Paddle, a merchant of record (MoR) for digital product companies, has raised $25 million. The funding round, led by CIBC Innovation Banking, will help finance Paddle’s ongoing global expansion and product growth. As an MoR, Paddle handles payments, sales tax, refunds, fraud, and compliance for more than 6,000 Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), AI and App companies, “replacing the need for a complex and fragmented payment technology stack.” The company says it helps those businesses scale faster by lowering operational hurdles and helping them enter new markets faster. “In an ever-connected world, it’s important that digital product companies can receive payment from customers in any location without the hassle of navigating multiple payment processes in different geographies,” Sean Duffy, managing director of CIBC Innovation Banking, U.K. and Europe, said. The funding comes at a pivotal moment for the company, with Paddle experiencing rapid growth in 2025 thanks to both the growth in new AI products, and the opening up of Apple’s app ecosystem to web payments.
Amazon has success with four-day Prime Day with total sales and ad spend up year-over-year
Marketplace advertising platform Pacvue reported a set of preliminary sales data from Prime Day 2025. Prime Day occurred July 8-11, the first time Prime Day, which had been a two-day event since 2017, lasted four days. Pacvue analysis indicates Amazon’s move to a four-day sale closed on a generally positive note, with total sales and ad spend up year-over-year. Data collected by Pacvue includes: Year-over-year total brand average sales were up 34% compared to the 48-hour Prime Day 2024. Year-over-year total ad spend was up 48%. However, year-over-year average daily spend was down 26% as brands spread budget across more days and average daily sales dropped 33% compared to the prior year’s Prime Day event. Despite slower sales growth tracked by Pacvue during the first two days of the event compared to the prior year prior (as predicted given the 2025 sale period was twice as long), strong performance during the second two days drove sustained sales volume. Pacvue’s hourly sales and spend data indicates customers favored early morning shopping on the first day and a final push during the evening of the fourth day (Friday, July 11), with consistent mid-day shopping behavior for days two and three. From an advertising perspective, Pacvue says most companies approached the four-day window with measured investment, prioritizing Amazon as their key channel while still maintaining visibility on Walmart and Target.
Strata Identity enables identity orchestration for AI agents providing identity guardrails and observability for AI agents without limiting identity provider (IDP) choice
Strata Identity has introduced a new product, Identity Orchestration for AI Agents. Built on Strata’s Maverics vendor-agnostic identity fabric and hybrid air-gap architecture, it provides identity guardrails and observability for AI agents without limiting identity provider (IDP) choice. Strata’s new product issues short-lived, scoped credentials at runtime; enforcing fine-grained, policy-as-code authorization, including human-in-the-loop approval for sensitive actions; and logging every agent decision and MCP-initiated API call for full auditability. Strata’s Maverics treats every AI agent as a first-class identity, governed by the same rigor as human users, to provide zero-trust governance for autonomous AI agents. This industry-first approach handles every agent action as a policy-enforced, observable, and auditable event in real time. Its identity-aware, MCP-native proxy enforces policy without requiring changes to existing apps or microservices. Key capabilities: Dynamic, runtime authentication for agents using delegated OAuth flows—supporting PKCE and SPIFFE/SVID to enable ephemeral, scoped trust without static credentials. Policy-driven, attribute- and context-aware authorization, through On-Behalf-Of (OBO) flows with optional human-in-the-loop verification to enforce step-up approvals for sensitive or high-risk actions. Just-in-time issuance/provisioning of agent identities into any cloud or on-premises IDP, including automatic credential rotation, lifecycle expiry, and ownership assignment. Full-stack observability through OpenTelemetry, providing near real-time, correlated traces of both human and agent interactions for forensic lineage, risk analysis, and audit through your existing reporting and analytics tools.
Ataccama brings AI to data lineage- Business users can now trace a data point’s origin and understand how it was profiled or flagged without relying on IT
Ataccama has released Ataccama ONE v16.2, the latest version of its unified data trust platform. This release makes it easier for business users to understand how data moves and changes across systems without writing a single line of SQL. With intuitive, compact lineage views and improved performance, teams can make better decisions with greater confidence and speed. Business users can now trace a data point’s origin and understand how it was profiled or flagged without relying on IT. Ataccama shows how data flows through systems and provides plain-language descriptions of the steps behind every number. For example, in a financial services setting, a data steward can immediately see how a risk score was derived or how a flagged transaction passed through a series of enrichment and quality checks. That kind of visibility shortens reviews, streamlines audits, and gives business teams the confidence to act on the data in front of them. Key features include: AI-powered data lineage. Automatically generates readable descriptions of how data was transformed both upstream and downstream, clarifying filters, joins, and calculations, so business users can understand the logic behind each dataset without reading SQL. Compact lineage diagrams. Presents a simplified, high-level view of data flows with the option to drill into details on demand. This makes it easier to identify issues, answer audit questions, and align stakeholders on how data flows through the organization. Edge processing for secure lineage. Enables metadata extraction from on-prem or restricted environments without moving sensitive data to the cloud. Organizations can maintain compliance, minimize risk, and still get full visibility into their data pipelines, regardless of where the data lives. Expanded pushdown support and performance enhancements. Users can now execute profiling and data quality workloads in pushdown mode for BigQuery and Azure Synapse, minimizing data movement and improving performance for large-scale workloads. The release also includes volume support for Databricks Unity Catalog, further optimizing execution within modern cloud platforms.
