A study from consumer finance platform Happy Money has revealed a striking disconnect in how Americans think about debt versus how they manage it. While paying down debt remains a top priority for many households, a significant number are failing to take concrete steps that could ease financial strain and accelerate repayment. More than one-third of respondents ranked debt repayment among their leading financial goals, yet one in five admitted they had taken no action in the past six months to address it. Only a small fraction had consolidated or refinanced debt strategies that could reduce interest costs and shorten payoff timelines. Meanwhile, with average credit card APRs now exceeding 20%, the cost of carrying a balance is more punishing than ever, and over a third of cardholders continue to roll debt from month to month. The consequences of this inaction reach beyond personal finances. The report highlights a direct link between debt-related concerns and well-being: more than 40% of those worried about credit card payments reported an impact on their mental health, and a third said it disrupted their sleep. Middle-aged consumers appear to be feeling the pinch most acutely, with nearly half in the 35–54 age bracket carrying a balance every month. Happy Money CEO Matt Potere believes the solution lies in making responsible borrowing more accessible and better understood. He argues that creditworthy borrowers often overlook the benefits of fixed-rate personal loans, which can replace high-interest revolving credit with predictable monthly payments. This, he says, can help consumers pay off multiple cards faster, save money on interest, and even improve their credit scores. For the FinTech sector, the findings present a clear opportunity. As traditional lenders and digital challengers alike search for ways to attract and retain customers, offering transparent, affordable, and wellness-focused credit solutions could prove a powerful differentiator.
Airbnb launches “Reserve Now, Pay Later”—allowing US guests to book stays upfront, delaying payment until just before the free cancellation period ends
Airbnb has launched a new feature called “Reserve Now, Pay Later” that lets users in the U.S. reserve a property without paying up front, potentially allowing people to cancel their bookings with less hassle if their plans change. The feature is applicable to properties that have a “flexible” or “moderate” cancellation policy. Flexible policies let users cancel their reservation up to 24 hours before they check in, while moderate policies allow for no-fee cancellations until five days before check-in. Users will need to pay the full amount for their booking before the listing’s free cancellation period ends. Airbnb will send users a reminder to pay before that date. Citing a survey it conducted with Focaldata, Airbnb said 55% of those surveyed preferred a flexible payment option while booking a stay, with 42% saying they missed out on properties while trying to figure out payment logistics with other travelers.
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.
RentRedi’s Stripe Capital–powered revenue‑based financing lets prequalified RentRedi landlords access funds in 1–2 days, pay a single flat fee, and repay automatically as a percentage of rent collections
RentRedi, the fastest-growing property management software for smart real estate investors, has launched a new financing solution powered by Stripe Capital that provides fast, flexible funding to help landlords and rental property investors grow their businesses. This latest offering builds upon RentRedi’s long-standing relationship with Stripe, adding capital access to its suite of intelligent rental management tools designed for smart landlords who want to improve operations, increase revenue, and scale their rental portfolios. Access to capital is one of the most common challenges landlords face when looking to expand or improve their rental business. With RentRedi financing, eligible customers can apply in just a few clicks, without affecting their personal credit score, and receive funds in as little as two business days after approval. RentRedi financing offers: Streamlined applications: Eligible landlords are prequalified based on payment volume and history with RentRedi, without additional lengthy paperwork; Quick funding: Approved funds can arrive in as little as 1–2 business days; Clear terms: Customers see all terms upfront and pay a single flat fee—no additional interest, fees, hidden costs, or other surprises; Pay-as-you-earn payment: Borrowers automatically pay the loan or merchant cash advance through a percentage of sales until the total amount financed is paid. Additional payments or early payment towards the financing may be made without penalty. The program is designed to integrate seamlessly with the way landlords already operate within RentRedi. By using the platform’s built-in rent collection and accounting features, payments toward this financing happen automatically, making it easier to manage cash flow and stay focused on property operations.
