cheque validity from six to three months to encourage quicker settlement and reduce outstanding obligations; a prohibition on cheque encashments, requiring all cheques to be deposited into a payment account to enhance financial data integrity and ensure compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks; and an increase in the minimum cheque issuance amount from €20 to €50 to promote electronic payment options for smaller transactions.

The proposals also include ensuring faster access to funds, with proceeds from CBM or drawee institution cheques to be made available by the next business day, or instantly if deposited in person at the counter.

The CBM is also calling for banks in the country to recalibrate payment charges to make instant credit transfers more accessible and affordable, in line with IPR compliance requirements.

In addition, the consultation is seeking feedback on the potential development of a national mobile proxy look-up service. This would allow users to make payments using familiar identifiers such as mobile phone numbers, simplifying the process of initiating transfers.

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