Ataccama brings AI to data lineage- Business users can now trace a data point’s origin and understand how it was profiled or flagged without relying on IT
Tippu Gagguturu, CEO of SecurEnds, has launched APIDynamics, a next-generation API security company designed for machine-first, cloud-native ecosystems. The company addresses the gap between strict controls for user identities and minimal oversight for machine identities, the primary drivers of API traffic. APIDynamics offers real-time protection, adaptive authentication, and MFA for API-to-API communication, securing every API call, including machine-to-machine and non-human interactions. Gagguturu believes static tokens and blind trust are no longer viable with APIs driving AI agents and cloud workflows. The platform empowers security and engineering teams to: Discover and eliminate shadow and zombie APIs across environments; Secure machine-to-machine and non-human identity communications with Zero Trust; Enforce just-in-time, risk-based access policies using adaptive MFA; Integrate seamlessly into modern DevSecOps pipelines without slowing development.
Wyoming tests use of state-issued stablecoin for real-time payments to government contractors
Wyoming reportedly tested its planned state-issued stablecoin, the Wyoming Stable Token (WYST), seeing how it could be used for real-time payments to government contractors. The state teamed up with blockchain startup Hashfire to use the stablecoin through the company’s Document Authentication Protocol, which is built on a custom Avalanche blockchain. In a Thursday post on X that linked to the CoinDesk article, Avalanche said: “From 45 days to a few seconds — that’s 99.99995% faster. Wyoming just tested real-time contractor payments using its state-issued stablecoin, WYST, using [Hashfire] on Avalanche.” In a reply to that post, Hashfire said: “So fast.” Hashfire said in a May 22 post on X that it was launching a pilot program using the Wyoming Stable Token to pay vendors. “This innovative initiative enables businesses doing vital work for Wyoming citizens to execute agreements and receive payments instantly, boosting liquidity and working capital,” Hashfire said. It was reported in August that Wyoming was developing its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin to be used for consumer payments. Advocates of the Wyoming Stable Token said it will provide a faster and cheaper way for individuals and businesses to transact, will create a new revenue stream for the state and may serve as a model for a stablecoin at the federal level.
Empirical Security combines the power of global threat intelligence with localized, organization-specific insights delivering highly accurate threat prioritization based on the specific context of the organization
Cybersecurity startup Empirical Security raised $12 million in new funding to develop and deploy custom artificial intelligence cybersecurity models tailored to each organization’s unique infrastructure and threat landscape. Empirical’s platform offers dual-model architecture that combines the power of global threat intelligence with localized, organization-specific insights. The models are trained on about 2 million daily exploitation events sourced from internet-scale datasets, while local models are fine-tuned using customer-provided and curated internal data. That, delivers highly accurate threat prioritization based on the specific context of the organization. The approach is designed to allow cybersecurity teams to make faster, evidence-based decisions, backed by predictive models that highlight the most critical vulnerabilities. The idea is that instead of relying on generic risk scores that may not reflect the actual danger to a specific business, the company’s local models provide actionable intelligence customized to a given company’s operational environment. Empirical also emphasizes explainability and decision support as key elements of its platform. The platform gives security leaders the ability to justify their strategies with data by integrating risk-based analysis with measurable prediction outputs. The transparency is especially valuable in boardroom discussions, compliance reporting and budgeting, where clear articulation of cybersecurity priorities is essential.
Cyabra detects deepfakes using spatio-frequency analysis to detect invisible pixel inconsistencies, and identifies unnatural movement patterns and lip-sync errors across video frames
Cyabra Strateg, the AI-powered platform for real-time disinformation detection, has launched launch of its advanced deepfake detection tool designed to help brands and governments counter the growing threat of AI-generated “synthetic” media. The new capability uses AI to analyze images and videos for signs of manipulation, providing rapid verification of content authenticity. Cyabra’s tool empowers organizations to distinguish real content from convincing forgeries, detecting threats to brand reputation and public safety. The advanced detection tool leverages two proprietary AI models: PixelProof for images and MotionProof for videos. PixelProof uses spatio-frequency analysis to detect invisible pixel inconsistencies, while MotionProof identifies unnatural movement patterns and lip-sync errors across video frames. Both models deliver results in seconds and provide confidence scores with visual heatmap explanations showing exactly where content appears manipulated. The advanced detection tool leverages two proprietary AI models: PixelProof for images and MotionProof for videos. PixelProof uses spatio-frequency analysis to detect invisible pixel inconsistencies, while MotionProof identifies unnatural movement patterns and lip-sync errors across video frames. Both models deliver results in seconds and provide confidence scores with visual heatmap explanations showing exactly where content appears manipulated. The deepfake detector works in concert with its existing suite of tools for authenticity analysis, narrative tracking, and 24/7 real-time monitoring. This integrated approach gives government agencies and corporations the context and early-warning signals needed to counter complex disinformation threats.
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 unparalleled security and 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.
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.