By PYMNTS June 23, 2026 In a decisive legislative maneuver that blends domestic infrastructure policy with the high-stakes debate over the future of American digital finance, the U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act late Monday night. The bill, which cleared the chamber with an overwhelming 85-5 vote, serves as a comprehensive…
By PYMNTS | June 23, 2026 As the digital curtains rise on Prime Day 2026, the retail landscape finds itself at a pivotal inflection point. Running from Tuesday, June 23, to Friday, June 26, this year’s four-day shopping extravaganza is not merely a test of consumer appetite or supply chain efficiency. It is a high-stakes,…
By PYMNTS | June 23, 2026 In a significant consolidation move within the financial technology sector, Backbase, the prominent provider of banking operating systems, announced on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, that it has successfully acquired Kasisto, a trailblazer in artificial intelligence (AI) specifically engineered for the financial services industry. The acquisition marks a pivotal moment…
By PYMNTS | June 22, 2026 The era of “zoom-fatigue-driven” austerity in corporate travel is officially over. As of mid-2026, the global business travel landscape is not merely recovering; it is undergoing a fundamental structural transformation. According to the latest projections from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), total annual spending is expected to reach…
By PYMNTS | June 22, 2026 The global payments industry is currently undergoing a structural metamorphosis driven by the rapid democratization of Artificial Intelligence. As AI tools lower the barrier to entry for building complex financial features, the competitive landscape is shifting in real time. Features that once served as crown jewels for FinTech innovators—such…
In a stunning pivot that has sent shockwaves through both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, Amazon MGM Studios has abruptly halted the release of Artificial, the highly anticipated feature film chronicling the dramatic 2023 boardroom coup that briefly ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The project, which was touted as the definitive account of the power struggle…
By PYMNTS | June 21, 2026 In a move that has sent shockwaves through the corridors of Silicon Valley, John Jumper—a titan of modern artificial intelligence and a 2024 Nobel Prize laureate—has officially announced his departure from Google DeepMind. After a transformative nine-year tenure at the Alphabet-owned research lab, Jumper is set to join Anthropic,…
By PYMNTS | June 21, 2026 The boundary between creative marketing and consumer deception has blurred significantly in the high-stakes world of prediction markets. Polymarket, a leading decentralized platform for wagering on global events, currently finds itself at the center of a firestorm following revelations that it allegedly incentivized social media influencers to present fraudulent…
By PYMNTS June 19, 2026 The financial landscape is undergoing a structural transformation as prediction markets transition from speculative novelties to essential components of institutional risk management. Kalshi, the leading platform in this sector, has once again shattered internal growth records, reaching an annualized revenue of $2 billion—a threefold increase since November 2025. This surge,…
By PYMNTS | June 19, 2026 The global banking sector is currently navigating its most significant structural shift since the dawn of the internet. As artificial intelligence (AI) transitions from a theoretical novelty to a core operational pillar, the world’s leading financial institutions are grappling with a profound reality: the traditional banking workforce is undergoing…
