Meta unveiled its new V-JEPA 2 AI model, a “world model” that is designed to help AI agents understand the world around them. V-JEPA 2 is an extension of the V-JEPA model that Meta released last year, which was trained on over 1 million hours of video. This training data is supposed to help robots or other AI agents operate in the physical world, understanding and predicting how concepts like gravity will impact what happens next in a sequence. Meta depicts examples where a robot may be confronted with, for example, the point-of-view of holding a plate and a spatula and walking toward a stove with cooked eggs. The AI can predict that a very likely next action would be to use the spatula to move the eggs to the plate. According to Meta, V-JEPA 2 is 30x faster than Nvidia’s Cosmos model, which also tries to enhance intelligence related to the physical world. However, Meta may be evaluating its own models according to different benchmarks than Nvidia. “We believe world models will usher a new era for robotics, enabling real-world AI agents to help with chores and physical tasks without needing astronomical amounts of robotic training data,” explained Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun.
The issuer-acquirer landscape to pivot to a hybrid model where multi-intermediary driven fiat rails to coexist with single-settlement layer of stablecoin payments particularly in cross-border commerce, digital marketplaces and creator economies
Stablecoins are evolving from niche crypto tools into digital payment infrastructure, with major players like Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, Visa, Stripe and more exploring their integration to streamline settlement. The traditional issuer-acquirer-merchant landscape is one where every transaction is a dance of communication and trust, usually routed through multiple intermediaries and settlement layers — each adding time, cost and complexity. Stablecoins can promise to rewrite that choreography. In their most immediate and least controversial use case, stablecoins serve as a settlement layer, or a way to move money between parties more quickly and at lower cost than existing bank rails. Stablecoins promise efficiency, speed and reduced costs, particularly in underserved or high-inflation markets, but they raise regulatory and operational concerns, such as the lack of standardized dispute resolution, chargebacks and liability protections. Ultimately, despite the disruptive potential, stablecoins are unlikely to fully displace the issuer-acquirer model anytime soon. More likely is a hybrid future, where stablecoin-based payments coexist alongside fiat rails, particularly in cross-border commerce, digital marketplaces and creator economies.
Bringing stablecoins to Shopify indicates redesigning payment systems to handle complex checkout steps like tax finalization while offering the flexibility of credit cards without the need for new gateways or integrations
Shopify is joining forces with Coinbase and Stripe to bring frictionless, secure stablecoin payments to merchants around the world. Now in early access, merchants can accept USDC from customers globally on the Base network, using their existing payment and order fulfillment flows—no integrations or new gateways required. Customers can pay with USDC on Base from hundreds of supported crypto wallets, on guest checkout and with Shop Pay. Merchants will receive their local currency by default, with no foreign transaction or exchange fees—or they can choose to claim USDC directly into their own wallet. Three key innovations came together to make this possible. Stability without compromise, Fast, borderless transactions, Effortless checkouts. Bringing stablecoins to Shopify means redesigning payment systems to address real-world commerce needs. Merchants need payment systems that can handle complex transactions and checkout steps like tax finalization and inventory reservation. Shopify and Coinbase addressed these challenges with a first-of-its-kind smart contract: Merchants get the familiar “authorize now, capture later” flexibility of credit cards, with the speed and global reach of stablecoins.
Postman’s platform improves API discoverability by enabling any public API on its network of over 100,000 public APIs to be turned into an MCP server, with a verified domain, auth controls and good documentation
API discoverability has always been important, but it’s becoming increasingly more important as AI agents become more prevalent, says Abhinav Asthana, CEO and co-founder of Postman. Sterling Chin, senior developer advocate at Postman, said that the industry needs to get to a point where an API is so easy to digest that it’s just like building with LEGO. Postman launched a network for verified MCP servers. “We basically took all the remote MCP servers available, verified them, and put them on the public network because everybody’s gonna need a verified place soon.” Postman also released an update to its platform that enables any public API on its network of over 100,000 public APIs to be turned into an MCP server, making it more important than ever that API developers ensure their APIs are discoverable by the people that will want to use them. Chin said that what is typically seen of APIs is only the tip of the iceberg. “We only see the top maybe 10 percent. Those are the external APIs that get all the hype. The majority of services are internal to us, and those are the ones that when MCP starts to really take off, those are the APIs that are going to blow everyone away.” Allen Helton, ecosystem engineer at Momento, maker of reliability solutions and a customer of Postman, told that the most important benefit they get out of Postman is that it allows their APIs to be easily discovered by developers. Another recommendation is to make sure your public profile is filled out. The public profile includes everything an API publisher owns, including workspaces, collections, and API specs. He advises everyone to have a profile picture and links to their social media and website on that page. Getting verified by Postman will also help, as verified publishers get a badge that essentially proves that you’re the domain owner, increasing confidence among API consumers. Postman’s requirements for getting verified include things like having a verified domain, setting up authentication for public APIs, and having good documentation.
