Gen Alpha has eclipsed $100 billion in annual spending power, according to new research from DKC Analytics. The average Gen Alpha child has roughly $67 of their own money to spend in a typical week, totaling approximately $3,484 per year. The majority (91%) of Gen Alpha are actively earning money through payment for chores, payment for good grades or behavior, doing odd jobs outside of the house, and online selling/reselling. Eighty-three percent of parents provide an allowance, with $20 being the median weekly allowance for Gen Alpha children. According to the report, more than four-in-10 (42%) Gen Alpha parents say that their household spending is influenced by their child’s opinions. This rises to nearly half (49%) for those with a household income greater than $100K. When asked, a majority (86%) of parents could name a brand or retailers they learned about from their child. Food (99%), movies/TV (97%), video games (96%) and music (96%) are the categories where parents’ spending decisions are most impacted by their Gen Alpha children’s opinions. Two-thirds (66%) of parents have tried new or different foods based on their child’s recommendations. Traveling to a new or different vacation destination (52%), trying new beauty products (49%) and watching new or different sports (46%) were also areas when parents made new decisions based on Gen Alpha opinions. 61% of Gen Alpha parents are making more purchases online. 66% of parents say their Gen Alpha children will eventually depend on AI to shop (an increase of 11% from 2024). 77% of parents say their Gen Alpha children are screen addicts. 66% of parents now know online influences and content creators followed by their Gen Alpha child.
Bank of America, Circle and the DTCC, have used the Canton Network blockchain platform to complete the first full on-chain financing of US Treasuries (UST) against the USDC stablecoin
A group of financial firms, including Bank of America, Circle and the DTCC, have used the Canton Network blockchain platform to complete the first full on-chain financing of US Treasuries (UST) against the USDC stablecoin. The live transaction – executed on Tradeweb – was conducted entirely on-chain, with USDC serving as the cash leg and on-chain UST as collateral, providing true 24/7 liquidity and eliminating the limitations of off-ledger cash and market-hour restrictions seen in legacy implementations. Digital Asset, the Wall Street-backed firm behind the Canton Network, says the transaction marks a “foundational step” towards building capital markets where high-quality liquid assets, such as UST, are available and usable at all times, regardless of traditional market hours or legacy settlement constraints. The partners also argue that the breakthrough will combine the strengths of traditional and crypto markets, pairing institutional trust and scale with the flexibility and programmability of DeFi. Market participants – including Citadel Securities and Societe Generale – used Tradeweb’s execution capabilities to access automated financing outside of market hours. The trade was executed without disclosing individual role allocations. Kelly Mathieson, chief business development officer, Digital Asset, says: “This first live transaction is a foundational step in building the Global Collateral Network on the Canton Network. It demonstrates how market participants can unlock real-time collateral mobility and round-the-clock financing using assets on chain, which lays the groundwork for a fundamentally more efficient and accessible global financial system.”
HUMBL AI-native MultiCortex OS enables local AI video, image, and text generation with on-device edge processing for privacy—no token fees or cloud sync
HUMBL will begin selling the CortexPC – a proprietary line of AI-native computers. The CortexPC will be powered by the MultiCortex operating system, a revolutionary platform designed for next-generation personal and enterprise computing, with a full focus on privacy and high performance. This launch delivers computers with an AI-native operating system and heterogeneous computing capabilities. The first line of desktops and edge computing units featuring MultiCortex technology will debut through a dedicated website and select physical store partnerships, in a soft launch bringing this next-generation system directly to U.S. consumers and businesses. MultiCortex does not monetize or sell user data. No profiling, no trackers, no targeted ads – ever. What Makes MultiCortex Different: AI-native OS – provides various AI capabilities, such as generating videos, images, and text. Privacy focused – all processing remains on the device; no data collection or third-party data brokerages. For Enterprises: No Token Charges – You are not billed based on input/output tokens; Unlimited Usage – No token limits or complex cost tracking; Fixed SaaS-Style Pricing – Subscription-based with no hidden token fees. Unlike services such as ChatGPT, MultiCortex does not use AI token-based pricing. Privacy by Design: How MultiCortex Protects You: Edge-based processing (AI outside the cloud): All AI computing happens locally – your data never leaves your device; No cloud synchronization for voice commands, files, or behavior patterns.
