Oracle Corp unveiled MCP Server for Oracle Database, a new Model Context Protocol offering that brings AI-powered interaction directly into its core database platform to help developers and analysts query and manage data using natural language. The new MCP server enables LLMs to securely connect to Oracle Database and interact with it contextually while respecting user permissions and roles. MCP Server for Oracle Database allows users to interact with Oracle’s core database platform using natural language, with the server translating questions into SQL queries, helping users retrieve insights from data without needing to write complex code, making tasks such as performance diagnostics, schema summarization and query generation easier. The integration has been designed to simplify the process of working with SQL queries and navigating complex data schemas. MCP Server for Oracle Database AI agents can act as copilots for developers and analysts by generating code and analyzing performance. The protocol also supports read and write operations, allowing users to take action through the AI assistant, such as creating indexes, checking performance plans, or optimizing workloads. The AI agent operates strictly within the access boundaries of the authenticated user by using a private, dedicated schema to isolate the agent’s interactions from production data, allowing it to generate summaries or sample datasets for language models without exposing full records.
Anthropic unveils ‘auditing agents’ to test for AI misalignment finding prompts that elicit “concerning” behaviors
Anthropic researchers developed auditing agents that achieved “impressive performance at auditing tasks, while also shedding light on their limitations.” The researchers stated that these agents, created during the pre-deployment testing of Claude Opus 4, enhanced alignment validation tests and enabled researchers to conduct multiple parallel audits at scale. The three agents they explored were: Tool-using investigator agent for open-ended investigation of models using chat, data analysis and interpretability tools; Evaluation agent that builds behavioral evaluations and can discriminate between models that have implanted behaviors and those that do not; Breadth-first red-teaming agent, which was developed specifically for the Claude 4 alignment assessment, so that it can discover implanted test behaviors. According to the researchers, the investigator agent successfully found the root cause of the issues 10-13% of the time. Still, this performance improved to 42% “when using a super-agent approach that aggregates findings across multiple investigations.” The next step in most alignment audits is typically a behavioral evaluation, which determines whether the model consistently misbehaves in various settings. To test its evaluation agent, the researchers designed 10 models “given system prompt instructions to exhibit a specific behavior, such as excessive deference to the user.” They ran the agent five times per model and saw that the agent correctly finds and flags at least one quirk of the model. However, the agent sometimes failed to identify specific quirks consistently. It had trouble evaluating subtle quirks, such as self-promotion and research-sandbagging, as well as quirks that are difficult to elicit, like the Hardcode Test Cases quirk. The last test and agent concern behavioral red-teaming to find the prompts that elicit “concerning” behaviors. The breadth-first red-teaming agent converses with the target model (in Anthropic’s case, it was with Claude Opus 4), and this chat is then rated for alignment-relevant properties. The agent identified seven of the ten system quirks, but it also struggled with the same issues as the evaluator agent.
Crypto fund JellyC’s partnership with crypto exchange OKX and Standard Chartered to enable it to trade cryptos using tokenized money market fund as off-exchange collateral, without requiring to move funds to the exchange upfront.
JellyC, a digital asset investment manager with over $100 million in assets under management, said it joined a program with crypto exchange OKX and international bank Standard Chartered (STAN) that will allow it to trade cryptocurrencies while keeping its collateral secure off-platform. The company will use a Franklin Templeton tokenized money market fund (TMMF) as its preferred trading collateral. The collateral will be held by Standard Chartered. JellyC said the initiative will enhance its capital efficiency and reduce its direct exposure to OKX, potentially attracting institutional investments and mitigating the risk of an FTX-style blowup that destroyed billions in investor wealth. “Franklin Templeton’s natively minted on-chain TMMF provides legal certainty of fund ownership in real time, 24/7/365, and airdrops daily as new tokens,” JellyC CEO Michael Prendiville said in the email. “Marrying the Franklin TMMF with the Standard Chartered and OKX tripartite collateral structure elevates safety and soundness to a level akin to traditional finance, making this fit for purpose in a digital world.” Prendville said the approach is suitable for the wealth and funds management sector, as well as Australia’s superannuation, or pensions savings, industry and caters to the demand for digital asset trading products that leverage established banking infrastructure to ensure secure and compliant capital deployment in the cryptocurrency market.
Digital marketing platform for financial advisors Wealthtender can automatically structure FAQ content to be more easily surfaced in Google AI Overviews and as direct answers in AI tools by embedding FAQ schema on advisor websites and profiles
Wealthtender, a digital marketing platform for financial advisors and wealth management firms, announced the launch of AI-Optimized FAQs, extending its range of features that play a valuable role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). By embedding FAQ schema, a specialized code recognized by search engines and answer engines, Wealthtender automatically structures FAQ content to be more easily surfaced in Google AI Overviews and as direct answers in AI tools. Brian Thorp, Wealthtender founder and CEO. “With traditional search engines evolving to include AI Overviews and the rapid adoption of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, FAQs published on advisor websites and Wealthtender profiles, especially when enhanced with FAQ schema, are more powerful than ever for building trust, visibility, credibility, and increasing the likelihood of an advisor landing on a prospect’s shortlist.” Upon activation of the AI-Optimized FAQs feature, advisors can publish up to 10 questions and answers on their Wealthtender profiles that showcase their expertise and areas of specialization, address common questions, and appear more prominently when prospective clients use Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI search tools to find and evaluate financial advisors.
