Virtuo, a company that offers an AI-powered homeownership concierge platform, is launching operations in Texas. The move marks Virtuo’s formal entry into the U.S. market, although the company has already assisted homebuyers in four states through partnerships with Canadian homebuilders. Virtuo will partner directly with builders in Dallas, Austin and Houston to provide technology and support services aimed at simplifying the homebuying process. The platform coordinates a range of services from contract to move-in, including utility setup, address changes and home maintenance. The expansion comes amid rapid population growth and new residential construction in Texas, where homebuilders are seeking digital tools to improve customer experience and stand out in a competitive market, company leaders said. “With Shane Homes opening our first showhome in the Dallas area this summer, the timing of Virtuo’s launch in Texas couldn’t be better,” said Melanie Gowans, vice president of sales, marketing and interior design at Shane Homes Group of Companies. Virtuo’s platform combines software with human assistance to help buyers manage their transition into homeownership. Its features include HomieAI, a generative AI tool available around the clock that provides personalized support from the time a home goes under contract to long after the move-in date. For builders, HomieAI also serves to reduce demand on customer care staff by offering consistent, automated assistance.
RegEd’s AI Advertising Review solution achieves >90% accuracy in identifying problematic content in advertising and marketing materials through continuous refinement driven by real-world uses across leading financial services firms and uses a closed-loop system to offer complete client data privacy
RegEd announced the release of Version 3.0 of the proprietary AI model that powers its Advertising Review solution. This marks a significant milestone in the evolution of RegEd’s Submission Intelligence suite of capabilities and underscores the company’s leadership in enterprise-grade, AI-enabled compliance technology. The AI 3.0 release achieves more than 90% accuracy in identifying problematic content in advertising and marketing materials, with continuous refinement driven by real-world use across dozens of leading financial services firms. Developed within a closed-loop system, RegEd’s AI ensures complete client data privacy. The model is governed, trained, and deployed exclusively within RegEd’s secure infrastructure, avoiding the security and privacy risks associated with third-party models, or those that are externally trained or managed. Key Enhancements in Version 3.0: Improved Accuracy, Client-Calibrated Tuning, Consistency Across Review Teams. In addition to the enhancements in Version 3.0, RegEd will introduce AI-assisted pre-review later this year. This next-phase capability will enable firms to screen materials for compliance issues before human review, further accelerating review cycles and improving speed to market.
Nintendo’s second store to offer guests an “immersive shopping experience”, photo opportunities and feature demo stations, giant gaming screen and multi-character artwork products including statue replicas, stationery items and bags
Nintendo has opened its second store in the United States – two decades after making its debut. The San Francisco Union Square location offers guests an “immersive shopping experience” for all ages, where they can browse exclusive products including accessories, apparel and home goods. The San Francisco store offers plenty of photo opportunities, including with “larger-than-life statues” of Nintendo characters from franchises such as Super Mario, Splatoon, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon and more. In addition, the store boasts several interactive features, including demo stations where visitors can play their favorite games on the Nintendo Switch system or discover new ones. Visitors also have an opportunity to play on a giant gaming screen located on the lower level, which will also be used to air future Nintendo Direct livestreams. Highlights of the new store include the following: 1) The merchandise assortment includes special multi-character artwork products including statue replicas, stationery items and bags, as well as exclusive Nintendo San Francisco-branded apparel. 2) The hardware customization kiosk display lets customers create their very own customized Nintendo Switch – OLED Model system. They can choose from different Joy-Con, wrist strap and dock colors for a customized system that will be ready for them to take home the same day. 3) Visitors can check in at the My Nintendo kiosk with their Nintendo Account information to get an exclusive sticker for visiting Nintendo San Francisco, plus 50 My Nintendo Platinum Points.
