The global wearable band market grew 13% year over year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 46.6 million shipments, according to new data from Canalys. The rebound was driven by broad demand across categories, especially in emerging markets, and a low comparison base from the first quarter of 2024. Xiaomi surged back into the lead with 8.7 million units shipped, up 44% from 2024. Apple came in second with 7.6 million Apple Watch shipments, a modest 5% increase from 2024. That’s in line with seasonal expectations, as the first quarter tends to be the furthest point from Apple’s typical September refresh cycle. Instead of chasing hardware overhauls, Apple is focusing on enhancing the stickiness of its ecosystem. Huawei held third place with 7.1 million units shipped, a 36% year-over-year gain. Its GT and Fit series found traction outside China, supported by a wider rollout of the Huawei Health app. Samsung followed with 4.9 million shipments, a sharp 74% increase driven by a dual-market strategy. Garmin rounded out the top five with 1.8 million units shipped, up 10%. The launch of Garmin Connect+, a subscription platform for deeper health insights and training tools, signals the brand’s move toward recurring revenue. As hardware margins tighten, vendors are shifting focus from features to ecosystems. Huawei is taking a more health-centric approach, building a closed-loop system through its Health app. Price, battery life, and health tracking remain the top buying factors. But as ecosystems mature and software capabilities expand, vendors that offer reliable integration and trusted data handling will have the edge. Xiaomi’s rise highlights how affordable devices, when paired with a growing ecosystem, can take the lead even against brands with a head start.
Paypal owned Honey drops to 15 million users on Chrome, down 5 million in less than six months after being exposed for shady tactics
In late 2024, the popular Chrome extension Honey was exposed for shady tactics including simply not doing what it was promised to do, with uninstalls following suit and Honey now dropping down to 15 million users from a peak of over 20 million. An exposé from YouTube channel MegaLag previously highlighted two things about PayPal-owned Honey. The extension had dropped down to 16 million users as of March 2025. As of this week, Honey has now dropped to 15 million users, down from over 20 million users at its peak prior to the exposé. This drops Honey well below the “17+ million members” that it advertises on the Chrome Web Store, though it’s still very possible the extension has a couple million more members across browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Mozilla shows around 460,000 Honey users on its browser, while Apple doesn’t show a figure. Microsoft says Honey has 5,000,000 users on Edge, though that number may be inflated by Microsoft’s own questionable tactics with Edge copying Chrome when installed on the same machine. Regardless, it’s clear that these numbers are dropping. The impact of the MegaLag video has passed, with roughly 3 million views on that video since January. Google has implemented restrictions on extensions following the debacle, which led to Honey making changes to some of its biggest abuse of affiliate codes.
IBM’s multi-agent orchestration framework blends pre-built, domain-specific agents into existing systems without replacing entire software stacks with AI-native applications
IBM Corp. is focused on developing AI agents that execute across systems rather than merely assist at the edges. These agents are designed to integrate with legacy and modern tools, orchestrating processes across the full sprawl of enterprise infrastructure, according to Ritika Gunnar, general manager for data and artificial intelligence at IBM. Instead of replacing entire software stacks with AI-native applications, IBM blends agentic functionality into existing systems. That strategy includes leveraging fixed workflows, enabling agent-based enhancements and allowing customers to scale into full orchestration when needed, according to Gunnar. To help enterprises get started, IBM has unveiled a lineup of prebuilt AI agents in areas such as human resources, sales and procurement, with more planned in customer care and finance, according to Gunnar. These domain-specific agents can be customized, integrated and orchestrated using IBM’s frameworks. “[We have] a new interaction paradigm to work across this multi-agent orchestration framework, across all those systems, whether those be agents, tools or anything else underneath that. It is about [being] open … hybrid … because we know agents are going to run everywhere. Your systems are going to exist in many different forms, in agentic and non-agentic.” The agentic strategy converges with IBM’s push to unlock unstructured data. IBM’s watsonx offerings aim to bridge IT and business needs by enabling users to build intelligent AI agents grounded in enterprise data, according to Gunnar. “We believe that we’re going to see an explosion of the 90% of unstructured data that today has been untapped; you’re untapping a whole new set of intelligence that’s now available.”