Walmart launches Shoppable series for sports fans and hobby enthusiasts, enabling to buy what’s appearing on-screen, without being redirected to another page
Walmart aims to reach sports fans and hobby enthusiasts with a new weekly series streaming exclusively on Walmart Live and featuring shoppable content. The “Collector’s Night” series is powered by live commerce platform TalkShopLive and presented in partnership with sports card and collectibles community WeTheHobby. The series will deliver nonstop thrills every Thursday with live box breaks, surprise giveaways, and exclusive drops—all designed to capture the real-time rush of the hobby. Mayank Hajela, GM Collectibles at Walmart U.S., said that there has been a surge in demand for collectibles. Walmart and TalkShopLive said in December 2021 that they partnered on a “hassle-free retail and content distribution agreement” enabling fans and shoppers to buy what’s appearing on-screen, without being redirected to another page and having to miss out on the show. “You click and you purchase right from the video player,” TalkShopLive CEO and Co-founder Bryan Moore told. . “There’s no click-through [to another site or page]; you’re not driving back to Walmart.com to buy it. There’s no click out. You literally buy it right then and there within the video player, so that’s why we convert more sales.”
Koah embeds native, context-aware ads directly inside AI chat flows and personalizes them based on historical conversation data and surfacing at the exact moment of user inquiry
Koah, the monetization platform for Gen AI chat apps, has announced its public launch after operating in stealth since January 2025, with $5+ million in seed funding. Koah is the first advertising platform designed specifically for conversational AI, offering GenAI businesses a powerful way to earn revenue by embedding contextual ads directly inside AI chat conversations. Powered by Forerunner, South Park Commons, and AppLovin cofounder Andrew Karam, Koah solves the gap by embedding native, context-aware ads directly inside AI chat flows. Personalized based on historical conversation data and LLMs, brands can surface their offerings at the exact moment of user inquiry. Koah provides a lightweight SDK that integrates in under a day, allowing developers to access an instant, scalable revenue stream without disrupting user experience. Early Gen AI chat app partners earned an average of $10,000 in their first 30 days with Koah. After six months in the market, Koah reached an audience of over 80 million through the company’s range of consumer AI publishers.
Bitget Wallet partners with Brazil’s PIX; its self-custodial wallet technology integrates with zero-fee Mastercard connectivity, enabling cross-blockchain stablecoin transactions through instant P2P settlement and merchant BRL conversion
Bitget Wallet integrated Brazil’s PIX instant payment network, opening the door for everyday purchases with digital assets like USDT and USDC. Bitget Wallet’s new feature allows users to scan any PIX QR code and pay with stablecoins across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, BNB, Solana, Tron, Ton, and Base. Merchants still receive Brazilian reais, ensuring seamless settlement on their end. “The integration of PIX marks a milestone for crypto adoption in Brazil,” commented Jamie Elkaleh, CMO of Bitget Wallet. “Our vision is to give users the freedom to pay with crypto anywhere, anytime, without barriers. By connecting to PIX, we are bridging global digital assets with Brazil’s vibrant real-time payment infrastructure, making everyday crypto use as seamless as possible.” The PIX rollout is part of Bitget Wallet’s broader strategy to expand real-world use cases for crypto in Latin America. The wallet also supports QR-based payments through Solana Pay and regional QR code integrations in Southeast Asia. Additionally, Bybit recently partnered with Tether to expand the adoption of cryptocurrency in Brazil. As part of the initiative, Bybit and Tether are working with Visit Rio, the city’s tourism authority, to bring cryptocurrency payments into the tourism sector. The plan reportedly includes enabling tourists to pay for services, tours, and shopping in crypto, with potential perks such as discounts and USDT rewards.
