Dots.eco, a platform for real-world environmental rewards, has emerged as a for-profit company that can help game companies grow their audiences through a common interest in saving the environment. Through the real world rewards program, players can plant trees, protect wildlife, clean oceans, and more, just by reaching milestones, purchasing game items, making website purchases, or completing game missions. The game becomes the conduit for doing good, said Nadav Grosz, CEO of Dots.eco. Dots.eco is a partner in The Playing for the Planet Alliance, an initiative facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Dots.eco platform exposes an API to over 250 vetted global environmental projects that are constantly monitored, including by satellite imagery analysis, images from the grounds, and reports, analysed by inhouse AI technology. Dots.eco can integrate naturally with many game themes, as it supports a wide range of animal species, habitats and subjects that are present in almost every game. Games integrate the API, or the Dots.eco Unity SDK, and incentivise in-game milestones, or In-App-Purchases. For example, you will save a sea-turtle, or buy 10ft2 of land for wildlife, protect your game hero animal, for downloading the game, reaching a certain level, buying a skin or removing ads. By integrating into games and other apps, the company is building the world’s largest community of impact makers and collectors and are dedicated to converting daily actions into transformative impact for a sustainable future. Players will be able to contribute to real-world restoration projects by progressing through storylines, completing missions, or making purchases, all seamlessly integrated into each game’s theme and mechanics. Past campaigns using Dots.eco’s platform have boosted revenues by over 10%, increased first-time payers by 20%, and increased session time by 25%, all while earning the highest sentiment scores some studios have seen.
Bigeye introduces the first platform for governing AI data usage for enforceable policies that control how AI agents access and use high-quality, sensitive, and certified data, also covering observability and enforcement
Bigeye announced the industry’s first AI Trust Platform for agent data usage, defining a new technology category built for enterprise AI trust and governance. Bigeye is enabling safe adoption of agentic AI by developing a comprehensive platform that supports the governance, observability, and enforcement of AI systems interacting with enterprise data. Without visibility into agent behavior, lineage between data sources and outputs, or controls over sensitive data access, organizations are left exposed to compliance risks, bad decisions, and reputational damage. Delivering on this framework requires a new approach to managing and securing AI agent data. An AI Trust Platform meets these requirements and includes three foundational capabilities: Governance: Enforceable policies that control how AI agents access and use high-quality, sensitive, and certified data. Observability: Ensure the quality, security, and compliance posture of your data before it powers critical AI decisions through real-time lineage, classification, and anomaly detection. Enforcement: Monitor, guide, or steer every agent’s data access based on enterprise policy. Bigeye’s AI Trust Platform brings these capabilities together to give enterprises complete control over how agents access and act on data. The first version will be released in late 2025.
American iPhones maybe targeted in spyware attacks with a pattern of deleting potential evidence, mirroring techniques where attackers ‘clean up’ after themselves
A new report from the team at iVerify warns that a “previously unknown” vulnerability in iOS maybe enabled a highly targeted attack on iPhones in the U.S. as well as Europe. This flaw was not in the core messaging architecture itself, but in its nickname feature. “Any increase in the size of a codebase is going to introduce attack opportunities,” iVerify told. And that’s the case here. When a user updates their profile, “nickname, photo, or wallpaper,” this triggers “a ‘Nickname Update’ on a recipient’s device.” Trivial though it might seem, that nickname update process is a data transmission from one device to another, it’s implicitly trusted data and it’s within the secure enclave. “This vulnerability was present in iOS versions up to 18.1.1 and fixed in iOS 18.3.1.” While there’s no doubting the flaw and the fix, there is no concrete proof it was exploited in the wild. “We analyzed crash data from nearly 50,000 devices,” iVerify says, “and found that the imagent crashes related to Nickname Updates are exceedingly rare, comprising less than 0.001% of all crash logs collected.” But those rare instances appeared only on “devices belonging to individuals likely to be targeted by sophisticated threat actors.” iVerify reports that forensic examination of one affected device “provided evidence suggesting exploitation: several directories related to SMS attachments and message metadata were modified and then emptied just 20 seconds after the imagent crash occurred. This pattern of deleting potential evidence mirrors techniques observed in confirmed spyware attacks where attackers ‘clean up’ after themselves.”
