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.
Citi has integrated Fenergo’s Client Lifecycle Management platform into its Global Transfer Agency business, enhancing investor onboarding and due diligence
Citi has integrated Fenergo’s Client Lifecycle Management platform into its Global Transfer Agency business, enhancing investor onboarding and due diligence for regulated funds in Europe. The platform enables customized risk assessments for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, making onboarding more seamless. Clients benefit from automated data validations and real-time reporting through API connectivity. Citi’s Global Transfer Agency unit is part of the bank’s Fund Services business, catering to institutional clients including asset managers and investment managers who create and run regulated funds for institutional or retail investors. The adoption of Fenergo for regulated funds in Europe is part of Citi Transfer Agency’s ongoing digital transformation agenda, following the launch of the bank’s award-winning digital Transfer Agency service in the UK in 2023. The Citi Fenergo Client Lifecycle platform accelerates digital transformation in Europe’s regulated fund space, backed by real-time compliance automation.
Mastercard debuts AI-powered design studio for card issuers- empowers creative teams by providing compelling design tools, and multisensory branding
Mastercard launched the Mastercard AI Card Design Studio, an innovative platform that transforms how issuers create and deploy card designs. By combining speed, affordability and advanced customization, it gives card issuers a powerful, intuitive solution to bring their unique brand to life. The AI Card Design Studio draws on Mastercard’s brand and card production expertise to bring high-end design capabilities directly to its partners. Users can upload logos and product details, use AI-assisted design features, customize as needed and instantly download brand-compliant designs. What once took weeks can now be completed in minutes—accelerating go-to-market timelines while enabling more creative flexibility and emotional impact. With the AI Card Design Studio, Mastercard is applying that same approach to the creative process, giving partners more control and clarity from the start. The platform empowers creative teams by providing compelling design tools, while freeing up time to focus on higher-level creative strategy. From pioneering multisensory branding and launching the inclusively designed Touch Card, to introducing our sustainable card program aimed at removing first-use PVC plastics from our network by 2028, Mastercard has consistently pushed the boundaries of what design can do. This new tool is a natural extension of that legacy, allowing issuers to quickly produce stand-out designs.
Trulioo suggests “digital agent passport” to keep bots honest at checkout- a tamper-proof credential showing who built the agent, who it represents, and what permissions it has
Trulioo and PayOS recently published a white paper that advances the concept of Know Your Agent (KYA). At its core is the “Digital Agent Passport,” a tamper-proof credential showing who built the agent, who it represents, and what permissions it has. The passport includes five checkpoints: provenance, user binding, permission scope, real-time behavior telemetry, and continuous risk scoring—creating a verifiable chain of trust at machine speed. The white paper proposes independent Digital Passport Authorities to issue, sign, and revoke passports, much like SSL certificate authorities. A federated directory would ensure interoperability across borders and marketplaces, with real-time revocation lists. KYA would combine Trulioo’s identity graph and fraud detection with agent behavior monitoring. If an agent exceeds its permissions or behaves suspiciously, its passport could be flagged or revoked instantly. For merchants, KYA offers tighter audit trails and fewer manual exceptions. For FinTechs and retailers, it enables higher straight-through processing while guarding against fraud. Trulioo urges support for a federated directory of “white list agents,” ensuring payloads are signed and trusted. Each passport includes cryptographic proof of the developer’s identity and a hash of the latest code commit, giving merchants real-time visibility into agent behavior.
Handwave’s tech uses a combination of surface palm imaging and near-infrared vein mapping to enable secure, frictionless authentication of payments, age verification and loyalty programs without the need for devices, apps or wallets
Handwave has raised $4.2 million in a seed round to launch its palm-based authentication method across Europe and the United States. The company’s technology enables payments, age verification and loyalty programs to be done “with one wave of a hand.” “Using a combination of surface palm imaging and near-infrared vein mapping, Handwave creates an encrypted biometric template that never leaves your control,” Handwave said. “The result? Secure, frictionless authentication with a single gesture — no devices, apps or wallets required.” Handwave said palm biometrics provides users with greater control than facial recognition and greater security than face scans or fingerprints. While facial recognition can be triggered passively, palm biometrics requires users to extend their hand and confirm the action. Plus, the palm’s “unique network of veins, geometry and motion” is difficult to replicate and can be verified with liveness detection. The early-stage venture capital firm focused on Baltic founders said Handwave’s biometric payments and identification platform “is redefining how we pay and prove who we are — with just a palm.” “The idea that you can securely pay or verify your identity with nothing but your palm—without even taking out a phone—is not just futuristic, it’s imminently practical,” Practica Capital Partner Arvydas Bloze said.