SambaNova-LatticeFlow study proves guardrailed open GenAI models match closed-source security and are secure for enterprise adoption
A new evaluation led by LatticeFlow AI, in collaboration with SambaNova, provides the first quantifiable evidence that open-source GenAI models, when equipped with proper risk guardrails, can meet or exceed the security levels of closed models, making them suitable for implementation in a wide range of use cases, including highly-regulated industries such as financial services. The security scores of the open models jumped from as low as 1.8% to 99.6%, while maintaining above 98% quality of service, demonstrating that with the right controls, open models are viable for secure, enterprise-scale deployment. Many companies are actively exploring open-source GenAI to gain flexibility, reduce vendor lock-in, and accelerate innovation. But despite growing interest, adoption has often stalled. The reason: a lack of clear, quantifiable insights into model security and risk. The evaluations released today address that gap, providing the technical evidence needed to make informed decisions about whether and how to deploy open-source models securely. Key results: DeepSeek R1: from 1.8% to 98.6%; LLaMA-4 Maverick: from 33.5% to 99.4%; LLaMA-3.3 70B Instruct: from 51.8% to 99.4%; Qwen3-32B: security score increased from 56.3% to 99.6%; DeepSeek V3: from 61.3% to 99.4%. All models maintained over 98% quality of service, confirming that security gains did not compromise user experience.
Workato delivers industry’s first enterprise MCP platform for AI agents; unlike open-source or DIY options, Workato delivers fully managed, composable MCP servers
Workato has introduced Workato Enterprise Model Context Protocol (MCP), the industry’s fastest, most secure, and complete solution for enabling organizations to put AI to work with relevant data and carry out real work in applications. Workato Enterprise MCP connects enterprise systems with powerful agent capabilities, empowering AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor to operate safely and efficiently, accelerating the path to becoming an agentic enterprise. Unlike open-source or DIY options, Workato delivers fully managed, composable MCP servers that connect instantly with ChatGPT, Claude.AI, Amazon Q, Cursor, Google Gemini, and any other agent. Workato Enterprise MCP manages identity and resource access, removing untrusted open-source code and self-hosting complexity. It integrates seamlessly with existing applications and processes, adds governance and observability, and enforces enterprise-grade security. IT teams gain complete control and visibility, and AI agents deliver real business outcomes — safely, reliably, and at scale. As part of the launch, Workato has teamed up with Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Atlassian, and Box to ensure customers realize the full value of MCP with unprecedented trust and speed. With Workato Enterprise MCP, recruiters can finalize a candidate’s offer and initiate the onboarding process, which includes employment eligibility verification, payroll enrollment, identity provisioning in SSO, and assigning an onboarding buddy. Claude can assemble all the relevant information, drive the core process through Workato, and handle exceptions on behalf of the recruiter. Marketing teams can utilize agents to drive pipeline and new opportunities with ChatGPT, asking questions about closed-won opportunities, investigating customer calls in Gong, and then automatically drafting best practices for Outreach email sequences to generate new leads. With Workato Enterprise MCP, businesses have the power to design exactly the MCP servers they need and can expose existing Workato recipes as secure, AI-ready MCP tools. Customers can tap into thousands of prebuilt recipes and connectors, all configurable through an intuitive low-code interface.
BILL debuts a high-yield, best-in-class operating account that helps SMBs to earn 42x the national average APY and benefitting from up to $200 million in FDIC insurance
BILL has launched BILL Cash Account, a high-yield, best-in-class operating account that helps SMBs put their money to work. BILL is making it easier for businesses to strengthen cash positions by bringing yield, speed, simplicity and security together in one seamless account. This new account redefines how businesses manage their money—delivering higher returns, stronger cash flow and smarter financial management. BILL is enhancing value for customers by helping them extend operating cash while they grow working capital in one account—earning 42x the national average annual percentage yield (APY)*, and benefitting from up to $200 million in FDIC insurance. Mary Kay Bowman, EVP, GM of Payments and Financial Services at BILL said, “With Cash Account, we’re bringing growing businesses the same enterprise-grade capabilities normally reserved for Fortune 500 companies—combining high APY on an operational account with fast speed, seamless software integration, and security all in one simple account. This gives businesses a smarter way to manage payments and put their operating cash to work for them.” With BILL Cash Account, businesses can: Earn More: High-yield on operating deposits from day one—42x the national average*. No minimums, no fees. Pay Faster: Next-business-day ACH payments with no added fees, and unlimited transactions—allowing SMBs to maximize cash efficiency. Simplify Cash Management: Combine payables and treasury functions into one seamless, embedded account within BILL—the platform trusted by nearly half a million businesses. Grow with Confidence: Expanded FDIC insurance coverage up to $200 million—well above standard limits, giving businesses added peace of mind.