Plaid and Cross River partner to launch Request for Payment featuring instant confirmation and final settlement; seamless bank authorization via Plaid Link; built-in account verification, balance checks and bank eligibility; and a single integration to intelligently route payments across available rails
Plaid now enables instant pay-ins as well as instant payouts via its flexible multi-rail payment platform, Plaid Transfer. The financial data network has added support for real-time pay-ins via Request for Payment (RfP) on the RTP® Network to Instant Payments on Plaid Transfer. RfP enables businesses to request a payment from a customer in real time, according to the release. Powered in collaboration with Cross River, Plaid’s RfP offers instant confirmation and final settlement; seamless bank authorization via Plaid Link; built-in account verification, balance checks and bank eligibility; and a single integration to intelligently route payments across available rails, according to the release. “For merchants, instant bank payments mean getting paid faster, reducing payment failures and eliminating the operational drag of reconciling delayed or returned ACH transactions, while also delivering a better customer experience,” the release said. “It’s a win-win for both sides of the transaction.” One of the first adopters of Plaid’s RfP capabilities is online car retailer Carvana, which is using it to streamline vehicle purchases, according to the release. “With real-time payments through Plaid and Cross River, we’re removing one more layer of friction, helping customers move through the process even faster and, in some cases, even schedule same-day delivery,” Matt Dundas, vice president of finance at Carvana, said in the release. RfP enables faster, more secure and cost-effective bill payments, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence and The Clearing House collaboration, “The Real-Time Payments World Map.” The report found that RfP offers consumers added transparency and convenience, while providing billers with accelerated cash flow and payment validation without exposing sensitive bank data. When Plaid added instant payouts to Plaid Transfer in April 2023, the company said it was doing so to meet consumers’ demands for faster payments. “At Plaid, we believe that you should be able to access your money when and where you need it,” the company said at the time in a press release. “More importantly, the experience should not come at a steep cost. That is why we built Instant Payouts — a real-time, multi-rail payout solution to send funds instantly, 24/7.”
Walmart to launch credit cards embedded inside the OnePay app, powered by Mastercard and issued by Synchrony
The credit card programme is expected to launch this fall, with the experience embedded inside the OnePay app and powered by Mastercard’s global payments network. The card, issued by Synchrony, will be made available to millions of Walmart customers and to consumers across the US. OnePay currently serves millions of customers nationwide and offers a suite of banking, credit, and payments products — including cashback debit, high-yield savings, installment loans, a digital wallet, and domestic and international peer-to-peer payments. In partnering with Synchrony and Mastercard, OnePay will add credit cards to its growing portfolio, offering both a general-purpose card and a private label card, which will be exclusively for Walmart purchases. John David Rainey, EVP and chief financial officer, Walmart, says: “Today’s announcement represents one more way we’re serving our customers the way they want to be served, providing an upgraded digital financial services experience with even greater choice and value.” As part of the program, OnePay and Synchrony will introduce both a general-purpose card, which will serve as the program’s signature card and be available to use anywhere Mastercard is accepted, and a private label card, which will be exclusively for Walmart purchases. The credit card functionality will be embedded inside the OnePay app, offering millions of Walmart’s U.S. customers a sleek, intuitive digital experience and the ability to access OnePay’s suite of financial services products. “Our goal with this credit card program is to deliver an experience for consumers that’s transparent, rewarding, and easy to use,” said Omer Ismail, Chief Executive Officer, OnePay. “We’re excited to be partnering with Synchrony to launch a program at Walmart that checks each of those boxes and will help serve millions of people.” Synchrony will leverage its deep lending expertise and innovative digital capabilities to deliver financial flexibility through a seamless experience. Following the initial launch and reserve costs, the program is expected to drive loyalty and sales at attractive risk-adjusted returns and be accretive to the company’s long-term financial performance.
Walmart to launch credit cards embedded inside the OnePay app, powered by Mastercard and issued by Synchrony
The credit card programme is expected to launch this fall, with the experience embedded inside the OnePay app and powered by Mastercard’s global payments network. The card, issued by Synchrony, will be made available to millions of Walmart customers and to consumers across the US. OnePay currently serves millions of customers nationwide and offers a suite of banking, credit, and payments products — including cashback debit, high-yield savings, installment loans, a digital wallet, and domestic and international peer-to-peer payments. In partnering with Synchrony and Mastercard, OnePay will add credit cards to its growing portfolio, offering both a general-purpose card and a private label card, which will be exclusively for Walmart purchases. John David Rainey, EVP and chief financial officer, Walmart, says: “Today’s announcement represents one more way we’re serving our customers the way they want to be served, providing an upgraded digital financial services experience with even greater choice and value.” As part of the program, OnePay and Synchrony will introduce both a general-purpose card, which will serve as the program’s signature card and be available to use anywhere Mastercard is accepted, and a private label card, which will be exclusively for Walmart purchases. The credit card functionality will be embedded inside the OnePay app, offering millions of Walmart’s U.S. customers a sleek, intuitive digital experience and the ability to access OnePay’s suite of financial services products. “Our goal with this credit card program is to deliver an experience for consumers that’s transparent, rewarding, and easy to use,” said Omer Ismail, Chief Executive Officer, OnePay. “We’re excited to be partnering with Synchrony to launch a program at Walmart that checks each of those boxes and will help serve millions of people.” Synchrony will leverage its deep lending expertise and innovative digital capabilities to deliver financial flexibility through a seamless experience. Following the initial launch and reserve costs, the program is expected to drive loyalty and sales at attractive risk-adjusted returns and be accretive to the company’s long-term financial performance.
