ThetaRay and Spayce, a cross-border payments platform, announced a strategic partnership to combat evolving financial threats and enhance global payment security. The collaboration will be officially unveiled at Money 20/20. Spayce has deployed ThetaRay’s Cognitive AI Transaction Monitoring solution into its global payments infrastructure to enhance its financial crime detection capabilities. ThetaRay’s solution uses Cognitive AI to continuously analyze the vast volumes of transaction data, detecting nuanced suspicious activity, and uncovering complex financial crime schemes with exceptional accuracy. This AI-first approach not only strengthens compliance but empowers Spayce to scale securely, turning regulatory readiness into a foundation for sustainable growth. Spayce, which serves clients ranging from SMBs to large financial institutions in over 200 countries, now gains deeper visibility into transaction flows without compromising speed or customer experience. The result is a smarter, faster, and more secure global payments ecosystem, one where compliance no longer slows expansion, but actively enables it. Peter Reynolds, CEO of ThetaRay “Our partnership with Spayce unites robust payment infrastructure with ThetaRay’s Cognitive AI to deliver proactive risk mitigation, greater transparency, and the trusted cross-border transactions needed to power global growth.”
Startup New Gen is building AI storefronts using “AI subdomain” to receive AI-driven traffic; it reindexes a brand’s entire product catalog and uses AI models to create dynamic product pages and recommendation
Startup New Generation, or simply New Gen, is building AI storefronts – versions of brands’ websites that dynamically interact with AI chatbots and agents. Its technology helps brands automate product tagging, personalize responses and adapt to real-time market trends. To build the AI storefront, New Gen creates an “AI subdomain” — a dedicated microsite such as “ai.brand.com” designed to receive AI-driven traffic from tools like ChatGPT or website-browsing agents like Operator. Their system reindexes a brand’s entire product catalog, combines structured and unstructured data such as product descriptions and social media posts, and uses AI models to create dynamic product pages and recommendations. This data pipeline is available through an API for other companies to access. For image generation, New Gen uses Gemini 2.5. For prose and copy, the team relies on Anthropic’s Claude 4. For code and front-end generation, OpenAI’s models are preferred. Brands can control the experience through a merchant dashboard, setting preferences for tone of voice, which products to highlight, and seasonal merchandising strategies. Over time, the AI storefronts would integrate with marketplaces such as Shopify or WooCommerce. New Gen has partnered with Visa as part of the payments giant’s Intelligent Commerce initiative to enable AI agents to make purchases on behalf of consumers.
Carvel to kick of summer promotion with first-of-its-kind dispenser billboard offering ice cream and free sprinkles for loyalty members
Fans of Carvel ice cream located in New York City will be able to get a free treat from a very special source on Wednesday, June 18. The soft serve ice cream chain, a subsidiary of GoTo Foods, will serve its product directly from what it is calling a first-of-its kind interactive billboard on Perry Street in New York City’s West Village on June 18 from noon to 7 p.m. EDT. All consumers can receive a free vanilla soft serve while supplies last. Members of the Carvel Fudgie Fanatics loyalty program will also receive free sprinkles on their ice cream. The retailer will also give the first 50 loyalty members who show up exclusive gifts like t-shirts and Carvel gift cards. Consumers can sign up to be a member of Fudgie Fanatics before June 18 for free on the Carvel site or on the spot at the billboard. All attendees will have the chance to participate in special giveaways and surprises throughout the day. All Carvel locations nationwide will offer a “buy one get one free” sundae or ice cream on Wednesdays throughout the summer, starting June 18. A dispenser billboard typically refers to a billboard or advertising display that incorporates a physical dispenser mechanism, allowing it to dispense samples, coupons, brochures, or small products to passersby.
