Pinwheel, a fintech company, has partnered with nCino, a leading provider of banking solutions, to become a Preferred Partner for Direct Deposit Switching (DDS). The partnership will integrate Pinwheel’s Consumer Banking Solution with nCino’s Deposit Switch, aiming to improve deposit switch conversion rates. Pinwheel’s solution, powered by over 1,800 payroll platforms, covers 100% of U.S. workers paid via direct deposit. The PreMatch authentication paradigm, introduced in late 2023, has transformed the DDS experience, allowing users to authenticate and execute an instant switch with a simple one-time passcode. Pinwheel’s PreMatch authentication paradigm has transformed the DDS experience into a seamless, 2-click process, helping banks and credit unions meet their innovation and growth goals. The partnership will help banks and credit unions modernize their operations and enhance customer experiences.
Panaseer’s tool helps enterprises automate compliance management with pre-built dashboards, each mapped to over 200 control metrics
Panaseer has launched the Cyber Frameworks Catalog, a tool designed to automate compliance management for enterprises operating in regulated industries. The tool provides pre-built dashboards and automated controls to help enterprises monitor and report the performance of security controls against significant cybersecurity frameworks and regulations. Panaseer’s research shows that cybersecurity teams spend close to 60% of their time on manual reporting, leading to inefficiencies, increased operational costs, and an elevated risk of audit failures. The Cyber Frameworks Catalog streamlines these processes by introducing a controls measurement-driven, automation-first methodology. It features over ten dashboards, each mapped to over 200 control metrics connected to various regulatory frameworks. The tool’s analytical capabilities allow teams to investigate the underlying causes of compliance failures, prioritize remediation actions, and potentially prevent regulatory breaches. Panaseer’s Continuous Controls Monitoring platform aggregates and validates security data from various enterprise technology stacks, offering a centralized view for security teams. The company aims to support organizations in continuously measuring the deployment and effectiveness of their security controls, promoting efficient resource allocation and improved prioritization of security actions.
Salt Security launches Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server enabling AI agents to discover, understand, and analyze API behavior with contextual awareness and enterprise-grade precision
Salt Security announced the launch of the Salt Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, giving enterprise teams a novel access point of interaction with their API infrastructure, leveraging natural language and artificial intelligence (AI). Built on the open MCP standard, Salt’s MCP Server enables AI agents to discover, understand, and analyze API behavior with contextual awareness and enterprise-grade precision. Salt’s MCP server creates a personal ChatGPT experience for our customers with new capabilities: Contextual API Search: Contextual search across their entire API inventory. API Explainer: Explain the use and functionality of each API in your environment so security teams can be more independent. Posture Gap Contextual Search and Analysis: Allow security teams to identify API posture gaps and misconfigurations in a free-form search. Remediation Guidance: Offers AI-driven, actionable recommendations to mitigate high-risk vulnerabilities.
Clearent’s solution enables SaaS providers to embed merchant financing from a capital as a service platform directly into their software ecosystems via a simple API or branded loan widget
Clearent by Xplor has launched Xplor Capital, an embedded financing solution for software providers and their merchants. This is made possible through a strategic partnership with Parafin, a capital as a service platform specializing in capital solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The extension allows Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers to integrate merchant financing capabilities directly into their software ecosystems. With 67% of US small-business owners planning to pursue funding within the next 12 months, 77% are concerned about accessing capital. Xplor Capital allows software providers to offer pre-approved funding options based on sales data, fueling growth and increasing software platform engagement. Key Benefits of Xplor Capital: Frictionless Financing: Merchants receive pre-approved funding offers based on their sales volume, eliminating lengthy applications and credit checks. Embedded Growth Solution: Software providers can integrate Xplor Capital with a simple API or branded loan widget, increasing the value of their software. Increased Revenue: Businesses using financing can see a revenue boost. Predictable Transparent Repayments: Merchants repay their funding through a one-time fixed fee, and automatic deductions from a fixed percentage of sales, with no late fees or hidden interest.
