Top Innovations
TD Bank creates Consumer Index to track financial preparedness of Americans; 70% consider illness or an unwelcome visit to the Emergency Room as the most critical time to be financially prepared
Forty-four percent of Americans report…
PayPal to offer users a 3.7% annual rewards rate on holdings of the PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin in their PayPal or Venmo wallets
PayPal Holdings will launch a…
Amazon Bedrock serverless endpoint system dynamically predicts the response quality of each model and efficiently routes it to the most appropriate model based on cost and response quality
Amazon Bedrock has announced the…
MoneyThumb’s AI enables the authentication of third-party PDF documents to analyze structural, metadata, and content-based patterns
MoneyThumb, a leader in automated…
Key News
The U.S. Faster Payments Council is advocating for the use of email address and phone number identifiers via a shared, open digital directory to increase adoption of real-time payments and ensure interoperability
The U.S. Faster Payments Council…
OpenAI is planning a truly ‘open reasoning’ AI system with a ‘handoff’ feature that would enable it to make calls to the OpenAI API to access other, larger models for a substantial computational lift
OpenAI is gearing up to…
Upwind’s ML cloud platform collects multi-layer telemetry data of the networking stack for real-time detection of threats to APIs, enabling 7X reduction in the mean time to respond
Upwind has added a feature…
Amazon’s new benchmark to evaluate AI coding agents’ ability to navigate and understand complex codebases and GitHub issues
Amazon has introduced SWE-PolyBench, the…
OpenAI is gearing up to release an AI system that’s truly “open,” meaning it’ll be available for download at no cost and not gated behind an API. Beyond its benchmark performance, OpenAI may have a key feature up its sleeve — one that could make its open “reasoning” model highly competitive. Company leaders have been discussing plans to enable the open model to connect to OpenAI’s cloud-hosted models to better answer complex queries. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the capability as a “handoff.” If the feature — as sources describe it — makes it into the open model, it will be able to make calls to the OpenAI API to access the company’s other, larger models for a substantial computational lift. It’s unclear if the open model will have the ability to access some of the many tools OpenAI’s models can use, like web search and image generation. The idea for the handoff feature was suggested by a developer during one of OpenAI’s recent developer forums, according to a source. The suggestion appears to have gained traction within the company. OpenAI has been hosting a series of community feedback events with developers to help shape its upcoming open model release. A local model that can tap into more powerful cloud systems brings to mind Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of AI capabilities that uses a combination of on-device models and models running in “private” data centers. OpenAI stands to benefit in obvious ways. Beyond generating incremental revenue, a handoff could rope more members of the open source community into the company’s premium ecosystem.
A collaborative team from Northwestern University, Microsoft, Stanford, and the University of Washington — including a former DeepSeek researcher named Zihan Wang, currently completing a computer science PhD at Northwestern — has introduced RAGEN, a new system for training and evaluating AI agents that they hope makes them more reliable and less brittle for real-world, enterprise-grade usage. Unlike static tasks like math solving or code generation, RAGEN focuses on multi-turn, interactive settings where agents must adapt, remember, and reason in the face of uncertainty. Built on a custom RL framework called StarPO (State-Thinking-Actions-Reward Policy Optimization), the system explores how LLMs can learn through experience rather than memorization. StarPO-S incorporates three key interventions: Uncertainty-based rollout filtering; KL penalty removal; and Asymmetric PPO clipping. StarPO operates in two interleaved phases: a rollout stage where the LLM generates complete interaction sequences guided by reasoning, and an update stage where the model is optimized using normalized cumulative rewards. This structure supports a more stable and interpretable learning loop compared to standard policy optimization approaches. The team identified three dimensions that significantly impact training: Task diversity, Interaction granularity, and Rollout freshness. Together, these factors make the training process more stable and effective.
Amazon has introduced SWE-PolyBench, the first industry benchmark to evaluate AI coding agents’ ability to navigate and understand complex codebases. The benchmark, which measures system performance in GitHub issues, has spurred the development of capable coding agents and has become the de-facto standard for coding agent benchmarking. SWE-PolyBench contains over 2,000 curated issues in four languages and a stratified subset of 500 issues for rapid experimentation. The benchmark aims to advance AI performance in real-world scenarios. Key features of SWE-PolyBench at a glance: Multi-Language Support: Java (165 tasks), JavaScript (1017 tasks), TypeScript (729 tasks), and Python (199 tasks). Extensive Dataset: 2110 instances from 21 repositories ranging from web frameworks to code editors and ML tools, on the same scale as SWE-Bench full with more repository. Task Variety: Includes bug fixes, feature requests, and code refactoring. Faster Experimentation: SWE-PolyBench500 is a stratified subset for efficient experimentation. Leaderboard: A leaderboard with a rich set of metrics for transparent benchmarking.