Sentient’s The GRID offers the world’s largest open-source AI network, letting developers monetize and coordinate artificial intelligence agents across real-world environments
Open-source AI development platform provider Sentient Foundation has launched The GRID, a “network of intelligence” that is designed to let developers monetize and coordinate artificial intelligence agents across real-world environments. The GRID varies from proprietary marketplaces from the likes of OpenAI and AWS Inc. by being developer-led, open to all and designed to let builders monetize and orchestrate intelligent agents across open, real-world environments. At launch, The GRID features more than 40 specialized agents, 50 data sources and more than 10 models. The agents include generative graphics engine Napkin and fast-growing search startup Exa Inc., as well as ecosystem agents deployed across multiple blockchains, such as Base, BNB, Polygon, Arbitrum, Celo and Near. The GRID also lays the foundation for composability between agents, which Sentience says allows for multiple requests to be routed via numerous AI agents. The agents and data sources are accessible through Sentient Chat, a consumer interface that allows users to discover, invoke and compose agents and data sources into task workflows. The agents on The GRID can perform real tasks, not just wrap prompts, whether coordinating calendar actions, generating code visualizing wallet data, or synthesizing search results. The new service offers developers full transparency, monetization pathways and distribution. Builders can plug in their own agents, models, or tools and earn token-based rewards as users stake against their favorite agents, data sources, training libraries and models and interact with them in real time. For developers, The GRID offers more than just agent distribution by also supporting a growing ecosystem of open AI “artifacts,” including models, datasets, compute resources and tooling, that can all be integrated, composed and monetized. The GRID also benefits users, who gain access to a diverse ecosystem of AI agents with clear provenance and the ability to customize, compose, or swap components. Sentient’s staking mechanism introduces a feedback loop: the more conviction users have in a given agent, the more that agent is funded and surfaced, democratizing both innovation and economic upside.
J.D. Power study says in-vehicle payments are making a comeback and can succeed if automakers focus on convenience purchases that directly enhance the vehicle experience and with simple and user-friendly from within the infotainment system
During the past decade, J.D. Power has supported automakers in understanding user experiences across more than 100 new technologies, demonstrating a commitment to advancing automotive innovation through consumer insights. The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study enhances these insights with the addition of a smart vehicle category that highlights the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in vehicles.
- Genesis ranks highest overall and highest among premium brands for innovation for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 538 (on a 1,000-point scale). Cadillac (526) ranks second and Lincoln (523) ranks third.
- Hyundai ranks highest among mass market brands for innovation for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 493. Kia (474) ranks second and Mitsubishi (471) ranks third.
- Land Rover Defender is the premium model receiving the comfort and convenience award for its advanced air purification system. Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Sequoia, each in a tie, are the mass market models receiving the comfort and convenience award for camera rear-view mirror technology.
- Genesis GV80 is the premium model receiving the connected vehicle award for phone-based digital key. Hyundai Santa Fe is the mass market model receiving the connected vehicle award, also for phone-based digital key.
- GMC Hummer EV SUV receives the award for driver assist in the premium segment for active lane change assist. Hyundai Santa Fe receives the award for driver assist in the mass market segment for its blind spot camera.
- Kia EV9 receives the award for electric vehicle in the mass market segment for one pedal driving. The premium segment in the electric vehicle category is not award eligible this year.
Following are some key findings of the 2025 study:
- Smart technologies can improve vehicle quality and satisfaction scores: Certain smart technologies are beginning to positively affect initial vehicle quality scores. For instance, smart climate control systems—which can automatically adjust the vehicle’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to improve comfort and efficiency—have shown a notable improvement year over year in user experience, with a reported drop of 6.3 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS).SM This reduction in issues has also driven higher satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM among users who have this feature. This offers a much-needed workaround to address the increasing complexity of climate controls being migrated into the infotainment system.
