MANTL, an Alkami solution team and leading provider of loan and deposit account opening technology, announced that its clients raised over $3B in deposits with existing banking relationships in the first half of 2025. This achievement highlights the significant opportunity financial institutions have to achieve low-cost, sustainable growth by strengthening customer and member relationships and driving banking primacy with omnichannel account opening technology. In just six months, MANTL clients opened nearly 130,000 deposit accounts from existing customers and members, with an average funding amount exceeding $24,000. Notably, nine institutions generated more than $100 million in deposits each from existing account holders in the first half of 2025, demonstrating how banks and credit unions can leverage MANTL to activate existing banking relationships and drive sustainable growth at scale. MANTL Deposit Origination streamlines the process for existing banking customers and members to open new accounts in just a few clicks. Powered by real-time data and actionable insights, MANTL enables financial institutions to activate their banking relationships, increase lifetime value, and achieve a more cost-effective path to deposit growth than traditional acquisition strategies.
Alloy launches AI enhanced perpetual KYC solution in Europe and UK which pairs scheduled refreshes with real-time reactivity to both third-party and first-party data
Alloy announced the launch of a perpetual Know Your Customer (pKYC) solution enhanced by AI insights. The pKYC solution will enable financial institutions and fintechs in the UK, Europe, and beyond to improve the customer experience and grow their business, while simultaneously meeting evolving regulatory requirements. Alloy enables UK banks, fintechs, and payments companies like Flagstone, IG Group, and Liberis to increase customer conversions and scale into new geographies while also preventing financial crime. When it comes to pKYC, many financial institutions in the UK and Europe still rely on pre-scheduled periodic reviews, which can leave gaps in visibility and delay responses to financial crime. Alloy’s pKYC solution raises that standard by pairing scheduled refreshes with real-time reactivity to both third-party and first-party data. Underpinning the solution is a dynamic customer risk assessment (CRA) that can be re-run in the event that a user carries out a suspicious activity or has a suspicious change to their personally identifiable information (PII). Alloy also partners with agentic AI providers Parcha and Greenlite to automate and accelerate ongoing financial compliance, including customer reviews. With Alloy’s pKYC solution, compliance teams can act more quickly, increase their straight-through-processing (STP) rates, and protect their customers from financial crime at scale. To help compliance teams automate responses to high-risk KYC checks, Alloy also now offers electronic ID (eID) verification as a new digital authentication method across multiple geographies. With more EU regulators beginning to mandate acceptance of digital identity wallets, Alloy clients can seamlessly integrate eID as a step-up into their KYC workflows—unlocking expansion opportunities in new European and global markets where the ability to verify eIDs may be required.
Samsung’s One UI 8.5 lock screen enhancements include temporary background blur for more visible notifications and cartoonish clock designs avoiding iOS 26 aesthetics
One UI 8.5 is making a couple of tweaks to its lock screen, one of which should improve the readability of your incoming notifications. In Samsung’s next update, your list of unread notifications should utilize a new blur effect, doing a better job to display text on a busy wallpaper. As it stands, lock screen notifications on One UI 8 are, in my view, relatively hard to read without a fairly basic — or pre-blurred — wallpaper choice. This should be a massive improvement, though it’s unclear if this is the new default for everyone, or if you’ll be able to select from a list of notification styles. One UI 8.5 also appears to introduce a handful of new clock styles. Samsung fans, rest easy — none of the ones in this leak appear to replicate the ultra-tall look seen in iOS 26, with the company sticking to its usual aesthetic instead. Both of the new options are fairly cartoonish in nature, utilizing curves and gradients to bring a bit of pizzazz to the lock screen. One of the two also includes a vertical orientation option.
BBVA lets customers use Apple Intelligence’s Image Playground to create their own virtual cards, but customers will soon be able to design physical cards
BBVA and Visa are letting customers use their iPhones’ AI-powered Image Playground feature to personalise their payment cards. BBVA customers in Spain with an iPhone 15 Pro or a newer model can head to the cards section in their banking app, select the Visa card they want to personalise, and either use one of their own images as a base or describe the image they want to create. Apple Intelligence’s Image Playground will then generate several proposals, and the design chosen by the customer will be instantly updated in the BBVA app wallet. Initially, the feature is only available for virtual cards but customers will soon be able to design physical cards and have them delivered to their home. There are no limits to the number of images users can create, although designs are subject to certain restrictions and usage rules to protect copyrights and prevent unsuitable content.
