Finley has launched enhanced Monthly Servicer Reporting (MSR) capabilities to help corporate borrowers with warehouse facilities overcome logistical and technological challenges. The new capabilities address collaboration, data management, and knowledge management issues in MSR generation and management. The market for private credit is projected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2028, making MSRs crucial in asset-based transactions. Finley’s MSR capability is integrated into its Deliverables module, providing a centralized hub for all MSR needs. This module offers: Clear Deadline Visibility: Borrowers gain instant access to “Due Soon” reports and historical submissions, ensuring a single source of truth for preparing current MSRs and reviewing past outputs. Structured Requirements: MSRs often require 14-16 distinct input files, each with specific formatting requirements. Finley clearly outlines these needs, whether the files are programmatically generated or manually entered. A Collaboration and Analysis Hub: After submission, Finley customers can see all MSR data points, team discussions, historical files, and relevant analytics in the same Deliverables module. This moves MSR management from the email inbox into a purpose-built system. Finley tackles the complexities of data aggregation head-on, ensuring files are correctly formatted and easily managed: Guided File Generation: Within the platform, Finley provides a clear breakdown of required files and their exact formatting specifications. Each requirement comes with a “data dictionary” that provides crucial context, especially when Finance teams are collaborating with Data or Engineering teams for historical or point-in-time reports. Enhanced Collaboration and Versioning: Recognizing that generating files correctly on the first attempt isn’t always possible, Finley includes robust collaboration tools and versioning capabilities. This allows teams to track changes, view previously submitted files, and work with internal and external collaborators.
Lowe’s is expanding third-party marketplace assortment to include full range of homeowner products for every project around the home while also featuring wider assortment across the full price spectrum
Lowe’s is partnering with digital marketplace technology provider Mirakl to scale its e-commerce business while allowing marketplace sellers to more easily manage their catalogs on Lowes.com. Since first introducing its marketplace, Lowe’s has expanded its offerings from third-party sellers to include indoor and outdoor furniture, kitchen and bath, home décor, and power and hand tools. Lowe’s chief digital and information officer Seemantini Godbole said “Our partnership with Mirakl allows Lowe’s Marketplace to offer a full complement of products to homeowners for every project around the home, driving our Total Home Strategy forward.” In addition to offering customers more product categories and brand choices, Lowe’s Marketplace will also feature products ranging the full price spectrum from value to premium products. Benefits of Lowe’s Marketplace also extend to members of the MyLowe’s Rewards loyalty program, with members accruing points on any marketplace purchase. All marketplace products are currently available for home delivery, and customers may return marketplace products purchased through Lowes.com directly to any of Lowe’s over 1,700 stores, creating more convenience for customers.
Square’s new pop-up store in San Francisco to provide hands-on support in one-on-one consultations with Square experts and act as community hub for networking and collaboration
Square announced the opening of The Corner Store, a new community space for local businesses located at 1100 Valencia Street (corner of 22nd and Valencia) in San Francisco’s Mission District. Opening May 27th and running through June, this pop-up initiative will provide hands-on support and educational resources to area merchants and create a point of connection where home-grown businesses can network and collaborate. In 2024, Square processed more than 20,000 transactions per day in the Mission. The Corner Store will serve as both a daytime resource center and an evening community hub with programming for local business owners and operators. During business hours, sellers can access one-on-one consultations with Square experts, receive personalized guidance on Square’s suite of business tools, and get hands-on experience with the company’s latest innovations, including products and tools recently announced in Square Releases. A selection of curated goods from Mission-based Square sellers will be available, and hardware devices, including the recently announced Square Handheld, can be purchased on-site.
Google backed Glance AI-native commerce platform encourages discovery through visual inspiration- by simply uploading a selfie photorealistic looks are tailored precisely to body types, skin tones, and personal styles.
