The latest batch of Q2 2025 results make it clear: Debit cards are no longer optional add-ons, they are central to how FinTech platforms lock users into an expanding bouquet of services, offering a tie-in to lending and banking tools to branded checkout experiences.1) Block’s Q2 2025 earnings presentation noted Cash App’s gross profit rose 16% year over year, driven in large part by Cash App Card, alongside Borrow and BNPL initiatives. Their shareholder letter further emphasizes accelerating user engagement and gross profit per transacting active, up 15%, with 26 million Cash App Card actives. The company has indicated that, as detailed in the latest shareholder letter, debit is holding appeal for younger consumers, as active customers “under the age of 25 have higher Paycheck Deposit attach rates and a 40% higher Cash App Card attach rate compared to the rest of our customer base. 2) Affirm’s Q2 earnings supplement confirms growth in the relatively new Affirm Card, a Visa-issued debit card, with transactions routed via the card versus typical checkout flows. Affirm Card active cardholders surged 97%. Card gross merchandise volume (GMV) grew 132% to $1.2 billion. In-store spending on those cards grew 187% year over year. 3) Klarna’s F-1 report confirms enhancements to the Klarna Card, including real-time transfers and deposits, as part of its U.S. rollout, enhancing the “smarter wallet experience.” Marqeta’s card issuing platform powers the Klarna Card debit card that will allow Klarna customers in the U.S. to use the same card to pay immediately or pay later. The F-1 stated that Klarna Balance, introduced last year, “allows consumers to Pay in Full or make Pay Later payments without connecting a bank account or a credit or debit card and facilitates the growth of cashback.” 4) PayPal’s results indicated that debit card total payment volume across PayPal and Venmo expanded over 60%, and monthly active debit accounts jumped over 65%, reflecting robust adoption as the company added 2 million first-time debit card users in the U.S. 5) LendingClub’s Q2 earnings report highlighted the launch of its LevelUp Checking account, while offering deposit and debit-like capabilities that enhance its lending ecosystem. CEO Scott Sanborn explained that adding checking functionality helps embed LendingClub deeper into consumer financial lives, supporting ecosystem expansion. LevelUp Checking offers customers 2% cash back for on-time loan payments made from this checking account and 1% cash back when using the associated debit card for qualifying purchases, according to company materials.
Ondo launches tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on Ethereum for non‑U.S. investors; backed by broker‑held securities, with 24/5 mint‑redeem access and DeFi‑ready transfers
Ondo Finance launched Wednesday its tokenized equity platform dubbed Ondo Global Markets, offering non-U.S. investors access to more than 100 U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on-chain. The tokenized equities, has gone live on Ethereum and are backed by securities held at U.S.-registered broker-dealers, the firm said. The offering includes crypto token versions of Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA) and the QQQ ETF among others. Investors in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and Latin America can mint and redeem shares around the clock during trading days, with access to underlying exchange liquidity. The service is not available for U.S. users. The tokens are designed to move freely between wallets, exchanges and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. The firm has also partnered with BitGo, Ledger, Chainlink and other infrastructure providers to support the rollout. Ondo said it plans to expand the selection to more than 1,000 assets by the end of this year and bring the service to Solana and BNB Chain (BNB) with LayerZero-powered interoperability. “We saw stablecoins export the U.S. dollar by bringing it on-chain,” said Nathan Allman, founder and CEO of Ondo Finance. “Now, Ondo Global Markets is doing the same thing for U.S. securities.” The rollout comes as tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) gains momentum across crypto markets, with projects bringing treasuries, private credit and now equities onto blockchains pursuing broader access and liquidity.
Birdeye debuts Search AI for GEO (GenAI Engine Optimization), tracking brand visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, auditing citations and sentiment, and auto‑optimizing answers via a closed‑beta agent
Birdeye has laucnhed Search AI, a first-of-its-kind platform designed to help multi-location brands manage GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). GEO is the equivalent of SEO for the AI-world. Search AI is purpose-built from the ground up for the AI era and is powered by BirdAI, Birdeye’s native AI layer that powers the Birdeye platform. Search AI ensures multi-location brands can see what their audiences are searching for, track how and when they’re being surfaced, understand what each AI engine is saying about them and their competitors, and act autonomously to boost visibility, accuracy, sentiment, and engagement. As part of this launch, Birdeye is also introducing the Search Optimization Agent, now in closed beta with select enterprise customers. The agent continuously analyzes prompts, citations, and AI-surfaced answers, and can autonomously optimize a brand’s GEO with one-click approvals. Search AI is built for marketing teams managing hundreds or thousands of locations. It enables them to: Analyze consumer prompts by brand, location, and keyword; Track brand’s visibility across AI Platforms and understand how they are performing vs their competitors — by platform, location, citation; Identify citations used by AI engines and monitor their share of voice; Audit the accuracy of AI-generated business data and brand descriptions; Monitor brand sentiment and themes in AI-generated content for you and your competitors; Benchmark rankings by themes and answers at a local and brand level; Suggest, create, and publish content that is designed for AI engines to consume
Instagram finally ships a native iPad app, defaulting to full‑screen Reels, with Stories, messaging, and a multi‑view Following tab tuned for larger displays
The Instagram app is expanding to the iPad at long last, with Instagram releasing a dedicated iPad app as of today. Instagram for iPad focuses on Reels, and when opening the app, it will go directly to the Reels page. Stories will be available at the top of the interface, with support for messaging as well. There is a dedicated Following tab that provides different filtering options. “All” will display recommended posts and reels from accounts you follow, while “Friends” will show recommended posts from accounts you follow and that follow you back. The “Latest” option will show chronological posts and reels from accounts that you follow. Instagram for iPad was designed to take advantage of a larger display area, providing access to more features with fewer taps. Instagram says that people can catch up on messages and notifications using layouts that display both tabs at the same time, and when you watch reels, you can expand the comments while the reel stays at full size. The Instagram app for the iPad is rolling out now, and it is available on iPads that support iPadOS 15.1 and later.
