ValidSoft announced a strategic alliance with Reality Defender, the RSA Innovation Award-winning deepfake detection platform, to jointly address the growing threat of AI-generated audio in online communications. As attackers grow more sophisticated — in cloning voices, launching real-time synthetic calls, and exploiting vulnerable identity layers — this partnership sets a new standard for proactive defense of voice communications. This strategic alliance follows OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s recent warnings about an impending AI-generated voice fraud crisis, especially for financial institutions. With the departure of Nuance and Amazon Connect Voice ID from the market, enterprises and governments face a dangerous gap in voice-based identity security — particularly in critical environments like online conferencing, contact centers, and help desks. Together, the companies are closing this gap by launching a best-in-class, battle-tested solution which combines ValidSoft’s leading, patented Voice Identity Platform™, delivering real-time, passive voice biometric authentication and cryptographic voice assurance, with Reality Defender’s market-leading, API-first deepfake audio detection capabilities. The result: a seamless, multi-layered defense against real-time impersonation, fraud, and synthetic media attacks. Ben Colman, CEO and Co-Founder of Reality Defender. “By combining ValidSoft’s real-time voice identity assurance platform with Reality Defender’s AI-powered deepfake detection, we’re delivering a solution purpose-built for the threats.”
Lithic card issuance platform’s adoption of Visa’s account-level management API accelerates premium card enrollment, enhances rewards, and drives issuer economics without disrupting cardholder experience
Lithic, the card issuing processing platform powering next-generation financial experiences, announced its integration with Visa Account Level Management (ALM) over Visa’s Card Program Enrollment (VCPE) API, offering fintech partners faster delivery of premium card programs and improved card economics. Visa ALM evaluates spend across multiple cards under a single account to determine premium program eligibility. This shift from BIN-level to account-level assessment helps improve program economics while accelerating benefit delivery. The integration enables Lithic clients to enroll eligible cardholders into Visa’s Signature and Signature Preferred programs, and more, without card re-issuance or disruption to the cardholder experience. Unlike legacy batch enrollment methods that delay benefit activation and interchange assignment for days, Lithic’s VCPE API integration processes card enrollments in near real-time. “Integrating with Visa’s ALM system over the VCPE API allows Lithic partners to unlock enhanced revenue opportunities while maintaining a smooth, cardholder-friendly experience,” said Bo Jiang, CEO of Lithic. Fintechs can now manage card portfolios at the account level, paving the way for more personalized cardholder rewards, real-time tier upgrades, and premium Visa benefits like extended warranties, travel protections and concierge services. This “account for life” approach means cardholders keep their existing number while their account adapts to their evolving spending patterns.
Amazon Autos teams with Hertz on used vehicle sales- brings together Hertz Car Sales’ trusted nationwide inventory with the convenience of Amazon’s shopping and checkout experience
Hertz Car Sales has joined Amazon Autos allowing shoppers to browse, finance, and purchase from a selection of thousands of high-quality pre-owned vehicles. This strategic collaboration brings together Hertz Car Sales’ trusted nationwide inventory with the convenience of Amazon’s shopping and checkout experience. As Amazon Autos’ first fleet dealer, Hertz Car Sales is expanding the available inventory on Amazon Autos to offer a wider selection of well-maintained vehicles from trusted brands like Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, Nissan, and more. Customers can now browse Hertz Car Sales listings on Amazon Autos, complete their purchase online, and pick up their vehicle at Hertz Car Sales locations. This will initially begin in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle, with plans to expand to Hertz Car Sales’ 45 locations nationwide. Joining Amazon Autos aligns with Hertz’s strategy to expand its digital retail presence and make its extensive inventory of well-maintained used vehicles more accessible to customers nationwide, both online and at Hertz Car Sales locations. Benefit of Purchasing a Vehicle from Hertz Car Sales on Amazon Autos: Thousands of quality pre-owned vehicles at competitive prices, often below Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value;Hertz Certified vehicles undergo a rigorous 115-point inspection; Vehicles are backed by a 12-month/12,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, 24-hour roadside assistance, and a 7-day/250-mile buy-back guarantee; Flexible financing options from top lenders; Detailed vehicle history and condition reports; Seamless online purchase experience with e-signature and pickup scheduling.
