The latest CivicScience data show that both usage and intent in Buy Now, Pay Later have risen steadily since before the 2024 holiday season. As of May 27, 37% of those aware of BNPL use these services, up from 32% in Q3 2024. The percentage of those who are planning to use BNPL has also increased, ticking up to 12% from 9% in Q4 2024. Notably, usage and intent have also increased among high-income households ($100K+), with experience rising five percentage points since late last year. Users and intenders are particularly leery of looming tariffs – 84% of users and 83% of intenders are at least ‘somewhat’ concerned about the impact of tariffs and trade policies on their household expenses, outpacing non-users by at least eight percentage points (75%). While consumers are turning to BNPL for discretionary purchases, such as live events or food delivery, additional data finds that a noteworthy percentage of Americans worry they’ll have to utilize BNPL just to get by. More than one-third (36%) of consumers who don’t currently use a BNPL service are at least ‘somewhat’ concerned they might need to turn to a Buy Now, Pay Later program to help them manage household expenses in the next six months. This concern is most common among households earning under $50K, but notably, 19% of those expecting to make $100K also share this anxiety.
Apple’s LLM for Siri with 150 billion parameters equals the quality of ChatGPT’s recent releases but shows higher levels of hallucination
A new report claims that internally, Apple has already been testing Large Language Models for Siri that are vastly more powerful than the shipping Apple Intelligence, but executives disagree about when to release it. Apple is said to be testing models with 3 billion, 7 billion, 33 billion, and 150 billion parameters. For comparison, Apple in 2024 said that Apple Intelligence’s foundation language models were of the order of 3 billion parameters. That version of Apple Intelligence is intentionally small in order for it to be possible to run on-device instead of requiring all prompts and requests to be sent to the cloud. The larger versions are cloud-based, and in the case of the 150 billion parameter model, now also said to approach the quality of ChatGPT’s most recent releases. However, there reportedly remain concerns over AI hallucinations. Apple is said to have held off releasing this Apple Intelligence model in part because of this, implying that the level of hallucinations is too high. There is said to be another reason for not yet shipping this cloud-based and much improved Siri Chatbot, though. It is claimed that there are philosophical differences between Apple’s senior executives over the release.
Microsoft proposes GenAI Intent-based routing (IBR)- Customer Intent Agent discovers and manages intents, while IBR uses those intents to route conversations, connecting customer needs to the right support resources with speed and precision
Intent-based routing (IBR) is a generative AI-powered capability that routes customer queries based on real-time intent recognition and dynamic user group assignment. It is enabled by the Customer Intent Agent, which autonomously discovers and manages customer intents by analyzing past interactions and builds an evolving intent library. Customer Intent Agent discovers and manages intents, while IBR uses those intents to route conversations, connecting customer needs to the right support resources with speed and precision. Once an intent and its group are identified, IBR routes the conversation to the appropriate user group based on the mapped intent group. Next, IBR assigns it to the best-suited support representative within the group, based on their capacity, presence, and other routing attributes. This enables faster, more accurate resolutions. By turning intent from a passive insight into an active, intelligent routing decision, IBR becomes the operational backbone of an intent-driven contact center. Subsequently, this results in better assisted and self-service experiences. Implementing intent-based routing in your contact center can offer numerous benefits: Enhanced precision and personalization; Dynamic intent discovery; Streamlined routing configuration; Smarter workforce management and load handling; and Scalable and adaptable.
Neema’s Dynamic Routing uses multiple real-time routes between countries and instantly analyses exchange rates, speed, and reliability for every cross-border transaction to identify the optimal route
Neema launched Dynamic Routing, an innovative technology designed to enhance every transaction by maximizing both success rates and cost efficiency. Neema’s extensive cross-border payments network empowers financial institutions across the globe to effortlessly process transactions in over 120 countries. It accommodates the most widely used payment methods and currencies specific to each destination, ensuring that users experience a localized payment environment. The introduction of Dynamic Routing further extends Neema’s vision of building a globally connected financial ecosystem. Dynamic Routing, along with Neema’s vast network of financial partners, enables a smarter method for global money movement. Rather than depending on a single pathway, Dynamic Routing establishes multiple real-time routes between countries. Each transaction it powers undergoes instant analysis, taking into account factors such as exchange rates, speed, and reliability to identify the optimal route. Every payment is personalized, with transfers between the same countries often utilizing different, optimized routes. Additionally, Neema’s AI-driven security infrastructure and expansive international reach provide enhanced visibility into coverage and technical vulnerabilities, allowing the company to effectively address potential gaps while offering one of the most robust quality assurance systems in the industry.
