Retailers Fight Back Against Amazon’s AI Shopping Program
Online retailers are pushing back after Amazon’s Shop Direct agentic AI program trained its bots on their websites without permission. In addition to not being asked to participate, some retailers claim that Shop Direct directs customers to products they don’t even stock. Businesses have been posting about the issue on social media, fueling a wider […]
CFPB: U.S. Credit Cards are Prosperous and Strong
The CFPB remains in flux, but it met its requirement to report on the credit card industry. Although the report is typically produced mid-year for the prior year, the requirement was met when it was published on December 30, 2025. The report is full of relevant industry metrics that indicate the business is operating effectively. […]
Is There a Future for Unattended Retail?
Imagine you’ve wrapped up a long, fun-filled weekend in Las Vegas and are now at the airport heading home. You’re tired, cranky—maybe a little hungover—and all you want is a snack and a drink for the flight. The last thing you feel like doing is interacting with anyone. Then you spot a Hudson News with […]
Morgan Stanley Is Building Its Own Crypto ETFs
Morgan Stanley has filed with the SEC to launch its own spot bitcoin and Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs). While somewhat late to the party, the firm—an asset manager with a wealth management division—is well suited to develop its own crypto-focused vehicles. It would become the first major U.S. bank to issue an ETF tied to […]
Unused Gift Card Balances Surge After Holiday Season
Roughly $23 billion in gift cards go unused in the U.S. after the holiday season, and consumers now have more options for spending this unexpected windfall. Gift cards have become a top choice for shoppers, offering a personal touch from the giver while letting recipients select exactly what they want. This prepaid trend fueled significant […]
How the Principles of the Planogram Can Apply to Payments
Most merchants take an analytical approach to their store layouts, positioning items in both in-person and digital environments for strategic advantage. Could these same strategies—using the retailer’s ubiquitous planogram—also be applied to payment processes? A report from Javelin Strategy & Research, Merchants Should Planogram Payments, draws a parallel between the shopping experience and the payment […]
Weak Master Passwords Led to the Theft of Millions in Crypto
A multi-year crypto theft ring has been traced back to Russian hackers who stole sensitive data from LastPass. Armed with that information, the criminals were able to access roughly 30 million users’ vaults and steal more than $35 million in cryptocurrency. The scheme began in 2022, when cybercriminals breached LastPass, a tool millions of people […]
Flutterwave’s Acquisition of Mono Signals Broader Open Banking Implications in Africa
One of Africa’s largest payments processors, Flutterwave, is acquiring API-driven fintech Mono, a move that could reshape how lenders assess creditworthiness in the absence of standardized credit scores. Mono has made a splash since it was founded five years ago, and its APIs connect a significant portion of Nigeria’s digital banking system. For its part, […]
How Bank Websites Can Build Customer Relationships
A bank’s public website no longer has the luxury of serving as a passive storefront. AI-powered overviews, social media influencers, and other personal finance sites increasingly shape how consumers discover and evaluate financial products, making it harder for financial institutions to engage the public through their own digital channels. As a result, far more weight […]
Seeking Security, Consumers Are Not Giving Up on Cash
In an era of mobile wallets and instant payments, cash is proving far more resilient than many expected. More than half of U.S. consumers surveyed by Siena University say their use of cash has remained the same—or even increased—over the past five years. The vast majority of respondents said they had paid with cash in […]