Besides the widget shortcut, Google is making AI Mode faster to access with one-tap search on Android and iOS. Previously, launching AI Mode from the shortcut beneath the Search bar in the Google app or widget would bring you to an introductory homepage. You’d then have to touch the “Ask AI Mode” field before you could start typing. Opening AI Mode now immediately takes you to the input box with the keyboard open. The header just shows the ‘G’ logo (and close button), while the suggested queries carousel disappears after you enter text for a minimalist look. With the previous homepage no longer available, you cannot quickly access conversation history. Google tells us to soon expect direct access from the text field. One-tap AI Mode access is live on both Google for Android and iOS. On the latter platform, Google has introduced a very slick animation. Tapping the AI Mode button will expand the usual Search field to encompass your entire screen as the keyboard pops up. As this occurs, there’s a four-color glow around the expanding perimeter that looks very nice. It fades out just as everything settles, while closing AI Mode also results in a visual effect. There’s no equivalent animation on Android right now, but there are other colorful touches.
Amazon’s newest AI tool is designed to help merchants improve their listings automatically suggesting product titles, attributes, descriptions, and missing details
Amazon said Thursday it is releasing a new generative AI-powered tool to help merchants improve their listings with missing details or attributes. Sellers often have hundreds of products listed on Amazon, and they need to update information related to them from time to time, which can be a cumbersome task. The e-commerce tech giant wants sellers to use its new AI-powered tool, called Enhance My Listing, to make the chore easier. The tool automatically suggests product titles, attributes, descriptions, and missing details to sellers based on seasonal trends. Sellers can accept, reject, or modify these suggestions before updating the product listing in Amazon’s catalog. Amazon said it uses its own Amazon Bedrock service for generative AI models to get insights from customer engagement on the platform. Enhance My Listing is rolling out to select sellers in the U.S. starting today, with an expanded rollout scheduled for the coming weeks. The company introduced generative AI tools for sellers starting in 2023 with a feature that helped them write product descriptions. In March 2024, Amazon added a tool that allowed sellers to create a listing by inserting a product URL from their websites. That feature also lets sellers upload a single image or write a few words to generate a listing. Amazon said that over 900,000 sellers have used its generative AI tools to date. The company added that over 90% of the time merchants accept AI-generated content without any edits.
Android 16 UI to sport a bolder visual appeal and feature “springy” animations, new motion physics, newer shapes, brighter splashes of color and more impactful fonts
Google is introducing one of the biggest revamps it has ever seen with the launch of a new design language called Material 3 Expressive. Set to arrive in Android 16, Material 3 Expressive is a sweeping new user interface update that aims to make the platform more visually appealing, emotional and interactive. It incorporates new motion physics, fresh color schemes, component updates and more impactful fonts to bring a fresh new look to Android, and potentially reshape how devices feel and function. Material 3 Expressive was announced , alongside new security features for “at risk” users. The company also revealed it’s expanding the availability of its Gemini generative AI models to Android-powered devices such as cars, TVs and wearables. According to Google, the Material 3 Expressive language will launch on Android handsets first, and we’ll likely see it on the next generation of Pixel smartphones, before expanding to Google’s broader app ecosystem. Material 3 Expressive shares some of the basic design elements that debuted in the Material You system launched by Google four years ago, but it’s altogether much bolder, featuring “springy” animations, newer shapes and brighter splashes of color. “With the release of Android 16, users who choose to activate Advanced Protection will gain immediate access to a core suite of enhanced security features,” said Il-Sung Lee, Google’s product manager for Android Security. “Additional Advanced Protection features like Intrusion Logging, USB protection, the option to disable auto-reconnect to insecure networks, and integration with Scam Detection for Phone by Google will become available later this year.”
Equifax’s new cloud SMB data platform to enable B2B marketers to query more than 67 million U.S.-based business records online with user-friendly filtering and list-building features
Equifax has launched its B2bConnect SMB data on the Equifax Cloud, making commercial marketing data available in minutes to help B2B marketers be more efficient and increase campaign success. The platform unifies differentiated data to create more effective commercial sales and marketing insights that enable Equifax customers to target the right small businesses quickly and achieve their goals. Using B2bConnect, B2B marketers can query more than 67 million U.S.-based business records online to help identify, segment and target top prospects. The platform enables user-friendly filtering and list-building features so that B2B marketers can reach target customers. B2bConnect offers everything marketing teams need within the platform, including demographics, business contacts, firmographics, marketability and industry codes, to give SMB marketers confidence that they are identifying and targeting the right business prospects. Equifax customers can also sort and filter companies and contacts based on the wide array of data points, quickly select the fields for export, and save templates for later use. This allows other team members to customize the file so that the data can be ingested into an existing CRM or marketing automation platform. From there, customers receive a flat file with their data that can come in Excel, CSV, Pipe Delimited or Tab Delimited formats.
