The InComm NCR Atleos partnership is launching a new wave of self-service ATM solutions across the United States. This strategic move aims to increase cash accessibility for consumers by integrating modern ATM technology into retail environments. InComm Payments delivers enhanced end-to-end payment solutions and emerging financial technology solutions that help businesses grow across a wide range of industries including retail, healthcare, tolling & transit, incentives, mobile payments, digital currencies and financial services. By enabling omnichannel connections and alternative payment methods, InComm Payments enables businesses to deliver seamless and valuable commerce experiences to customers worldwide. Atleos’ ReadyCode solution empowers InComm Payments to further bridge the digital-to-physical divide with a scaled ATM network integrated with an API solution that allows consumers to conduct cardless cash withdrawals with a simple and secure code delivered through the applications they already use and trust. ReadyCode is enabled at ATMs inside leading retail locations across more than 40 states, serving over 70 of the top population centers in the U.S.
Remark’s AI product expert personas are trained on the anecdotes and knowledge of subject-matter experts and embedded directly in brand storefronts to offer shoppers store-like experience with trusted and personalized guidance
Remark, the company building human-trained AI product experts for commerce, announced a $16 million Series A funding round. Remark’s language models are trained on the knowledge, tone, and preferences of Olympic athletes, stylists, estheticians, new parents, and more. These insights become always-on digital advisors embedded directly in brand storefronts. Unlike generic chatbots or large language models fine-tuned on public data, Remark’s personas are trained on the anecdotes and personal knowledge of subject-matter experts. The result is warm, informed guidance that helps customers find the right products and delivers the kind of personalized, high-touch experience shoppers expect in store. Theo Satloff, CEO and co-founder of Remark says “By working with real product experts to train AI personas, we’re creating guidance that’s trusted, helpful, and deeply personal. Our goal is to make online shopping feel less like a transaction and more like being guided by someone who truly understands what you need.” Remark gives merchants a competitive edge by combining the revenue driving power of human retail sales associates with the speed and scale of AI.
Kayak and Expedia partner to build AI travel agents that can build personalized itinerary based on any travel-related public Instagram Reel that users send to Expedia by using extensive database amassed over 30 years
Kayak and Expedia, two of the largest companies in travel booking, said that personalization and changing search patterns mean travel companies can rely on agents to make travel inspiration a reality. Matthias Keller, chief product officer at Kayak, said the company has been experimenting with this idea for a couple of years, even taking advantage of a partnership with Amazon’s Alexa. While the idea of an agent proactively guiding potential travelers makes for efficient trip planning, Expedia CTO Ramana Thumu noted that there is a delicate balance to strike. One reason this balance becomes essential is that, increasingly, consumers find travel inspiration everywhere. For one of its AI projects, Expedia decided to capitalize on the growing influence of travel influencers who post their trips on Instagram. Thumu said Expedia’s Trip Matching feature, which launched in June for U.S. customers, allows people to send any travel-related public Instagram Reel to Expedia, and the platform can build an itinerary based on them. Thumu said Expedia can build this type of AI product because of its extensive database amassed over 30 years. Both Thumu and Keller underscored the importance of data in building out these personalizations, a task that can be challenging. Personalization can go beyond planning a trip based on inspiration or previous preferences, as Keller said; eventually, their platforms and AI agents can also start recommending things to do based on the weather in your planned location during your stay.
BILL’s solution helps large suppliers reconcile high volumes of SMB payments by streamlining AR workflows and helping with cash application automation for high-volume, small-dollar payments with missing or messy remittance
BILL has launched BILL Supplier Payments Plus, an innovative new offering that helps large suppliers quickly and efficiently process and reconcile high volumes of payments from thousands of SMBs with greater speed, accuracy and ease–while delivering a more seamless payment experience for the businesses they work with. Supplier Payments Plus supports large and enterprise businesses in BILL network by delivering payments and customizable remittance advice – streamlining AR workflows and helping with cash application automation for high-volume, small-dollar payments with missing or messy remittance. The solution works with existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and automation systems, enabling suppliers to go live in weeks without IT support. Suppliers can also benefit from new capabilities including custom reports and the conversion of checks to digital payments. For the SMBs that work with these large suppliers, BILL is enabling faster payment confirmation, reduced overhead to help track down payments, and a more seamless way to transact and do business. Key benefits include: Increased Efficiency: Reduces manual work, streamlines payment processing and lowers costs—freeing up finance teams to focus on high-impact initiatives that drive business growth. Seamless AR Automation: Delivers daily, customizable remittance files, supporting seamless integration with existing or future AR systems. Faster Digital Payments: Converts paper checks to electronic payments, accelerating cash flow for suppliers and giving SMBs a simpler, faster way to pay.