Apple devices adds granular enterprise controls to gate employee access to external AI, letting IT disable or route ChatGPT requests and restrict other providers while preserving on‑device privacy
Apple is introducing tools for businesses to manage how and when employees can use artificial intelligence. These controls are granular enough for managing which features can be enabled or disabled. The system also apparently allows companies to potentially restrict whether an employee’s AI requests go to ChatGPT’s cloud service, even if the business doesn’t buy services from OpenAI directly. This can prevent employees from accidentally handing over internal-only IP or data to ChatGPT, which could be used elsewhere. However, while the focus is on ChatGPT, it’s a set of tools that won’t be limited just to OpenAI’s service. The same tools can restrict any “external” AI provider, which could include Anthropic or Google, for example. Apple has a public deal with OpenAI that enables deep integration with ChatGPT on the iPhone. However, the new tools may indicate that Apple is preparing for a future where corporate users want more freedom on which AI service they use, and for Apple to potentially have more, similar integrations. While Apple does have its own Private Cloud Compute architecture to protect user data under Apple Intelligence, it doesn’t have any way of ensuring security or privacy for third party services. The tool is an attempt to provide enterprise customers some more control over these services.
LivePerson integrates Amazon Connect so agents switch seamlessly between automation and humans across voice, web, apps, and messaging with shared analytics
LivePerson is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to integrate Amazon Connect, a unified, AI-native customer experience solution from AWS, with LivePerson’s digital contact center. Combining LivePerson’s new AI capabilities and conversational intelligence with Amazon Connect will deliver a unified customer service solution. The LivePerson and Amazon Connect integration will enable contact center agents to manage all interactions through a single interface while leveraging AI-supported conversations and seamless handoffs between automation and human support. Advanced conversational intelligence from LivePerson for both voice and digital will give brands a clear view of actionable data. By eliminating separate telephony requirements, businesses can significantly reduce operational complexity and costs while scaling their customer service operations more efficiently. With LivePerson, brands benefit from digital and AI capabilities that include: Seamless connectivity across platforms, offering a cohesive workspace, integrated analytics, and an orchestration layer that spans all communication channels — all implementable without disturbing current investments in customizations, workflows, or infrastructure from either platform; A comprehensive digital toolkit supporting a wide array of channels, such as web, in-app messaging, SMS, WhatsApp, Google RCS, Apple Messages for Business, Line, Facebook Messenger, KakaoTalk, and others.; Integrated conversational AI, compatibility with third-party bots, and large language models from prominent providers, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google; A fully unified conversational intelligence platform for both voice and digital interactions, designed to consolidate all customer sentiment and agent performance data from any voice or digital provider; Availability of enterprise-grade generative AI features, including conversation summarization, agent support tools, specialized AI agents for routing and data gathering, and LLM-driven insights from the omnichannel intelligence suite.
Visa Direct plugs into Authvia’s TXT2PAY for real‑time outbound disbursements so refunds, settlements, incentives, and reimbursements arrive to eligible Visa debit cards within a messaging thread.
Authvia has integrated Visa Direct, Visa’s real-time money movement platform, into its TXT2PAY® solution. Leveraging the combined technology of Authvia and Visa Direct, which facilitates the delivery of funds directly to eligible Visa debit cards in real-time, Authvia is enabling real-time disbursements across industries like healthcare, automotive services, insurance, and gig economy platforms through a single text message. Through this integration, Authvia has expanded its TXT2PAY capabilities to include real-time outbound payouts to eligible Visa cards in select markets, enabling businesses to issue refunds, insurance settlements, payments, incentives, and reimbursements to consumers without requiring physical checks, apps, or portal logins. Using Authvia’s patented messaging commerce platform, recipients can verify their identity, confirm payout details, and, for eligible Visa card transactions, typically receive funds in real time—all within a familiar messaging thread.
Zil Money transforms spending control with AI-powered virtual card features- to automate receipt categorization, analyze transaction data, and generate actionable reports within seconds
Zil Money, a leading fintech solution, has introduced two innovative features in its Virtual Card suite: AI-powered receipt parsing and automated spending analysis reports. These features are designed to provide businesses with real-time insights and complete control over their expenses. Businesses can now automatically track spending, with detailed breakdowns by category, merchant, and more, offering unparalleled visibility into financial transactions. Following the introduction of its Virtual Card, Zil Money has empowered users to create an unlimited number of cards instantly, set customized spending limits, and easily manage expenses. Businesses have reported significant improvements in efficiency, particularly in areas like vendor payments, employee reimbursements, and subscription management. These features automate receipt categorization, analyze transaction data, and generate actionable reports within seconds. With real-time analysis, businesses can instantly verify transactions, categorize purchases, and gain valuable insights, streamlining expense management. This innovation reinforces Zil Money’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge tools that empower smarter financial decisions.