Software containerization company Docker is launching the Docker MCP Catalog and Docker MCP Toolkit, which bring more of the AI workflow into the existing Docker developer experience and simplify AI software delivery. The new offerings are based on the emerging Model Context Protocol standard created by its partner Anthropic PBC. Docker argues that the simplest way to use Anthropic’s MCP to improve LLMs is to containerize it. To do that, it offers tools such as Docker Desktop for building, testing and running MCP servers, as well as Docker Hub to distribute their container images, and Docker Scout to ensure they’re secure. By packaging MCP servers as containers, developers can eliminate the hassles of installing dependencies and configuring their runtime environments. The Docker MCP Catalog, integrated within Docker Hub, is a centralized way for developers to discover, run and manage MCP servers, while the Docker MCP Toolkit offers “enterprise-ready tooling” for putting AI applications to work. At launch, there are more than 100 MCP servers available within Docker MCP Catalog. President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Cavage explained that “The Docker MCP Catalog brings that all together in one place, a trusted, developer-friendly experience within Docker Hub, where tools are verified, secure, and easy to run.”
MoneyThumb, a leader in automated document evaluation and fraud detection solutions, was awarded a U.S. patent for its Thumbprint product, an AI-driven technology that enables the authentication of third-party PDF documents. MoneyThumb’s Thumbprint patented technology leverages AI and advanced algorithms to analyze structural, metadata, and content-based patterns within PDF files. By identifying subtle discrepancies and inconsistencies, Thumbprint® helps detect fraud with its AI file tampering detection scoring model that identifies fraudulent activity in seconds, giving funders a powerful defense against risk and loan losses. Ryan Campbell, chief executive officer of MoneyThumb said “By formally protecting our IP, we’re not only strengthening our unique approach but also advancing the fight against digital document fraud across industries like lending, finance, law, and real estate.” MoneyThumb is transforming the lending industry by leading the shift from manual document processes to full automation. Its advanced technology streamlines data extraction and analysis, enabling funders to make faster, more accurate decisions.
MoneyThumb, a leader in automated document evaluation and fraud detection solutions, was awarded a U.S. patent for its Thumbprint product, an AI-driven technology that enables the authentication of third-party PDF documents. MoneyThumb’s Thumbprint patented technology leverages AI and advanced algorithms to analyze structural, metadata, and content-based patterns within PDF files. By identifying subtle discrepancies and inconsistencies, Thumbprint® helps detect fraud with its AI file tampering detection scoring model that identifies fraudulent activity in seconds, giving funders a powerful defense against risk and loan losses. Ryan Campbell, chief executive officer of MoneyThumb said “By formally protecting our IP, we’re not only strengthening our unique approach but also advancing the fight against digital document fraud across industries like lending, finance, law, and real estate.” MoneyThumb is transforming the lending industry by leading the shift from manual document processes to full automation. Its advanced technology streamlines data extraction and analysis, enabling funders to make faster, more accurate decisions.
Peter Thiel-backed AI development startup Sentient is looking to differentiate itself in terms of security with the launch of a new system for deploying AI applications in Trusted Execution Environments. The new Sentient Enclaves Framework v0.70 brings the concept of “confidential computing” to AI development. It’s meant to ensure full data isolation, verifiability and attestation for AI applications, the company said. It uses Amazon Web Services Inc.’s AWS Nitro Enclaves technology to ensure that neither AWA nor the host system is able to access or modify AI workloads. In that way, it says, it provides rock-solid guarantees around AI data security. The Sentient Enclaves use AWS Nitro as a foundation to ensure that applications run as intended, without any possibility of nefarious actors making unauthorized modifications. They’re fully open source too, meaning they’re accessible to anyone who’s interested in using them. With Sentient’s platform, developers can work together on the development of open-source large language models that rely on shared datasets and decentralized computing resources. Its platform is built on blockchain technology, and its ecosystem uses cryptocurrency to reward participants based on their contributions.