Infrastructure-led partnerships with core providers can help smaller banks become API-enabled and navigate technology shocks from Open Banking, faster payments, digital wallets, stablecoins, and generative AI
John Pitts, head of industry relations and digital trust at Plaid, and Jaime Lopez, principal developer advocate at Jack Henry, discussed the transformative role of Open Banking beyond the nation’s top financial institutions during a Fireside Chat at Open Banking Expo USA. They highlighted that while 114 million accounts in the US are now connected via API, only 10 to 15 of the country’s largest banks account for the bulk of those accounts. However, nearly 9,000 small and mid-sized banks and credit unions are increasingly API-enabled, largely due to partnerships with core providers like Jack Henry. Lopez highlighted that many of these institutions may not even realize their systems are already API-capable, thanks to their core and digital banking providers. The conversation also touched on disruptive factors reshaping financial services, such as Open Banking, faster payments, digital wallets, stablecoins, and generative AI. Lopez called these “huge technology shocks” that smaller institutions must navigate without the resources of large banks. The amazing power of technology is its ability to scale at effectively zero marginal cost. Infrastructure-led partnerships, like the one between Jack Henry and Plaid, are ushering in a digital era where even the smallest institution can deliver big-bank experiences.
Affirm expands beyond Experian to begin reporting all its pay-over-time loans to TransUnion but transactions will not be factored into traditional credit scores nor visible to lenders in the near-term
Affirm is expanding the credit reporting of its pay-over-time products to TransUnion. All Affirm pay-over-time loans issued from May 1, 2025 onward, including Pay in 4 and longer-term monthly installments, will be reported to TransUnion. Consumers will see details about all Affirm transactions on their TransUnion credit files, though these transactions will not be factored into traditional credit scores nor visible to lenders in the near-term. As more pay-over-time providers report account information to the credit bureaus, lenders who request TransUnion credit reports will also be able to view consumers’ pay-over-time history. In the future, as new credit scoring models are developed, this information may factor into consumers’ scores, with the aim of supporting more informed lending decisions and helping consumers build their credit histories. TransUnion research found nearly 40% of consumers who haven’t used buy now, pay later are likely or very likely to use them in the future. Notably, a higher 53% of non-users would be likely or very likely to use them if it had the potential to have a positive impact on credit scores.
SitusAMC supports originators in the residential real estate market using a globalized network of 3rd party partners to tackle everything from initial and re-distributed disclosures to potential Adverse Actions
SitusAMC — a top-of-the-line provider of investment advice, talent solutions, and digital tools — offers a rare opportunity for lenders and investors. SitusAMC views the primary market through a secondary market lens — and that comprehensive approach is invaluable to originators. SitusAMC’s solutions help lenders and investors handle originations, secondary markets transactions, MSR and portfolio management, and valuations without compromising marketplace agility. Digital tools and technology are only the tip of the spear regarding SitusAMC’s solutions. Lenders and investors can rely on the company for expert-level advice concerning underwriting, investment, securitization, servicing, asset management, and more. Between residential and commercial market professionals, SitusAMC can guide all financiers toward increased profit, efficiency, and sharper analytics. SitusAMC offers several services designed to tackle each task and component via a globalized network of third-party employees and partners. Regarding origination support in the residential real estate market, SitusAMC’s global staffing solutions tackle everything from initial and re-distributed disclosures to potential Adverse Action (HMDA). Pre-underwriting, underwriting, and condition clearing are also key component services that clients can access.