Block to enable merchants using the Square POS to accept bitcoin payments directly through their Square hardware via QR code sca
Block plans to launch bitcoin payments on its business technology platform Square, enabling merchants using the Square Point of Sale app to accept bitcoin payments directly through their Square hardware. The company plans to begin rolling out this new, native Bitcoin For Businesses offering in the second half of the year and then extend it to all Square sellers in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. With Square’s integration handling the complexity behind the scenes, and the Lightning Network enabling near-instant settlement, customers will be able to pay with bitcoin by scanning a QR code at checkout. Bitcoin For Businesses builds upon Square’s Bitcoin Conversions features, which was launched in 2024 and allows qualified merchants to automatically convert a portion of their sales into bitcoin. “When a coffee shop or retail store can accept bitcoin through Square, small businesses get paid faster, and get to keep more of their revenue,” Block Bitcoin Product Lead Miles Suter said. “This is about economic empowerment for merchants who like to have options when it comes to accepting payments. We believe in an open, decentralized, fair, fast and low-cost money system for everyone, and that’s exactly what we want to bring to Square sellers,” he added.
Citcon to integrate Splitit’s one-click credit card-linked installments into its payment platform to enable merchants to offer flexible omnichannel installments without credit checks for both online and in-store sales
Citcon and Splitit have partnered to enable Citcon’s merchants to offer Splitit’s one-click credit card-linked installments both online and in-store. The companies’ new partnership adds Splitit’s flexible payment offering to Citcon’s global payment platform that is used by retail, luxury and hospitality brands. “Partnering with Splitit allows us to offer flexible omnichannel installments, bringing over [190 million] U.S. cardholders with available credit, driving new sales at high average-ticket merchants,” Citcon Co-founder and President Wei Jiang said. Splitit’s platform eliminates the need for applications or credit checks. Instead, it leverages the credit consumers already have, allowing them to break purchases into manageable monthly installments. This seamless, friction-free approach can improve conversion and customer satisfaction at checkout. Citcon can deliver this offering to merchants through its payment platform that is fully integrated with more than 50 leading point of sale systems, gateways and middleware providers, and enables merchants using these platforms to easily activate new payment methods.
Cantor Fitzgerald’s risk management expertise and experience in managing Treasury collateral for stablecoin issuer Tether lends credibility to its newly launched bitcoin lending business
Investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald has successfully executed its first Bitcoin financing transactions, marking a significant entry by a traditional finance institution into the crypto lending market. The company announced that its Bitcoin Financing Business is now fully operational, with an initial capacity of $2 billion that is expected to expand over time. The launch represents one of the few major traditional finance institutions to enter the crypto lending space directly. Cantor partnered with digital asset custodians Anchorage Digital and Copper.co to safeguard client assets, addressing security concerns that have plagued the sector. Maple Finance, an on-chain asset manager, was among the inaugural borrowers under the program. The crypto lending sector has experienced significant turbulence, with numerous high-profile failures casting doubt on the industry’s stability. However, Cantor’s entry differs from previous crypto lending ventures in several key ways. Unlike the failed firms which were all startups, Cantor Fitzgerald is far more established in terms of managing risk and is one of just 25 primary dealers in the US Treasury markets. The firm’s experience managing Treasury collateral for stablecoin issuer Tether, its largest crypto client, provides additional institutional credibility to its Bitcoin financing operations.
VC fund QuantumLight uses an AI model to identify outlier growth-stage companies with all 17 of its deals to date been guided by the model
QuantumLight, a quantitative venture capital firm founded by Revolut’s Nik Storonsky has closed on a $250 million fund for backing founders across AI, Web3, Fintech, SaaS and Healthtech. The $250 million Fund I, which closed at hard cap, is backed by a global group of top-tier LPs, including billionaire tech founders and prominent institutions. Since launching in 2022, all 17 of the company’s deals to date have been recommended by its proprietary AI model. The Fund’s proprietary AI model, Aleph, is purpose-built to identify outlier growth-stage companies. Storonsky said “Our ambition is to build the world’s best systematic venture capital and growth equity firm – and support the new generation of founders by sharing some of the operating principles that we developed at Revolut.” This includes the launch of playbooks for portfolio companies to learn from the success of Revolut in hiring top talent and driving high-performance companies. Says CEO Ilya Kondrashov: “Our goal is to make the invisible operating systems behind iconic companies like Revolut visible and replicable. Founders shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to building high-performing teams. By sharing these tools and frameworks, we’re helping scale-ups move faster from day one.”