Open talent platform Torc uses LinkedIn data for parsing out developer skills, integrates with GitHub to assess previous technical projects and scores the candidate on Java assessment to determine the level of skill and fitness for placement
In a report, done jointly by Randstad, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) and Open Assembly, 62% of respondents said they currently are or are planning to use a talent platform. Morris said he expects that number to grow because developers skilled in certain modern technology areas are hard to find. With AI doing the initial search for talent, then collecting and analyzing resumes, recruiters are spending less time finding talent than they are now nurturing it, according to Mike Morris, the founder of talent communities Topcoder and Torc. The recruiter/advisor can guide developers on how to upskill in certain areas, how to take assessment tests that increase their value and prove their ability, and even how to turn project engagements into full-time positions. First, he said, Torc takes in data from LinkedIn, parsing out skills and tangential skills for categorization by AI. Next, to assess technical talent, the platform integrates with GitHub to pull in all of their work from the previous 12 months. “We pull in all the ranks from GitHub, GitLab and Hacker and pull in their stats,” Morris said. “So now they said they were good at, say, Java, and look, in the last 12 months, they’ve done 64 pull requests and they were all in the Java programming language, and they did this many code pushes.
Blockchains could guide AI towards user ownership and open standards through use of self-custodial wallets for storing agent passports and chain-based ID layer for verifiable records of payments
Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z crypto arm suggests that blockchains could guide artificial intelligence towards user ownership and open standards. The report suggests that core context and agent passports should be stored in self-custodial wallets, allowing instant access to preferences without repeated training. A chain-based identity layer would allow agents to carry verifiable records of owners, capabilities, and payment details across platforms. Proof-of-personhood systems could help screen bots as generative models proliferate. The report also promotes decentralized physical infrastructure networks, on-chain synchrony layers, micropayments, and immutable ledgers for managing intellectual property. It also suggests smart contract licensing and wallet-based zero-knowledge proofs for advertising. The report concludes that intertwining blockchains and machine learning could preserve an open internet by embedding incentives, provenance, and governance directly at the protocol layer.
‘Fintech 3.0’ to be shaped by adaptive and inclusive financial tools that would address the needs and challenges of growing federal debt, income inequality, poverty and rapid job loss due to AI
Founder of early-stage venture firm Inspired Capi, Alexa von Tobel says that while Inspired is a generalist firm, she said she feels both “urgent and optimistic” about fintech. “We think of this wave as fintech 3.0,” von Tobel said. “The next wave of innovation won’t come from superficial tweaks but from fundamental deep product reinvention — tools that meet the needs of a changing economy and a more diverse, digitally native population. The growing federal debt, rising income inequality, and increasing poverty — especially among older Americans — underscore the need for more adaptive and inclusive financial tools. Not to mention the rapid job loss due to AI. This moment presents a major opportunity for startups to reimagine financial products from the ground up. We think of this wave as fintech 3.0. The next wave of innovation won’t come from superficial tweaks but from fundamental deep product reinvention — tools that meet the needs of a changing economy and a more diverse, digitally native population.