Banks and fintechs are targeting credit to Gen Z using rent reporting feature, sub-$100 loan size, daily repayment requirement and payments reporting to bureaus as a credit builder
What follows is a look at the Gen Z-focused offerings from Navy Federal and four other banks and fintechs. 1) Navy Federal Credit Union recently adopted a consumer-permissioned data reporting product through a partnership with fintech Bloom Credit. The credit union said it has integrated Bloom’s product as a checking account feature as part of a handful of updates to its offerings. The partnership gives Navy Federal’s customers the option to report up to five existing payments, including rent and utility payments, from their checking accounts to TransUnion, one of the three main credit reporting bureaus. Justin Zeidman, vice president of strategy at Navy Federal, told that through this product, rent payments can be treated as credit history in a way similar to mortgage payments. “It allows the credit bureaus to see and track the responsible behavior of consumers who would have otherwise been completely invisible to the bureaus,” Zeidman said. He added that this product is especially relevant for Navy Federal’s users — people who are serving or have served in the armed forces — because many enlisted military members join at a young age, before they have developed a credit history. 2) Jack Dorsey’s payments and commerce company Block is hoping to expand its peer-to-peer payments platform Cash App to more Gen Z consumers, while at the same time increasing the penetration of its small-dollar lending product, Cash App Borrow. Gen Z consumers are an important segment of Block’s customer base and one that it has also targeted with its buy now/pay later product, Afterpay. The FDIC’s decision to allow Block to originate and service its own loans, which are made through its Square Financial Services unit, doubled the total addressable market of customers on its network it can offer its loans to and improved unit economics, according to the company.
PlayStation 5 adds Apple Pay; players are presented with a unique code to scan with their iPhone or iPad, which will then prompt the native Apple Pay checkout
PlayStation 5 users can now use Apple Pay to complete purchases of games and content on their consoles. They will be presented with a unique code to scan with their iPhone or iPad, which will then prompt the native Apple Pay checkout sheet. Users can choose their card and authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. Apple added support for this code-based system with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 last year. Apple Pay support is now available on PS5 and is expected to be available on PS4 with a future software update. While not as quick and easy as a one-click purchase, it is a nice improvement for those looking to earn 2% Daily Cash with their Apple Card.
Sakana’s Continuous Thought Machines (CTM) AI model architecture uses short-term memory of previous states and allows neural synchronization to mirror brain-like intelligence
AI startup Sakana has unveiled a new type of AI model architecture called Continuous Thought Machines (CTM). Rather than relying on fixed, parallel layers that process inputs all at once — as Transformer models do —CTMs unfold computation over steps within each input/output unit, known as an artificial “neuron.” Each neuron in the model retains a short history of its previous activity and uses that memory to decide when to activate again. This added internal state allows CTMs to adjust the depth and duration of their reasoning dynamically, depending on the complexity of the task. As such, each neuron is far more informationally dense and complex than in a typical Transformer model. CTMs allow each artificial neuron to operate on its own internal timeline, making activation decisions based on a short-term memory of its previous states. These decisions unfold over internal steps known as “ticks,” enabling the model to adjust its reasoning duration dynamically. This time-based architecture allows CTMs to reason progressively, adjusting how long and how deeply they compute — taking a different number of ticks based on the complexity of the input. The number of ticks changes according to the information inputted, and may be more or less even if the input information is identical, because each neuron is deciding how many ticks to undergo before providing an output (or not providing one at all). This represents both a technical and philosophical departure from conventional deep learning, moving toward a more biologically grounded model. Sakana has framed CTMs as a step toward more brain-like intelligence—systems that adapt over time, process information flexibly, and engage in deeper internal computation when needed. Sakana’s goal is to “to eventually achieve levels of competency that rival or surpass human brains.” The CTM is built around two key mechanisms. First, each neuron in the model maintains a short “history” or working memory of when it activated and why, and uses this history to make a decision of when to fire next. Second, neural synchronization — how and when groups of a model’s artificial neurons “fire,” or process information together — is allowed to happen organically. Groups of neurons decide when to fire together based on internal alignment, not external instructions or reward shaping. These synchronization events are used to modulate attention and produce outputs — that is, attention is directed toward those areas where more neurons are firing. The model isn’t just processing data, it’s timing its thinking to match the complexity of the task. Together, these mechanisms let CTMs reduce computational load on simpler tasks while applying deeper, prolonged reasoning where needed.
