Stablecoins provide retailers with a means to execute transactions instantaneously, lessen dependency on conventional banks and payment intermediaries, and potentially forge more direct connections with consumers. The e-commerce giant Shopify, for example, already allows merchants to accept USDC, through integrations with Coinbase and Stripe. Walmart is reportedly investigating similar options. Concurrently, Fiserv and other companies are creating stablecoin infrastructure designed for smaller banks and fintech firms. There are additional advantages as well. Through programmable features, merchants can create customizable rewards, cashback in tokens, or temporary discounts triggered by wallet activities. Without a clear value proposition for consumers during checkout, even well-crafted systems could find it hard to gain traction. Nevertheless, there is ample opportunity for innovation. If merchants can reinvest even a small portion of the $187 billion they save on swipe fees into customer rewards and incentives, that formula might begin to shift. Consider Shopify, which now offers 1% cashback in USDC when customers use stablecoins for payment. Coinbase is reportedly developing systems that would support loyalty programs, credit products, and more, which are linked to stablecoin wallets. If retailers can combine stablecoin payments with enticing rewards, faster refunds, personalized offers, and increased privacy, the value proposition becomes much more attractive.
Financial services marketers must adopt a whole-brain approach that blends emotional storytelling with strategic insight by using traditional AI for data and analytics and gen AI for crafting personalized campaigns and customer journeys through scripting ads, designing banners, and optimizing for SEO
Until recently, marketers could only use the calculative or predictive capabilities of AI. However, gen AI allows marketers to create content and do research at a scale and speed we’ve never seen before. This opens new opportunities to drive innovation. Gen AI is supercharging both the analytical and creative dimensions of marketing. This means marketers now have the tools to automate important but tedious tasks like content production, freeing up time to focus on strategic decisions. Imagine having your AI assistant develop the first draft of an entire campaign — scripting ads, designing banners, and optimizing for SEO — while you, the marketer, focus on the bigger picture: refining the message, shaping the narrative and connecting with your audience emotionally. For financial services marketers, gen AI can streamline campaign personalization across highly regulated products, draft copy that adheres to compliance guardrails and surface insights from vast pools of transaction and behavioral data — transforming what used to be bottlenecks into creative springboards. For example, a bank marketer can use gen AI to create personalized financial wellness journeys for customers, based on predictive models drawn from transaction data.
Beep launches NAVI fully autonomous public transit system in Florida; transit-integrated AV mobility services at scale, can operate and maintain fully autonomous public transportation systems
Beep, provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions, has begun operating the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s (JTA) autonomous vehicle service, called NAVI (Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation). NAVI is the first fully autonomous public transportation system in the U.S. Backed by a five-year O&M contract, Beep will operate and maintain the NAVI service, which is part of the JTA’s groundbreaking Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program. In this first phase of the JTA’s U2C program, Beep will operate and maintain a customized fleet of fourteen electric, autonomous, Buy America and ADA compliant Ford E-Transit vehicles integrated with automated driving system (ADS) capability from Oxa. Beep’s proprietary technology will facilitate both vehicle deployment and command center operations from the JTA’s new Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC). The company says that the AIC is a first-of-its-kind for autonomous transit. Beep’s AV-agnostic supervision and management platform (AutonomOS™) enables operators and agencies to deliver transit-integrated AV mobility services at scale, providing for vehicle and cabin supervision, fleet orchestration, and integrated workflow management. The vehicles will be deployed along the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a 3.5-mile route in downtown Jacksonville with twelve stops from the Central Business Core to the Sports and Entertainment District. The routing aims to encourage downtown revitalization.
