Avathon announced the launch of its AI-powered Global Trade Management (GTM) solution, built on the Avathon Autonomy Platform. The application enables Livingston to navigate today’s volatile trade environment with speed, accuracy, and efficiency—reducing costs while improving compliance through the deployment of autonomous agents. By analyzing item descriptions, specifications, Bills of Material (BOM), and supplier data, Avathon GTM can assist by recommending Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes and country of origin, proposing duty and drawback calculations, and generating immutable audit records for review and determination by Livingston’s skilled team of licensed customs brokers. The result: minimized landed costs and greater value unlocked for clients. Avathon is partnering with Livingston International, one of the largest trade services providers in North America, to modernize specific aspects of customs clearance operations with AI. Key Capabilities of Avathon GTM: Automated Harmonized Tariff (HS) Classification: AI agents analyze descriptions, specs, and BOMs to assign codes with accuracy and consistency. Country of Origin Determination: Tracks sourcing and manufacturing steps across multi-tier supply chains to maintain compliance with jurisdictional rules. Duty Optimization: Continuously surfaces tariff engineering opportunities, alternative headings, and FTA eligibility to minimize landed costs. Immutable Audit Trail: Captures decision evidence, confidence levels, and overrides in a transparent, secure record for fast, audit-ready responses. Continuous Compliance Monitoring: Proactively re-checks classifications and tariffs as rules and rates change, ensuring decisions stay current.
Bipartisan Small Entity Update Act mandates SEC reassessment of compliance costs for advisers under $100 million AUM, adjusting outdated $25 million threshold to reduce regulatory complexity for community and regional banks
A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation Monday aimed at overhauling the Securities and Exchange Commission’s definition of small businesses. Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., are set to introduce a bill that would compel the Securities and Exchange Commission to reassess how it classifies small investment advisory firms, and how it would measure compliance costs that these businesses face. The legislation would affect community and perhaps regional banks that compete with independent investment advisors for wealth advisory clients, or those seeking to purchase investment advisory firms. The bill also signals growing agreement among Democratic lawmakers to lower compliance costs on a number of small financial companies. The bill would “ensure these small entities across the state and country are not unduly impacted by onerous regulations so they can continue to play pivotal roles in our economy,” Britt said in a statement. “It is paramount that the SEC considers the unique challenges facing our smallest businesses when issuing any future rulemakings,” she said. The SEC is already required to assess the impact of regulations on “small entities,” defined as a small investment advisor with less than $25 million in assets under management. But the threshold to even be required to register with the SEC is $100 million of assets under management, with few exceptions, making the threshold “virtually meaningless,” according to the lawmakers. A companion bill, introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., has passed the full House and has been referred to the Senate Banking Committee. The new bill from Britt and Kim suggests at least some bipartisan buy-in on the committee, which any bill will need to pass the narrowly controlled Senate. “Every entrepreneur deserves a fair shot at success, free from outdated and overburdensome red tape,” Kim said in a statement. “This bill is a straightforward way we can modernize and stand by our smallest businesses so they can continue to contribute to our local communities and economies.” The legislation would require the SEC to conduct a study examining market growth and regulatory costs since the agency last modified its small entity definition. Based on those findings, the commission would need to issue new rules adjusting the threshold accordingly. The bill would then index the definition to inflation, with mandatory updates every five years. The proposal has drawn support from financial services industry groups that have long complained about regulatory complexity squeezing smaller firms out of business. Firms have complained that compliance costs have risen steadily as the SEC has expanded its rulebook in response to the 2008 financial crisis and other market disruptions, creating economies of scale that favor larger firms. “For too long, this outdated standard has allowed the SEC to bypass meaningful consideration of less burdensome regulatory alternatives for small investment advisers,” the Investment Adviser Association said in a statement.
Zeni.ai launches business debit card featuring 1.75% cashback on every transaction, with rewards automatically deposited into its Checking Account, issuance of virtual cards instantly and AI to help spend smarter and close books effortlessly
Zeni, the AI-driven finance platform for modern businesses, today announced the launch of the Zeni Business Debit Card, the first debit card to combine instant cashback rewards with built-in AI financial management. Unlike traditional debit cards, Zeni’s card offers 1.75% cashback on every transaction, with rewards automatically deposited into the company’s Zeni Business Checking Account. Businesses can issue virtual cards instantly—no waiting for plastic—and begin spending in seconds. The Zeni Business Debit Card is powered by AI to help companies spend smarter and close their books effortlessly. Each transaction is automatically categorized, reconciled, and matched with receipts by Zeni’s AI Bookkeeper. Finance teams also gain real-time visibility into company-wide spending, with smart spend controls to set limits by user, department, or project.