ACI Worldwide integrates major global networks’ capabilities into its cloud-native payments hub to offer account-to-account (A2A), card payments and AI-driven fraud prevention on a unified platform
ACI Worldwide has announced the integration of the major UK, EU and global networks’ payment capabilities into ACI Connetic, ACI’s transformative, cloud-native payments hub. These include Swift cross-border payments, RTGS payments including Target2, SEPA Instant RT1 and TIPS payments, with the addition of more capabilities planned. For the first time in the industry, ACI Connetic brings together account-to-account (A2A), card payments and AI-driven fraud prevention on a unified cloud-native platform – making it simpler, faster and more cost-effective for banks and financial institutions (FI) to modernize their payments infrastructures. It offers FIs unequalled scalability and resilience while minimizing risk and enabling them to deliver new services to customers much faster. Thomas Warsop, President and CEO of ACI Worldwide. ACI Connetic empowers financial institutions to unlock new revenue opportunities and navigate compliance in order to drive growth and financial inclusion. The platform’s cloud-native architecture, modular design and open APIs simplify integration with existing systems, speeding up deployment and time to value. Designed for financial institutions of any size, it is particularly suited for banks looking to modernize quickly and cost-effectively without sacrificing enterprise-grade capabilities. ACI is collaborating with the world’s leading clearing and settlement systems—including the Bank of England, Pay.UK, ECB, EBA Clearing, and Stet, as well as Swift, the Federal Reserve and The Clearing House—to integrate their payments capabilities to offer banks across the globe the most prolific payment methods as part of ACI Connetic. “We built ACI Connetic to give banks a future-proof foundation to meet the ever-increasing demand for faster, smarter and secure payments,” said Scotty Perkins, head of product for banking and intermediaries at ACI Worldwide. “Built for scalability, intelligence and resilience, ACI Connetic empowers banks to reduce complexity, accelerate product innovation and deliver new solutions to their customers in an unprecedented way and at unprecedented speed.”
Donatos Pizza to open first fully autonomous restaurant in airport that will operate 24/7 and leverage robotics and data science tech to streamline the customer experience from placing orders to receiving their pizza
Donatos Pizza and its sister company, smart kitchen technology developer Agape Automation, are partnering with robotic food tech provider Appetronix to open the pizza chain’s first robot-operated restaurant in its headquarters city. The new fully automated Donatos Pizza restaurant will debut before security in front of Concourse B at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in June 2025 and will be operated by franchisee HMS Host. The autonomous restaurant will operate 24/7, leveraging robotics and data science technologies to streamline the customer experience from placing orders to receiving their pizza while they watch it being freshly prepared in real time. The new automated restaurant is part of a larger four-point strategy Donatos Pizza launched in March 2025, which includes innovating for the future, staying relevant, driving sustainable growth and leading with vision. Other high-tech efforts Donatos is undertaking include implementing a new voice AI-based ordering system from Revmo AI that will automate its phone orders. Rollout to all 174 Donatos restaurants across multiple states is expected to be completed by May 2025. The company anticipates that Revmo’s AI-based voice ordering technology will enhance the customer experience and increase order conversions, ultimately driving revenue across its locations nationwide. According to Donatos, this technology has the potential to transform food service in airports, hospitals, college campuses, industrial environments, and other location where a traditional kitchen may not be feasible.
Pizza Hut launches app for its summer reading program to motivate young readers to sharpen literacy skills and earn a free Pizza in rewards
Pizza Hut has launched an app for its longstanding Book It! program, first launched in 1984, designed to motivate young readers to achieve literacy goals by rewarding their accomplishments with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from participating Pizza Hut locations. The Book It! app is part of Pizza Hut’s revitalized summer reading program named, “Book It! Summer of Stories,” which officially launches June 1. The initiative encourages parents to stay engaged with their child’s reading journey and sharpen their literacy skills throughout the summer months when learning tends to decline. Parents can set monthly reading goals specifically designed to support children from pre-K through 6th grade and cater toward their child’s abilities while monitoring their progress. Young readers can earn one free Personal Pan Pizza each month in June, July and August by reaching the reading goals parents set for each month. “With the launch of the Book It! app, we’re making it even easier for parents to connect with their kids, set meaningful reading goals and inspire plenty of fun pizza-filled memories with their families. This new platform will help keep reading goals top of mind this summer — and turn progress into pizza.”