Spend management platform Coupa’s Tariff Impact Planning app explores specific tariff impacts on input and manufacturing costs, and identifies potential ways to qualify for duty drawbacks based on the flow of goods through the supply chain
Coupa, the AI platform for total spend management, announces its Tariff Impact Planning (TIP) app, part of Coupa’s Supply Chain Solutions suite, designed to help businesses navigate global trade and tariff policies and ensure profitability amidst widespread uncertainty. Coupa’s Supply Chain Solutions enable leaders to seamlessly build tariff-optimized supply chains that assess current networks, future implications, and alternate strategies to balance tariff reduction, operational efficiency, and protect bottom-lines. Coupa’s Tariff Impact Planning app, known as TIP, literally offers insights and tips needed for businesses to respond dynamically to safeguard margins and minimize disruption. Key features of the TIP app include: Tariff Optimization: Proactively review current supply chain networks and explore alternate strategies to mitigate tariff impacts, considering trade-offs between cost, service, and risk in production and sourcing locations. Duty Drawbacks: Explore specific tariff impacts on input and manufacturing costs, and identify potential ways to qualify for duty drawbacks based on the flow of goods through the supply chain. Layered Tariffs: Evaluate the costs of raw material inputs, manufacturing for semi-finished goods, and goods sold for finished goods to avoid unnecessary compounding. Pricing & Market Access: Assess market and policy scenarios to inform pricing strategies, helping to navigate potential cost increases while balancing competitiveness and customer impact
BankSocial’s tokenized liquidity network built on private permissioned DLT uses interoperable, tokenized rails to enable direct settlement between credit unions, eliminating the need for acquirers and offering a real-time view of all transactions across participants
Bank Social is introducing a private permissioned tokenized liquidity network—a new form of modernized shared branching built on distributed ledger technology that may reshape how credit unions move money among themselves and with their members. According to Bank Social COO Becky Reed, the initiative is less about cryptocurrency speculation and more about creating the next-generation backbone for cooperative financial institutions. Under BankSocial’s new model, if a member of Credit Union A deposits funds at Credit Union B, a third party—a designated acquirer—typically facilitates the transaction, often using legacy infrastructure. Bank Social’s model eliminates the need for that intermediary by using interoperable, tokenized rails to enable direct settlement between institutions. “There’s no need for acquirers anymore,” said Reed. “Every participating credit union on the network can settle directly with any other credit union. It’s faster, cheaper, and more secure.” What really differentiates this new model, Reed emphasized, is network visibility and fraud prevention. Traditional payment systems hand off funds and visibility once money leaves the originating institution, leaving fraud detection fragmented and slow. The tokenized network provides a full, real-time view of all transactions across participants. “Using AI, we can analyze transaction patterns across the network in real time. So, if a fraud ring tries to exploit five different local credit unions within minutes of each other, the system can flag it—and even temporarily pause suspicious activity,” said Reed. The system is tokenized, meaning digital representations of value are issued and tracked on a distributed ledger. But these tokens are used strictly as transactional instruments—not investment vehicles, Reed explained. The fintech provides the technology platform and tokenization infrastructure, allowing credit unions to create and manage their own private liquidity networks, Reed explained.
Google Wallet’s Nearby Passes uses location to surface relevant cards instantly, while allowing manual addition of unsupported loyalty passes for seamless, centralized access
While most wallet apps, like Samsung Wallet, let you store cards and even digital keys, Google Wallet offers features you don’t often see in other wallet apps. You can store your passport, various IDs, including your driver’s license, loyalty cards, and hotel keys, all within the Google Wallet app. While these features are already impressive, another feature completely changes how the app is used and it might be useful for you too. You can favorite frequently used cards and passes, but if you’re like me and use a mix of both, you’re still stuck hunting through the list. The Nearby Passes notification feature in Google Wallet uses your device’s location and the cards or passes in your wallet to surface the right one at the right time. For example, say you have a loyalty card for a coffee shop near your place. Google Wallet, using your device’s location, sends a notification to your phone’s lock screen so you can access that card instantly, without opening the app or scrolling through everything. The only catch is that it’s not always activated by default, particularly on devices that have had Google Wallet installed for a while or are running an older version of Android. Thankfully, you can activate it easily on your phone. In addition to the feature mentioned above, another Google Wallet feature I’ve been using a lot is the ability to create a loyalty card or pass, even for items that aren’t natively supported by the app. You can manually add unsupported passes to the app. So, if you need to access a card but don’t have your physical wallet on hand, this can be incredibly useful. It’s a lifesaver and allows you to create a centralized place to store all your passes.