In a move poised to transform the way people shop online, Glance, a consumer technology company backed by Google, has introduced its latest innovation: an AI-native commerce platform that emphasizes inspiration over traditional searching. The platform, called Glance AI, harnesses years of data, neural visualization, and advanced predictive intelligence to deliver hyper-realistic, personalized shopping experiences across devices worldwide. Unlike conventional e-commerce stores that bombard users with product listings or require them to type searches, Glance AI encourages discovery through visual inspiration. By simply uploading a selfie or an image, users are immersed in a virtual world where AI-generated, photorealistic looks are tailored precisely to their body types, skin tones, and personal styles. These realistic images are created in real-time using sophisticated diffusion models and geometry modeling, making the experience feel both natural and engaging. At the core of Glance AI’s innovation is its deep tech architecture, built on three interconnected layers. First is the Commerce Intelligence Model, trained on more than two decades of global market data, which helps it anticipate emerging trends and consumer preferences. Next is the GenAI Experience Model generates hyper-realistic visualizations based on thousands of parameters, such as ethnicity, body shape, and seasonality. Finally, the Transaction Journey Model acts as an intelligent shopping assistant, predicting what users are likely to want and pairing their visualized looks with matching products from a catalog of over 400 brands worldwide. What truly sets Glance AI apart is its cross-platform accessibility. Built on open architecture, it integrates seamlessly into mobile lock screens, smart TVs, third-party apps, and brand websites, ensuring consumers can discover, visualize, and purchase anytime, anywhere. Users maintain control over their data, with options to save, share, or set their personalized styles as wallpapers, fueling social sharing and virality. Since its U.S. launch in early 2025, early results have been impressive. The platform has attracted over 1.5 million active users within weeks, with nearly half returning weekly. Users have generated more than 40 million style requests, and 50% of them have shared or downloaded their personalized images. Additionally, 40% of users who explore styles proceed to shop, establishing Glance AI as a leader in engagement and retention in the AI-powered commerce space.
‘Swipe fatigue’ is driving dating apps to roll out invite-only profiles, psychological assessments and real-life networking to offer curated lifestyle choices
In an era of “dating app burnout”—a mix of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion from using dating apps; termed as “swipe fatigue,” an invite-only app profile or in-person service can carry more promise than a thousand aimless swipes. This shift is redefining what dating tech can look like, encouraging entrepreneurs in the space to focus less on algorithms and more on curated community. This “swipe fatigue” has become so widespread that even cultural commentators have taken note. The dating app industry, a $5 billion market, has been dominated by big players for years, but their growth is slowing down in the face of user dissatisfaction. Match Group, owner of Tinder, reported declining users and saw its stock tumble in late 2024 (subscription required), a sign that Wall Street is also feeling the “swipe fatigue.” Exclusive apps are just the beginning. Founders are launching niche platforms that blend technology with high-end matchmaking. Now, a new generation of startups is pushing the dating concept further, such as combining exclusivity with psychological assessments in order to match high-profile individuals based on deeper personality traits rather than superficial criteria. Even established dating companies are adapting under this pressure: Seeing the popularity of exclusivity, apps like Hinge and Tinder have rolled out pricier tiers and features to cater to “intentional” daters. Dating services are also branching into real-life networking, with some apps hosting members-only events at upscale venues, blurring the line between dating app and social club. The idea is to offer a lifestyle, not just an app.
Citcon to integrate Splitit’s one-click credit card-linked installments into its payment platform to enable merchants to offer flexible omnichannel installments without credit checks for both online and in-store sales
Citcon and Splitit have partnered to enable Citcon’s merchants to offer Splitit’s one-click credit card-linked installments both online and in-store. The companies’ new partnership adds Splitit’s flexible payment offering to Citcon’s global payment platform that is used by retail, luxury and hospitality brands. “Partnering with Splitit allows us to offer flexible omnichannel installments, bringing over [190 million] U.S. cardholders with available credit, driving new sales at high average-ticket merchants,” Citcon Co-founder and President Wei Jiang said. Splitit’s platform eliminates the need for applications or credit checks. Instead, it leverages the credit consumers already have, allowing them to break purchases into manageable monthly installments. This seamless, friction-free approach can improve conversion and customer satisfaction at checkout. Citcon can deliver this offering to merchants through its payment platform that is fully integrated with more than 50 leading point of sale systems, gateways and middleware providers, and enables merchants using these platforms to easily activate new payment methods.