Ramp’s AI agents for controllers apply context-aware, human-like reasoning to manage entire workflows independently and automatically enforce company expense policies at scale, eliminate unauthorized spending, and prevent fraud
Ramp announced its first AI agents, agents for controllers, to automatically enforce company expense policies, eliminate unauthorized spending, and prevent fraud. Ramp’s agents for controllers eliminated redundant tasks, working autonomously to review expenses and enforce policy. Ramp’s agents for controllers apply context-aware, human-like reasoning to manage entire workflows independently and proactively. Unlike traditional automation that relies on basic rules and conditional logic, these agents reason and act on behalf of the finance team, working independently to enforce spend policies at scale, immediately prevent violations, and continuously improve company spending guidelines. Ramp agents are meticulous, auditable, and consistent, escalating issues when needed and providing a clear audit trail for every decision. Early customers reported 99% accuracy in expense approvals. Ramp agents are powered by Ramp Intelligence, Ramp’s AI platform that automates expense reporting, data entry, contract review, and accounting accuracy. Agents learn and adapt directly from company policies and feedback from users to: Approve low-risk expenses or provide a recommendation with rationale to the approver; Alert of suspicious receipts and invoices; Answer employee questions about spend policy; Uncover trends that signal fraud or careless spend; and Suggest edits to company expense policies based on usage and feedback
B2B firms are betting on Time-to-Cash as a key lever to manage volatility by expanding focus beyond days sales outstanding (DSO) to revenue realization, disbursement strategy, working capital optimization and the underlying technology stack
While some businesses are implicitly embracing the TACO (the acronym being used for “Trump always chickens out”) trade and counting on the administration ultimately backing down, the most forward thinking B2B firms are betting on time to cash mastery by treating liquidity not just as a financial metric but as a dynamic business asset. Time to cash (T2C) is a strategic framework that reimagines how enterprises manage the end-to-end flow of money — from invoice issuance to final reconciliation in the bank account. More than a narrow look at days sales outstanding (DSO), T2C spans revenue realization, disbursement strategy, working capital optimization and the underlying technology stack that enables it all. Companies that can both accelerate inflows and intelligently manage outflows may be able to enjoy a material advantage in volatility by reinvesting faster, borrowing less and pivoting with precision. Time to cash now encompasses lead qualification, contracting, fulfillment, invoicing, collections and even embedded finance. The sales-to-cash cycle remains an operational blind spot in many organizations. But finance teams are beginning to assert more control by partnering with sales, credit and collections to streamline invoicing, reduce disputes and better segment customers by risk profile. Intelligent accounts receivable (AR) systems can tailor outreach based on customer behavior, apply payments at the invoice level and trigger dynamic collections workflows. When orchestrated well, revenue realization becomes a repeatable engine. What distinguishes high-performing firms is a cash-first culture. One that embeds liquidity awareness into daily operations across sales, procurement and operations.
Deutsche Bank goes live with Swift’s new API-driven Instant Cash Reporting (ICR) tool that delivers corporates immediate, on-demand access to real-time account and balance information with a single, standardised connection using the ISO 20022 data model
Deutsche Bank has gone live with Swift’s new API-driven Instant Cash Reporting (ICR) tool for accessing real-time account and balance information with a single, standardised connection. As part of Deutsche Bank’s expanding API capabilities, ICR delivers immediate, on-demand financial data access to corporate clients through the Swift infrastructure. Spain-based energy firm Iberdrola is first client to implement ICR in its treasury. Through ICR the bank’s clients can collect real-time account and balance data via a single access point using the ISO 20022 data model and secure JSON format. Swift acts as the central connector, routing API pull requests from corporates to Deutsche Bank. eutsche Bank responds with standardised account data in JSON format, tailored to the corporate’s selected accounts or full account set, based on the associated Swift BIC. Johnny Grimes, head, corporate ash product, Deutsche Bank, says: “ICR addresses the key demand of corporates for multi bank solutions and consistent standards in the API space to simplify adoption.” ICR is currently accessible to Swift-connected corporates and financial institutions. Deutsche Bank says it welcomes other banks and corporates joining initiative to support scaling up the usage of multi-bank API solutions.
