In a subtle yet significant shift that has reignited global debates over user data and surveillance capitalism, Google has carved out a major exception to its long-standing privacy commitments. Under a quietly introduced revision to its global privacy policy, the tech giant can now use content from Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos to personalize…
For years, the ritual was frictionless. You found a pair of shoes, a gadget, or a flight online, sailed through checkout, and chose to split a $200 purchase into four equal payments through Klarna or Afterpay. You paid every installment two weeks apart, watched your bank account debit cleanly, and assumed the transaction existed in…
Main Facts The cryptocurrency market is undergoing a profound structural shift, characterized by an unprecedented chasm between Bitcoin and the rest of the digital asset ecosystem. According to a comprehensive joint report published by prominent on-chain analytics firm Glassnode and global cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, the traditional market cycle playbook—where capital eventually trickles down from Bitcoin…
By: PYMNTS Published: September 19, 2026 Main Facts: The Battle for the Holiday Wallet Moves to October Forget carving pumpkins or finalizing your Halloween costume; the retail giants of the United States have officially decided that the holiday shopping season begins long before the leaves even change color. In a synchronized shift that compresses the…
You split a routine $200 online purchase into four bite-sized installments through Klarna or Afterpay. You made every payment on time, smoothly avoiding interest, and comfortably assumed the transaction existed in a vacuum—completely detached from your broader financial profile and your hard-earned credit score. For years, that assumption was entirely correct. Buy Now, Pay Later…
By: PYMNTS Date: September 11, 2026 Main Facts The industrial manufacturing sector stands on the precipice of a silent operational revolution. For decades, the true mechanics of heavy industry relied on a fragile human artifact: the tacit knowledge held exclusively by veteran factory technicians. When an aging workforce retires, decades of institutional troubleshooting capability walks…
By PYMNTS | July 21, 2026 In a retail landscape traditionally dominated by the whims of children and the seasonal pressures of the holiday shopping rush, Hasbro is successfully executing a radical departure from tradition. The toy giant’s second-quarter earnings report, released Tuesday, July 21, 2026, reveals a company that is no longer just selling…
The traditional hierarchy of banking technology has long been defined by a stark divide. On one side, the "megabanks"—the likes of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America—possess the multi-billion-dollar R&D budgets and legions of software engineers required to build proprietary systems from the ground up. On the other side, midsize and regional banks have historically…
The landscape of cybersecurity is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by a paradoxical reality: while artificial intelligence platforms are increasingly being targeted by sophisticated social engineering, they have simultaneously become the most potent tools in the defender’s arsenal. This month, the global tech industry is witnessing the tangible consequences of this shift as software titans—including…
By PYMNTS | June 26, 2026 In the high-stakes theater of global artificial intelligence, the most valuable assets are no longer just software code or proprietary datasets—they are the sophisticated "reasoning patterns" embedded within frontier AI models. This week, the San Francisco-based AI lab Anthropic pulled back the curtain on a massive, illicit operation, accusing…