- Car wash mode a shiny promise with muddied execution: Car wash mode, a new feature tracked in the TXI Study this year, is intended to automatically prepare the vehicle to go through a car wash, initiating actions such as closing all windows and disabling the windshield wipers, among others. It is a feature that sounds good in theory, but is often buried within the infotainment system, making it difficult to find, which causes delays and frustration, especially when in line at a car wash. This results in more than one-third (38%) of owners who say they need better instructions to use it. Another 15% say the feature is too slow to perform the necessary tasks to prepare the vehicle for a wash. Ultimately, despite its potential benefits, the complicated accessibility of the car wash mode and lack of user guidance are preventing it from becoming a widely adopted feature.
- In-vehicle payments making a comeback: Previous executions of in-vehicle shopping and payment systems within the infotainment system have been hindered by limited app offerings, complex interfaces and lengthy purchasing processes, all of which have contributed to low adoption. However, in-vehicle payment capabilities are gaining interest, with 62% of owners expressing a desire for this feature. At present, the most common uses are paying for charging, fuel, parking and tolls. “The next generation of in-vehicle shopping and payment systems has the potential to succeed if automakers focus on convenience purchases that directly enhance the vehicle experience, such as parking and fuel, and design access within the infotainment system to be simple and user-friendly,” Kathleen Rizk, senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at J.D. Power said.
- Recognition technologies now next challenge drivers face: Owners’ perceptions of vehicle quality have shifted from broken components to issues with usability, mainly due to complex infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Currently, problems increasingly focus on technology requiring connectivity. In the future, according to findings in the TXI Study, the next evolution of vehicle quality problems owners will likely face will be related to inconsistent performance of recognition and authentication technologies. These technologies include biometric authentication (29.2 PP100); touchless or hidden controls (19.6 PP100); and direct driver monitoring (19.4 PP100), which are the technologies with the highest number of problems reported in the TXI Study. As automakers navigate challenges with recognition technologies, the focus must remain on ensuring that advancements enhance—rather than hinder—the overall driving experience.
- Blind spot camera is a customer must-have technology: A large majority (93%) of customers say they use the blind spot camera most of the time, and 74% say they desire the feature in a future vehicle. Notably, vehicles that include this feature also spend less time on dealer lots compared with those that lack it.
Fed agency conditionally clears Rocket’s $9.4B Mr. Cooper deal, imposing 20% counterparty caps and safeguards to protect Fannie, Freddie, and broader mortgage‑market stability
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve Rocket Companies’ planned acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group, noting the combined company should not exceed a 20% counterparty risk limit set for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Rocket announced in March that it would acquire Mr. Cooper — the nation’s largest mortgage servicer — in an all-stock deal valued at $9.4 billion. At the same time, Rocket was also pursuing a $1.75 billion acquisition of real estate brokerage and home search platform Redfin. FHFA staff reviewed the merger of “two of the Enterprises’ largest individual seller-servicer counterparties” and recommended that Fannie and Freddie each maintain strict 20% concentration caps, along with other financial and operational safeguards to protect the GSEs and the broader housing market. “No market participant should have greater than 20% of Fannie or Freddie’s servicing market in order to ensure the safety and soundness of the mortgage market and the overall economy,” the statement reads. The deal would give Rocket a $2.1 trillion servicing portfolio across nearly 10 million customers — roughly one in six U.S. mortgages. As of the second quarter of 2025, Mr. Cooper’s $1.5 trillion servicing book represented 10.4% of the top 25 largest servicers, while Rocket’s $616.7 billion portfolio accounted for 4.25%, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. Rocket is also the nation’s third-largest mortgage lender, with $46.8 billion in originations in the first half of 2025 (5.5% market share). Mr. Cooper ranked 10th with $17.7 billion in volume and a 2.1% share. Financially, Rocket swung to a $34 million profit in Q2, compared with a $212 million loss in the prior quarter. The company expects to close the Mr. Cooper deal in Q4 2025, highlighting the expanded servicing portfolio as key to Rocket’s customer recapture strategy. Brian Brown, Rocket’s chief financial officer, told analysts that Rocket remains “active,” particularly for assets with “high recapture potential.”
