Google’s ad network has begun showing advertising within the flow of conversations with chatbots — part of Alphabet Inc.’s efforts to keep its edge in digital advertising as generative artificial intelligence takes off. Earlier this year, Google’s AdSense for Search network, which traditionally shows ads within the search results of other websites, expanded to include conversations with chatbots operated by AI startups. Google made the move after conducting tests last year and earlier this year with a handful of startups, including AI search apps iAsk and Liner, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private information. Showing ads alongside its own search results is the heart of Google’s business, bolstered by a business that serves up advertising across much of the web. That empire has come under threat as new entrants like OpenAI and Perplexity AI seek to siphon off the search giant’s audience with products aiming to help users find what they are looking for more quickly. Running experiments with AI startups will allow the company to test the waters for advertising in the relatively new world of AI chats. Generative AI startups are increasingly exploring advertising-based business models to offset the high costs of answering users’ questions with artificial intelligence. For example, before inviting users to ask follow-up questions, iAsk shows ads below its AI-generated responses. In addition to Google, startups such as Koah Labs have begun allowing brands to serve ads to the chatbot audience. AI search startup Perplexity, one of the most prominent players using AI to reshape internet services, establishes relationships directly with brands that want to buy ads on the site, according to a person familiar with the matter. Perplexity allows brands to sponsor follow-up questions to users’ queries.
PayPal’s reward offers on stablecoin balances could force financial services super apps to explore offering interest-earning prepaid cards and wallets by combining yield with spendability in a closed-loop, scalable ecosystem
PayPal and Circle, two U.S. firms that are trying to build what are called financial super apps, are making stablecoins a major piece of how users link to other functions. Both companies made recent deals to expand usage of their own stablecoins while easing access to other financial services. PayPal and Circle are both positioning themselves to capitalize on the increasing popularity of stablecoins as a means to power their super apps. PayPal recently expanded its partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase to power free conversions between PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin and traditional money. Coinbase will offer PYUSD to PayPal’s merchant network, making it easier for the stablecoin to be used at the point of sale. It also can drive PayPal’s super app strategy, a long-standing initiative to enable a mobile app to shop at millions of merchants, make payments, access a debit card, use installment credit, pay bills, invest, make P2P transfers, receive paychecks and dozens of other services. The addition of the Xoom remittance and Venmo transfer app, PayPal’s PYUSD and support for stablecoin and cryptocurrency investments at Venmo and PayPal add to that super-app potential.
Shift from SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), requiring focus on clear, helpful content with proper technical structure, adding clear labels instead of meta-tags and tracking ‘page mentions’ not just clicks
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been the cornerstone of digital visibility for decades. Now, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is emerging as its essential companion. The new GEO approach is about writing content that answers real questions thoroughly. This way, AI systems can quote your expertise. With SEO, we added meta-tags that humans never notice. GEO, in terms of metadata, requires adding clear labels that tell AI exactly what each page is about. SEO success meant counting clicks from search results. GEO success means tracking how often an AI tool mentions your page or links back to your content. Digital agencies are now offering “AI Readiness” audits and GEO services to help businesses adapt. The search landscape is evolving from “find information” to “get answers.” Generative Engine Optimization simply means ensuring your business is part of those answers. By focusing on clear, helpful content with proper technical structure, you can maintain visibility regardless of how people search—whether they’re typing in a search box, asking a voice assistant, or chatting with an AI. For most businesses, the principles aren’t actually new: create valuable content that genuinely helps your audience. What’s changing is how that content gets discovered and consumed. Companies that adapt quickly will maintain their connection to customers, while those that ignore this shift are at risk of becoming increasingly difficult to find. Here are some best practices for GEO: Answer the obvious questions first; Use plain headings and short paragraphs; Add behind-the-scenes labels once; Let reputable AI bots in; Earn mentions on trustworthy sites; Keep pages fresh; Track “mention share,” not just clicks.
