Core Insights - FICO's October 2025 credit card data indicates a decline in credit card spending compared to both the previous month and the previous year, with average balances falling for the first time since May, although they remain higher than in October 2024 [1][3][8] Spending Trends - Average UK credit card spend decreased by 4.7% month-on-month and 3% year-on-year, reaching £765 [7][8] - The average card balance fell by 0.7% month-on-month to £1,900, yet is still 4.7% higher than the same month in 2024 [7][8] - The percentage of total balance paid dropped by 0.8% month-on-month to 34.36%, which is 7.6% lower than October 2024 [7][8] Payment Behavior - The percentage of customers missing one payment increased by 7.5% month-on-month, while those missing two payments rose by 2.6% [7][8] - The percentage of accounts with three missed payments decreased by 2.3% [7][8] Credit Limits and Overlimit Accounts - Average credit limits saw a modest increase of 0.2% month-on-month to £5,910, remaining 2.5% higher year-on-year [5][7] - The number of overlimit accounts decreased by 6.0% month-on-month to 1.35%, although this figure is still 3.3% higher than last year [5][6] Financial Vulnerabilities - The increase in missed payments and the high delinquent average balance raise concerns about financial vulnerabilities among consumers, particularly as the Christmas spending peak approaches [3][4][6]

Former LinkedIn executive to scale IAS's data science and AI capabilities worldwide NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced that Melissa Furze joined the company as Head of Data Science at IAS reporting to the Chief Technology Officer. Melissa will lead the company's global data science, AI, and analytics strategy, partnering closely with product, engineering, and the commercial teams to accelera ...

By Akash Sriram Dec 17 (Reuters) - Online education platform Coursera said on Wednesday it would buy rival Udemy in an all-stock deal, valuing ​the combined company at $2.5 billion, as the industry consolidates after a post-pandemic ‌slowdown and heightened investor scrutiny. Udemy shareholders would receive 0.8 shares of Coursera for each held, valuing ‌the company at about $930 million, according to Reuters calculation. Coursera shares were up about 4%, while Udemy jumped nearly 22%. Coursera and Ude ...

New Covalynt product suite brings scientific rigor and defensible clarity to every stage of the litigation lifecyclePOMPTON LAKES, N.J., Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ClaimScore, the legal technology company behind the only data science and AI-driven fraud detection solution for class action settlements, today announced that it has rebranded as Covalynt. The new brand reflects the company's evolution from a single anti-fraud product into a full-service data science platform purpose-built for complex l ...

I have been fine-tuning LLMs for over 2 years now!Here are the top 5 LLM fine-tuning techniques, explained with visuals:First of all, what's so different about LLM finetuning?Traditional fine‑tuning is impractical for LLMs (billions of params; 100s GB).Since this kind of compute isn't accessible to everyone, parameter-efficient finetuning (PEFT) came into existence.Before we go into details of each technique, here's some background that will help you better understand these techniques:LLM weights are matric ...

If you found it insightful, reshare it with your network.Find me → @_avichawlaEvery day, I share tutorials and insights on DS, ML, LLMs, and RAGs. https://t.co/ZI7b5wIQ8kAvi Chawla (@_avichawla):Andrew Ng's team once made a big mistake in a research paper.And it happened due to randomly splitting the data.Here's exactly what happened (with solution): ...

If you found it insightful, reshare it with your network.Find me → @_avichawlaEvery day, I share tutorials and insights on DS, ML, LLMs, and RAGs. https://t.co/daRwW5JFjhAvi Chawla (@_avichawla):Speed up your native Python code by over 50x!And it takes just 4 simple steps.Python’s default interpreter (CPython) is slow primarily because of its dynamicity.For instance, after defining a variable of a specific type, it can be changed to some other type.But these https://t.co/QtcuC4C8rL ...

Core Insights - Xeriant is enhancing its identity as a technology accelerator with the appointment of Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Blaine D. Holt as president of the Factor X Research Group, aimed at fostering innovation similar to Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works [1][4] - Factor X's mission is to compress development cycles and drive disruptive technologies across sectors like aerospace, defense, advanced materials, and AI-enabled platforms [2][3] Company Strategy - The company has expanded Holt's role to identify acquisition candidates and high-impact technologies, particularly in AI, quantum computing, and data science [3] - Factor X is designed to replace fragmented R&D with cross-functional collaboration to address complex industrial and national-security challenges [3][5] Leadership and Vision - CEO Keith Duffy emphasizes Holt's strategic clarity and leadership as essential for fast-tracking disruptive concepts into market-ready products, citing innovations like NEXBOARD™ as part of Xeriant's commercial pipeline [4] - Holt envisions Factor X as the epicenter of cross-disciplinary innovation, focusing on sustainable and scalable solutions that can transform industries [4][7] Innovation Framework - Factor X's structure is inspired by Skunk Works, promoting small, autonomous teams and rapid prototyping to advance technologies from TRL 1 to 9 [5] - The company aims to apply these principles to develop technologies that can reshape national defense and industrial sectors [5][6] Industry Context - Xeriant is part of a broader trend where companies are establishing internal "micro-Skunk Works" to accelerate the transition from concept to commercialization, similar to initiatives by Palantir Technologies and Rocket Lab USA [6]

Core Insights - Xeriant Inc. has appointed Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Blaine D. Holt as president of Factor X, its advanced research and innovation hub, aimed at creating a dynamic tech ecosystem [1][3] - Factor X will focus on identifying acquisition opportunities and targeting disruptive technologies, particularly in AI, quantum computing, and data science [3][4] - The division aims to integrate systems that outperform traditional research models, streamline development, and reduce technology risk across high-growth sectors such as construction materials, aerospace and defense, and critical infrastructure [4][5] Company Overview - Xeriant is dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of transformative technologies, including advanced materials marketed under the DUREVER™ brand [9] - The company has developed NEXBOARD™, an eco-friendly composite construction panel designed to replace traditional materials like drywall and plywood [9] Leadership and Vision - Blaine Holt's leadership is expected to fast-track disruptive ideas into revenue-generating products, leveraging his extensive experience in multinational operations and technology-driven enterprises [7][8] - Holt envisions Factor X as the epicenter of cross-disciplinary collaboration, aiming to engineer sustainable solutions that transform industries and enhance global security [8]

Core Insights - Xeriant Inc. has appointed Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Blaine D. Holt as president of Factor X, its advanced research and innovation hub, aimed at developing transformative technologies [1][3] - Factor X will focus on identifying acquisition opportunities and targeting disruptive technologies in fields such as AI, quantum computing, and data science [3][4] - The division aims to integrate systems that outperform traditional research models, streamline development, and reduce technology risk across high-growth sectors like construction materials, aerospace, and defense [4][5] Company Overview - Xeriant is dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of transformative technologies, including advanced materials marketed under the DUREVER™ brand [9] - The company has developed NEXBOARD™, an eco-friendly composite construction panel designed to replace traditional materials [9] Leadership and Vision - Blaine Holt's leadership is expected to fast-track disruptive ideas into revenue-generating products, leveraging his extensive experience in multinational operations and technology-driven enterprises [7][8] - Holt envisions Factor X as the epicenter of cross-disciplinary collaboration, aiming to engineer sustainable solutions that transform industries and enhance global security [8]