Visa’s AR solution automates the virtual card transaction process by retrieving card account details, initiating authorization and clearing steps on the supplier’s behalf, and providing timely reconciliation data to close out invoices in the supplier’s ERP system
Visa announced the general availability of its innovative product, Visa AR Manager, in the United States. Visa AR Manager is designed to grow and maintain existing card volume by automating the virtual card transaction process, addressing a significant pain point for suppliers accepting commercial credentials. Visa AR Manager streamlines the virtual card transaction process by retrieving card account details, initiating authorization and clearing steps on the supplier’s behalf, and then providing meaningful and timely reconciliation data to close out invoices in the supplier’s ERP system. This automation revolutionizes the way virtual card transactions are managed, simplifying the process and reducing manual touchpoints for merchants, allowing them to focus on core business activities. Abhishek, Global Head of B2B Acceptance, Visa Commercial Solutions said “Visa AR Manager will significantly transform supplier AR workflows to enable increased efficiency and lower operational costs, while streamlining virtual card payments for merchants.” Key Capabilities of Visa AR Manager: Streamlined onboarding process for suppliers, including identification and verification of merchant identifiers needed to enroll; Automatic card account retrieval via batch file integration (recommended), or email parsing with participating issuers. API coming soon; Initiates authorization and clearing steps on the supplier’s behalf for most major acquirer processors in the US; and Provides meaningful and timely reconciliation to close out invoices, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
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.
Discord’s new virtual reward system allows users to redeem exclusive digital items from Discord’s Shop using the rewards earned by watching product videos or playing games
Discord is experimenting with a new virtual reward system aimed at encouraging more users to engage with its interactive ads. This new feature, called “Orbs,” comes on the heels of the company preparing for a potential IPO. Users can earn Orbs by completing “Quests,” Discord’s ad format where advertisers incentivize users to watch product videos or play games by rewarding them with virtual items. The addition of Orbs gives users the chance to redeem exclusive digital items from Discord’s Shop, including Nitro credits, profile badges, avatar decorations, profile effects, and items from main collections. The goal of Orbs is to encourage more interaction with Quests as Discord seeks to demonstrate to partners that it can offer a scalable ad business. The Orbs experiment may also entice users who don’t have a subscription to try Nitro, as they can spend Orbs on credits instead of using a payment method. For instance, users need 1,400 Orbs to get three free days of Nitro, which typically costs $10 per month.
PayPal adds new physical card issued by Synchrony to its digital offering, PayPal Credit for in-store purchases, featuring limited-time travel offer and six-month promotional financing on PayPal purchases over $149
PayPal announced that PayPal Credit can now be used everywhere with the introduction of a new physical card, issued by Synchrony. This expands its popular digital PayPal Credit offering to use both online when checking out with PayPal and in-store and everywhere Mastercard® is accepted. When using the new physical card, customers will also have access to a limited-time offer to pay for travel purchases over six months with promotional financing and no minimum spend1. This gives account holders a more manageable way to pay for qualifying travel purchases like flights, hotels, cruises, and ride shares, which can be spread over time to best suit their budget and needs. This is PayPal’s next flexible payment innovation that caters to customers looking to take PayPal Credit everywhere. In addition to the limited-time travel offer, customers can continue to enjoy six-month promotional financing on PayPal purchases over $149. Customers looking for flexibility at checkout can also apply for a PayPal Buy Now Pay Later loan which lets them break purchases into smaller payments over weeks or months. The physical card will be rolling out in the coming weeks to US customers.
Clearstream partners Azimut to develop DLT-based private funds solution – providing broader access to private market strategies, along with a liquidity option that will allow investors to unlock the illiquidity premium embedded in private asset portfolios
Deutsche Börse’s Clearstream announced a new DLT-based solution for private market funds that it developed in conjunction with asset manager Azimut. It leverages the funds distribution platform, FundsDLT, that Clearstream acquired in late 2023. Azimut was the very first asset manager to use FundsDLT. A key goal of the DLT platform from the beginning was to reduce costs through automation and enable greater transparency. It supports the permissioned sharing of information between the asset manager, distributor and client investor, including regular reporting and asset servicing. Clearstream said it now offers a new account model that supports multiple investor portfolios under a single Clearstream Custody account. For example, this might cater to wealth managers and their clients. This structure “enables Azimut to access anonymized, detailed insights into the portfolios of individual investors.” Giorgio Medda, CEO of Azimut Holding said, “This innovative platform will provide broader access to private market strategies, along with a liquidity option that will allow investors to unlock the illiquidity premium embedded in private asset portfolios.” “By leveraging Azimut’s expertise and our robust technology, we aim to set new standards, while maintaining the highest levels of security, compliance and investor trust,” said Philippe Seyll, CEO of Clearstream Fund Services.
Conferma’s partnership with JP Morgan Payments Network to enable businesses to issue virtual cards and make multi-currency payments via API that integrates directly with ERP, procurement, and expense management platforms
Conferma has expanded its strategic membership in the J.P. Morgan Payments Partner Network to include J.P. Morgan Payments’ virtual card solutions as part of its European offerings. This expansion offers European-based businesses the opportunity to issue and manage virtual cards effortlessly, unlocking multi-currency capabilities and providing greater flexibility to streamline payments across the region. J.P. Morgan Payments’ virtual card services offer businesses in Europe the opportunity to access virtual card services and benefit from trusted payment capabilities—simplifying procurement, boosting cash flow, and enhancing security. What this means for businesses: Expanded payment freedom: Corporates can issue virtual cards, eliminating international barriers and empowering businesses with greater global agility. Multi-currency efficiency: Virtual cards enable payment in local currencies, reducing FX costs and improving payment efficiency. Seamless integration: Conferma’s API technology integrates directly with ERP, procurement, and expense management platforms, making adoption effortless and quick. Stronger financial oversight: Businesses gain more visibility, control, and fraud protection, enhancing compliance and security. By combining J. P. Morgan Payments’ virtual card solutions through the J.P. Morgan Payments Partner Network with Conferma’s seamless technology, businesses can accelerate payments, enhance security, and cut operational costs.