Yubico’s Enhanced PIN feature to offer comprehensive PIN management for users with enforcement policies and PIN complexity applied by default, always-on user verification and minimum PIN length of six characters
Yubico has introduced the YubiKey 5 – Enhanced PIN, offering additional PIN capabilities for enterprises in 175 countries and 24 territories. The product is pre-configured with features to improve PIN management and user enforcement, including a mandatory minimum PIN length and requirements for increased complexity. This helps organizations meet evolving policy, compliance, and audit requirements for user authentication. The Enhanced PIN features are available on the YubiKey 5 NFC and YubiKey 5C NFC models, specifically through the YubiKey as a Service platform. The company has expanded its YubiKey as a Service to include all European Union countries and expanded its YubiEnterprise Delivery to 117 locations globally. The expanded service and new key features reflect Yubico’s effort to address the challenges posed by a changing cybersecurity landscape and varying global regulatory requirements, supporting enterprise customers in their transition to more robust authentication systems.
Custody platforms are emerging as the core infrastructure for governing token operations through programmable rules, multi-layer approvals, role-based access, and integration-ready APIs
Custody is the core infrastructure layer that makes institutional participation in digital assets not just possible but profitable. Modern custody platforms serve as critical mission-control layers, orchestrating transaction workflows, enforcing policy, supporting compliance and enabling the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) at scale. Ripple Custody is built for this new paradigm, enabling institutions, fintechs, and crypto businesses to govern token operations through programmable rules, multi-layer approvals, role-based access, and integration-ready APIs. Security is table stakes with Ripple’s system being ISO 27001-certified, SOC 2 audited, and supporting the most rigorous key management architectures on the market. However, its flexibility sets it apart, as it supports a range of deployment options, including on-prem, SaaS, or a hybrid of the two. This allows financial institutions to align custody models with internal policy, client demands, and jurisdictional requirements. The market for real-world asset tokenization is accelerating fast, with forecasts projecting the tokenized RWA market will grow from $0.6 trillion in 2025 to nearly $19 trillion by 2033. Ripple Custody is built with this reality in mind, enabling institutions to define multi-party approval flows, enforce transaction policies down to asset, role, and time-based rules, and lock in governance frameworks that reduce the risk of social engineering, collusion, and unapproved access. Bridging TradFi and Web3, Ripple Custody bridges both crypto-native and TradFi-oriented platforms. With over a decade of experience operating across crypto markets and institutional finance, Ripple brings a dual advantage: a deep understanding of blockchain infrastructure and a real fluency in bank-grade systems. Custody enables what comes next, as institutions move from tokenization theory to practice. It’s not about picking a vault; it’s about selecting a partner that can evolve with your business as strategies mature. Ripple Custody offers institutions a platform, not a black box, and strategic enablement. Custody systems must now support: Tokenized securities and bonds, with customizable workflows and strict governance; Money Market Funds and private credit, which demand real-time settlement, role-based access and policy-based controls; Stablecoins, with over $215 billion in circulation as of mid-2025, and growing relevance in cross-border treasury flows.
Cash App’s new P2P payment feature enables creating a pool, setting a target amount, and inviting contributors who can make group payments in seconds using Apple Pay or Google Pay through a shareable link
Cash App announced the launch of pools, a new peer-to-peer payment feature that enables group payments with just a few taps. Organizers can start a pool through the Cash App payment tab. From there, organizers can create and name a pool, set a target amount, and invite contributors. Members can be invited in-app via their $cashtag, or the organizer can text or share a link to request a contribution using Apple Pay or Google Pay. The organizer can close the pool at any time and then transfer the money to their Cash balance. With pools, members can contribute within seconds so the group can focus on the experience and not on stressful payment logistics: Proactive payment collection: Our market research shows that 60% of U.S. adults participate in some form of group money pooling, or one person has typically needed to volunteer to make the payment up front. Pools were designed for groups to easily plan, collect, and track contributions before the event occurs so that nobody has to front the entire cost. Integrations with Apple Pay and Google Pay: If members of the group use different payment solutions, the organizer has historically needed to download multiple apps to collect the money from each person resulting in confusion, time wasted, and risk for all participants. Now, the organizer can create a shareable link for group members to contribute to a pool in seconds using Apple Pay or Google Pay. Easy progress tracking: The organizer can name, set a goal amount, and invite members to join the pool and track the group’s contributions, removing unnecessary logistics and guesswork. End-to-end payment flows: Each pool seamlessly connects to the Cash App’s suite of banking and peer-to-peer payment tools, so the organizer can instantly use that money toward the group’s goal.