Billtrust’s AI-driven Collections solution combines credit and collections in a single workflow enabling ongoing credit monitoring and management and letting teams adjust limits, block or unblock customers, and launch new applications from a centralized dashboard
Billtrust announced new innovations in its Collections solution, delivering a new standard for AR teams by unifying advanced automation, AI-driven insights, and seamless agentic AI workflows: Agentic Email: AI-Powered Inbox Automation for Collections. Agentic Email revolutionizes how collections teams manage email volume and complex workflows by leveraging AI for advanced task recognition and intelligent response generation. Purpose-built for accounts receivable, AI agents instantly recognize key tasks and bring all relevant data and documents to inform their response. Collectors can resolve emails 10x faster by slashing manual effort and eliminating the need to dig through lengthy email threads, ensuring customers receive timely communication and swift resolution. Cases: End-to-End Dispute Management, Fully Integrated: Cases transforms dispute resolution from a fragmented, manual process into a streamlined, transparent workflow. Disputes raised through eInvoice Connect, its billing and payments portal, flow directly into the Collections platform, where they are automatically tracked, paused from dunning workflows, and managed in a centralized portal. This ensures full visibility, reduces errors, and accelerates resolution times, helping teams protect customer relationships while improving cash flow and compliance. Credit Review: Intelligent, Ongoing Credit Risk Management: Credit Review brings credit and collections together in one intelligent workflow. Unlike traditional systems that only assess new credit applications, Billtrust enables ongoing credit monitoring and management. Teams can adjust limits, block or unblock customers, and launch new applications—all from a centralized dashboard. AI-powered triggers and scheduled reviews ensure timely interventions, reducing bad debt and supporting strategic growth. Collections Analytics: Real-Time Insights to Optimize Performance: Collections Analytics empowers finance teams with real-time visibility into collections performance. With industry-standard KPIs like the Collections Effectiveness Index (CEI) and automated anomaly detection via Billtrust Autopilot, teams can proactively identify bottlenecks, benchmark performance, and mitigate risk. Custom dashboards and detailed reporting enable data-driven decision-making, helping organizations continuously improve collections strategies and outcomes.
Okoora’s partnership with DashDevs enables embedding real-time exposure monitoring, automated hedging, pay-in/pay-out services, and liquidity routing directly into fintechs’ transactional flows for managing FX risk at scale
Okoora announced a strategic partnership with DashDevs to streamline the delivery of embedded foreign exchange (FX) functionality in digital financial products. The partnership brings together Okoora’s FX360 engine, an AI-powered infrastructure layer for real-time FX risk management, liquidity routing, and cross-border execution with DashDevs’ end-to-end fintech product development expertise. Together, they offer fintechs a faster, smarter path to launching globally scalable products with built-in currency risk protection. This collaboration addresses a growing pain point for fintech startups and financial platforms of how to efficiently manage currency risk and cross-border payments at scale. Most either default to rigid bank rails, attempt costly internal builds, or delay implementation until FX becomes a business problem. DashDevs will integrate Okoora’s FX360 modules directly into the fintech platforms it designs and builds for clients. Using Okoora’s robust APIs, DashDevs’ teams can embed real-time exposure monitoring, automated hedging, pay-in/pay-out services, and liquidity routing directly into transactional flows thereby removing the need for fintechs to build or maintain complex treasury infrastructure in-house. This joint approach eliminates this dilemma by delivering: Real-time FX intelligence natively integrated into core platforms, Automated rate optimization and liquidity routing as a background process, Full compliance and scalability, with no added operational burden
Ramp’s corporate cards for expense management integrate with leading accounting platforms, feature advanced fraud detection tools and enable setting customizable spending controls by employee or department and instant issuance of virtual and physical cards
Ramp has announced the official launch of its upgraded corporate cards for expense management. This new solution is designed to transform how businesses manage expenses, offering real-time visibility, tighter financial controls, and simplified reconciliation processes. With the launch of its corporate cards for expense management, Ramp is addressing the growing need for businesses to eliminate outdated manual expense workflows. The enhanced offering integrates with leading accounting platforms and equips finance teams with tools to reduce fraud risk, enforce spending policies, and enable accurate financial forecasting. Key features of the new corporate cards for expense management include customizable spending controls by employee or department, instant issuance of virtual and physical cards, and advanced fraud detection tools. Businesses can assign dedicated virtual cards for vendor subscriptions, improving vendor management and reducing the risk of unauthorized charges. As global teams and remote workforces expand, Ramp’s expense management solution ensures seamless financial oversight across geographies and departments. Audit trails are automatically maintained, providing businesses with ready access to clean, transparent transaction histories for compliance.
Modern Treasury’s AI agent for enterprise payment operations only takes action when it’s approved to do so, doesn’t let third-party model providers train on company data, is auditable by design and delivers verifiable results
Modern Treasury, the payment operations platform for businesses, introduced Modern Treasury AI to deliver the first AI Platform purpose-built for the unique demands of enterprise payments. Built on the company’s Payment Ops infrastructure, Modern Treasury AI blends a context-aware agent with a powerful, real-time workspace. Together, they set a new standard in how businesses manage payment operations, transitioning from manual, reactive processes to proactive, intelligent workflows. The AI Agent is the first enterprise-grade Agent that understands payments, is auditable by design and delivers verifiable, rapid results built on existing connectivity and a deep understanding of how enterprise payment systems and workflows work. When combined with the Workspace, a canvas for payment teams and the AI Agent to operate in, they create a new model for how companies manage payment workflows, streamlining operations from insight to execution to issue resolution. Key features include: AI That Respects Rules and Roles: The AI Agent only takes action when it’s approved to do so and will never let third-party model providers train on your data. Purpose-Built Intelligence; and Seamless Execution.