Perplexity’s AI-powered web browser lets users answer questions, and carry out tasks and research from a single interface without requiring context-switching, and features an assistant that can conduct browsing sessions while users work
Perplexity has introduced Comet, its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered web browser. “Comet transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions, collapsing complex workflows into fluid conversations,” the company wrote on its blog. The browser lets users answer questions, and carry out tasks and research from a single interface. “Tabs that piled up waiting for your return now join one intelligent interface that understands how your mind works,” the company added. “Context-switching between dozens of applications, sites, and interfaces has stolen the focus and flow that bring joy to our work and fuel our curiosity.” The browser also features an assistant that can conduct browsing sessions while users work, and can do things like compare what a user is reading to something they’ve already read, or help with more practical matters like comparing insurance plans or deciding on investments. Comet is available to Perplexity Max subscribers, with plans to roll out invite-only access throughout the summer. Perplexity Max is the company’s $200-a-month or $2,000-a-year subscription tier
Web browsers, by including agentic AI capabilities (capable of understanding context, automating and executing multi-step tasks) can access information without any tabs, clicking or scrolling
From Netscape to Chrome, browsers are digital windows to the world. But that era is potentially poised to quickly circle the drain as AI comes to control a greater share of the flow of information. ChatGPT.com is now the fifth-most visited website in the world, with Google.com on top, followed by YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The news that Perplexity is developing its own web browser, Comet, that is expected to include agentic AI capabilities and the ability to automate certain tasks, is already showing that how users find things, how they buy things and even how they know things, could increasingly be up for grabs. Instead of opening a browser window and typing a URL, users may soon speak or text a request into an agent that goes out, searches the internet and delivers what they need. No tabs, no clicking and no endless scrolling. That, at least, is the envisioned future. The whole concept of a web browser may be absorbed into an ecosystem of intelligent, personalized, persistent AI agents. The advent of the agentic AI web experience could mark a transformative period in how users access and interact with information online. At the heart of the potential evolution are large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. These systems are increasingly capable of understanding context, maintaining memory and executing multi-step tasks. But true agency requires more than linguistic prowess. Integration is key. APIs now serve as conduits through which AI agents interact with apps, services and devices. If AI agents are making purchasing decisions, traditional advertising strategies could falter. SEO, influencer marketing and even visual design may lose relevance if AI agents bypass websites in favor of direct API transactions. Brands will need to pivot, optimizing not for human attention but for AI interoperability. The AI browser wars have begun, and the outcome will shape the future of the digital landscape.
Four ways FIs are transforming customer experience in cross-border payments: Payment tracking without requiring a login, Global account verification to reduce rejects, Investing in intuitive websites and apps and Collaborating with all players in the payment chain
Enabling payment tracking: Banks are using Swift GPI’s tracking capabilities to provide customers with transaction updates and support new innovations. Citi, for example, has invested in a Global Beneficiary Services Payment Tracker to improve traceability of payments. This functionality allows beneficiaries to track payment status without a login, addressing the growing focus on retail payments and ecommerce. Checking payment data upfront to reduce rejects: Real-time global payments platform Nium has launched a global account verification capability to ensure correct domestic and cross-border payments. This is part of the European Commission’s Instant Payment Regulation, which mandates these checks across Europe. Nium’s system validates beneficiary account numbers and bank codes, reducing returns by up to 90%. Citi has also developed a similar capability using Swift’s Payment Pre-validation solution, resulting in a 70% reduction in customer queries and rejections. Enhancing their offerings: Payment providers must adapt to evolving customer needs by investing in intuitive websites and apps. BNP Paribas developed an app to guide cross-border payment processes, resulting in a six-fold increase in cross-border payment volumes since its launch in France. This demonstrates the importance of attentiveness to customer needs in boosting payment volumes and customer retention. Collaborating: Collaborating with partners can drive innovation and address payment pain points. Effective traceability requires all players in the payment chain to work together, confirming their part of the process. The financial industry has seen successful collaborations, such as Citi’s partnership with Bank of Shanghai, powered by Swift Go, enabling international tourists to access local currency in China via digital wallets.