Candescent’s Terafina adds configurable onboarding templates that shift optional steps post account ‑opening; boosting conversion while preserving compliance
Candescent has introduced a major advancement in its account opening and onboarding platform, Candescent Terafina. The platform allows banks and credit unions to have unprecedented control over the entire account opening experience. With nearly one in four consumers opening a new financial account at least once per year, offering fast, intuitive account opening capabilities is crucial. The Terafina Account Opening flexible templates allow institutions to minimize initial input requirements and move optional actions like debit card selection and online banking enrollment to when the account is live. This modernized flow boosts successful account opening rates and elevates experience without compromising compliance or back-office efficiency. The new capabilities include pre/post account workflow control, smarter joint applicant support, modern compliance automation, built-in security with name matching, and customized user roles for back-office staff. Candescent’s Terafina platform is more than a technology solution; it’s a strategic enabler, enabling banks and credit unions to deliver a frictionless, member-centric journey and strengthen their digital foundation.
Grasshopper Bank lets business clients query account data in Anthropic’s Claude via a secure model‑context bridge, with explicit consent, read‑only permissions, and analyst‑style insights for reporting and cash flow
At Grasshopper Bank, a digital bank based in New York City, Chief Technology Officer Pete Chapman started noticing that the bank’s startup and tech company clients were using large language model chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT for almost everything. “One of our beta clients uses Claude to help build her end-of-month financial reporting for her board every single month, and she’s had to extract her bank account data and download it into an Excel spreadsheet, then plug it manually into that board packet,” Chapman told American Banker. This week, Grasshopper announced that it’s letting such customers load their bank account data directly into Claude, using a feed built by its tech partner Narmi. Now the bank’s beta user, who previously relied on manual processes, feeds her bank data directly into Claude to create monthly financial reports. “Ultimately, we’re trying to listen to our clients,” Chapman said. “We know our clients do things elsewhere, and we’d rather enable them in a safe and secure manner. This is just the next step in that evolution.” This is part of a broader AI adoption journey at Grasshopper that until now has focused on using AI to drive efficiencies in the company’s back office. “We spent the better part of a year and a half undergoing that effort, and we’ve made a lot of progress on that, but we always said to ourselves, at some point, we would like to take Gen AI and be able to deliver a better client experience,” Chapman said. No other U.S. bank has publicly announced that it’s letting customers access their bank data through a large language model. While many banks have enthusiastically embraced generative AI for the sake of internal efficiency, most have hesitated to let customers interact with their bank that way – the risks of error, hallucination or bias are still considered too great. Grasshopper is not using Anthropic’s Claude as a customer service chatbot to answer questions about the bank or as a replacement for call-center representatives. It’s giving business customers the option to connect their bank account information to the Claude chatbot and query and analyze their own financial data by asking questions, similar to the way they might bring their bank account data into QuickBooks or a personal financial management app.
Experian’s document verification suite integrates Incode’s AI ID verification, liveness, facial match, and real‑time metadata analysis to speed decisions and block synthetic fraud
Experian announced the integration of Incode Technologies, Inc. (“Incode”) into the Experian Ascend Platform™. This collaboration will enable seamless, secure and efficient identity validation for over 1,800 global clients across industries including financial services, automotive, healthcare and digital marketing. Through this partnership, Incode’s advanced identity validation and real-time metadata analysis will be offered as an optional component within Experian’s CrossCore Document Verification suite in North America, with global expansion planned. Incode’s AI-driven technology strengthens Experian’s identity and fraud solutions by verifying and connecting identity elements such as government-issued IDs, facial recognition, liveness checks, and real time metadata. Identity verification is central to Experian’s identity and fraud portfolio, helping organizations combat cybercrime while maintaining a seamless customer experience. This integration provides stronger protection against synthetic identity and application fraud, as well as higher accuracy in detection and workforce identity.