The European Union’s long-anticipated 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD), which modernizes security rules to reflect the needs and threats facing today’s economy, took effect in mid-January, and its impacts are already being felt across the payments space. MORE

Venture capital firm Canapi Ventures announced $545 million in funding that will serve as its inaugural venture capital funds, gleaned from a sizable investor base. MORE

In the best of partnerships, each member contributes strengths and expertise to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The partnership model — for example, card networks linking up with FinTechs — can bring such outsized firepower to digital innovation through cross-pollination. MORE

Evolution is the hallmark of everything that survives over a long period of time — and so it should come as no surprise that unattended retail has evolved, too, over more than a century since the first coin-operated vending machines made their debut in the late 1800s. MORE

New guidelines from the European Union (EU) allow for countries to restrict or exclude “high-risk” 5G providers from important parts of their telecom networks, according to Reuters. The news means that Chinese 5G provider Huawei Technologies could be affected. . MORE

More than 4.1 billion consumer accounts fell victim to data breaches during the first half of 2019 — to the tune of $4 million in lost revenue per breach. This comes to approximately one hack every 39 seconds, and affects a wide range of businesses and customers. MORE

This week, global luxury brands have seen their stock prices take a sharp hit as reports emerge that a coronavirus with origins in China’s Wuhan region is spreading rapidly and has made its first appearance on U.S. shores. MORE

WeWork has sold its business management software company Teem and also the minority stake it had in startup The Wing, to focus its business going forward. The real estate company has also been gradually selling off shares in its side ventures as it tries to maximize its profits. MORE

Micro-mobility giant Helbiz announced a partnership with mobile payments platform Alipay , which will allow customers a wider breadth of access to Helbiz’s eScooters, eBikes and other devices for easy riding through Italy. MORE