Supply chain security startup Socket has acquired cloud-based automated code review software startup Coana ApS for an undisclosed sum. Coana’s offerings include reachability analysis, a method that determines whether identified vulnerabilities in code dependencies are actually exploitable within a specific application. The approach involves constructing detailed call graphs through static control-flow analysis to identify which parts of the code are reachable and which are not, allowing developers to focus on genuine threats. The startups says its methodology significantly reduces false positives by over 80% compared with traditional software composition analysis tools by filtering out irrelevant alerts to allow security teams to prioritize and remediate critical vulnerabilities more efficiently. The technology can be easily integrated into existing development workflows and works on-premise without the need for complex configurations, according to the company. Coana will bring powerful static control flow and call graph analysis to Socket’s platform, allowing teams to prioritize vulnerabilities based on whether they’re actually exploitable in a given codebase.
US digital banking platform Candescent has expanded its partnership with Ninth Wave to launch an integrated open data solution for banks and credit unions. The new offering is designed to facilitate secure, API-based, consumer-permissioned data sharing for banks and credit unions of all sizes. The development aims to support institutions in enhancing customer experience, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance, including adherence to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Rule 1033. The expanded collaboration seeks to replace traditional data-sharing practices—such as screen scraping and manual uploads—with modern, transparent alternatives. The new solution offers seamless integration with third-party applications used by both retail and business banking customers. Candescent chief product officer Gareth Gaston said: “With our integrated solution, banks and credit unions will be able to access Ninth Wave open data capabilities from within the Candescent digital banking platform. By adopting this model, financial institutions are expected to gain improved control over shared data, as well as stronger compliance with evolving regulatory standards. Ninth Wave founder and CEO George Anderson said “This partnership will allow financial institutions of all sizes to gain the operational efficiencies, reliability, and scalability of a single point of integration to open finance APIs and business applications.”
Cloud security and application monitoring giant Datadog is looking to expand the scope of its data observability offerings after acquiring a startup called Metaplane. By adding Metaplane’s tools to its own suite, Datadog said, it will enable its users to identify and take instant action to remedy any data quality issues affecting their most critical business applications. Metaplane has built an end-to-end data observability platform that combines AI with column-level lineage to try and detect, resolve and also prevent data quality problems from occurring. It’s an important tool for any company that’s trying to make data-driven decisions, since “bad” data means those decisions are being made based on the wrong insights. This allows it to notify customers of any issues with the tools that are creating their data, such as Slack, PagerDuty and the like. Datadog Vice President Michael Whetten said, Metaplane’s offerings will help the company to unify observability across data and applications so its customers can “build reliable AI systems.” When the acquisition closes, Metaplane will continue to support its existing customers as a standalone product, though it will be rebranded as “Metaplane by Datadog.” Of course, Datadog will also look to integrate Metaplane’s capabilities within its own platform, and likely do its utmost to get Metaplane’s customers onboard.
Apache Airflow community is out with its biggest update in years, with the debut of the 3.0 release. Apache Airflow 3.0 addresses critical enterprise needs with an architectural redesign that could improve how organizations build and deploy data applications. Unlike previous versions, this release breaks away from a monolithic package, introducing a distributed client model that provides flexibility and security. This new architecture allows enterprises to: Execute tasks across multiple cloud environments; Implement granular security controls; Support diverse programming languages; and Enable true multi-cloud deployments. Airflow 3.0’s expanded language support is also interesting. While previous versions were primarily Python-centric, the new release natively supports multiple programming languages. Airflow 3.0 is set to support Python and Go with planned support for Java, TypeScript and Rust. This approach means data engineers can write tasks in their preferred programming language, reducing friction in workflow development and integration. Instead of running a data processing job every hour, Airflow now automatically starts the job when a specific data file is uploaded or when a particular message appears. This could include data loaded into an Amazon S3 cloud storage bucket or a streaming data message in Apache Kafka.