Cantor Fitzgerald’s risk management expertise and experience in managing Treasury collateral for stablecoin issuer Tether lends credibility to its newly launched bitcoin lending business
Investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald has successfully executed its first Bitcoin financing transactions, marking a significant entry by a traditional finance institution into the crypto lending market. The company announced that its Bitcoin Financing Business is now fully operational, with an initial capacity of $2 billion that is expected to expand over time. The launch represents one of the few major traditional finance institutions to enter the crypto lending space directly. Cantor partnered with digital asset custodians Anchorage Digital and Copper.co to safeguard client assets, addressing security concerns that have plagued the sector. Maple Finance, an on-chain asset manager, was among the inaugural borrowers under the program. The crypto lending sector has experienced significant turbulence, with numerous high-profile failures casting doubt on the industry’s stability. However, Cantor’s entry differs from previous crypto lending ventures in several key ways. Unlike the failed firms which were all startups, Cantor Fitzgerald is far more established in terms of managing risk and is one of just 25 primary dealers in the US Treasury markets. The firm’s experience managing Treasury collateral for stablecoin issuer Tether, its largest crypto client, provides additional institutional credibility to its Bitcoin financing operations.
Donatos Pizza to open first fully autonomous restaurant in airport that will operate 24/7 and leverage robotics and data science tech to streamline the customer experience from placing orders to receiving their pizza
Donatos Pizza and its sister company, smart kitchen technology developer Agape Automation, are partnering with robotic food tech provider Appetronix to open the pizza chain’s first robot-operated restaurant in its headquarters city. The new fully automated Donatos Pizza restaurant will debut before security in front of Concourse B at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in June 2025 and will be operated by franchisee HMS Host. The autonomous restaurant will operate 24/7, leveraging robotics and data science technologies to streamline the customer experience from placing orders to receiving their pizza while they watch it being freshly prepared in real time. The new automated restaurant is part of a larger four-point strategy Donatos Pizza launched in March 2025, which includes innovating for the future, staying relevant, driving sustainable growth and leading with vision. Other high-tech efforts Donatos is undertaking include implementing a new voice AI-based ordering system from Revmo AI that will automate its phone orders. Rollout to all 174 Donatos restaurants across multiple states is expected to be completed by May 2025. The company anticipates that Revmo’s AI-based voice ordering technology will enhance the customer experience and increase order conversions, ultimately driving revenue across its locations nationwide. According to Donatos, this technology has the potential to transform food service in airports, hospitals, college campuses, industrial environments, and other location where a traditional kitchen may not be feasible.
Pizza Hut launches app for its summer reading program to motivate young readers to sharpen literacy skills and earn a free Pizza in rewards
Pizza Hut has launched an app for its longstanding Book It! program, first launched in 1984, designed to motivate young readers to achieve literacy goals by rewarding their accomplishments with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from participating Pizza Hut locations. The Book It! app is part of Pizza Hut’s revitalized summer reading program named, “Book It! Summer of Stories,” which officially launches June 1. The initiative encourages parents to stay engaged with their child’s reading journey and sharpen their literacy skills throughout the summer months when learning tends to decline. Parents can set monthly reading goals specifically designed to support children from pre-K through 6th grade and cater toward their child’s abilities while monitoring their progress. Young readers can earn one free Personal Pan Pizza each month in June, July and August by reaching the reading goals parents set for each month. “With the launch of the Book It! app, we’re making it even easier for parents to connect with their kids, set meaningful reading goals and inspire plenty of fun pizza-filled memories with their families. This new platform will help keep reading goals top of mind this summer — and turn progress into pizza.”
Sam’s Club to deliver pizzas for online orders with an option to combine them with other items that are eligible for <3 hours express delivery
Warehouse club retailer Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart, is now delivering hot Member’s Mark baked pizzas for online orders at most stores across the U.S. and will have the offering available from all stores by the end of May 2025. The pizzas cost $8.98 and come in pepperoni, cheese and four-meat flavors. Online pizza orders can be combined with other items and are eligible for express delivery, arriving less than three hours after an order is placed. Pizzas are also still available for in-store or curbside orders. According to Sam’s Club, the launch of pizza delivery is the latest step in a bigger shift to providing shoppers digital ease in ways that save time, add value and deepen customer connections, such as its new digital-first store format. “When we talk about innovation, it’s not just about what’s new — it’s about what makes life easier for our members,” said Kurt Hess, group director, operations and implementation at Sam’s Club. “Pizza delivery is a perfect example.”