Global travel retailer WHSmith and CPG company Nestle are promoting a bottled water brand via an experiential retail media campaign. The activation includes full-store takeovers at 10 WHSmith airport locations, as well as a complete terminal takeover and an interactive basketball arcade experience at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. The three-week campaign kicked in May 2025 with WH Smith store takeovers by Nestle at 10 U.S. airports, including LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, Palm Springs International, Orlando International, and Phoenix Sky Harbor. Shoppers at participating will engage with Nestlé Essentia branding through a variety of touchpoints, including the retailer’s WHS Media retail media network in-store digital screens and audio, front-of-store pop-up displays, floor decals, and other creative placements throughout the stores. The campaign also includes a full terminal takeover of LaGuardia’s Terminal E, beginning May 15. Travelers see Nestlé Essentia branding throughout the terminal, and can play a branded version of Pop-A-Shot, the basketball arcade game, fully wrapped in Nestlé Essentia creative.
BNPL services settle in as a cashflow strategy and is not driven by affordability of the purchases
Research from Affirm suggests that consumers are increasingly using such payment methods as a way to manage their cashflow. This aligns with separate data from Bankrate, which shows that BNPL usage is not primarily among those who can’t afford their purchases, but remains relatively consistent across all income levels. According to Bankrate, 31% of respondents in both the highest and lowest annual household income brackets have used BNPL at least once. The Affirm study found that over half of U.S. consumers believe that longer-term payments with clear terms help them make smarter financial decisions for larger purchases. Evidence shows these plans are becoming just another payment option, depending on how well they align with consumers’ shopping habits. Nearly two-thirds of pay-over-time users say they value interest-free payment offers as much as, or more than, traditional discounts. Affirm found that more than half of respondents avoided certain payment methods due to concerns over hidden fees like late charges and interest. Nearly all respondents said it’s important for financial institutions to provide transparent terms without hidden fees. Only recently have BNPL lenders been required to follow some of the same rules as credit card companies, including clearer disclosures and the right to dispute charges. Last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an interpretive rule subjecting the industry to regulations currently governing credit card products, requiring BNPL vendors to provide periodic statements much like their credit card counterparts. Given the current administration’s rollback of many CFPB initiatives, it is unclear how long that regulation will remain in force.
Credit decisioning fintech Stratyfy to integrate Parlay Finance’s loan intelligence tech to offer a unified platform for digital onboarding, verification and underwriting through the full credit lifecycle for SMB lending
Stratyfy and Parlay Finance have announced a strategic partnership to transform the way financial institutions lend small businesses the capital they need to thrive. The partnership combines AI-powered technologies to deliver a frictionless intake and underwriting experience, helping banks convert more qualified borrowers and providing actionable insights to win funding. Parlay’s platform streamlines the application process, while Stratyfy’s credit solutions help financial institutions say “yes” to more borrowers without compromising on risk. The tools form a dynamic underwriting ecosystem that automates workflows, improves performance, and drives risk-adjusted returns. The partnership is already in motion, with the two teams collaborating on a first joint client engagement, an established community lender focused on increasing success rates for historically underbanked entrepreneurs.
Finley’s Monthly Servicer Reporting (MSR) solution for corporate borrowers with warehouse facilities offers a centralized hub for MSR management through integrated visibility
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.