Relyance AI, a data governance platform provider that secured $32.1 million in Series B funding last October, is launching a new solution aimed at solving one of the most pressing challenges in enterprise AI adoption: understanding exactly how data moves through complex systems. The company’s new Data Journeys platform addresses a critical blind spot for organizations implementing AI — tracking not just where data resides, but how and why it’s being used across applications, cloud services, and third-party systems. Data Journeys provides comprehensive view, showing the complete data lifecycle from original collection through every transformation and use case. The system starts with code analysis rather than simply connecting to data repositories, giving it context about why data is being processed in specific ways. Data Journeys delivers value in four critical areas: First, compliance and risk management: The platform enables organizations to prove the integrity of their data practices when facing regulatory scrutiny. Second, precise bias detection: Rather than just examining the immediate dataset used to train a model, companies can trace potential bias to its source. Third, explainability and accountability: For high-stakes AI decisions like loan approvals or medical diagnoses, understanding the complete data provenance becomes essential. Finally, regulatory compliance: The platform provides a “mathematical proof point” that companies are using data appropriately, helping them navigate increasingly complex global regulations. Customers have seen 70-80% time savings in compliance documentation and evidence gathering.
BlackCloak has launched an industry-first Identity Verification solution to combat deepfake-powered and other impersonation attacks, targeting high-profile executives and individuals. BlackCloak’s new Identity Verification offering is the first to address this rapidly emerging cybersecurity issue by enabling customers who receive a suspicious email to verify the sender’s identity and ensure the message is authentic. Integrated into its Digital Executive Protection platform, this feature enables users to verify the authenticity of suspicious communications, providing vital protection for executives, families, and businesses. BlackCloak’s new Identity Verification feature targets phishing campaigns, such as deepfakes, by allowing the user to prompt the sender to validate that they are who they claim to be through the BlackCloak mobile app. The new feature can combat the impact of deepfakes containing the following attributes: Synthetic Media, Facial Manipulation, Voice Cloning:, and Behavioral Mimicry.
Descope, the drag & drop external IAM platform, launched the Agentic Identity Hub, an industry-first platform that helps organizations solve authentication and authorization challenges for AI agents, systems, and workflows. The Descope no / low code external IAM platform helps organizations easily create, modify, and manage journeys for their consumers, business customers, partners, and APIs / AI agents using visual workflows. Capabilities announced include: 1) Inbound Apps, which provide every application an easy way to become its own identity provider using the OAuth standard. This allows AI agents to securely authenticate, access authorized user data, and take scoped actions on behalf of users with their explicit consent. 2) Outbound Apps, which provide every AI agent builder a secure, scalable way to connect AI agents to external tools without having to manually manage and store tokens, scopes, and permissions. Developers can choose from over 50 out-of-the-box tool integration templates including Gmail, HubSpot, GitHub, Snowflake, Slack, Notion, and Shopify. 3) MCP Auth SDKs and APIs that help developers building and managing remote MCP servers secure their systems with robust authorization controls as well as extend the MCP servers’ functionality by connecting them with multiple OAuth-based services.
Meta is using artificial intelligence tools to identify underage Instagram users who may have lied about their age to bypass platform safeguards. The company has announced that suspected underage users will be automatically placed into restricted “Teen Accounts” even if their account lists them as adults. Teen Accounts offer a controlled experience tailored for users under 16, limiting who can interact with them and restricting certain types of content. Meta claims the shift is designed to protect younger users and promote safe online behavior. Techniques include analyzing contextual clues, such as birthday wishes or tip-offs from other users, and comparing them with the stated age. Users will have the option to contest the AI’s decision and adjust their settings if misclassified. Meta will begin notifying parents directly, offering guidance on how to talk to teens about providing accurate age information online and encouraging them to verify their child’s listed birthday on Instagram.
WaveCX, provider of personalized, digital product engagement solutions for financial institutions, launched Curator Command, a major advancement in digital banking user experience (UX) that transforms natural language requests into direct in-app action. Built as an extension of the Curator platform, Curator Command expands on its AI-driven, semantic search capabilities, moving beyond simply understanding user intent to acting on it. Digital banking users often face friction when trying to complete basic tasks, including navigating complex menus, disconnected flows and overloaded support teams. Curator Command eliminates this friction by instantly connecting user intent to the right screen, step or solution, streamlining task completion and reducing reliance on manual navigation. The system enables customers and employees to type requests in plain language, understands the intent, reads app structure and real-time context, and activates the appropriate response. Curator Command adapts to each financial institution’s policies, user roles and app structure, rather than relying on prebuilt workflows or manually tagged flows. The platform reads the interface, understands user context and delivers accurate results from day one. Key benefits for financial institutions include: Reduced support volume and faster resolution; Increased adoption of digital tools and services; Faster onboarding and lower training costs; and A more responsive and intuitive user experience.