OpenAI’s new PDF export capability enables users to download comprehensive research reports with fully preserved formatting, tables, images, and clickable citations
OpenAI launched a new PDF export capability for its Deep Research feature, enabling users to download comprehensive research reports with fully preserved formatting, tables, images, and clickable citations. PDF export directly addresses a practical pain point for professional users who need to share polished, verifiable research with colleagues and clients. The technical implementation of PDF export transforms Deep Research from an interesting capability into a practical business tool by addressing several critical requirements for enterprise adoption. First, it bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI and traditional business communication. Second, the preservation of citations as clickable links addresses the critical need for verifiability in professional contexts. Without verifiable sources, AI-generated research lacks credibility in high-stakes decision-making environments. Most importantly, the PDF export capability dramatically improves Deep Research’s shareability. AI-generated insights create value only when they can be effectively distributed to decision-makers. By enabling users to generate professional-looking documents directly from research sessions, OpenAI removes a significant barrier to broader organizational adoption. The feature’s implementation across both new and past reports also demonstrates technical foresight. Rather than requiring users to adapt to AI-native interfaces for sharing research findings, the PDF export recognizes that many organizations still require traditional document formats for effective information distribution.
Quantware and Q-CTRL accelerate deployment of on-premises quantum computers and scaling of QPUs with an autonomous calibration solution with an ability to unlock processors with over 1 million qubits
Quantware announced a collaboration with Q-CTRL to deliver an autonomous calibration solution for its customers. By integrating Q-CTRL’s autonomous calibration solution, Boulder Opal Scale Up, with its cutting-edge QPUs, QuantWare’s customers will be able to achieve push-button tuneup of their on-premises quantum computers – an critical solution for scaling QPUs, especially those powered by QuantWare’s VIO technology, designed to unlock processors with over 1 million qubits. This new partnership will provide QuantWare’s customers with: Accelerated System Development: QuantWare’s customers will be able to drastically accelerate the construction and deployment of their quantum systems towards error correction. Q-CTRL’s autonomous calibration solution streamlines the setup process, reducing test times from days to hours. Maximized QPU Performance: Leveraging Q-CTRL’s Boulder Opal Scale Up solution empowers any user to achieve optimal performance from QuantWare QPUs with minimal effort. This ensures that customers can unlock the full potential of QuantWare’s QPUs, including the new Contralto-A Quantum Error Correction QPU recently launched in early access. Q-CTRL’s Boulder Opal Scale Up solution combines PhD-level human intelligence with AI-driven automation to overcome the quantum industry bottleneck. Built on the company’s track record of delivering peak QPU performance through physics-informed AI, Boulder Opal Scale Up provides an expert-configured and fully autonomous software solution to deliver fast, repeatable, and robust QPU characterization and calibration.
Mastercard partners broker to offer Business Bonus Scheme small business owners access to personalized advice from expert mortgage advisers on their end-to-end mortgage needs in one streamlined, digital journey
Habito has partnered with Mastercard’s Business Bonus Scheme to make mortgage support faster, simpler, and completely free for SME owners across the UK. Business owners will now be able to access Habito’s team of expert mortgage advisers at no cost, whether they’re buying a home, refinancing, or investing in a rental property. The goal? To give entrepreneurs the clarity and support they need to make confident decisions, without jargon or unnecessary paperwork. This partnership means Mastercard Business Bonus Scheme members can explore a huge range of mortgage options through Habito’s platform, get personalised help from qualified advisers, and secure deals that match their unique circumstances, all in one streamlined, digital journey. Ying Tan, CEO of Habito, said:“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Mastercard to support the UK’s business community. Running a business is hard enough. Your mortgage shouldn’t be. SME owners deserve smart, reliable advice that just works, without the stress or the sales pitch. That’s exactly what we’re delivering with this partnership.” Whether they’re buying for the first time, refinancing their home, or growing a portfolio, Mastercard SME customers can now feel more in control of their mortgage choices with Habito on hand to guide them through every step.