The boom in personal finance management can be partly attributed to open banking, which has enabled specialized fintechs to enter the market by granting them secure access to transaction data. With a focus on personalized solutions, fintechs are using this data to determine the “next best action,” a customer-centric strategy that prioritizes meeting the unique requirements of each client through personalized offers, services, or deals. Personetics, a fintech that analyzes transaction data in real time using the AWS AI/ML platform powered by NVIDIA’s accelerated computing, operates as an open banking aggregator. The company analyzes banking data from numerous API endpoints and uses machine learning to categorize it into specific categories, such as restaurant spending or e-commerce. Personetics then shares this categorized data to banks, which use it to offer more personalized suggestions to their customers. The “next best action” can be determined across all customer touch points, including the call center, mobile app, website, and even in-person interactions with bankers. Beyond cross-selling, the system can also recommend relevant content, such as market news based on a customer’s investments, educational content based on customers’ financial journey and life stage, and personalized robo-advisory services for managing stock portfolios. Cleo, for example, uses open banking transaction data and deep learning powered by NVIDIA and AWS to drive personalized recommendations to clients in the form of a chatbot.
Israel’s Esh Bank splits revenue on current-account balances 50/50 with customers weekly; partnerships include AWS, SWIFT and a Mastercard principal issuing license.
esh Bank officially announced Israel’s first hyper-efficient financial institution. After operating in stealth mode with invited customers for two years, esh Bank emerges as a fully operational institution that fundamentally reimagines how banks serve their customers through complete operational transparency and a proprietary revenue-sharing model. The bank’s innovative “Equal Sharing Model” shares 50% of revenues generated from customer balances in their current accounts, credited automatically to their accounts each week. This groundbreaking approach provides customers with clear visibility into the value created with their money, eliminating hidden fees and complicated conditions that characterize traditional banking relationships. esh Bank has achieved an exceptional, industry-leading operational efficiency by automating manual back-office processes and removing dependencies on operational staff. This enables the innovative equal sharing model while maintaining robust profitability. esh Bank does not charge any account fees and provides radically transparent banking services designed for both retail customers and small businesses. Its technology platform drives esh Bank – eOS, a breakthrough AI-native, full-stack core banking platform that integrates the general ledger, digital channels, compliance, payments, cybersecurity, and product creation into a single, fully real-time autonomous bank operating system. This technological foundation eliminates the data silos and manual processes that burden traditional banks, enabling the operational efficiency that makes the bank’s customer-centric model possible.
OCC considers ‘unlawful or politicized debanking’ as part of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluations since discriminatory account restrictions could affect how well banks serve all community segments
At some point in the near future, I hope I learn not to open the American Banker app on my iPad with coffee in my mouth. If it’s not an article about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looking for reasons not to supervise the sector of the industry that is evolving the quickest (nonbanks), or an item on how the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation wants to take branch applications out of the Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA, it’s an article about how the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will need to staff up in order to handle the tsunami of fintech and crypto charter applications it’s receiving which, if Draft Kings had this on their system, a good parlay would be “next financial crisis” combined with “tax payer bailout.” The latest “wipe coffee off my screen” moment occurred when the OCC advised its regulated entities that it will consider “debanking” as part of its CRA examination process. (There are really smart people at the OCC, so one is left to assume that this came from the pool of temporary visitors scattered throughout our regulatory landscape that think they know better.) The constituencies associated with the CRA are low- and moderate-income individuals, low- and moderate-income communities, small businesses, and small farms. Here’s the simple version of how it works. First, examiners take lending data, map it out and see if there are any obvious gaps based on the income of the community (aka, redlining). This portion of the exam counts toward 50% of a bank’s final CRA grade. Next, examiners look at donations and investments made by the bank that have community development as their primary purpose (affordable housing, economic development, and other financial service-related activities targeting low- and moderate-income individuals and/or communities). This is 25% of a bank’s final grade. Finally, they take a look at the accessibility of the institution’s branches, the products and services they offer, and any financial services-related volunteering by bank employees … all of which must be accessible to low- and moderate-income individuals and/or communities. This is the final 25% of a bank’s final grade. The rule is outdated, but it’s what we’ve got to work with for the time being until the industry and its regulatory agencies go through marriage counseling and figure things out. But that’s a letter for another day. I’d like to hear how the OCC thinks “debanking” is at all related to any of those tests or to meeting the banking and credit needs of low- and moderate-income individuals and communities. I suppose there’s a scenario where a small-business owner in a low-income community could be denied a business checking account because they sell Trump-branded guitars (selling on eBay for about $349, so not entirely a bad business model) and the banker is a die-hard Lyndon LaRouche supporter. However, this is not something that the CRA was created to address. This attempt to shove the CRA into the culture war would be right at home in a Sesame Street “One of These Things Is Not Like the Other” segment. Come to think of it, Congress already created an agency to help consumers that feel aggrieved by the financial industry. It’s called the CFPB. If this administration actually wants to address so-called “politicized debanking” (which is not a premise that I necessarily accept), then maybe they should stop dismantling the CFPB rather than trying to shoehorn the issue into a law where it clearly does not belong.