According to an APK teardown done by Android Authority, an upcoming beta version of Gboard looks to be bringing on a few new features. The biggest one is something we see in Apple’s version of a digital keyboard. When typing, swiping down or “flicking” a key will pull down a symbol or number, allowing you to easily select a secondary character without having to break up momentum to tap and hold. The action comes naturally after some practice and works phenomenally well, if executed correctly. In Gboard, this new feature is found in a toggle labeled “flick keys to enter symbols.” It’s unclear whether this feature will work with numbers in the top row of the keyboard or only symbols. It’d be a little nonsensical to allow for only symbols to be “flicked” into the text bar. It’s also strange that this feature borrows terminology from iOS, though “flicking” would imply an upward swipe, not a downward one as described. Gboard is also adding a toggle for keeping the number row active in password layouts. This is accompanied by prompt entry in the writing tools tab, as well as rounded keys in Gboard.
Gmail is rolling out a handy new “Manage subscriptions” page that allows users to unsubscribe from email subscriptions with a single tap, though it appears to only be on Android so far. A notice in the app shows to inform users of the new option, with a “Manage subscriptions” button in the overflow menu. The new page, which was previously spotted just over a year ago, lists out email addresses and names for your email subscriptions. It also shows how many emails were sent “recently.” A button to the right side of the display then allows users to quickly unsubscribe from emails from that sender. In our testing so far, this generally works in a single click, though a small number of the ones we tried did pop up a browsing window to complete the process. Google adds that it “can take senders a few days to stop sending messages” after you use the unsubscribe shortcut.
A survey from Western & Southern Financial Group found that nearly a third of Americans surveyed have memorized at least one debit or credit card number. What’s more, 20% of respondents who know their card numbers spend more than $500 per month online, compared to just 13% of those who haven’t. They also carry, on average, 10% more debt than non-memorizers. The survey found a significant generation gap, with almost half of respondents who memorize their card numbers falling into the millennial group. Overall, more than a third of millennials have memorized at least one card number. The reasons people gave for memorizing their numbers also varied across generations. More than two-thirds of Gen Z respondents said they did so to make online shopping easier, while, 20% of baby boomers memorized their card numbers specifically to avoid using digital wallets. Gen Z was also the most likely to feel that knowing their card numbers led to more impulse buying and overspending. In contrast, a third of the baby boomers were the most likely to report that memorizing their card numbers had improved their financial discipline. There is some evidence that memorization goes hand in hand with responsible behavior. A total of 70% of memorizers checked their credit card or bank statements at least weekly, compared to 61% of non-memorizers. However, impulse buying was also slightly more common among memorizers. Roughly 26% made unplanned purchases, compared to 23% of non-memorizers. Memorizers were also somewhat more likely to shop when stressed.
Albertsons Companies is deploying the Criteo Onsite Video solution to place shoppable video ads from CPG companies participating in its Albertsons Media Collective retail media network. As a result, Albertsons can now offer CPG advertisers a full-funnel onsite advertising suite combining video, display and sponsored product ad formats in one unified platform. Albertsons Media Collective is a beta partner for Criteo Onsite Video, and in a test campaign found that shoppers exposed to both onsite video and sponsored product ads delivered a 280% increase in click-through rates. When paired with sponsored product ads, onsite video ads also drove a 460% lift in sales. Other initiatives Albertsons intends to launch to enhance its retail media network in 2025 include bringing together the insights that Albertsons Media Collective has in order to create automation around its main media planning process, as well as bringing more transparency to measurement. “Video has always been a powerful storytelling tool but rarely a direct driver of commerce – until now,” said Stephen Howard-Sarin, managing director, retail media, Americas at Criteo. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for retail media. With the launch of onsite video into general availability, we’re giving brands, agencies and retailers the tools to captivate, convert and create meaningful shopping experiences.”
Linktree is launching a set of new features aimed at helping creators earn more money directly from its platform. The company is partnering with Kajabi, to allow users to build and sell courses directly on Linktree. The new capability will enable creators to monetize their expertise. Creators can set the price for their courses and start earning through a Stripe integration. Linktree is also making it easier for creators to sell digital products like e-books, templates, guides, and more. Now, creators can sell digital products directly through Linktree without a third-party involved. This means that Linktree can now charge a take rate on digital goods sold through the platform. These rates are based on the Linktree plan you’re on. In addition, everyone in the U.S. on Linktree can now build a shop to earn commission on products. As for the new sponsored links capability, brands can now pay creators directly for space on their Linktree. Linktree is also launching “Rewards,” which is a new incentive program that offers creators perks like bonus commissions when they reach certain milestones. The program could lead to direct brand collabs. Every creator on Linktree will get access to a new “wallet” that will house all of the earning that they make from these features. The launch of the new monetization features will help Linktree stand out among other similar platforms like Beacons and Shorby, as they expand on Linktree’s simple link-in-bio service.