Fifth Third expects substantial improvements in next six months for its customers’ Zelle experience and in SmartShield in-app security tool that “gamifies” digital safety
Fifth Third’s chief strategy officer and head of consumer products, Ben Hoffman has no doubt Fifth Third Bank’s peers and competitors are mulling some of the same mobile app features and enhancements as the lender. “There is more convergence in bank strategy than there is in bank execution,” said Hoffman. “It’s really about your ability to execute” at a sustained pace, he said. For Fifth Third, that means leaning on dedicated staff, operating rhythms and experience, and systems set up to support success, he said. The bank’s app offers services like direct deposit switching and card controls, and features tools like SmartShield, its in-app security tool that “gamifies” digital safety. The lender continues to work on enhancements to the app, which about 2.4 million bank customers use to handle everyday banking tasks. In Hoffman’s eyes, the bank’s approach stands out in part because of its focus on quality over quantity. “We focus on quality where it matters, with the core theory being that, for the most part, our customers want banking to fade into the background,” he said. Rather than stuffing apps with features or equipping chatbots with an ever-growing roster of skills, “it needs to just work to support real lives.” When Fifth Third releases a new feature in the mobile app, automated monitoring is set up to ensure the process works well; if there are defects, point people are contacted and troubleshooting begins. Product managers join release calls, no matter the hour, he noted. It’s an “intentionally unsexy” approach, he said. The bank’s technology and communications spending has ticked up in recent years, from $416 million in 2022, to $474 million in 2024, with increased investments in technology modernization being one of the drivers.
Goldman Sachs’s co-head of private wealth wealth boss says private wealth clients are “very interested” in private credit and in the pre-IPO market
Goldman Sachs’s co-head of private wealth Robert Mullane who co-leads the unit with Chris French said Goldman has been upping its wealthy clients’ exposure to private markets. In January, it set up a capital solutions group to grow its private credit business, while expanding the alternatives investment team in its asset and wealth management division. Mullane says Goldman’s private wealth clients are “very interested” in private credit. They can access this through evergreen, semi-liquid funds Goldman has available via its asset management business and partnering with external managers. Clients are also interested in the pre-IPO market, Mullane adds, even though this has been a “very tough place to be” over the past few years. Goldman has given its ultra rich clients exclusive access to buzzy startups, such as $90bn payments and billing firm Stripe and British banking unicorn Revolut. “It’s still early in determining whether the IPO market will come back to the levels that it has done historically. But certainly we think there are great businesses to own both on the private side and on the public side,” he says.
PayPal app enables search for and booking of hotels partnering with hotel payment provider Selfbook offering BNPL and linkages to Perplexity’s AI chat
PayPal is partnering with hotel payment provider Selfbook to let users search for and book hotels within the PayPal app. The company said that it will let users pay through PayPal at checkout and offer exclusive discounts to users within the app. Users can also use PayPal Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) for select hotels that have enabled the feature. People using the PayPal app will be able to go to the Offers section and search for hotels with filters like travel dates and number of guests. Users will see hotels that use Selfbook’s payment suite on these apps, but it is not clear if Selfbook is making its entire catalog available to PayPal users.
For PayPal, this is a move to upsell another offering to users within the app. The company said that with its payment products, it has observed an 84% uptick among people who pay online for travel.
PayPal also said that Selfbook will also soon integrate the payment checkout products within its workflow outside the app. What’s more, Selfbook will use PayPal’s enterprise payment suite to power credit card payments for its hotels. Selfbook is also using PayPal as a payments partner within Perplexity, which unveiled a feature that lets users discover and book hotels within the chat in March.
“Paying for a hotel has traditionally been the most fragmented part of travel—search one place, book another, pay somewhere else,” Khalid Meniri, Selfbook’s co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch over email. “With PayPal, we’re collapsing all of that into a single flow embedded directly into AI-powered experiences like Perplexity. It’s not just more convenient for travelers, it gives hotels a direct line to their guests, better margins through no commission, and more control over their brand,” Meniri said.
Democrat bill pushes back on Corporate Transparency Act beneficial ownership rollback; would require the Treasury and the SBA to outreach, education and fraud prevention tools in multiple languages to assist reporting companies
Democrats on the House and Senate banking committees introduced legislation that would more forcefully implement the Corporate Transparency Act after the Treasury said in March that it would not enforce the law’s ownership disclosure requirement. “The Corporate Transparency Act is still the law, and the Trump administration is wrong to stop enforcing it,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., the bill’s author. “Turning a blind eye to anonymous shell companies leaves us vulnerable to fraud, corruption, and abuse. These shell companies don’t just enable white-collar crime — they hurt honest small businesses by rigging the system and exploiting programs meant for real entrepreneurs. This bill is about holding bad actors accountable while making sure small business owners have the information and support they need to follow the law.” The proposal, which is also cosponsored by the House financial services committee’s ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., would reinforce the CTA’s reporting requirements in a number of procedural moves. Within 90 days of the act’s enactment, the heads of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration would be required to enter into a memorandum of understanding to create a plan to provide outreach, education and fraud prevention tools in multiple languages to assist reporting companies. The agencies would also be required to submit status reports to the lawmakers’ respective committees. The Treasury said that it plans to narrow the scope of the regulations to apply only to foreign entities operating in the U.S.