Crypto companies “actively reassessing potential opportunities” in the U.S after “the recent shift towards a more favorable regulatory stance on crypto”
Dubai-based Deribit is “actively reassessing potential opportunities” in the U.S., CEO Luuk Strijers said, after “the recent shift towards a more favorable regulatory stance on crypto in the U.S.” Deribit joins a wave of crypto companies from Europe and Asia aiming to capitalize on President Donald Trump’s pledge to make the U.S. the global digital assets hub. The crypto exchanges OKX — based in the Seychelles — and Bulgaria’s Nexo are both planning to open U.S. offices, as are Switzerland’s Wintermute and Dubai’s DWF Labs, two of the sector’s biggest market makers. Crypto companies had for the past few years been shifting their focus away from the U.S. due to a regulatory crackdown by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following the downfall of the FTX exchange. Trump, however, has courted the crypto industry, promising to “make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world,” with the SEC having halted or ended several high-profile cases since the election, and the Department of Justice disbanding its cryptocurrency enforcement unit. “I think the entire market feels good about regulatory clarity,” David Rutter, CEO of British blockchain firm R3, told. “The Trump memecoin was a big signal that things had changed for the U.S. in a pretty sizable way.”
Lenders to retailers are worried about tariffs leading to inflated debt to maintain liquidity cushion, that could make up half the value of invoice financing
With tariffs threatening to raise prices, creditors that lend to the retail space are reportedly worried, citing the example of Saks Global Enterprises. That department store chain’s creditors were already concerned, even before Saks announced plans to raise more debt, as its notes that mature in 2029 had dropped by 40% in value in the space of five months. Saks recently said it aims to raise as much as $350 million via a new loan, funds that will help the company maintain what CEO Marc Metrick called an “ample” liquidity cushion, even as it deals with future liabilities such as the first interest payment on its 2029 notes. Some advisers are cautioning banks and private credit outfits that steep apparel costs shouldn’t alter their appraisals of client inventory when making loans. In fact, this is a major topic of discussion at banks such as Wells Fargo, the bank’s head of global receivables and trade Daniel Pfeiffer told. “There’s a lot of discussion right now about the value of the current appraisals, how tariffs show up on invoices and how that flows through to when the goods are sold,” Pfeiffer said. “That cost is on the invoice as well, and in some scenarios could make up half the value of what you’re financing.”
Verizon launches 3-year price lock guarantee on all mobile and home internet network plans targeting the growing number of households with connected devices
The average Verizon internet household now manages 18 connected devices and consumes 656 GB of data monthly, up 6% YoY, according to the latest Verizon Consumer Connections Report. Verizon is offering an industry-first 3-year price lock guarantee on all myPlan (mobile) and myHome (home internet) network plans, available to both new and existing customers. The offer meets a growing consumer demand for financial stability, control and simplicity — especially as families weigh technology investments alongside everyday priorities. Verizon is also now offering a free phone to new and existing wireless customers on any myPlan when they trade in a device — regardless of its condition. Plus, get even more immediate savings when bundling home internet, taking $15 off the total monthly bill. Families can stay confidently connected — with steady rates on core services like calling, data and texting. Customers can also save over 40% on five of the most popular subscription services Plus, free satellite messaging on qualifying devices. Verizon’s 3-year price lock guarantee offers predictable, multi-year stability across connectivity costs. As families upgrade their homes and devices, Verizon’s price lock guarantee offers something rare in tech: predictability.
Visa’s push to embed its tokenization-based payment network into AI systems, including chatbots and agents could transform ecommerce by letting online shoppers use natural conversation with an AI agent to make purchases
Soon online shoppers will be able to make purchases straight from their chatbots, which could drive the biggest shift in shopping since Amazon or the iPhone. Visa on announced a push to embed its payment network into AI systems, including chatbots and agents. The effort is in the early testing stage, with Visa listing OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Mistral and Perplexity among its partners.”We think the shift could rival the level of impact that e-commerce and mobile commerce themselves have [had],” Visa chief product and strategy officer Jack Forestell said. Visa demoed how a user can enter their payment information into a chatbot, just once, and use natural conversation with an AI agent to purchase a range of goods and services. Under the hood, Visa is incorporating the tokenization technology it has used to secure mobile and online commerce, combined with mechanisms for communicating authentication, payment intent and instructions. “We could give AI agents payment tools today, and they’d be able to go out, access your credentials, your cards, your money, and go spend it,” Forestell said on stage Wednesday. “That would just uncover a bunch of other really important problems that we need to get solved before we take step one.” Forestell is “hopeful that within the next 12 months” people have the option to use autonomous agent payments, at least within certain use cases. Separately, OpenAI said that ChatGPT search will begin including direct product links in its results, starting with categories including fashion, beauty, home goods and electronics. Experts say retailers need to start rethinking their e-commerce strategy to prepare for chatbots to play a significant role. The shift could allow companies to spend less on search advertising, but having the most up-to-date information on products and their availability will become more important, Pimberly CEO Martin Balaam told.