Clients can maintain contact with SitusAMC via dedicated Client Relationship Managers that connect mortgage professionals to the company’s team — allowing for clear, consistent communication. For specific loan types like federal loans, SitusAMC offers advisory and consulting services for originators offering federal loan products, subject to frequent changes over time. These services also include an operational readiness assessment. Overall, component services allow internal loan processors to focus on relationship building. Most processors handle a pipeline of 25 to 30 loans. However, outsourcing can bump that load up to 50 loans and beyond.
Goldman Sachs-backed firm triples sales after US tariffs – TheStreet
Back Market, is a France-based operator of a global marketplace for refurbished electronics, including laptops and smartphones, aiming to help people do more with what they already have to avoid unnecessary carbon emissions and reduce tech waste. To date, it has sold more than 30 million refurbished devices across 17 markets, avoiding approximately 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions. Over the years, Back Market raised money from high-profile investors such as Goldman Sachs, Aglaé Ventures (the venture arm of Group Arnault), and Eurazeo Growth. The platform is available in 13 European countries, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the United States. The company’s CEO Hug De Larauze told that Back Market sales have tripled in a single week amid Trump’s tariff announcement. “Maybe some people rushed into [replacing their smartphones or computers] earlier, because they were afraid it’s going to cost so much more weeks from now,” de Larauze said. According to Hug De Larauze, it is possible that more Americans could start choosing used or refurbished devices if tariffs raise prices. “This is a big opportunity to change the way American people consume this stuff, because the incentive has never been as high to avoid those tariffs,” he says. Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities’ global head of technology research, agrees that prolonged tariffs could result in a significant jump in short-term sales of used and refurbished devices, especially smartphones. However, in the longer run, Ives is skeptical that a typical American consumer would permanently shift to refurbished alternatives. “We believe 80% to 90% of consumers like buying a new smartphone, [and] buying behavior is hard to change,” Ives says. Some analysts estimate that tech conglomerates such as Apple might need to raise their prices by hundreds of dollars per product, depending on the eventual electronics-specific tariffs. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how a typical American consumer would remain faithful to the habit of buying new devices.
Lowe’s launching omnichannel initiative that blends social media posts, mail and poster, to express gratitude to first responders and volunteers who rebuild its hurricane-damaged store
Lowe’s Companies Inc. is celebrating the reopening of a hurricane-damaged store with a nationwide initiative to show gratitude to first responders, volunteers and nonprofits. As the home improvement giant prepares to reopen its East Asheville, N.C. store, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene, the company is asking consumers nationwide to help share one million “thank yous” for personnel who help rebuild after disasters by May 2. Lowe’s is calling the effort “#BuildThanks.” To participate, consumers can post a message of gratitude on social media using the hashtag #BuildThanks. They can also deliver or mail a thank you poster, sign or note to Lowe’s East Asheville, N.C. store on Tunnel Road, with sample signs available for download at the Lowe’s corporate site. Lowe’s will post the culmination of the initiative on its social media channels on Saturday, May 3. The retailer invested nearly $14 million in response and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton and $2 million to support wildfire relief in Southern California. The wildfire donation assisted first responders and nonprofits that responded to critical needs such as supporting evacuations, emergency shelter and distributing urgently needed supplies like water, N95 masks, air purifiers, ash sifters and storage.
Manychat provides a tool for managing and automating conversations and engagement across multiple messaging channels using platform-specific APIs
Startup Manychat provides a tool for managing and automating conversations and engagement across multiple messaging channels. Manychat’s CEO and co-founder, Mike Yan, said the company sends “billions” of messages annually on behalf of these users across TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and other chat platforms. Manychat’s trajectory mirrors both the rise of smartphone-based messaging apps over the last decade and the growing opportunity around tools that help businesses leverage that medium in a better way. Things started to take off when Facebook opened up its APIs for Messenger. Additional APIs opening up across other Meta-owned platforms as well as TikTok have boosted that growth. Users can still market on Telegram, too, Yan said, although these days that is just a small percentage of its traffic. Instagram is by far the most engaged and active platform for the company, Yan said. Manychat’s approach of building an engagement layer makes it a solid bet for the next wave of activity on messaging platforms. If you want a help desk chatbot, there are myriad tools out there, but very few that are engaging to sell or elicit other responses from users in the way that Manychat has done.