Algebrik AI announced a strategic partnership with Kinective, to integrate Algebrik AI’s intelligent loan origination system with Kinective’s Gateway™ platform providing credit unions and community lenders seamless, real-time connectivity between their LOS, core systems, and e-signature workflows.Algebrik AI and Kinective partner to unify loan origination, and e-signatures. “Our partnership with Kinective eliminates one of the biggest sources of operational drag—manual workflows and broken integrations,” said Pankaj Jain, Founder and CEO of Algebrik AI. With Kinective’s Gateway™ embedded into Algebrik’s platform: Everything Happens in One Place – Loan officers can initiate, track, and complete document signing within the Algebrik interface—no toggling between systems or manual syncs. Blended E-Signatures, Built In – With Kinective Sign, borrowers can complete signatures remotely via email or embedded interfaces, or in-person using supported tablets and signature pads. The same workflow can flexibly accommodate both channels—ideal for use cases like joint applications, branch-assisted onboarding, or co-signer journeys. Compliance-Ready by Design – Every signed document and system update is captured, logged, and audit-ready within Algebrik’s compliance-first architecture. Faster Closings, Happier Borrowers – By automating every touchpoint—from application to final signature—Algebrik reduces operational bottlenecks and delivers a smooth, guided borrowing journey.
Adobe predicts amount of traffic to all U.S. retailers coming from gen AI chat services and browsers to leap 3,200% year over year during Amazon’s Prime Day
Adobe said that during Amazon’s Prime Day sales event that runs from Tuesday (July 8) through Friday (July 11), it expects the amount of traffic to all U.S. retailers that comes from generative artificial intelligence (AI) chat services and browsers to leap 3,200% year over year. “And while AI-driven traffic remains modest compared to other channels such as paid search or email, the growth shows the value consumers are seeing in leveraging AI to quickly find information on deals and product details,” Vivek Pandya, director, Adobe Digital Insights at Adobe, said. Adobe saw the first material surge in this kind of traffic to U.S. retail sites during the holiday shopping season, from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024, when generative AI traffic saw a year-over-year increase of 1,300%. The company found that 92% of U.S. consumers said generative AI enhanced their shopping experience as they used the technology for shopping tasks like conducting research, receiving product recommendations, seeking deals, getting present ideas, finding unique products and creating shopping lists. Adobe also predicted the during the Prime Day event, U.S. retailers will see online spend increase 28.4% year over year to reach $23.8 billion; shopping on mobile devices hit an all-time high as it drives 52.5% of online sales; and buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage experience a slight uptick as it increases its share of overall online spend from 7.6% last year to 8% this year.
OpenAI implements “information tenting” policies that limit staff access to sensitive algorithms, isolates proprietary technology in offline systems and maintains a “deny-by-default” policy to protect against corporate espionage
OpenAI has reportedly overhauled its security operations to protect against corporate espionage. The company accelerated an existing security clampdown after Chinese startup DeepSeek released a competing model in January, with OpenAI alleging that DeepSeek improperly copied its models using “distillation” techniques. The beefed-up security includes “information tenting” policies that limit staff access to sensitive algorithms and new products. For example, during development of OpenAI’s o1 model, only verified team members who had been read into the project could discuss it in shared office spaces. OpenAI now isolates proprietary technology in offline computer systems, implements biometric access controls for office areas (it scans employees’ fingerprints), and maintains a “deny-by-default” internet policy requiring explicit approval for external connections. The company has increased physical security at data centers and expanded its cybersecurity personnel.