NMI offers Tap to Pay on iPhone for merchants that enables them to accept all forms of contactless payments using only an iPhone and a supporting iOS app without requiring additional hardware
NMI now enables its U.S. customers to seamlessly and securely accept in-person, contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone allows merchants to accept all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and a supporting iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed. Using Tap to Pay on iPhone is easy, secure and private. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, at checkout, merchants simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless payment method near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment is securely completed using NFC technology. Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology uses the built-in features of iPhone to help protect business and customer data. Apple doesn’t store card numbers on Apple servers, so merchants and customers can rest assured that their data stays theirs. NMI now offers two quick and easy options for enabling Tap to Pay on iPhone: NMI Tap to Pay iOS SDK empowers SaaS developers and fintech providers to embed Tap to Pay capabilities directly into their own iOS applications creating one seamless payment experience. The Cloud Commerce iOS app, powered by Mastercard’s Cloud Commerce solution (available soon on the Apple App Store), enables small businesses to quickly start accepting payments with just an iPhone, no new hardware required.
InvestorFlow AI private markets capital solution integrates seamlessly into firm-wide capital formation and deployment workflows, automatically extracting proprietary often unstructured data found in in firm-wide interactions and meeting notes
InvestorFlow, the AI-powered front-office solution for private markets, announced new AI capabilities that transform unstructured interactions into actionable insights for capital formation and deployment. InvestorFlow AI delivers game-changing outcomes: from the early access program with top private market firms, clients recorded a 15X increase in actionable insights, including critical KPIs and in-quarter deal opportunities, and a 10X improvement in data accuracy — turning data into advantage at AI-scale. InvestorFlow AI integrates seamlessly into firm-wide capital formation and deployment workflows, automatically extracting proprietary often unstructured data found in firm-wide interactions and meeting notes, enriching that information with industry data providers including Preqin and Pitchbook, and generating intelligent, dynamic briefs for every fund, investor or deal opportunity. These insights are embedded directly into existing pipelines and workflows, accelerating decision-making and productivity where users already work. InvestorFlow AI cuts through the complexity, rapidly surfacing the most strategic and actionable insights from vast amounts of unstructured data. Whether in private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, real estate or credit, capital allocators increase optionality and originate the best opportunities by synthesizing insights from their proprietary data. InvestorFlow AI helps by identifying investor preferences and investment targets, generating precision-targeted investor lists for investor relations leaders, streamlining meeting preparation and follow-up, and accelerating co-investment campaigns, all at an accelerated pace.
BaaS Griffin is creating an agentic bank enabling an MCP server to have agents that can open accounts, make payments, and analyze historic events
Banking-as-a-Service bank Griffin is opening up access to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, providing a way for AI agents to autonomously perform tasks on behalf of customers. Griffin, which secured a full banking licence in March last year, says the initiative is the beginning of massive technological platform shift, which will see people delegating more and more of their work to AI. “We think there is much further to go…but to get there, the financial system has to be fundamentally rewired to accommodate a world in which agents can freely transact — while still retaining appropriate safeguards.” Potential use cases cited include end-to-end wealth management, payment admin and transactional capabilities. “This is early for us – we’re in beta – but it shows the power of what’s possible,” says the bank. “You can use the Griffin MCP server to have an agent open accounts, make payments, and analyse historic events. You can also use it to build complete prototypes of your own fintech applications on top of the Griffin API – which we’re already seeing customers doing in real time.”