364-day bridge loans are funding acquisitions in a ‘sponsor-backed LBO’ style lowering the holding risk, but without requiring selling of bonds or leveraged loans
Junk-rated companies and private equity firms have lined up about $17 billion of debt recently for purchases of everything from power plants to a chain of gas stations. But they are using an unusual tool for that financing: the 364-day bridge loan. Wall Street firms look to sell that debt to investors but often agree to provide that funding even if markets are closed, and they have to hang onto the risk for years. “It is very rare to see this structure in a sponsor-backed LBO,” said Peter Toal, Barclays’ global head of fixed income, referring to 364-day loans. “In times of volatility, it’s an easier structure for the banks to commit to, no question about it.” After junk-bond and leveraged-loan markets effectively closed last month in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements, banks were stuck holding onto billions of dollars of debt they couldn’t sell to investors. Hanging onto that debt can translate to hits to earnings for Wall Street firms. Now, borrowers are getting 364-day bridges that are effectively lines of credit for their acquisitions, which they can tap if they can’t sell bonds or leveraged loans before they close their acquisition. A significant number of buyouts financed in the leveraged loan market feature ratings in the B tier. Most of the companies getting 364-day bridge loans now, though, have grades in the BB tier, and sometimes their secured debt carries investment-grade ratings. Herc, for one, has an overall high-yield profile with a Ba2 rating from Moody’s Investors Service and an equivalent BB from S&P Global Ratings while its $750 million loan earned the lowest rung of investment-grade with a Baa3 rating by Moody’s and BBB- by S&P. At NRG, the firm’s senior-secured debt is rated BBB- by Fitch Ratings and S&P, the company said in an investor presentation detailing its acquisition plans this week.
UK’s new BNPL rules to require upfront checks to assess borrower’s repayment ability, confer the right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman, and shifts the oversight to the FCA bringing BNPL in line with other credit products
After years of wrangling, the UK Government is finally introducing new rules to clamp down on what it describes as the ‘wild west’ of buy now, pay later lending. Under the changes, millions of BNPL shoppers will gain stronger rights and clearer information as the Government reforms the 50-year-old Consumer Credit Act to better reflect modern borowing trends. That means upfront checks to make sure people can repay what they borrow, fairer and faster access to refunds, and the right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman — bringing BNPL in line with other credit products. The Government says outdated and confusing rules will be removed, with oversight shifting to the FCA. The legislative shift comes as a report by the FCA showed that one in ten people were unable to pay essential bills while millions more Brits were using buy now pay later products over the last three years. New figures from Money Wellness reveal a 68% increase in the number of people seeking help with BNPL debt in the past year, highlighting the growing strain the sector is placing on household finances. Sebrina McCullough, director of external relations at Money Wellness, says: “We’ve seen a significant rise in people struggling with Buy Now Pay Later debt, often because they’ve used it to plug gaps in everyday budgets. For many, it’s become a way to spread the cost of essentials like food shopping, rather than to cover large expenses. The legislation bringing BNPL into regulation will be laid in Parliament on 19 May.
Presearch’s tech enables highly targeted yet privacy-focused search advertising experience with dashboards displaying only relevant and campaign-specific performance metrics including impressions, clicks, and CTRs
Presearch, the ethical, non-profiling meta-search engine that prioritizes user privacy and does not track users or sell data to advertisers, today announced the launch of its Presearch Advertiser Dashboard, a new way for advertisers to acquire metrics and insights for user search behavior through Presearch Takeover Advertising (PTA) without compromising that user’s privacy. Through the Presearch Advertiser Dashboard, advertisers can gain secure individualized dashboards tailored specifically to their PTA campaigns, displaying only relevant metrics to streamline management and oversight, with staked keyword analytics also coming soon. In addition, advertisers can gain deep insights into campaign performance with detailed PTA campaign-specific metrics, including impressions, clicks, and CTRs, across individual PTAs or aggregated across all campaigns. The Presearch Advertiser Dashboard can also easily export detailed reports, empowering deeper analysis and strategic decision-making. As part of its reporting, the Presearch Advertiser Dashboard also has advanced capabilities that allow advertisers to effortlessly isolate and analyze PTA data by dates, durations, Share of Voice (SOV), PTA Mode (standard or NSFW advertising), user type (registered or non-registered), placement (homepage or search results), device (desktop or mobile) and geography. Presearch.com offers a privacy-focused search experience that delivers search results better to those of prominent search engines.
Chipotle’s new gamified promotion offers extra points and exclusive badges for completing up to four milestones; dashboard tracks Chipotle Rewards members’ performance against other users in their state based on transactions per month
Chipotle Mexican Grill will run a three-month program to give away more than $1 million in free burritos to its U.S. loyalty members. From June 1 to Aug. 31, 2025, Chipotle is offering a gamified promotion for members of its Chipotle Rewards loyalty program. Called “Summer of Extras,” it will let loyalty members earn extra points and exclusive badges for completing up to four milestones per month. Participating loyalty members will also be able to gain sweepstakes entries for a chance to receive free burritos for a year and a limited-edition stainless steel gift card. At the end of the summer, there will be one sweepstakes winner per state in the 48 states in which Chipotle operates, plus Washington D.C., for a total of 49 winners. Once Chipotle Rewards members opt into the “Summer of Extras” program in their account, they will unlock the seven-visit streak challenge described above. Milestones will reset at the beginning of each month, providing opportunities to earn extra benefits, extra points and extra free Chipotle. Participants are limited to two qualifying entrée purchases per day during Summer of Extras. Chipotle is further gamifying “Summer of Extras” with a dashboard that tracks Chipotle Rewards members’ performance against other users in their state based on transactions. Each week from June 1 through August 31, Chipotle Rewards members who have opted into the “Summer of Extras” program can enter the weekly drawings by making any in-restaurant or digital Chipotle entrée purchase or by submitting an online entry, during the applicable entry period for the weekly drawings.