‘White-space’ opportunity for buying or originating fintech loans is estimated at US$280 billion over 5 years; banks are partnering private-credit funds to originate and distribute loans off balance sheet expanding fee-based revenue while offloading credit risk
Fintech founders are facing a significant challenge as giant private-credit funds are lining up with term sheets so large they would have broken cap tables a year ago. A joint study from BCG and QED Investors puts the “white-space” opportunity at US$280 billion over the next five years: capital earmarked for buying or originating fintech loans. Private credit has grown nearly ten-fold since 2010 to roughly US$1.5 trillion of assets under management (AUM) in 2024, and consultants expect it to hit US$3.5 trillion by 2028, a compound annual growth rate north of 19%. Big banks are partnering with private-credit titans to originate and distribute loans off balance sheet, such as Citi x Apollo and Citi x Carlyle. The model is simple: banks keep the origination and servicing fees, funds take the credit risk, and regulators get comfort that risky assets live outside the deposit-backed system. Private-credit exuberance has pushed unitranche pricing down, but funds can lever those assets 1.5-2x and still net solid returns, making it an attractive asset class. However, many CEOs prefer a 14 percent cost of capital that preserves ownership over a 35% down round in an unforgiving venture market. The venture capital power-law reset threatens that maths, as private-credit recycling threatens that maths. Funds are aggressively scouring growth markets where banking pull-back is most acute, such as India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, where dollar funding married to local-currency wallets is a tantalizing carry trade, provided FX hedges hold. However, there are several risks to consider, including credit deterioration, funding squeeze, regulatory shock, and FX blow-ups in emerging markets. To mitigate these risks, investors should monitor the spread compression Pace, Reg-Tech Build-Out, Private-Fund Reporting, Basel Endgame Final Rule, and Structured-Credit Revival.
EMVCo requests feedback on electric vehicle open payments solution which simplifies the digital payment process to help make it more consistent, convenient and secure
EMVCo released a draft document describing an interoperable open payment solution for electric vehicle (EV) charging. EMVCo creates and manages EMV® Specifications and programmes that enable trusted and convenient card-based payments for consumers and businesses worldwide. It has been collaborating with industry stakeholders to explore how EMV open payments can give EV drivers everywhere more freedom when charging their vehicle, while merchants can be confident that anyone is able to pay for charging. This involved evaluating how to integrate card-based open payments into the Plug and Charge experience defined in ISO 15118, the widely adopted global standard that specifies a digital communication protocol between the EV and the charging station. The EV Open Payments Use Case document outlines how EMV Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) technology – which simplifies the digital payment process to help make it more consistent, convenient and secure – can be used to integrate card-based payments at EV charging stations supporting Plug and Charge. Using EMV SRC technology maximises global interoperability and supports compatibility with the existing charging infrastructure. No hardware changes are anticipated from EV manufacturers and charging station operators (CSOs) need only limited backend integration. This can help ease deployments, reduce costs and accelerate time-to-market. Patrik Smets, EMVCo Executive Committee Chair, comments: “Open payments increase choice and convenience for EV drivers as they can pay for charging without needing to establish a prior relationship with individual merchants. This removes the need to download various applications and sign up for different accounts or memberships, promoting a simple EV charging payment experience for a new era in global mobility.”