UiPath CTO details “Controlled agency” concept that can help delegate work across different AI services by embedding AI agents within structured workflows, where deterministic tasks are handled by robots and non-deterministic tasks are delegated to agents
An approach known as “controlled agency” can help us determine who (or what) does what in the workplace. In AI world, controlled agency is becoming a key mechanism for delegating work across different automation and intelligence services in much the same way. Working to apply this precise principle across his firm’s estate of technologies is Raghu Malpani in his role as chief technology officer at agentic automation company UiPath. “UiPath approaches controlled agency by embedding AI agents within structured workflows, where deterministic tasks are handled by [software] robots and only non-deterministic tasks are delegated to agents. This ensures agents are used where adaptive decision-making is actually needed. Agents are designed to be single-minded i.e. focused on narrow, well-scoped objectives. Complex workflows are composed of multiple such agents alongside deterministic automation, preserving clarity and modularity.” “We’ve built a platform that unifies AI, RPA and human decision making so companies can deliver smarter, more resilient workflows without added complexity. As models and chips commoditize, the value of AI moves up the stack to orchestration and intelligence.” UiPath Maestro is the orchestration layer that automates, models and optimizes complex business processes end-to-end with built-in process intelligence and key performance indicator monitoring to enable continuous optimization. Maestro provides the centralized oversight needed to scale AI-powered agents across systems and teams.
Clarifai’s tool allows models or MCP tools to run anywhere, on local machines, on-premise servers, or private cloud clusters and connect them directly to its platform via a publicly accessible API enabling to build multistep workflows by chaining local models
Intelligent application development startup Clarifai Inc. has launched AI Runners, a new offering designed to provide developers and MLOps engineers with uniquely flexible options for deploying and managing their AI models. AI Runners allows users to connect models running on their local machines or private servers directly to Clarifai’s platform via a publicly accessible application programming interface. The new offering assists in dealing with the rising demands for computing power at a time that agentic AI and protocols such as Model Context Protocol strain computing resources. The idea with AI Runners is to provide a cost-effective and secure solution for managing the escalating demands of modern AI workloads. AI Runners give developers and enterprises flexibility and control by allowing models or MCP tools to run anywhere, on local machines, on-premise servers, or private cloud clusters. The setup ensures sensitive data and custom models remain within the user’s environment while still benefiting from Clarifai’s platform, eliminating vendor lock-in. Developers can use AI Runners to instantly serve their custom models through Clarifai’s scalable and publicly accessible API, making it easy to integrate AI into applications and build advanced, multistep workflows by chaining local models. “AI Runners is a pivotal feature that sets Clarifai apart, as it is currently the only platform offering this capability, providing a crucial competitive advantage,” said Chief Technology Officer Alfredo Ramos.
BBVA Spain rolls out cryptocurrency trading and custody services to retail customers that lets them buy, sell, and hold bitcoin and ether directly via the mobile app
BBVA Spain has started offering cryptocurrency trading and custody services to regular customers. This is a big step towards making digital assets more common. The service lets you safely access Bitcoin and Ether directly through BBVA’s regulated banking platform. After filing the relevant disclosure with the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the bank has been gradually rolling out the service in recent weeks. Customers can now use this service to trade in bitcoin and ether directly through the BBVA app, all within a fully integrated environment that also includes the bank’s other financial services. Right now, BBVA retail customers in Spain can buy, sell, and hold bitcoin and ether directly via the mobile app, as a further show of the bank’s firm commitment to offering a seamless, fully digital experience. The initiative is aligned with the European Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), which governs the issuance and provision of crypto-asset services within the European Union and provides additional safeguards and protection for investors. The bank will not provide investment advice on these assets, and access to the service will be exclusively customer-initiated through the app. This move makes BBVA Spain one of the first big banks in the area to offer crypto services to regular customers. With its crypto rollout, BBVA Spain aims to meet the growing need for reliable digital asset services while staying fully compliant with the law.
Tether invests in blockchain analytics firm Crystal Intelligence that provides risk monitoring, fraud detection and regulatory intelligence solutions to combat illicit stablecoin use through real-time tracking of funds
Digital asset company Tether has invested in blockchain analytics firm Crystal Intelligence, saying the move will support Tether’s efforts to combat illicit stablecoin use. Crystal Intelligence provides risk monitoring, fraud detection and regulatory intelligence solutions, and Tether’s investment will strengthen the investigative tools used by enforcement agencies, regulators and institutions worldwide. With these tools, Tether will enhance its ability to help authorities trace the movement of funds in real time, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said. “Tether has already contributed to freezing billions in unlawful funds and has supported investigations across dozens of jurisdictions,” Ardoino said. “This strategic investment will strengthen our capacity to collaborate more effectively and reinforce a clear message: USDT is the digital dollar for the people, bad actors will be stopped.” The company’s support of law enforcement officials and investigations into criminals abusing stablecoin technology has included assisting more than 255 law enforcement agencies in 55 jurisdictions and freezing $2.7 billion USDT tied to illicit activity. In addition, both Tether and Crystal Intelligence have supported the development of a public-facing platform called Scam Alert that flags wallet addresses associated with scams and other abuses in real time.