New TripAdvisor Cash loyalty fuses AI nudges with payments: 5% dollar‑for‑dollar cashback on hotels and experiences, plus $30 vouchers to steer spend toward activities
Under the leadership of Chief Marketing Officer Matt Dacey, Tripadvisor is reimagining its role in the traveler journey—from a place people visit for research to a platform that engages, rewards, and personalizes throughout the trip lifecycle. Tripadvisor is investing heavily in AI not just to respond to customer queries but to proactively anticipate them. By leveraging AI, Tripadvisor provides timely nudges like restaurant suggestions two weeks before a trip or reminders about travel documents just days before departure. This proactive model could shift the traveler’s perception of Tripadvisor—from a research tool to a trusted companion across the entire journey. Tripadvisor’s Viator platform now offers more than 400,000 bookable experiences, from walking tours to culinary adventures. Hotel loyalty preferences may not be shifting dramatically, but the context for decision-making increasingly comes from what people want to do, not just where they want to sleep. All of this has led to Tripadvisor’s latest move: a new membership program designed around three pillars—simplicity, flexibility, and value. Tripadvisor Rewards delivers 5% cash back in the form of “Trip Cash” on any bookable hotel or experience. Unlike traditional points systems, Trip Cash is dollar-for-dollar and can be used anywhere on the platform. Members are rewarded not just for booking, but also for planning trips and contributing reviews. Every new member also receives a $30 voucher to use on experiences—an immediate nudge toward the part of travel that consumers increasingly value most.
New TripAdvisor Cash loyalty fuses AI nudges with payments: 5% dollar‑for‑dollar cashback on hotels and experiences, plus $30 vouchers to steer spend toward activities
Under the leadership of Chief Marketing Officer Matt Dacey, Tripadvisor is reimagining its role in the traveler journey—from a place people visit for research to a platform that engages, rewards, and personalizes throughout the trip lifecycle. Tripadvisor is investing heavily in AI not just to respond to customer queries but to proactively anticipate them. By leveraging AI, Tripadvisor provides timely nudges like restaurant suggestions two weeks before a trip or reminders about travel documents just days before departure. This proactive model could shift the traveler’s perception of Tripadvisor—from a research tool to a trusted companion across the entire journey. Tripadvisor’s Viator platform now offers more than 400,000 bookable experiences, from walking tours to culinary adventures. Hotel loyalty preferences may not be shifting dramatically, but the context for decision-making increasingly comes from what people want to do, not just where they want to sleep. All of this has led to Tripadvisor’s latest move: a new membership program designed around three pillars—simplicity, flexibility, and value. Tripadvisor Rewards delivers 5% cash back in the form of “Trip Cash” on any bookable hotel or experience. Unlike traditional points systems, Trip Cash is dollar-for-dollar and can be used anywhere on the platform. Members are rewarded not just for booking, but also for planning trips and contributing reviews. Every new member also receives a $30 voucher to use on experiences—an immediate nudge toward the part of travel that consumers increasingly value most.
Roblox restricts adult-minor contact by expanding selfie‑based facial age estimation to all users of voice and text chat, pairing it with ID checks and parental consent
Amid lawsuits alleging child safety concerns, online gaming service Roblox is expanding its age-estimation technology to all users and partnering with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to provide age and content ratings for the games and apps on its platform. This involves scanning users’ selfies and analyzing facial features to estimate age. This age-estimation tech is combined with other systems, including ID age verification and verified parental consent, to provide a more accurate measure of a user’s age, Roblox says — especially when compared with simply having kids type in a birth year when they create an account. The company notes that it’s also planning to launch systems that will further limit communications between adults and minors on its platform. Meanwhile, the company’s partnership with IARC will see Roblox replacing its own content and maturity labels with those used by rating agencies worldwide. That means users in the U.S. will see ratings from the ESRB, while other countries will see those used by their own ratings authorities. Players in the Republic of Korea will see ratings from GRAC; players in Germany will see ratings from the USK; and players elsewhere in Europe and the United Kingdom will see ratings from the PEGI, for instance. This system is meant to help parents better understand what sort of games their kids are playing, based on factors that could raise concerns. Among its tools is Roblox Sentinel, an open source AI system designed to detect early signals of child endangerment. The company also offers parental controls, tools to restrict communications, and technology that detects when there are servers where a large number of users are breaking its rules, so it can take them down.