Gateless’ integration of mortgage tech platform with Fannie Mae’s income calculator to enable lenders to calculate accurate qualified income in real-time using tax return data, for borrowers without W-2 wages
Mortgage technology firm Gateless has integrated its platform with Fannie Mae’s income calculator. The integration enables lenders to calculate qualified income, particularly for borrowers without W-2 wages, such as the self-employed, small-business owners and real estate investors. The solution provides real-time income calculations backed by Fannie Mae, offering representation and warranty relief on conventional loans. This gives lenders increased confidence in their underwriting decisions while reducing risk exposure. Using tax return data, the system generates monthly income calculations and delivers actionable insights. Gateless claims to optimize loan volume processing and accelerate the post-closing process by up to 400%. After analyzing more than 200,000 loans, the company found that 80% of critical documents identified during the loan process can be satisfied through automation. Gateless offers Smart Underwrite, an end-to-end automated underwriting solution that begins at the point of sale, as well as VeriClear, an income verification tool. Among its publicized partnerships are those with The Loan Store and Equifax. “Our technology automates the intricate process of income analysis and ensures lenders receive precise, accurate income calculations quickly, whether for traditional wage earners or increasingly common self-employed borrowers,” said Katie King, chief risk officer at Gateless.
HSBC UK Private Banking adopts Addepar’s client reporting platform to enable offering holistic view of clients’ wealth through aggregated performance across their entire investment portfolio including investments held with other wealth managers
HSBC UK Private Banking is the first major UK bank to adopt Addepar’ software platform designed specifically for wealth managers. The Addepar platform provides an enhanced client reporting experience, with complex aspects such as alternatives and account aggregation. Relationship managers and investment advisers can provide clients with bespoke, comprehensive performance data and insights on their investments with just a few clicks. Additionally, the platform can also aggregate performance for clients who hold investments with other wealth managers, meaning clients can see a full picture of their entire investment portfolio. Charles Boulton, Head of Private Banking, HSBC UK, said: “Addepar’s platform will mean that clients have the best possible insights at their fingertips to manage an increasingly complex financial landscape. Being able to present a client’s entire portfolio to them so they have a holistic view of their wealth across multiple currencies and multiple wealth managers will be a big step forward for us.” James Thomson, Head of Investment Counselling, HSBC UK Private Banking, said: Our new reporting capabilities will mean our investment advisors can deliver deeper insights and greater transparency to our clients in a more efficient way, meaning they can spend more time on what matters most: providing our clients with high quality advice supported by robust analytics.”
Monzo’s UI features a clean, uncluttered interface that shows the daily spend, displays trends in monthly spending by categories and allows transferring money to someone using just their phone number with a payment link
Monzo’s clean UI and uncluttered interface was revolutionary and the bright orange branded cards made me feel like I was part of a special club. Here’s what I like about the UX/UI.
- It shows you what you’ve spent: This might seem obvious but it’s not a given on banking apps. My Nationwide app doesn’t show me how much I’ve spent in a day, it just shows me what my balance is. This makes it more difficult to tally up what I’ve spent on a particular day and work out how much my monthly direct debits cost, for example.
- Transferring money is easy: In other banking apps, adding a new payee can be a pain. There are card readers to contend with and what seems like endless identity checks. In Monzo, it takes a limited number of clicks to transfer your cash. You can transfer money to someone using just their phone number, and you can send them a link to pay you with.
- Check trends in spending: Monzo has changed the way it displays trends in spending and I must admit I preferred the previous interface, but it is still handy to be able to see at a glance how much you’ve spent in different categories, such as Transport, Shopping and Eating Out in a month or a year (though whether anyone needs to know how much they’ve spent on Eating Out in a year is debatable).
- Splitting the bill is fun: I don’t use this function often but you can easily split a bill within the Monzo app, and you can also do this for ongoing household expenses. Fun little animations show how it works and the amount each paying and who you’re splitting with is really clearly laid out on the screen. This is another case where the user interface makes it really clear what’s going on, which is exactly what you need in a banking app.