Walmart’s interactive job simulations tool for veterans gives them the ability to virtually try out their skills in real-life scenarios and simulate the experience of working in a corporate environment
Walmart has unveiled a new skills translator tool specifically designed to let veterans upload their resumes, which are then translated into professional skills that align with its needs, such as logistics planning, GPS routing and inventory control. Walmart is also providing veterans with a new interactive job simulations solution that gives them the ability to virtually try out their skills in real-life scenarios and see what it’s like working in a corporate environment. So far in 2025, Walmart has invested $500,000 in events that mark the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. These donations support initiatives like the Revolutionary War Exhibit at the Museum of the Army commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday in 2025 and the celebration of Declaration of Independence in 2026. Walmart will also join the Navy and Marine Corps to commemorate their 250th birthdays in Philadelphia and in Camden, N.J. in October 2025. In addition, the company is funding a series of veteran-focused projects through the Manufacturing Institute, Hire Heroes USA and the Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. Each organization is working to help veterans get credit for the skills they acquired in the military as they transition to civilian life. Julie Gehrki, senior VP and president, Walmart Foundation said, “By investing in tools for the military community and supporting leading organizations, we’re ensuring veterans have the support and opportunities they need to succeed in their post-military careers.”
Walmart is rolling out a new design for Onn 4K Pro, the retailer’s competition to the Google TV Streamer
Walmart is rolling out a new design for Onn 4K Pro, the retailer’s competition to the Google TV Streamer, at least for the box it comes in. The Onn 4K Pro launched last year as what was, at the time, the best Google TV streaming device on the market. More horsepower, a backlit remote, and more made the device appealing, and all the more so at a price tag of just under $50. In the time since, the $30 Onn 4K Plus has launched with similar experience and, also, a new design language for the packaging in line with Walmart’s ever-changing Onn brand. Onn 4K Pro is now getting the same treatment. Gone is the punch-you-in-the-face neon yellow box we’ve known, with Walmart instead giving the Google TV streamer a blue packaging design. Not a ton has changed, but the new design does better emphasize the hands-free voice control – “Hey Google” – support than the previous design did. This is purely a packaging change, from the looks of it. Walmart even says that it’s the “same great streaming device,” just with a “new look.” The design of the device itself is also unchanged.
Temu reportedly loses 58% of US daily users due to tariffs
Daily U.S. users of PDD Holdings’ global discount e-commerce platform Temu fell by 58% in May, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, one of many headwinds the e-retailer is facing amid a U.S.-China trade war. Temu decided to slash ad spending in the U.S. and shift its order fulfilment strategy after the White House on May 2 ended the practice known as “de minimis” – which allowed Chinese companies to ship low-value packages to the United States tariff-free. Tariffs forced both Temu and Shein to raise prices, but Shein has been able to increase the amount of money spent per customer compared to a year ago, while Temu has struggled. Engagement on Temu has dropped significantly following the end of the exemption, Morgan Stanley equity analyst Simeon Gutman said. “While the tariff environment is uncertain, if the status quo remains for an extended period, we believe Temu’s competitive threat will continue to weaken,” Gutman said. Temu continues to handle fulfilling orders close to shoppers, setting prices and online operations., HSBC said that Temu’s growth in non-U.S. markets has picked up, with non-U.S. users rising to 90% of its 405 million global monthly active users in the second quarter. “New user uptick grew swiftest in less affluent markets,” analysts wrote.
Monzo revenue leaps 48% as customers adopt new financial services; 33% of customers used it as their primary bank
British digital bank Monzo grew during its fiscal year 2025 as customers adopted more of the growing number of financial services it offers. Compared to its previous fiscal year, Monzo increased its revenue by 48% to 1.2 billion pounds (about $1.6 billion), its customers by 25% to 12.2 million, and its customer deposits by 48% to 16.6 billion pounds (about $22.5 billion). The company’s revenue growth was seen across its business, especially in business banking, CEO TS Anil said. Anil said that the revenue growth has been supported by more business and personal customers bringing “more and more of their financial lives to us,” as evidenced by the growth in customer deposits and the fact that 33% of Monzo’s customers used it as their primary bank. Monzo launched more new products than ever before during its most recent fiscal year. These include accounts for Under 16s (U16), or children aged 6 to 15, which are linked to a parent’s or guardian’s account; pensions; and new subscription plans that offer a range of added benefits.