Affirm’s card, blending features of traditional debit cards and credit cards, helps it end fiscal year on a high note- active cardholders grew 97% and 0% APR GMV more than tripled, making up about 14% of all GMV on the card
Affirm’s stock soared Friday on the heels of better-than-expected fiscal earnings that saw the buy now/pay later hit its highly anticipated profitability target it set out a year ago. The company’s stock jumped as much as 19% in morning trading in New York Friday before paring some of those gains in the afternoon. As of 1:48 p.m. ET, shares of Affirm were trading at $88.60, an increase of 12.1% or $9.55, from market open. Revenue and net income for the quarter ending June 30 beat analysts’ expectations, according to S&P CapitalIQ. Revenue landed at $876.4 million, an increase of 33% year over year and ahead of analysts’ estimates of $837.1 million. Net income hit $69.24M, or 20 cents per share, ahead of an expected $39.8 million, or 11 cents per share. Affirm’s fiscal Q4 marked the first time that the company achieved operating income profitability, CEO Max Levchin said in his letter to shareholders. This time last year, Affirm’s stock surged nearly 30% after its quarterly earnings pointed to a faster path to profitability, a milestone that investors have since been anticipating. “We consider Affirm the best-positioned BNPL provider in a burgeoning market, poised to take share through better user experience and transparent pricing, manifested through a superior underwriting model,” William Blair analyst Andrew Jeffrey said in a research note. Active customers hit 23 million, an increase of 23% from the same period last year, and active merchants grew 19% to almost 380,000. Delinquencies landed at 2.3%, a decrease of 10 basis points. Gross merchandise value hit $10.4 billion, an increase of 43% compared to the same period last year, driven largely by 0% APR installment loans and the company’s direct to consumer business, including the Affirm Card. The Affirm Card, which has been a greenfield for the lender, continued on its growth trajectory. GMV tallied $1.2 billion, an increase of 132% year over year. Active cardholders grew 97% and 0% APR GMV on the Affirm Card more than tripled, making up about 14% of all GMV on the card. Affirm also set out fiscal 2026 guidance that surprised investors. The company expects GMV to be greater than $46 billion, and revenue to be about 8% of GMV, or $336 million. “At a high level, we have no weaknesses to report to investors, whether assessing consumer demand, borrower profile, credit performance, product mix, merchant marketing spend, funding outlook, or operating leverage,” Citizens Bank analyst David Scharf said in a research note. “We are typically reluctant to resort to the cliché of ‘firing on all cylinders,’ yet the results and the company’s initial FY26 (June) guidance point to this conclusion.” Mizuho analyst Dan Dolov called the guidance “amazing” on the call Thursday night. And JPMorgan Securities analyst Reginald Smith said Affirm has a history of “beating raising guidance throughout the year. We note FY25 and FY24 GMV ended up coming in 9% (~$3.2bn) and 11% (~$2.6bn) ahead of guidance first provided on the F4Q call,” Smith said. Commenting on hitting the company’s profitability targets, Levchin addressed buy now/pay later naysayers in his letter to shareholders. “Only a few moments ago it was a matter of some debate (outside our walls, of course) whether Affirm would so much as survive the rising Fed funds rate, let alone turn a profit,” Levchin said. “And a few before that, whether it was possible to make money in consumer lending without the profit pools afforded by late fees and compounding interest. And a little earlier still, whether anyone would even trade the sloppy ease of revolving credit for the binary precision of individually underwritten transactions.”
Gaia Labs champions a decentralized AI economy where data, compute and expertise contributors retain ownership and auto earn usage‑based rewards through tracked agents, identity, compliance and payments rails.