Belle Tire has partnered with financial services company Synchrony to make car care more affordable. The Belle Tire private label credit card, part of the Synchrony Car Care network, will provide customers with access to flexible financing options for a wide range of automotive products and services. Cardholders can take advantage of six months of promotional financing on purchases of $199 or more and twelve months of promotional financing on purchases of $1,000 or more. Additionally, the Synchrony Car Care credit card can be used not only at Belle Tire locations but also at more than 1 million gas stations, auto parts retailers, and service locations nationwide. Synchrony collaborated with 1stMILE, Belle Tire’s integrated payment provider, to help to ensure a seamless rollout of financing options across all Belle Tire locations, enabling the company to reach more customers from a single platform. Belle Tire customers can apply for Synchrony financing through multiple channels, including in-store pin pads, QR codes, text-to-apply options, and on BelleTire.com, using Synchrony’s pre-qualification and digital application solutions. With the ability to pay for everything from routine maintenance to unexpected repairs, as well as for parking and car rentals, the Synchrony Car Care Network aims to simplify automotive financial management while providing “flexibility and convenience” for cardholders.
Bilt Rewards now enables students to earn rewards on their student housing payments and redeem their rewards toward student loan payments. The first of these new capabilities results from the expansion of the Bilt Rewards network of homes to include student housing properties, beginning with those of its launch partner American Campus Communities (ACC). This partnership with ACC, which is a student housing company and a Blackstone portfolio company, will begin in late May at two properties at Baylor University and then expand in the coming months to the broader ACC portfolio that serves nearly 140,000 students. The collaboration extends to student housing properties the Bilt Rewards payments and commerce network that transforms housing and neighborhood spending into rewards and benefits. The other new feature announced — the ability for Bilt members to redeem their Bilt Points toward eligible student loan payments — is the first of its kind for Bilt Rewards. Starting Wednesday, Bilt members can redeem Bilt Points on student loans with five servicers: Nelnet, MOHELA, Sallie Mae, Aidvantage and Navient.
Embedded payroll startup Salsa continues to gain momentum. With a newly secured $20 million in Series A funding, its total capital is $30 million since its founding in 2021. The round was led by Altos Ventures, with additional participation from Greycroft, SemperVirens, Definition and Better Tomorrow Ventures. Altos Ventures Partner Tae Yoon said, “Payroll is one of the clear next frontiers in embedded FinTech. … We are thrilled to partner with Salsa as it becomes the foundational layer for payroll across entire industries.” The new funding will support Salsa’s efforts to help software platform developers in all 50 U.S. states and Canada embed payroll features in their products that they didn’t previously have. This includes launching integrated payroll offerings and tools that streamline tasks like worker onboarding, tax filings and tracking commissions, tips, overtime and employees who work in multiple locations — all without the need to have in-house payroll expertise.
The U.S. stock market remains extremely attractive to investors around the world, simply because of its sheer size and liquidity. But it’s still quite difficult for investors in other parts of the globe to trade stocks on U.S. exchanges. Startup Alpaca has quietly capitalized on that opportunity by offering an API to financial services firms that lets them sell trading services to their consumer user bases. Alpaca claims it serves more than 5 million brokerage accounts, and has more than 200 financial clients in 40 countries. To build on that traction, Alpaca has raised $52 million in a Series C funding round to expand into more foreign markets, including the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. The startup just opened a new office in New York, and it plans to use the fresh cash to obtain more regulatory licenses in different regions, similar to those it already has in the U.S., Japan, and the Bahamas, its co-founder and CEO Yoshi Yokokawa told. Alpaca will also use the proceeds to develop new products, add non-U.S. products like European and Asian equities, and support 24/5 trading of U.S. stocks. “When new banks want to improve their products for their customers, they prefer to work with modern partners because their customers want modern solutions. So that is how we are currently winning the market share over them,” Yokokawa added.