Target teams with Shipt to offer members of its loyalty program unlimited same-day delivery from a curated network of 100-plus retailers beyond Target and free of price markups
Target Corp. has unveiled a new program for members of its Target Circle 360 loyalty program that provides delivery from more than 100 beloved retailers beyond Target – with no same-day delivery price markups that would get passed on to customers. While same-day delivery from Target has always been free of price markups, this latest offering aims to make this service from many more locations even easier and more affordable. In contrast to many other membership programs that limit access to a one retailer, Target Circle 360 now gives members unlimited same-day delivery from Target and Shipt’s curated network of 100-plus retailers, among them CVS, PetSmart and Lowe’s Home Improvement, along with such popular regional grocers. New Target Circle 360 members who want to access this latest benefit will receive a special $20 off their first order of $75 or more. In addition to this new feature, Target Circle 360 members take advantage of the following everyday exclusive benefits: 1) Early and exclusive access to such deals and experiences as Target Circle Week, in addition to limited-time offerings and partnerships; 2) Recently introduced monthly Target Circle 360 freebies that allow members to choose from free products, dollars toward their next purchase and more, redeemable in-store or online. 3) Free two-day shipping on hundreds of thousands of items 4) Extended windows on returns 5) Unlimited same-day delivery on orders of $35 or more 6) All of the benefits of Target Circle, including access to automatic deals and personalized bonuses.
ShopRite stores deploy VoCoVo’s all-in-one wireless headsets for associates; with full-duplex audio, team members can talk and listen at the same time through an environment noise-canceling (ENC) microphone that’s purpose-built for noisy retail settings
Thirty ShopRite stores in the metro New York area have rolled out VoCoVo Series 5 Pro Headsets. VoCoVo’s all-in-one wireless headsets aim to help retail teams communicate more easily and naturally with co-workers and customers across the store. According to VoCoVo, its Series 5 Pro Headset is a fully integrated communication solution that seamlessly connects retail team members, enhances customer interactions and syncs with other connected store technology. Among its key features are telephony integration, enabling associates to make, receive and transfer customer calls directly from their headsets, and connectivity with curbside pickup services, self-checkout systems and more. These integrations convert real-time notifications into instant voice alerts, ensuring quick and efficient responses from store teams. The wireless headsets provide retail associates, both in-store and beyond, with seamless, secure communication via DECT, a technology for high-quality, scalable voice connectivity. Thanks to full-duplex audio, team members can talk and listen at the same time through an environment noise-canceling (ENC) microphone that’s purpose-built for noisy retail settings. Designed for durability, the waterproof, dustproof and impact-resistant headsets can withstand extreme temperatures while delivering up to 40 hours of standby time per charge.
New Generation’s AI-powered shopping page offers instant visual answers through natural language interaction that dynamically shape around a shopper’s intent
To power the future of AI-native shopping and digital retail, New Generation (New Gen), a technology company redefining commerce for the AI internet, launches publicly with $4.5M in seed funding. The startup is reimagining how brands engage with both consumers and AI-powered shopping agents by giving every brand its own AI-powered shopping page that creates a custom experience for each visitor. Customers experience instant visual answers through natural language interaction, while AI agents gain direct, structured access through a dedicated address at the AI-specific subdomain (e.g., ai.yourbrand.com). This subdomain acts as a specialized entry point optimized for human shoppers and AI-driven traffic, ensuring brands can transition to AI-native commerce without overhauling their existing websites or technology stacks. Shoppers arriving through AI channels land deeper in the sales funnel, prepared to spend more than those engaging with traditional retail experiences. New Gen ensures brands capitalize on this shift by dynamically tailoring each visitor’s experience based on their unique intent, converting AI-driven traffic directly into sales. These “visual answer engines” dynamically shape themselves around a shopper’s intent, immediately offering relevant results, insights or products, rather than forcing them through rigid navigation or filters.