/// Field notes

From the workshop.

Engineering write-ups from the teams building Protocore systems — payments, AI, and the custom hardware they run on. No noise, just how the work is actually done.

Payments · Jul 2026

What is a virtual IBAN?

One master account, an IBAN per payer, credits that identify themselves.

AI · Jul 2026

Agentic payments under human policy

Software that spends money, and the guardrails that keep it honest.

Engineering · Jul 2026

One core, many apps: how a whitelabel banking platform works

One banking core, many branded apps — what varies, what never does, and why tokens beat forks.

Payments · Jul 2026

Do you need a banking license to launch a fintech app?

Bank, EMI, payment institution, or agent — and why the licence and the software are two separate purchases.

Payments · Jul 2026

Core banking vs BaaS: what you actually buy

A ledger you own, a core you rent, or a licence you ride — and what each one really costs.

Payments · Jul 2026

The payment lifecycle: authorization to settlement

What happens between the tap and the payout — hold, capture, clear, settle, pay out.

Engineering · Jul 2026

Designing a KYC review queue that scales

Most applications should clear themselves; the queue is for the ones that can't.

Payments · Jul 2026

Accepting crypto at the point of sale

A QR at the terminal, a locked quote, and euros on the books — crypto stays the customer's concern.

Payments · Jul 2026

Running a crypto ATM fleet: cash, cassettes, compliance

Cassettes, cash levels, remote lock, and a ledger that reconciles to a note you could hold.

Payments · Jul 2026

A buyer's guide to white-label neobank platforms

Core vs app layer, licence separation, design-system depth, and the build-vs-buy call.

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