Investing.co, a provider of financial news, tools and data to retail investors, has launched an AI-driven researcher called WarrenAI. WarrenAI promises to bridge the gap between Wall Street traders and retail player by combining the ease of ChatGPT with trusted premium market data and raw analytical power. The tool, claims Investing.com, is a personal, devoted financial researcher, with superhuman capacity and expertise, and which can answer just about any question with faster market reactions than a fleet of Wall Street analysts. The technology will launch in over 30 languages. While existing AI software such as ChatGPT source data from the entire web, WarrenAI has exclusive access to vetted, real-time, data on global markets. Investors get access to an array of over 1200 fundamental metrics spanning more than 72,000 companies, ETFs, mutual funds, closed-end funds and REITs, complete with a decade’s worth of historical data. In addition to condensing months of detailed financial news into summaries, WarrenAI can deliver SWOT analysis, provide the bearish and bullish cases for thousands of stocks, gather breaking Wall Street analyst outlooks, and run advanced stock screeners within seconds.
Vanguard is launching the firm’s first dynamic asset allocation fixed income model portfolios. Vanguard Fixed Income Risk Diversification and Vanguard Fixed Income Total Return join the firm’s lineup of model portfolios that provide financial advisors with access to broadly diversified, low-cost, and high-quality Vanguard-managed solutions. “Model portfolios empower financial advisors with streamlined investment manager research and ongoing portfolio construction and monitoring, so they can spend time on the things that really matter to their clients—like ensuring they’re meeting their investment goals,” said Brent Beardsley, Head of Advisor Solutions for Vanguard. Built to serve a variety of investment time horizons and risk profiles, Vanguard’s model portfolios support financial advisors’ portfolio construction needs so they can spend more time scaling their practice and deepening client relationships. Deeper client relationships lead to improved client loyalty and trust, according to Vanguard’s Advisor’s Alpha research, which can then assist with asset retention and referrals. Vanguard Fixed Income Risk Diversification and Vanguard Fixed Income Total Return model portfolios seek to outperform a market-capitalization-weighted benchmark—the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index and Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index respectively—and allocations are recalibrated throughout the year to align with the Vanguard Capital Markets Model® (VCMM) 10-year forecasts. Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group oversees the asset allocations for the models and Vanguard’s Fixed Income Group manages the fixed income funds included in each portfolio. The Vanguard Fixed Income Risk Diversification model portfolio features a weighted average expense ratio of 0.05% and is constructed for advisors and their clients in search of a highly diversified fixed income portfolio with exposure to global investment grade bonds intended to provide ballast against equity market volatility. Vanguard Fixed Income Total Return model portfolio is designed for advisors and clients seeking wealth accumulation and risk diversification from the fixed income sleeve of their portfolio. This model portfolio contains exposure to global investment grade and high yield bonds at a weighted average expense ratio of 0.08%.
Consumers’ perception of Apple’s AI platform is more favorable than that of investors, Morgan Stanley said in a research note. Morgan Stanley said it found that the Apple Intelligence platform has been downloaded and engaged with by 80% of eligible U.S. iPhone owners in the last six months, has an above average net promoter score of 53, and is characterized by iPhone users as “easy to use, innovative, and something that improves their user experience.” “While much of the public critique of Apple Intelligence is warranted, and investor sentiment and expectations on Apple’s AI platform couldn’t be lower, our survey of iPhone owners paints a more positive picture,” Morgan Stanley said in the note. Since September, the share of iPhone owners who believe it is extremely or very important to have Apple Intelligence support on their next iPhone rose 15 points to reach 42%. Among iPhone owners who are likely to upgrade their device in the next 12 months, the percentage saying that about the AI platform rose 20 points to reach 54%, according to the note. Morgan Stanley also found that consumers are willing to pay more for Apple Intelligence than they were in September. Those who have used the AI platform are now willing to pay an average of $9.11 per month for it, a figure that’s 11% higher than the $8.17 average seen in September, per the note. While we don’t expect Apple to put Apple Intelligence behind a paywall until the platform is more built out, the potential long-term monetization of an Apple Intelligence subscription could reach tens of billions of dollars annually when considering a 1.4B global iPhone installed base, 32% (and growing) of US iPhone owners have an Apple Intelligence support iPhone, and users are willing to pay up to $9.11/month for Apple Intelligence,” Morgan Stanley said in the note.
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