Fintech Deals Signal AI and Cross-Border Payments Push

AI Moves Deeper Into Financial Data

FactSet, a global supplier of data and AI solutions to financial markets, announced a multi-faceted strategic partnership with Google Cloud, according to Finextra Research. The collaboration is aimed at building what the company describes as a new generation of AI-powered tools for the financial industry.

The tie-up reflects a broader pattern of established data vendors aligning with major cloud providers to accelerate AI development rather than building large-scale infrastructure alone. By pairing proprietary financial datasets with Google Cloud's computing and machine-learning capabilities, FactSet is positioning itself to deliver analysis and automation features that depend on both scale and specialised data — a combination that has become central to competition among financial information providers.

Embedding Payments Into Everyday Workflows

Two of the announcements focus on making payments less of a standalone task and more of a built-in feature. onPhase, an AI-powered platform that combines finance and operations functions, said it has partnered with TransferMate, a provider of embedded business-to-business payments infrastructure, as reported by Finextra Research. The partnership expands onPhase's ability to handle cross-border payments to vendors and suppliers across North America and internationally, directly inside the onPhase platform.

The approach reflects the growing demand for embedded finance, where companies add payment capabilities into existing software rather than routing users to separate systems. For businesses managing accounts-payable processes across multiple countries, the ability to settle supplier payments without leaving their core platform can reduce friction and administrative overhead.

In a separate deal, Checkout.com, a global digital payments company, announced a partnership with the digital travel platform Agoda, according to Finextra Research. The arrangement centres on AI-powered payments, signalling continued investment in optimising how transactions are processed in the high-volume travel sector.

A Common Direction

Taken together, the three announcements point in a shared direction: financial services firms are racing to layer AI onto their products while making payments faster and more seamlessly embedded across borders. Whether through cloud-based AI development, embedded B2B rails or travel-focused payment optimisation, the deals illustrate how infrastructure partnerships have become the primary route to delivering new capabilities at scale.

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