AI systems are trained on enormous amounts of data and powered by vast compute resources but the people and institutions providing those inputs rarely receive credit or compensation for their knowledge. The value is captured by a handful of corporations that control the resulting models. Gaia Labs, co-founded by CEO Matt Wright, Shashank Sripada and Sydney Lai aims to change that. Its premise is straightforward: anyone who contributes something of value to an AI system, whether its data, compute or expertise, should remain the owner of their contribution and share in the rewards when that system is used. Gaia’s infrastructure tracks usage and distributes rewards automatically. Gaia doesn’t retroactively redistribute past training material. Instead, it creates infrastructure for the future, where contributors decide whether to participate and maintain visibility and control. Gaia provides modular building blocks for compute, identity, data rights and payments. Developers select or design an AI agent template, connect their data, and decide where to run it—on Gaia’s distributed network or their own infrastructure. From there, Gaia automates compliance, identity verification, and payments. Once deployed, agents perform tasks, serve users, and log usage. Rewards are shared across contributors, whether they provided compute, data, or domain expertiseGaia differentiates itself by offering end-to-end infrastructure, removing the need for developers to piece together multiple tools. For startups, Gaia means freedom to build without corporate gatekeepers. For enterprises, it enables responsible training of AI on proprietary or sensitive data. For individuals, it offers recognition and rewards for contributions—whether from a home GPU or a specialized dataset.
Contextual payments research reveals $240 billion e‑commerce opportunity through agentic commerce, programmable money integration, and infrastructure‑driven transactions across multiple industry sectors
This U.S. Payments Forum’s latest white paper explores the transformative potential of contextual payments within the realms of artificial intelligence (AI), 5G wireless technology, and internet of things (IoT). Contextual payments enable the promise of seamless transactions embedded within everyday activities, leveraging advanced technologies to enhance user experience and operational efficiency. By integrating AIdriven decision-making, high-speed 5G connectivity, and IoT-enabled devices, contextual payments offer an opportunity for a potentially frictionless and secure payment process that aligns with consumer behavior and preferences. The paper describes use cases, including smart retail, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and healthcare, illustrating how these technologies can revolutionize commerce. Also addressed are critical considerations such as security, consumer consent, and infrastructure requirements. The white paper goal is to provide a broad overview to help orient and assist stakeholders considering how to navigate the complexities and opportunities of this innovative payment ecosystem. In conclusion, the combination of AI, 5G, and IoT in contextual commerce payments is set to transform the landscape of digital transactions across retail, housing, mobility, entertainment, and other sectors. Technology synergies will drive unparalleled levels of convenience and personalization in a secure way. Bringing this convenience to the consumer will shift transactional responsibilities from consumers to the infrastructure, requiring effective management of complex back-end systems to ensure seamless experiences. This white paper serves as a wide-ranging guide for helping stakeholders to better understand, prepare for, adopt, and leverage the transformative power of contextual payments and agentic commerce, highlighting stakeholder considerations such as infrastructure requirements, security, and authentication. Technological convergence offers vast opportunities for innovation in contextual payments.
Virtual credit cards can reshape operational workflows of travel sector by enabling booking platforms, hotel management systems, payment processors, and card issuers to work together to create a unified data and payment flow while also reducing disputes and fraud risk
Vantage Market Research estimates the global virtual card market will triple by 2030. For an industry like travel—where payments move across borders, pass through multiple systems, and often involve fragmented reconciliation—this technology has the potential to reshape both operational workflows and financial strategies. At their core, virtual credit cards work much like traditional corporate credit cards, with one defining difference: they exist only in digital form. A VCC is typically issued for a single transaction or for use within a limited time window. Each is assigned a unique number and can be configured with precise parameters such as a fixed spending limit, an expiration date, or merchant category restrictions. This design offers two important advantages. First, it sharply limits the potential for fraud. If a number is compromised, it becomes useless after the specified transaction or timeframe. Second, it enables transaction-level control, allowing businesses to tie payments directly to specific invoices or bookings. The value of VCCs is maximized when booking platforms, hotel property management systems, payment processors, and card issuers work together to create a unified data and payment flow. DerbySoft’s approach reflects this reality, partnering with established payment technology providers like Conferma and Voxel Group to integrate VCC processing across multiple distribution channels. These collaborations help hotels and distributors operate with greater speed and accuracy, while also reducing disputes and fraud risk. DerbySoft has developed its Payment Connector to help distributors and hotels process VCCs with some of the lowest rates available in the market. The platform also embeds VCC handling directly into the booking workflow, so payment details arrive pre-configured and easy for hotel staff to access, reducing front desk confusion and streamlining reconciliation. This kind of integration aims to balance the security and efficiency benefits of VCCs with the operational realities of running a hotel.