Snorkel AI’s platform offers programmatic tooling to create AI-ready data for building fine-grained, domain-specific evaluation of models against the generic off-the-shelf “LLM-as-a-judge” approach
Snorkel AI has announced general availability of two new product offerings on the Snorkel AI Data Development Platform: 1) Snorkel Evaluate enables users to build specialized, fine-grained evaluation of models and agents. Powered by Snorkel AI’s unique programmatic approach to curating AI ready data, this new offering allows enterprises to scale their evaluation workflows to confidently deploy AI systems to production. Snorkel Evaluate includes programmatic tooling for benchmark dataset creation, the development of specialized evaluators, and error mode correction. These tools help users go beyond generic datasets and off-the-shelf “LLM-as-a-judge” approaches to efficiently build actionable, domain-specific evaluations. 2) Snorkel Expert Data-as-a-Service is a white-glove solution to deliver expert datasets for frontier AI system evaluation and tuning to enterprises. Leading LLM developers are already partnering with Snorkel AI to create datasets for advanced reasoning, agentic tool use, multi-turn user interaction, and domain-specific knowledge. The offering combies Snorkel’s network of highly trained subject matter experts with its unique programmatic technology platform for data labeling and quality control, enabling efficient delivery of specialized datasets. Snorkel Expert Data-as-a-Service equips enterprises to mix in-house expertise and data with proprietary datasets developed using outsourced expertise.
Banks are experimenting with customer “security scores,” which evaluate risk and proactively offer context-specific insights before a transaction takes place
Financial fraud is increasingly a psychological threat, not a technical one. At times of financial stress, banks need to focus more on identifying, supporting and defending vulnerable customers, not just protecting platforms and data. To effectively counter today’s scams, banks need to think beyond detection and toward true prevention. That means equipping fraud and security teams with AI tools that are constantly trained on the latest scam trends and human vulnerabilities, and have the ability not only to detect scams, but also to intervene and prevent them in real-time. New approaches such as AI-powered “scam prevention agents” can be embedded within banking apps to deliver personalized warnings, verify transaction safety, and even simulate real-time conversations that help customers recognize and break free from a scammer’s influence. Same AI agents could also offer post-scam support and remediation for victims, while feeding data from their reports back into the detection and prevention models to protect other customers. Some banks are also experimenting with customer “security scores,” which evaluate risk based on behavioral patterns, transaction histories, and exposure to red-flag scenarios. These scores can trigger proactive communication, before a transaction takes place, offering users context-specific insights or education. Rather than blanket emails about general scam awareness, these systems deliver highly tailored insights and can provide alerts like: “This recipient has been flagged in other scam cases,” or “This transaction appears unusual based on your history.” Institutional alignment is a key part of an organization’s scam prevention strategy. Effective financial institutions are establishing cross-functional “cyber-fraud” fusion teams that bring together fraud prevention, cybersecurity, compliance, and behavioral science. These task forces respond and anticipate scams, building response playbooks and accelerating time-to-intervention. The most effective models also include support from executive leadership, marketing, and customer service, creating a truly enterprise-wide fraud prevention strategy. By integrating advanced analytics, AI-driven risk scoring, and behavioral insights, banking institutions can anticipate and intercept fraudulent schemes before they inflict significant harm. In doing so, they protect not only their bottom line but the essential relationship of trust with their customers.
Banks must implement prompt consumer revocation mechanisms, provide third parties with limited-access keys and issue time-limited data access tokens with require periodic reauthentication to secure open banking data in the absence of CFPB 1033 rule
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 1033 rule, which would have put security guardrails around movement of data, is likely to be scrapped, given the agency itself, under a new administration, has said the rule is unlawful and needs to be set aside. So, banks and fintechs need to continue to police themselves and use industry standards and general principles of security, privacy and reliability. For banks, this means not only building APIs and authentication systems, but also implementing strict security oversight, monitoring third-party connections, and keeping detailed records of data access requests and responses. There is no specific technology or protocol mandated for APIs — banks can choose the technical implementation — but there have been calls for standardized, machine-readable formats and reliable performance. To guide this, the CFPB had intended to recognize standard-setting bodies, or SSBs, that develop qualified industry standards, or QISs, for data sharing. Adhering to an SSB’s standards (for formatting, authentication, security and so on) would have served as a safe harbor “indicia of compliance for data providers” under the CFPB rule. One standard-setting body has been recognized by the CFPB: the Financial Data Exchange, or FDX. The CFPB has received one other application, from the Canada-based Digital Governance Standards Institute, or DGSI.