AmEx targets Gen Z with card refresh noting the cohort’s spending growing at a swift clip and their tendency to revolve balances less often
American Express is announcing major updates coming to its U.S. Consumer and Business Platinum Cards® later this year. With these updates, the company is making its largest investment ever in a Card refresh. More information will be released this fall. “Platinum Card benefits and services resonate across generations, particularly with Millennial and Gen Z who accounted for 35% of total U.S. consumer spending last quarter,” Howard Grosfield, group president for U.S. consumer services at American Express (Amex), said. “We’re going to take these cards to a new level, not only in what they offer in travel, dining and lifestyle benefits, but also in how they look and feel, to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Grosfield added. “Our millennial and Gen Zs are performing significantly better both from a FICO perspective and from a delinquency perspective than the industry,” American Express Chairman and CEO Stephen Squeri said. While these younger consumers tend to spend about 20% less overall than older generations, their spending is growing at a swift clip, especially in international markets, with the company reporting a 22% year-over-year jump in overseas spending. Amex also noted that younger consumers tend to revolve balances less often, though that trend does not appear to be hurting revenue.
U.S. Bank expands suite of embedded payments solutions offering a for-benefit-of (FBO) account structure that supports unlimited virtual accounts for tracking funds
U.S. Bank has launched an expanded suite of Embedded Payment Solutions, enabling businesses to integrate secure, real-time payment capabilities into their websites, apps, and enterprise systems. The offering includes a for-benefit-of (FBO) account structure that supports unlimited virtual accounts for tracking funds, along with streamlined customer onboarding, verification, and support across various payment types, including instant payments. “Today’s finance leaders are under increasing pressure to optimize liquidity, reduce friction in payments, move quickly and enhance the customer experience,” said Kristy Carstensen, head of U.S. Bank Treasury and Payment Solutions. “Our expanded embedded payments suite empowers organizations to embed secure, real-time payment capabilities directly into their platforms—streamlining operations and strengthening financial control.” Through its subsidiary Elavon, U.S. Bank combines merchant processing and treasury management to serve sectors like fintech, insurance, healthcare, and auto retail. “We are leveraging our comprehensive range of services – from merchant processing to treasury management – to deliver integrated, embedded solutions that provide efficient and secure transactions tailored to the dynamic needs of businesses,” said Elavon CEO Jamie Walker. Basefund CEO Robert White noted, “Our customers value how easy it is to use our platform to make their transactions secure. With U.S. Bank Embedded Payment Solutions, we can now process those transactions in the application while also providing the risk, security and compliance expertise of one of the nation’s leading banks.” Rain COO Fred Choquette added, “U.S. Bank has been an exceptional partner, providing a robust payments and banking platform that enables Rain to deliver real-time earned wage access to millions of employees each month. We look forward to deepening this collaboration, driving innovation together, and setting a new standard for how earned wage access is delivered across the market.”
JPMorgan hikes Sapphire Reserve fee to $795 in card overhaul; offers eight points per dollar on Chase Travel, integrates acquisitions like cxLoyalty, The Infatuation, Figg, and Frosch, along with new Chase airport lounges to create an end-to-end travel experience
JPMorgan Chase is raising the annual fee for its popular Sapphire Reserve credit card from $550 to $795 and will launch a similarly priced business version, marking a major revamp aimed at premium travelers. The changes include new annual credits—$500 toward JPMorgan’s “The Edit” hotel collection and $300 for exclusive OpenTable reservations, in addition to the existing $300 travel credit. “It’s the culmination of five years of investment that we’ve made across Chase in completely uplifting and repositioning what we mean for premium travelers in the premium-card space,” said Allison Beer, JPMorgan’s head of card and connected commerce. Cardholders will now earn eight points per dollar on Chase Travel, four points on direct flight and hotel bookings, and three points on dining. The overhaul integrates acquisitions like cxLoyalty, The Infatuation, Figg, and Frosch, along with new Chase airport lounges. “This is about having the best-in-class travel assets and an end-to-end travel experience,” Beer added. At JPMorgan’s 2022 investor day, consumer banking chief Marianne Lake said, “Travel is at the center of our card business.” She reaffirmed in 2024 that travel volume had more than doubled since 2021 and remains “a massive opportunity.” Beer noted the card plays a key role in broader customer engagement: “Customers eventually deepen with the rest of the ecosystem, so they start with the Sapphire Reserve card and then they open a self-directed account, or they open a Chase wealth-management account, and they continue to deepen.”