Prove partners with Backbase AI Banking Platform integrating Pre-Fill® solution using mobile phone verification to instantly populate banking forms with verified SSN and identity data
Prove and Backbase have formed a strategic partnership to enhance customer onboarding for financial institutions in the U.S. The integration of Prove’s Pre-Fill® solution into Backbase’s AI-powered Banking Platform aids in addressing fraud prevention and onboarding challenges. By using a customer’s mobile number, Prove Pre-Fill automatically fills online forms with verified details, reducing manual input and improving customer experience. This collaboration promises faster onboarding and enhanced security, while real-time verification through Prove’s Identity Graph helps deter fraud. Both companies express commitment to advancing digital transformation in banking. Key benefits of the partnership: Accelerated account opening by pre-filling digital forms with verified identity data; Reduced fraud and enhanced risk controls through application of Prove’s Global Fraud Policy; Improved customer experience that increases conversion and builds trust; Operational efficiency with fewer manual reviews and faster onboarding. Here’s exactly how the partnership claims to deliver faster onboarding via the integration of Prove’s Pre-Fill solution into Backbase’s AI banking platform, per the press release: With a customer’s consent, the Prove Pre-Fill® solution uses their mobile phone number to instantly populate online forms with verified identity information like SSN, name, address, DOB, eliminating manual data entry. This reduces friction, lowers form abandonment, and cuts errors. The solution also verifies customer information in real time using Prove’s Identity Graph, which links devices, credentials, and identifiers to confirm identity deterministically. Because identity is verified immediately and reliably, bad actors self-select out, reducing fraud risk and reducing need for manual review. Operational efficiency improves: fewer manual checks, faster decisioning, and fewer delays in onboarding. So in sum — faster onboarding is achieved by (1) auto-populating identity data via the phone number, (2) real-time identity verification via Prove’s graph, and (3) fewer manual interventions or fraud checks.
Banks can explore subscription bundling to retain younger customers; as 48% of 18-34 year olds are willing to switch financial providers for simpler billing management and better pricing
Close to a third (29%) of subscribers would consider leaving their financial provider for better subscription bundling offers, with the figure rising to 48% among 18–34-year-olds. A study by Bango surveyed over 5,000 U.S. subscribers and revealed that consumers desire more than financial services from banks and neobanks, increasingly looking for subscription bundling—where multiple services are offered on a single bill. Currently, 68% of subscribers pay for at least one subscription through a third party, mainly banks, driven by better pricing (31%) and easier billing (35%). With customers averaging 5.4 subscriptions, 63% prefer a single management hub. More than half (57%) would show greater loyalty to providers offering such a feature. In a competitive landscape with low switching costs, traditional loyalty tactics are losing effectiveness, prompting banks to explore subscription bundling to enhance engagement and generate revenue. Paul Larbey, CEO at Bango, highlighted that this strategy not only aids in customer acquisition and retention but also drives additional product purchases and engagement with bank services.
Airia launches Chrome extension to bring AI agents directly to your browser workflow
Airia announced the availability of its Google Chrome browser extension in the Google Chrome Web Store, that enables users to interact with AI agents without leaving their current webpage, streamlining workflows and eliminating the constant tab-switching that disrupts productivity. Rather than requiring users to copy content between applications or maintain multiple browser tabs, Airia brings powerful AI capabilities directly to the webpage context where work happens. Conversations started in Airia’s Chrome Extension appear in the main platform, enabling users to leverage advanced features like artifact creation and export without losing context. Key Capabilities Transform Daily Workflows: Contextual Intelligence: The extension can analyze entire webpages, selected text, or even webpage source code, providing different levels of interaction based on user needs. This flexibility allows users to get quick summaries of lengthy articles, detailed analysis of specific sections, or technical insights into webpage functionality. Persistent Domain Conversations: Unlike typical AI interactions that reset with each query, Airia maintains conversation context across an entire domain. Users navigating through multiple Jira tickets or documentation pages can continue their conversation, with the AI retaining context from previous interactions. Administrator-Controlled Agent Deployment: IT administrators can deploy custom AI agents tailored to specific organizational needs. From specialized translation services to industry-specific analytical tools, organizations can configure exactly which AI capabilities their teams can access.