Banks are experimenting with customer “security scores,” which evaluate risk and proactively offer context-specific insights before a transaction takes place
Financial fraud is increasingly a psychological threat, not a technical one. At times of financial stress, banks need to focus more on identifying, supporting and defending vulnerable customers, not just protecting platforms and data. To effectively counter today’s scams, banks need to think beyond detection and toward true prevention. That means equipping fraud and security teams with AI tools that are constantly trained on the latest scam trends and human vulnerabilities, and have the ability not only to detect scams, but also to intervene and prevent them in real-time. New approaches such as AI-powered “scam prevention agents” can be embedded within banking apps to deliver personalized warnings, verify transaction safety, and even simulate real-time conversations that help customers recognize and break free from a scammer’s influence. Same AI agents could also offer post-scam support and remediation for victims, while feeding data from their reports back into the detection and prevention models to protect other customers. Some banks are also experimenting with customer “security scores,” which evaluate risk based on behavioral patterns, transaction histories, and exposure to red-flag scenarios. These scores can trigger proactive communication, before a transaction takes place, offering users context-specific insights or education. Rather than blanket emails about general scam awareness, these systems deliver highly tailored insights and can provide alerts like: “This recipient has been flagged in other scam cases,” or “This transaction appears unusual based on your history.” Institutional alignment is a key part of an organization’s scam prevention strategy. Effective financial institutions are establishing cross-functional “cyber-fraud” fusion teams that bring together fraud prevention, cybersecurity, compliance, and behavioral science. These task forces respond and anticipate scams, building response playbooks and accelerating time-to-intervention. The most effective models also include support from executive leadership, marketing, and customer service, creating a truly enterprise-wide fraud prevention strategy. By integrating advanced analytics, AI-driven risk scoring, and behavioral insights, banking institutions can anticipate and intercept fraudulent schemes before they inflict significant harm. In doing so, they protect not only their bottom line but the essential relationship of trust with their customers.
Walmart’s interactive job simulations tool for veterans gives them the ability to virtually try out their skills in real-life scenarios and simulate the experience of working in a corporate environment
Walmart has unveiled a new skills translator tool specifically designed to let veterans upload their resumes, which are then translated into professional skills that align with its needs, such as logistics planning, GPS routing and inventory control. Walmart is also providing veterans with a new interactive job simulations solution that gives them the ability to virtually try out their skills in real-life scenarios and see what it’s like working in a corporate environment. So far in 2025, Walmart has invested $500,000 in events that mark the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. These donations support initiatives like the Revolutionary War Exhibit at the Museum of the Army commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday in 2025 and the celebration of Declaration of Independence in 2026. Walmart will also join the Navy and Marine Corps to commemorate their 250th birthdays in Philadelphia and in Camden, N.J. in October 2025. In addition, the company is funding a series of veteran-focused projects through the Manufacturing Institute, Hire Heroes USA and the Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. Each organization is working to help veterans get credit for the skills they acquired in the military as they transition to civilian life. Julie Gehrki, senior VP and president, Walmart Foundation said, “By investing in tools for the military community and supporting leading organizations, we’re ensuring veterans have the support and opportunities they need to succeed in their post-military careers.”
Startup New Gen is building AI storefronts using “AI subdomain” to receive AI-driven traffic; it reindexes a brand’s entire product catalog and uses AI models to create dynamic product pages and recommendation
Startup New Generation, or simply New Gen, is building AI storefronts – versions of brands’ websites that dynamically interact with AI chatbots and agents. Its technology helps brands automate product tagging, personalize responses and adapt to real-time market trends. To build the AI storefront, New Gen creates an “AI subdomain” — a dedicated microsite such as “ai.brand.com” designed to receive AI-driven traffic from tools like ChatGPT or website-browsing agents like Operator. Their system reindexes a brand’s entire product catalog, combines structured and unstructured data such as product descriptions and social media posts, and uses AI models to create dynamic product pages and recommendations. This data pipeline is available through an API for other companies to access. For image generation, New Gen uses Gemini 2.5. For prose and copy, the team relies on Anthropic’s Claude 4. For code and front-end generation, OpenAI’s models are preferred. Brands can control the experience through a merchant dashboard, setting preferences for tone of voice, which products to highlight, and seasonal merchandising strategies. Over time, the AI storefronts would integrate with marketplaces such as Shopify or WooCommerce. New Gen has partnered with Visa as part of the payments giant’s Intelligent Commerce initiative to enable AI agents to make purchases on behalf of consumers.