Multiverse’s Model Zoo offers compact high-performing AI for device commands and for local reasoning—bringing powerful intelligence to home appliances, smartphones, and PCs via quantum compression
AI startup Multiverse Computing has released two AI models that are the world’s smallest models that are still high-performing and can handle chat, speech, and even reasoning in one case. These new tiny models are intended to be embedded into Internet of Things devices, as well as run locally on smartphones, tablets, and PCs. “We can compress the model so much that they can fit on devices,” founder Román Orús told. “You can run them on premises, directly on your iPhone, or on your Apple Watch.” Its two new models are so small that they can bring chat AI capabilities to just about any IoT device and work without an internet connection. It humorously calls this family the Model Zoo because it’s naming the products based on animal brain sizes. A model it calls SuperFly is a compressed version of Hugging Face’s open source model SmolLM2-135. The original has 135 million parameters and was developed for on-device uses. SuperFly is 94 million parameters, which Orús likens to the size of a fly’s brain. “This is like having a fly, but a little bit more clever,” he said. SuperFly is designed to be trained on very restricted data, like a device’s operations. Multiverse envisions it embedded into home appliances, allowing users to operate them with voice commands like “start quick wash” for a washing machine. Or users can ask troubleshooting questions. With a little processing power (like an Arduino), the model can handle a voice interface. The other model is named ChickBrain, and is larger at 3.2 billion parameters, but is also far more capable and has reasoning capabilities. It’s a compressed version of Meta’s Llama 3.1 8B model, Multiverse says. Yet it’s small enough to run on a MacBook, no internet connection required. More importantly, Orús said that ChickBrain actually slightly outperforms the original in several standard benchmarks, including the language-skill benchmark MMLU-Pro, math skills benchmarks Math 500 and GSM8K, and the general knowledge benchmark GPQA Diamond.
United Network launches NFC non-custodial card wallet transforming a traditional bank card into a secure hardware crypto tool; ensures all transactions are secured directly on the chip, providing ease of use for digital asset management
United Network has launched its innovative NFC non-custodial card wallet, transforming a traditional bank card into a secure hardware crypto tool. This innovative solution ensures all transactions are secured directly on the chip, providing unparalleled security and ease of use for digital asset management. All private keys are stored only on the card and are never shared with any external devices or services, ensuring a high level of security. The United Network card wallet offers a seamless user experience through its intuitive web interface or mobile application. Users can manage their digital crypto assets with the simplicity of NFC authentication via their smartphone and advancement of hardware wallet, making complex cryptocurrency operations as easy as a tap. The card form factor helps eliminate the complicated usage often associated with traditional hardware wallets, such as the need to connect to a desktop or laptop by cable. The solution was developed according to strict data protection standards. Every device undergoes security testing, so users can be confident their funds are safe, even in case of a card loss. Key Highlights of the United Network Card Wallet: Comprehensive Functionality: Effortlessly send, receive, store, and swap your tokens to any other crypto wallet with just a tap of a card. Card-Sized. Power-Packed: Slides into your wallet like any bank card, offering simple, secure access while keeping private keys fully in the user’s control. Multichain Support: Supports Bitcoin, Solana, Ethereum, BNB Chain, TON, Venom, and Tron from day one, with more chains coming soon. Top-Tier Security: Implements multichain cryptography and standards for robust security.Seamless Web3 Integration: Facilitates effortless authentication into Web3 applications. Flexible White-Label Opportunities: United Network offers customizable solutions for corporate and white-label needs.
Trovata bolsters legacy treasury management offerings with debt and investment instruments, intercompany transactions, in-house bank support, credit facilities, FX hedging, bank fee analysis and bank account management
Trovata announced its acquisition of ATOM, the enterprise Treasury Management System (TMS) developed by Financial Sciences Corporation. This move marks a bold step forward in Trovata’s mission to modernize and democratize treasury technology, unlocking the full capabilities required to serve large global enterprises. With ATOM’s deep treasury feature set—including support for debt and investment instruments, intercompany transactions, in-house bank support, credit facilities, FX hedging, full domestic and international payment workflow, bank fee analysis and bank account management—fully integrated into Trovata’s cloud-native platform, Trovata becomes the first modern, viable TMS alternative to the legacy incumbents. The combined offering delivers unprecedented scale, flexibility, and performance for corporate finance and treasury teams seeking to modernize. Brett Turner, Founder and CEO of Trovata said, “With ATOM, we have the firepower to compete directly with the legacy incumbents—and replace them. This isn’t just expansion. It’s a generational shift in treasury tech.”