For account-to-account (A2A) payment providers, PYMNTS Intelligence research finds, education continues to present a huge barrier to adoption.By the NumbersA2A payments, which bypass the middleman to move money quickly from one account to another, commonly enabled by providers such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App, are gaining ground. In fact, 36% of consumers use them, according to the December 2023 PYMNTS Intelligence study “Tracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Consumer Familiarity Controls Account-to-Acco ...

Google amped up its artificial intelligence offerings by unveiling a slew of new AI-powered capabilities during a keynote presentation Tuesday (April 9) at its annual Cloud Next event in Las Vegas.To integrate AI capabilities into its suite of productivity tools, Google introduced Google Vids, a new addition to Google Workspace that allows users to create and edit videos collaboratively using AI-powered features.Among the other new programs launched is Gemini Code Assist, an enterprise-level AI code complet ...

Meta introduced the latest iteration of its custom-made chips designed for artificial intelligence workloads.The new version marks a performance improvement over the previous generation of this AI tool and helps power Meta’s ranking and recommendation ads models on Facebook and Instagram, the tech giant said in a Wednesday (April 10) company blog post.“These chips are part of our growing investment in our AI infrastructure and will enable us to deliver new and better experiences across our apps and technolo ...

Amazon will stop paying developers to create applications — called Skills — for its voice assistant Alexa.This will end an offering that has been available to developers since 2017 and aimed to build an app store for Alexa, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (April 10).Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild said in the report that the program was older, was designed to help accelerate the progress of newer developers and is currently used by fewer than 1% of developers.“Today, with over 160,000 skills available for ...

Airwallex has launched the Borderless Visa Card for businesses in Canada.The virtual card, announced Wednesday (April 10), is issued by Peoples Trust Company and lets Canadian businesses make payments anywhere Visa is accepted.“Operating across borders is table-stakes for modern businesses, whether it’s paying a supplier overseas or managing employee expenses for international travel,” Ravi Adusumilli, executive general manager for the Americas at Airwallex, said in a news release.“With the Airwallex Border ...

Starbucks is rolling out new store design features as it adds locations and renovates existing ones.During the current fiscal year that ends in October, the company plans to add 650 stores and renovate 1,000 others, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (April 10). Starbucks has more than 16,300 stores today and aims to have 20,000 in the longer term. One of the new design features Starbucks is adding is a ceiling treatment that helps absorb sound, according to the report. These baffles are meant to make stores quie ...

Group 1: Core Insights - Embedded finance is transforming various industries, including retail and logistics, by integrating payments into evolving business models [1][2] - The role of CFOs and treasurers is changing as transactions become a strategic focus, enhancing customer retention and experience [1][2] - Companies are shifting towards direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales models and open platforms, which are becoming marketplaces [2][3] Group 2: Banking Integration - Banks, including Deutsche Bank, are facilitating the integration of payments into platforms through application programming interfaces (APIs) [3] - Banking services are becoming more accessible for client firms, allowing for strategic discussions on product design while maintaining compliance and risk management [3][4] - Deutsche Bank has transformed its systems into an API-accessible orchestration layer, enabling modularized services [3] Group 3: B2B Payment Transformation - B2B payments are being modernized as small business owners seek an eCommerce-like experience, expecting streamlined user experiences [5] - The digitization of manual processes is improving operations from invoicing to payments, leading to a B2B future with financing offers for recurring clients [5][6] - Strategic integration with clients and partners is enhanced through embedded finance, making companies more effective [6]

Intel announced the release of its latest artificial intelligence chip, the Gaudi 3, as part of an industry-wide effort to develop chips capable of running AI models, such as those used in OpenAI’s ChatGPT.The Gaudi 3 chip offers an average of 40% better power efficiency than Nvidia’s H100 GPU, according to a Tuesday (April 9) press release.The chip is available in various configurations, including an eight-chip package on a single motherboard or as a standalone card that can be integrated into existing sys ...

Microsoft will reportedly invest $2.9 billion for artificial intelligence projects in Japan.The investment will go toward expanding Microsoft’s cloud and AI infrastructure in the country, training 3 million people in AI and setting up a Microsoft Research Asia lab in Tokyo, Reuters reported Tuesday (April 9).The company will announce this investment Tuesday, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is visiting Washington, Nikkei reported Tuesday, citing an interview with Microsoft President Brad Smith.Mi ...

Google has debuted several updates for its artificial intelligence (AI) suite for cloud computing clients.“Today, we are announcing that organizations can ground models in Google Search, giving customers access to the combined power of Google’s latest foundation models and access to fresh, high-quality information,” the company wrote in a Tuesday (April 9) blog post. “This means users get results that are rooted in one of the most trusted sources of information, built on decades of experience ranking and un ...