Truv, a provider income, employment, and asset verification solutions integrates with Blue Sage Solutions, a cloud-based digital lending platform for mortgage originators; of direct-to-source verification improves processing turn times and reduces time to close
Truv, a provider of direct-to-source income, employment, and asset verification solutions, announced a strategic integration with Blue Sage Solutions, a cloud-based digital lending platform for mortgage originators. The integration gives lenders access to Truv’s advanced verification capabilities within their existing workflow in the Blue Sage Loan Origination System (LOS), creating a streamlined verification process that significantly reduces costs and improves efficiency for mortgage lenders from application to closing. The integration delivers substantial benefits to mortgage lenders and borrowers: Significant Cost Savings: Lenders using Truv save 60-80% on verification costs compared to traditional solutions, increasing margins per loan file; Accelerated Loan Processing: Direct-to-source verification data coupled with Blue Sage’s automation capabilities improves processing turn times and reduces time to close; Enhanced Borrower Experience: The fully digital verification process reduces the paperchase and cumbersome manual process for borrowers; Streamlined Implementation: Go live quickly with minimal effort, using straightforward configurations. Carmine Cacciavillani, CEO of Blue Sage Solutions, remarked, “This partnership with Truv aligns perfectly with our mission to modernize mortgage lending through technology. The integration provides our clients with instant access to critical verification data, eliminating manual processes while ensuring compliance and accuracy.” Andrew Badstubner, CIO at First Community Mortgage said, ”The integration between Truv and Blue Sage supports that mission by eliminating document clutter and verification delays by providing fast, reliable data straight from the source.”
New technique for detecting tampering in PDF documents uses Python to generate hashes and access intricate PDF structures such as metadata and images, embedding them as hidden key in the relevant file’s page objects
Researchers from the University of Pretoria have developed a new technique for detecting tampering in PDF documents by analyzing the file’s page objects. The new prototype uses Python to detect changes to a PDF document, such as text, images, or metadata. PDFs are increasingly used in various industries and are a target for criminals who want to affect contracts or aid in misinformation. Current techniques for detecting changes in PDFs rely on watermarking and hashing, which can only detect visible parts of a PDF. However, these methods do not analyze hidden elements like metadata or background data, making it difficult to identify exactly where or what was changed. The new prototype uses the hashlib, Merkly, and PDFRW libraries to generate hashes and access intricate PDF structures. It performs two primary functions: protecting a PDF and assessing a PDF for forgery. To protect a PDF, the prototype reads the PDF document and calculates unique digital fingerprints, known as hashes, from various elements. These hashes are secretly embedded as new, hidden keys into the relevant file page object and the PDF’s main “root” object. The PDF tampering prototype works well with Adobe Acrobat, but it does not yet detect all possible PDF changes, such as altering a document’s font without changing the actual content or adding JavaScript code.
Naext’s indoor spatial computing enables people with visual impairments to navigate large-scale, complex buildings independently through smartphones and smart glasses
Naext, founded by Lukas van Delft and Victor van Dinten, is a European startup focused on creating a more accessible world through innovative, privacy-friendly technology. The company uses AI, computer vision, and immersive experiences to enable people to navigate complex buildings independently, using smartphones and smart glasses. Naext’s most visible application is making Dutch public transportation more accessible for people with and without visual impairments. The startup has raised €1.5 million in funding and plans to roll out its technology across Europe through European mobility hubs. The company competes with companies like Be My Eyes, GoodMaps, and Niantic, but sees them as ecosystem partners. Naext’s biggest success is the largest hospital in the Netherlands, which now has over 1,000 active users every month. The Brainport ecosystem supports Naext’s development, with investors, partners, and talent. However, there is room for improvement in large clients willing to adopt startup technology on a large scale.