Apple dials back Liquid Glass look and feel following user complaints of the glassy look making the UI more difficult to read, switching back to less translucent and more solid white background in the Notifications and navigation within first-party apps
The iPhone’s new glassy look has been toned down with the release of the third developer beta of iOS 26. This follows user complaints that the update made parts of the user interface more difficult to read. The update sees Apple taking yet another step to dial things back from an overly glassy look in a number of key areas. While beta 2 addressed problems with the Control Center, beta 3 shifts its focus to other areas of the mobile operating system, like Notifications and navigation within Apple’s first-party apps, like Apple Music. For instance, the navigation bar in Apple’s streaming music app no longer sees the background shining through a bit, opting for a more solid white. Notifications are also less translucent, as the background behind the text is darkened, increasing contrast. While the changes arguably make features easier to read, some users now complain that Apple has gone too far in the other direction with a return to more of a “frosted glass” aesthetic. The point of beta software is to allow Apple to collect feedback, find bugs, and address issues before the software rolls out more broadly. That means Apple could continue to tweak the Liquid Glass look and feel over the coming releases to find the sweet spot for the new glassy look within every app and screen.
PayPal’s new adaptive AI-driven alerts, notify users before sending money if a transaction may be a scam; tailoring its response based on risk levels: at high risk, it blocks the transaction entirely
Cybersecurity is a relentless cat-and-mouse game, and the rise of generative AI has made cyberattacks more sophisticated than ever. In response, PayPal—owner of Venmo—is harnessing AI to stay ahead of evolving threats. The company has introduced a dynamic, AI-powered scam alert system as part of its fraud prevention efforts to protect its global user base. “We need to be smarter and faster than the scammers, and we’re combating AI used by bad actors with more intelligent AI used for good,” said Yigit Yildirim, SVP of global fraud prevention at PayPal. These AI-driven alerts, now rolling out for Friends and Family transactions on PayPal globally and on Venmo in the US, notify users before sending money if a transaction may be a scam. The system tailors its response based on risk levels: at high risk, it blocks the transaction entirely; at lower risk, it suggests verification or provides cautionary prompts. This adaptive approach is designed to avoid “warning fatigue”—the desensitization that occurs when users repeatedly see the same generic message. “If you send the same friend money for lunch every week but always receive the same generic warning to watch out for scams, it not only interferes with your payment experience, but it leads you to ignore the warnings altogether,” Yildirim explained.
BNY to act as the primary reserve custodian for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin purpose-built for enterprise utility to support faster and low-cost cross-border payments
Blockchain company Ripple chose BNY for the primary custody of its stablecoin reserves. Via the partnership, BNY will act as the primary reserve custodian for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, using its “deep technology stack and expertise enabling the digital assets ecosystem. Unlike stablecoins geared primarily toward retail users, RLUSD has been purpose-built for enterprise utility, particularly in improving the speed, cost and efficiency of cross-border payments. In addition, BNY will provide its leading transaction banking services to underpin RLUSD’s operations and deliver integrated solutions. “Ripple USD addresses a critical gap in the market as a stablecoin developed for enterprise-grade financial use cases, designed to meet the rigorous standards of leading financial institutions,” said Jack McDonald, SVP of Stablecoins at Ripple. “BNY brings together demonstrable custody expertise and a strong commitment to financial innovation in this rapidly changing landscape, as well as a forward-thinking approach to digital asset infrastructure, making them the ideal partner for Ripple and RLUSD.”
OpenAI’s Chromium-based AI browser to likely include a chat-style assistant that can perform complex tasks on behalf of the user in click-free mode and an agentic AI to handle multistep tasks across the web that lets users delegate responsibilities
OpenAI is reportedly close to releasing a browser that could potentially take on Google LLC’s market dominance with its Chrome browser, several months after the company said that it would be interested in buying Chrome from Google. The browser is slated to be launched in the coming weeks and uses artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. Notably, the browser would also give OpenAI direct access to user data, which it could use to train its models. The browser is expected to be built on Chromium, the open-source codebase that underpins Chrome and most other browsers except Firefox, but with AI tightly integrated into the user experience. The OpenAI browser is said to include a chat-style assistant that can perform complex tasks on behalf of the user, such as summarizing pages, autofilling forms, booking travel or completing online purchases, without requiring users to click through websites manually, instead of simply serving as a traditional interface for web navigation. Where things could get particularly interesting is that the browser may include OpenAI’s Operator agent, an agentic AI offering designed to handle multistep tasks across the web, allowing users to delegate responsibilities such as scheduling appointments or ordering food to an AI agent. Its inclusion could turn the browser into more than just a gateway to the internet versus a fully capable assistant embedded directly in the browsing environment. The move could place OpenAI in direct competition with Google on multiple fronts, not only in search but also in advertising and data collection.