Visa will soon provide an AI score that can provide the likelihood of success along each stage of a dispute process and for both sides of dispute process
Banks no longer view disputes as mere operational headaches, but as a critical moment of customer engagement and risk management, according to Liz Chaffin is Vice President in Product Over Post Purchase at Visa. “This year, we will be introducing tools that are less agentic and more predictive, including for use in big-model scoring. For instance, the technology will provide an AI score that can provide the likelihood of success along each stage of a dispute process and for both sides of dispute process. We see potential for time and cost savings, as well as a way to cut down on human error. Financial institutions may also use AI to prioritize cases, focusing on high-value disputes or those with a high probability of resolution. A cost-benefit analysis can help banks make smarter decisions and reinvest savings into better technology and training. To reduce operational costs, it’s important for us to have a unifying solution—a dashboard—organized around dispute resolution. This way, we do not have to play Whack-a-Mole, or be forced into a new way of addressing fraud or dispute issues each time a new way of moving money is introduced followed by a new way to exploit that digital access, says Janna Wagoner is Senior Vice President, Technology Transformation Director, at Fifth Third Bank. Our all-in-one disputes framework replaces a legacy system that was more fragmented. The new platform allows us to adapt quickly to the evolving fraud landscape. Partnering with technology vendors who bring global market intelligence helps us stay ahead—they offer insights drawn from a broad dataset across institutions, which is invaluable in identifying trends and shaping proactive responses. Our current platform supports a guided workflow tailored to the sensitive nature of disputes. Our previous tool allowed us to ask all these questions, so we went a little compliance-heavy, toward pretty intrusive details because that’s how we interpreted it. The new approach strikes a better balance—it meets regulatory needs while improving the experience for both customers and employees. In the context of disputes, we’re using AI primarily within workflow tools to streamline operations. That said, the nature of disputes still demands a human touch. While AI can support efficiency, the emotional and financial sensitivity of these interactions means human judgment remains essential. A customer-centric dispute process not only fasttracks resolutions and improves CX, but it also benefits banks in so many other ways we touched on, like reducing costly contact center volumes, boosting employee productivity, and ensuring compliance.
Akko launches Blackberry style keyboard case for iPhone at $60; featuring backlit QWERTY keys, USB-C connection and MagSafe compatibility for iPhone 16/17 Pro Max
Keyboard manufacturer Akko has just launched an iPhone keyboard case called MetaKey, proving that BlackBerry nostalgia is alive, well, and willing to add inches to your smartphone’s length. Like Clicks’ cases, the MetaKey case connects via USB-C and adds a QWERTY keyboard to the bottom of the iPhone. The case features backlit keys and includes shortcuts for common tasks like accessing Siri, triggering voice-to-text, and entering numbers. There’s also a unique scrolling mode that converts the top two rows of keys into large scroll buttons for browsing social media. One of the practical challenges of these sort of keyboard cases is that they can be top-heavy. To address this, the MetaKey includes a removable 9-gram weight that attaches to the back of the keyboard to improve balance while typing. MagSafe-compatible and with a USB-C passthrough port for charging. The physical keyboard case category is undoubtedly niche, but the MetaKey’s lower price might appeal if you want to try out the concept without committing to Clicks’ premium pricing.
Chrome for Android and desktop automatically disables notifications from websites with very low user engagement sending high volume alerts
To help reduce notification overload, Chrome for Android and desktop will automatically disable notifications from websites you don’t frequently visit. Specifically, Google is revoking the notification permission from sites that see “very low user engagement” but send a “high volume” of alerts. This feature is part of Safety Check, which already works to remove camera and location permissions from pages you haven’t visited recently. Google will tell you when “Chrome unsubscribed you from notifications” with an alert, while you can also go to Settings > Safety Check to “View sites” and restore. Alternatively, visit the site again and confirm you want notifications. This feature will not apply to notifications from web apps (PWAs) you have installed (added to your homescreen/launcher), while you can disable auto-revocations entirely. In testing this capability, Google found a “significant reduction in notification overload with only a minimal change in total notification clicks.” Overall, Google finds websites that send a lower volume of alerts see more clicks, while “less than 1% of all notification.
Dia’s AI-first browser publicly launched on Mac offers tab-based chat with short-cuts for summarization, fact-checking, browsing history analysis and productivity planning
The Browser Company’s Dia app is now open to anyone on Mac. It’s the first time the AI-powered browser has been widely available since its beta launch in June. Dia is another AI-first browsing experience that’s centered around tab-based chat functionality. The browser includes Skills, which are a mix of user-created and built-in shortcuts for everyday tasks like planning, learning, writing, and coding. Current Skills include summarization, fact-checking, browsing history analysis, outlining, and productivity planning. Users can mention tabs in any chat query, add attachments to conversations, and personalize Dia with Memory, which helps the browser understand preferences over time. Meanwhile, students get dedicated tools that turn notes, lectures, and readings into flashcards, quizzes, and custom study guides. Dia requires macOS 14 or later running on Apple silicon. The Browser Company offers both free and Pro ($20/month) tiers. Free users get access to all core features including chat, custom Skills creation, tab mentions, attachments, and Memory personalization, while Pro subscribers receive unlimited chat usage within the terms of service, plus a 14-day trial period.