Capgemini unveils perpetual ‘Know-Your-Customer’ real-time continuous compliance sandbox automatically alerting firms to changes in a customer’s circumstances that could affect their risk profile, enabling them to re-assess their risk exposure to the customer
Capgemini has launched a technology sandbox to help financial institutions transition from static Know-Your-Customer (KYC) processes to perpetual KYC (pKYC) and event-based reviews. The sandbox, a first of its kind, provides a secure environment for firms to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of pKYC processes. It allows firms to automatically alert firms to changes in a customer’s circumstances that could affect their risk profile, enabling them to re-assess their risk exposure to the customer. Capgemini’s sandbox model is flexible and modular, allowing organizations to implement it across their cloud platforms and technologies. The sandbox is designed to meet regulatory requirements and demonstrate how financial institutions are mitigating inherent risk exposure more effectively. It also demonstrates the industry’s ability to demonstrate excellence in achieving real-time KYC requirements. Key benefits of Capgemini’s new pKYC sandbox include: A safe testing environment: a secure environment where new KYC processes, policies, or technologies can be tested without risking real customer data leakage or compliance failures. Best-of-breed solutions: integration of key components from best-of-breed RegTech solutions and accelerators. Real-time visualization: ability to visualize pKYC in action to gauge benefits and showcase the framework to regulators. Quantifiable business impact: rapid end-to-end testing of the tech stack and processes leading to much faster feasibility of the pKYC operating model and creation of the associated business case. Operational readiness: identifies operational bottlenecks and optimizes workflows to enable full-scale deployment with confidence.
BuyerTwin creates AI interactive “twins” of ideal buyer personas, providing businesses with direct, unfiltered feedback on their marketing, sales, and product strategies
BuyerTwin launched its groundbreaking AI-powered platform that creates interactive “twins” of ideal buyer personas, providing businesses with direct, unfiltered feedback on their marketing, sales, and product strategies. The platform allows teams to test messaging, content, website usability, and more, receiving instant, honest insights as if talking directly to their target audience. BuyerTwin leverages advanced AI and data from its proprietary TwinForce network—which recruits real buyers—to build highly accurate virtual personas. Users can interact with these AI twins in real-time to understand customer perspectives deeply. Key capabilities include: Website Feedback: Instantly see how site copy, design, and navigation feel from the buyer’s perspective; Content Insight: Understand which topics, formats, and messaging angles genuinely capture buyer attention and address their needs; Channel Behavior Analysis: Discover where ideal buyers actually spend their time and how they prefer to engage; Positioning & Messaging Tests: Refine value propositions and eliminate confusing jargon to ensure clarity; Sales Approach Validation: Get direct feedback on sales messaging and identify what buyers need to feel confident; Competitor Analysis: Understand how buyers perceive competitor offerings and positioning; Keyword Discovery: Uncover the authentic language and search terms buyers use.
Coinbase integrates Apple Pay into Crypto Onboarding Solution- apps already using Coinbase Onramp will automatically see Apple Pay as an option when users make an eligible purchase
Coinbase has integrated Apple Pay as a payment method for Coinbase Onramp, its tool for building onramps into existing apps for fiat-to-crypto purchases. This will make it easier for 60 million U.S. users of Apple Pay to onramp and access popular payment methods. Coinbase Onramp provides a solution for onboarding to crypto, which can take a long time and require users to go through a lengthy know-your-customer (KYC) process. With Apple Pay, getting onchain takes only seconds. Apps already using Coinbase Onramp will automatically see Apple Pay as an option when users make an eligible purchase. This is the latest addition to Coinbase’s offerings, following the acquisition of the Utopia Labs team to accelerate its onchain payments roadmap within Coinbase Wallet. In October, Coinbase announced a money movement partnership with Visa, connecting Coinbase to the Visa Direct network and allowing customers to deposit funds into their accounts via eligible Visa debit cards.