Tensec, a startup founded by ex-Rapyd, Meta, and Goldman Sachs executives, has raised $12 million in seed funding to take on the $190 trillion B2B cross-border payments market. Tensec wants to provide global trading companies and their clients access to cross-border real-time payments and transaction banking services that have historically been available only through large financial institutions. The firm uses AI, real-time payments and a global fintech infrastructure to create a no-integration platform that enables global trading companies to offer FX services, cross-border payments, treasury and more to their SMB clients. The company is already working with customers who facilitate $10 billion in annual trade volume.
NFC Release 15 extends operating volume of NFC-enabled devices 4X to 2cm to enable support for longer-distance connection and more complex, sensitive interactions such as Tap to Mobile and Multi-Purpose Tap on compact devices
NFC Release 15 is comprised of Specification Release 15 and Certification Release 15. The former are the technical standards to implement NFC capability in products, and the latter, the testing program to certify compliance to these standards. To align with NFC Release 15, users of newer generations of NFC enabled devices in reader mode will experience seamless connection and faster transaction. Increasing the operating volume across all NFC enabled devices – especially those that have a smaller form factor – while ensuring compatibility with ISO/IEC 14443, has been technically complex to achieve. The engineers working on the advancement had to be mindful of product design requirements, delicately managing a balance between improved performance and maintaining the antenna size. This thorough investigation has led to a 4x greater operating volume – extending the current range of 0.5cm to 2cm. Consumers stand to gain the most. A larger more stable operating volume makes the connection faster and more consistent and reduces occasions where consumers may need to tap or align devices more than once. There are many markets that will also benefit from this enhancement. For example, optimizing NFC usability within automotive; increasing read range to enable quicker throughput volumes within sectors such as public transport and transit; as well as enabling NFC to be used in new environments where connection points need to be at a greater distance. NFC is being integrated into increasingly compact devices that are expected to handle more complex, sensitive interactions – such as Tap to Mobile solutions that allow smartphones to accept payments, or Multi-Purpose Tap use cases where a single tap unlocks multiple functions. These applications demand higher reliability and a broader operating range to succeed.
ElevenLabs’s tool helps control various aspects of AI-generated speech including timing, rhythm, and emphasis by using audio tags and transforms monotonous AI speech into dynamic, performative content
ElevenLabs has introduced v3 Audio Tags, a tool designed to refine the delivery of AI-generated speech. This innovation allows users to control various aspects of speech, including timing, rhythm, and emphasis, transforming monotonous AI speech into dynamic, performative content. By using tags like [pause], [rushed], [stammers], and [drawn out], content creators can direct the emotional and rhythmic flow of speech with precision, enhancing the impact of the spoken word. Delivery control in AI speech refers to the ability to manipulate the pace, pauses, and emphasis within a speech, essential for conveying different tones. Eleven v3 eliminates the default pacing of delivery, allowing creators to adjust the speech to suit the narrative’s needs. This advancement is particularly beneficial for content creators looking to enhance their audio content with more nuanced and engaging speech patterns, aligning with the growing demand for personalized and immersive audio experiences in various media.
OpenAI’s open-source agent toolkit mirrors real-world use cases using domain-focused, workflow-aware AI agents and shows how guardrails function in production and how decisions and handoffs unfold in real time
OpenAI has released a new open-source demo that gives developers a hands-on look at how to build intelligent, workflow-aware AI agents using the Agents SDK. This agent example demonstrates how to route airline-related requests between specialized agents — like Seat Booking, Flight Status, Cancellation, and FAQ — while enforcing safety and relevance guardrails. The release is designed to help teams go beyond theoretical use and start operationalizing agents with confidence. The release includes both a Python backend and a Next.js frontend. The backend leverages the OpenAI Agents SDK to orchestrate interactions between specialized agents, while the frontend visualizes these interactions in a chat interface, showing how decisions and handoffs unfold in real time. Importantly, the demo also shows how guardrails function in production: a Relevance Guardrail blocks out-of-scope queries like asking for poetry, while a Jailbreak Guardrail prevents prompt injection attempts, such as requests to expose system instructions. The architecture mirrors real-world airline support flows, showing how organizations can build domain-focused assistants that are responsive, compliant, and aligned with user expectations. OpenAI released the code under the MIT license and encouraged teams to customize and adapt it for their own needs. By offering transparent tooling and clear implementation examples, OpenAI is pushing agentic systems out of the lab and into everyday use—whether in customer service, operations, or internal governance. For organizations exploring intelligent automation, these resources provide not just inspiration, but a working playbook.
Persona and Yardstik’s solution melds ID verification and background screening into a unified system to enable enterprises to defend against fraud at the pre-hire, onboarding, and post-hire stage of the user journey
Persona and Yardstik announced their partnership to deliver the first jointly integrated identity verification and background screening solution. This collaboration enables organizations to verify workers are who they say they are and whether they pose a risk, all in one seamless system—addressing the dual challenges of sophisticated fraud and a competitive hiring landscape. The partnership enables organizations to defend against fraud and bad actors at every stage of the user journey: pre-hire, onboarding, and post-hire, while providing faster, smoother access to work and coordinated data systems for organizations to manage risk. The integration unites Persona’s identity verification and Yardstik’s full suite of screening products—including criminal checks, MVR checks, drug screening, continuous monitoring, and more. With the Persona-Yardstik integration now live, organizations can streamline risk management and speed up onboarding—unlocking key benefits such as: Unified onboarding system for faster time to value; Centralized risk decisioning; and Conversion optimized flows for end-users.