Icon Business Bank’s integration with ZimpleMoney to enable businesses to offer private financing across multiple loan types with automated ledgering, integrated payments, borrower portals and detailed reporting
Icon Business Bank announced a strategic partnership with ZimpleMoney to simplify private party financing for customers. This collaboration gives Icon Business Bank customers access to advanced loan servicing technology that streamlines the management of private loans, leases, and installment payments. Powered by ZimpleMoney’s cloud-based platform and open APIs, businesses can now offer private financing to their customers, creating new revenue streams while improving cash flow management. ZimpleMoney’s platform features multiple loan types, automated ledgering, integrated payments, borrower portals and detailed reporting—all designed to simplify the complexities of private financing and enhance trust between borrowers and lenders. It provides a compliant, professional framework that brings transparency and efficiency to every step of the process. With this offering, Icon Business Bank continues to lead with innovation by offering tools that align with today’s business environment and provide access to more modern solutions.
Moment automates fixed income investments- instantly generates portfolios from email requests, builds transition proposals from PDFs in seconds, and produces client-ready reports with custom commentary
Moment, the company automating trading and portfolio management workflows for fixed income teams, has raised $36 million in Series B funding led by Index Ventures, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and others. Moment’s platform unifies trading, research, portfolio optimization, reporting, and risk and compliance in a single system, with a layer of automation that allows financial institutions to supercharge their fixed income teams. Leading financial institutions use Moment to: Execute thousands of trades in seconds with automated execution rules; Optimize tax-sensitive, multi-asset class portfolios across hundreds of thousands of accounts; Scan all of their accounts and trades in real-time for compliance violations using custom rules; Use AI-powered workflows to instantly generate portfolios from email requests, build transition proposals from PDFs in seconds, and produce client-ready reports with custom commentary. By embedding forward-deployed engineers with its largest customers, Moment co-develops multi-year transformation roadmaps while delivering near-term solutions in production. Dylan Parker, CEO and co‑founder of Moment said “These firms are partnering with Moment to co-create the future of fixed income – empowering their fixed income teams with a differentiated platform to win new business, unlock eight-figure revenue channels, and genuinely 10x their productivity.”
Prime Day 2025 is seeing a shift from impulse electronics to practical essentials driven by tighter budgets and rising skepticism over perceived value
Prime Day 2025 is seeing a shift from impulse electronics to practical essentials, signaling consumers are buying smarter. According to early reports, spending at the start of Prime Day Tuesday (July 8) was down 14%. PYMNTS Intelligence data reveal spending may have dropped not due to a lack of interest in the event, but because of tighter budgets and rising skepticism over perceived value. Flash deals on electronics, once the hallmark of Prime Day, underperformed per Tuesday sales data, while essentials like home goods, pet care, and household appliances fared better. It’s a shift from impulse to pragmatism. Prime Day’s spending contexts are also a reflection of subtle but seismic changes in how consumers pay. The old model — credit card plus shipping address — is fading. Instead, new habits are being formed around wallets, embedded finance and more payments innovations. BNPL orders for Amazon’s Prime Day, for example, were up 13.6% year over year for Tuesday’s shopping event. Amazon Prime Day 2025 was still a massive success by any traditional measure. But beneath the surface, a critical shift is underway, powered by AI innovation, payments optimization and changing consumer behavior. Adobe said that during Amazon’s Prime Day sales event, it expects the amount of traffic to all U.S. retailers that comes from generative AI chat services and browsers to leap 3,200% year over year.