CoreWeave acquires Y Combinator’s OpenPipe to combine GPU infrastructure with reinforcement learning tools; targeting enterprises developing custom AI agents via ART toolkit
CoreWeave has struck an agreement to acquire OpenPipe, a Y Combinator-backed startup that helps enterprises develop customized AI agents with reinforcement learning. Brian Venturo, co-founder of CoreWeave said, “By combining OpenPipe’s advanced self-learning tools with CoreWeave’s high-performance AI cloud, we’re expanding our platform to give developers at AI labs and beyond an important advantage in building scalable intelligent systems.” OpenPipe develops a popular open source toolkit for creating AI agents called ART (agent reinforcement trainer). While many of CoreWeave’s biggest customers include leading AI labs such as OpenAI, the company is also trying to appeal to smaller enterprises. Reinforcement learning has proven a strong way to improve an AI model’s performance on a specific task; the idea with these enterprise products is to train AI agents specifically for a company’s needs. This kind of customer-specific training requires a lot of computing resources, and by acquiring OpenPipe, CoreWeave hopes to both power and offer such services. OpenPipe’s team will be joining CoreWeave, and customers of OpenPipe will become CoreWeave customers.
Wisdom AI launches Proactive Agents that use a “knowledge fabric” to find answers from human workers; these automated data analysts monitor KPIs, detect anomalies and deliver natural language insights
AI-native data insights startup Wisdom AI has launched Proactive Agents that act like automated data analysts and work around the clock to proactively learn, prepare analyses and reports and make decisions based on the insights they surface. The new agents can carry out data analysis work without human supervision, freeing up human workers to focus on more strategic work, the company said. The startup uses AI “reasoning” models in combination with a knowledge fabric, uniting disconnected resources for deeper analysis with added context in order to generate more meaningful insights. The Proactive Agents utilize the knowledge fabric to find answers to questions from human workers, such as marketing or sales team personnel. Alternatively, they can simply wait in the background, keeping a watchful eye on key business metrics, and issue alerts when certain milestones, thresholds or targets are met. They work by autonomously scanning and analyzing KPIs to detect meaningful deviations. When this happens, they’ll carry out an in-depth analysis to explain why it occurred, and then provide a simple, natural language summary for human decision-makers. This can help businesses to make decisions faster, because they won’t have to wait until a human data analyst finds the time to perform the necessary investigation. One of the main advantages of Wisdom AI’s Proactive Agents is their ability to learn continuously as they perform their work, remembering earlier analyses they’ve carried out, including what caused certain anomalies to occur. They’re programmed to flag any meaningful shifts in business metrics and then dig deeper into the reasons why by carrying out exhaustive root cause analysis. As part of this, they’ll identify which segments of the business were affected, over how long a time frame. And they’ll dig up evidence to support their findings, so they can be verified by any human worker. Once the agents are ready to report their findings, they’ll transform the patterns they’ve identified into a concise, actionable alert, complete with any useful charts, SQL queries and recommendations, the company said.
Bluwhale helps Gen Z bridge Web2 and Web3 info with unified dashboard connecting stablecoins, crypto activity, and bank accounts, delivering personalized AI agents for automated asset management and scoring
Bluwhale, the decentralized intelligence network powering AI agents across blockchains, has launched its digital financial health dashboard aimed at Gen Z navigating a hybrid world of digital assets and traditional finance. Bluwhale bridges Web2 and Web3, creating a unified dashboard that connects bank accounts, stablecoins, crypto wallets, staking activity, and DeFi flows. With the introduction of the Whale Score, Bluwhale is rewriting the rules for financial health by combining and analyzing crypto, stablecoins, staking income, digital assets, cash, and traditional investments in real time. The app lets users seamlessly track, benchmark, and gamify their financial standing, while AI agents deliver personalized products and services—all without manual input. It combines digital asset transparency with AI-powered analytics to deliver a dynamic financial health score, reflecting the broader trend among younger users who view wealth not just as an asset—but as a social signal often called “flexing.” Bluwhale aggregates real-time data from wallets, bank accounts and credit cards while encouraging large financial institutions and web3 enterprises to meet Gen Z’s digital expectations. Unlike traditional tools like RocketMoney, which require manual data input or tedious accounting practices, the Whale Score (0–1000) automatically unifies traditional banking data and crypto activity into a gamified financial health dashboard while AI agents manage assets in the background. The system produces a real-time, percentile-ranked financial health score—similar to Apple Health or Whoop—that measures physical health, so consumers can compare their performance with their peers.