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Big Tech companies in China like Alibaba and ByteDance are adding agentic commerce to their arsenal, CNBC reported Wednesday (Jan. 21).
Alibaba updated its consumer-facing Qwen AI chatbot last week with new features letting users order food, book travel and complete in-chat payments. It’s a sign of a shift among AI firms from an emphasis on foundational AI models to agentic AI, which...
The effort to uncover insider trading within prediction markets is reportedly gaining steam.
That’s according to a report by Bloomberg News Wednesday (Jan. 21), which cites the example of a new tool from financial data provider Unusual Whales. It examines the prediction platform Polymarket for unusual activity and possible insider bets.
“We thought prediction markets were almost a...
Most Americans probably don’t remember the exact inflation rate last year. But they remember that the footlong they once paid 5 dollars for is now between ten and fourteen bucks. They remember when a fast-food meal cost a lot less than a movie ticket. And they also remember when a car insurance premium didn’t feel like a second car payment.
Those mental price anchors are how consumers...
As Pay by Bank becomes more visible in the U.S. payments market, one group of consumers is clearly leading the way: those who use digital banks. “Pay by Bank Deep Dive: Digital Bank Users Are Ready to Switch,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Trustly, examines why these users are more open to paying directly from their bank accounts and what needs to happen for that interest to...
The U.S. Labor Economy may sit at the lower end of the wage scale, but it punches far above its weight in economic impact. Roughly 60 million workers earning less than $25 an hour account for about 15% of total U.S. consumer spending, making their financial stability essential to GDP growth and the health of local economies. When pay or hours fluctuate for this group, the effects are felt quickly...
Growth in a digital world requires standout digital infrastructure and tooling.
That’s supported by findings in the new report “When ‘Good Enough’ Isn’t Enough: Digital Identity Verification in the Age of Bots and Agents,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Trulioo. The report revealed that for financial services firms, the systems that decide who can open an account, how...
Tariffs remain a moving target for U.S. businesses, and the constant recalibration of trade policy has turned what was once episodic disruption into a standing operational challenge for finance and product leaders.
According to “How Middle-Market Business Uncertainty Rewrote 2025,” tariffs, shifting policy signals and uneven global demand combined to make uncertainty the defining...
The technical progress in artificial intelligence (AI) is real. The consumer readiness, particularly for autonomous and agentic solutions, is far less uniform.
In theory, the appeal of autonomous AI agents is obvious. An AI agent that monitors your finances, shops for better insurance rates, refills household essentials, manages subscriptions, or books travel based on your preferences...
Americans are no longer just spreading payments over time. They are spreading risk, timing and lifestyle choices as rising costs reshape how discretionary spending actually happens.
That shift is at the center of “Buy Now, Pay Later Powers the Experience Economy,” a January 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence data book that tracks how pay-later options are moving beyond retail checkout and into...
Fifth Third Bancorp’s investments in physical branches and digital tools paid off in fourth-quarter operating results that included record net interest income and 230 basis points of positive operating leverage, company executives said Tuesday (Jan. 20).
These results were driven by the bank’s consistent investment in and focus on growth priorities, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and...