Jumio’s new advanced liveness detection tech can detect advanced deepfakes and stop spoofing attacks by combining randomized color sequences and AI-driven analysis to confirm human presence in real time
Jumio announced general availability of Jumio Liveness Premium with advanced deepfake detection, the company’s most advanced biometric liveness detection solution to date. Jumio’s premium solution leverages a patented Jumio technology, combining randomized color sequences and AI-driven analysis to confirm human presence in real time, effectively stopping spoofing attacks before they impact businesses. With this release, Jumio adds another layer of security to the recently launched Jumio Liveness, an advanced, in-house liveness detection technology that expands beyond traditional presentation attacks, such as paper or screen copies, and employs sophisticated AI models to block advanced threats like injection attacks and deepfakes. Enabled customers using this advanced technology during early release are already seeing measurable value, with one leading LATAM finance startup now catching over 30% more sophisticated fraud attempts including injection attacks and deepfakes. By combining liveness detection, AI-driven fraud detection, anti-spoofing technologies and the power of connected intelligence, Jumio’s system is designed to defend against existing threats while staying agile enough to address future attacks.
AWS to integrate CrowdStrike’s AI-powered cybersecurity platform with its automated triage and investigation capabilities, allowing customers to address the entire lifecycle of a security incident
CrowdStrike and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have launched Falcon for AWS Security Incident Response, a new program that allows AWS customers to access the CrowdStrike Falcon cybersecurity platform at preferred rates via the AWS Marketplace. The AI-driven platform enables organizations to detect more threats in less time, detecting 96% more threats twice as fast and investigating incidents 66% more quickly. The Falcon platform complements AWS Security Incident Response’s automated triage and investigation capabilities, allowing customers to address the entire lifecycle of a security incident. CrowdStrike’s offerings have been designated “Deployed on AWS”, verifying their availability and compatibility through the AWS Marketplace. The Falcon platform is based on CrowdStrike Security Cloud and uses a single, lightweight agent to simplify deployment across multiple environments while reducing security complexity. The bundled offer is managed through a customer’s existing AWS procurement channel, supporting operational efficiency and making incident response and threat investigations more accessible.
New quishing attacks see hackers embed JavaScript payloads into QR codes that execute instantly upon scanning, with no link clicks required and then hijack login pages, capture keystrokes and exfiltrate data
A new report from cybersecurity company INKY Technology Corp. is sounding the alarm over a new wave of phishing threats that use QR codes in increasingly dangerous and deceptive ways, including leveraging embedded JavaScript payloads that execute instantly upon scanning, with no link clicks required. INKY says that attackers are now going a step further by embedding raw HTML and JavaScript into QR codes using data uniform resource identifiers. The new quishing methodology differs from traditional QR threats that redirect users to malicious websites and instead include payloads that execute entirely within the browser, hijacking login pages, capturing keystrokes and even launching exploits as soon as a user scans the code. Often, users don’t even need an active internet connection if the payload is self-contained. The new technique sees attackers embed base64-encoded HTML in the QR code itself. When scanned by a mobile camera or QR scanning app, the code is automatically opened in the system browser and executed. Once the QR code has been scanned and has become active, malicious JavaScript can then simulate login portals, exfiltrate data via hidden forms and fingerprint devices for further exploitation. The QR codes also evade standard email security tools, proxies and threat intelligence systems, as the payload is embedded in the code and never touches an external URL, at least when initially executed.
Cardless unveils embedded credit card platform, with Coinbase as first partner; offers a robust suite of APIs, rapid deployment capabilities, and pre-built flows
Cardless announced the launch of its embedded credit card platform, a breakthrough solution designed to help brands build their own credit card programs. Coinbase is the inaugural partner utilizing this infrastructure to build the Coinbase One Card, a premium consumer credit offering for Coinbase loyalty members integrated directly into the Coinbase digital experience. Cardless’ embedded credit card platform empowers brands to launch and manage customizable card programs with full control over the user experience. With a robust suite of APIs, rapid deployment capabilities, and pre-built flows, Cardless simplifies the complexities of card issuance, compliance, customer support, and capital markets. By ingesting customer data to personalize rewards and loyalty features, Cardless helps brands drive stronger engagement and performance—enabling higher application volumes, improved conversion rates, and increased customer retention compared to traditional programs. Coinbase launched the Coinbase One Card waitlist for Coinbase One subscribers, who will be able to earn up to 4% back in bitcoin on every purchase.
Apple Intelligence’s transcription tool is as accurate and 2X as fast as OpenAI’s Whisper
Newly released to developers, Apple Intelligence’s transcription tools are fast, accurate, and typically double the speed of OpenAI’s longstanding equivalent. Pitching Apple Intelligence against MacWhisper’s Large V3 Turbo model showed a dramatic difference. Apple’s Speech framework tools were consistently just over twice the speed of that Whisper-based app. A test 4K 7GB video file was read and transcribed into subtitles by Apple Intelligence in 45 seconds. It took MacWhisper with the Large V3 Turbo LLM at total of 1 minute and 41 seconds.Then the MacWhisper Large C2 model took 3 minutes and 55 seconds to do the same job.None of these transcriptions were perfect, and all required editing. But the Apple Intelligence version was as accurate as the Whisper-based tools, and twice as fast.As well as releasing these Apple Intelligence tools to developers, Apple has published videos with details of how to implement the technology.