Author: Art Ryan

U.S. Bank now offers its business clients an artificial intelligence-enabled cash forecasting tool powered by Kyriba’s liquidity performance platform. The new U.S. Bank Liquidity Manager leverages traditional methods and AI to deliver cash forecasting, scenario planning and operational efficiency for mid-sized and large firms, the bank said in a Tuesday (Nov. 18) press release. The tool can be accessed by clients through U.S. Bank’s treasury management platform, SinglePoint, according to the release. Its features include cash forecasting, cash positioning, cash pooling, multi-bank reporting and enhanced visibility, per the release. The tool’s automation and centralization reduce operational costs, while its streamlined workflows boost operational efficiency, the release…

Credit unions are discovering that the youngest generation in their membership base is not simply digital-first. They are digital-fluid, moving between screens and branches with ease, and they expect financial partners to keep up. That shift is producing a new set of pressures for an industry that has historically relied on long-term loyalty. The PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Digital-First Retention Playbook: Winning Gen Z Loyalty at Credit Unions,” produced in collaboration with Velera, shows that Gen Z brings different expectations to their banking relationships. They value personalization, immediacy and authenticity as strongly as they value convenience. They also view financial stability through…

Citi is deepening its use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the enterprise with the launch of an upgraded Stylus Workspaces, an internal productivity platform designed to automate multistep workflows and enable more autonomous execution across its operations. Chief Technology Officer David Griffiths told PYMNTS the initiative marks Citi’s move from using AI primarily as a support tool to developing agentic systems that can plan, execute and refine tasks with minimal supervision while upholding the governance and compliance standards required in global finance. The latest version of Stylus Workspaces combines what were once fragmented, manual workflows into a single prompt-driven interface. Tasks that previously required…

Levi Strauss & Co. is partnering with Microsoft to build an enterprise superagent designed to unify employee support, streamline retail operations and modernize the company’s data backbone. The companies said the Azure-native orchestrator will run inside Microsoft Teams and route requests across IT, HR, retail-support and operational sub-agents, forming the core of Levi’s shift toward what it described as a “fan-obsessed, direct-to-consumer first business.” Levi said the system will centralize employee questions, system lookups and operational tasks into one conversational interface, reducing reliance on legacy navigation and enabling faster support for store associates and corporate teams. Several sub-agents are already deployed, with more planned for the next development cycle. The project…

As innovation spins the world ever faster, CFOs are being tasked with finding inspiration in new places. And while the news last week (Nov. 13) that cybercriminals had undertaken the first agentic artificial intelligence (AI) cyber campaign set the tech sector abuzz, it could be the back office where its most immediate impact is felt. It may seem an odd place for insight, but the attack offers an unexpected window for CFOs: a chance to study how agentic orchestration can automate workflows, the role of human oversight, and how to validate outcomes. Still, when AI company Anthropic revealed that a “jailbroken” version of its Claude model was behind the first documented…

Automakers are accelerating their use of artificial intelligence (AI) as vehicle complexity, software integration and safety expectations rise across the sector. IBM noted that manufacturers are turning to machine learning, computer vision and predictive modeling because traditional vehicle programs and factory processes can no longer keep pace with modern demands. The Kaizen Institute adds that rising pressure to improve efficiency and safety is pushing companies to embed AI across design, production, logistics and in-car systems. That momentum is now driving strategic decisions. A PYMNTS Intelligence analysis found that roughly 75% of automakers plan to integrate generative AI into vehicles this year, a signal that the industry is…

Dubai, UAE — The countdown intensifies as the region prepares for one of its most influential technology gatherings of the year. With only 8 days to go, the Digital Acceleration & Technology Expo (DATE) Dubai 2025 is set to open its doors on 26–27 November 2025 at Madinat Jumeirah, bringing together global innovators, enterprise leaders, government officials, and investors for two transformative days. Hosted by Trescon, DATE Dubai 2025 is emerging as a central platform for high-level decision-making, knowledge exchange, and forward-looking discussion on the technologies defining the next decade of growth in MENA. 🚀 A Strategic Platform for Digital…

The volume and scale of startup funding this week indicates that even with broader macro concerns, investors continue to deploy capital into artificial intelligence (AI) products that solve immediate business challenges and support a growing wave of enterprise adoption. Developer and Coding AI Attract Record Capital Cursor raised $2.3 billion, a round that lifted its valuation to $29.3 billion. The company also added Coatue, Google and Nvidia to their investor list, alongside existing backers such as a16z and Thrive Capital. Cursor builds an AI-powered development environment that helps software engineers write, fix and manage code more efficiently. The tool behaves like…

Financial operations platform Ramp said Monday (Nov. 17) that it closed a $300 million primary financing round as well as an employee tender offer. The company is now valued at $32 billion, it said in a press release. Ramp’s valuation has been rising this year. The company was valued at $13 billion in March when investors purchased secondaries from employees and early investors; $16 billion in June when it raised $200 million in Series E financing; and $22.5 billion in July when it raised $500 million a Series E-2 round. Ramp’s latest valuation came about four months after the company began rolling out its first artificial intelligence agents, according…

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly launched an AI startup where he’ll serve as co-CEO. The company, dubbed “Project Prometheus,” is launching with $6.2 billion in financing, some of it from Bezos himself, the New York Times (NYT) reported Monday (Nov. 17), citing three sources familiar with the project. The report notes this is the first time Bezos has taken an official operational role in a company since leaving Amazon four years ago. Project Prometheus has already hired nearly 100 employees, including researchers recruited from OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta, the sources said. The NYT says the company has thus far kept a low profile, and it’s unclear when it was even started…

The velocity and scale of the Prompt Economy’s™ development has been fast even by AI’s standards. Making sense of that maturity curve isn’t easy but the past week has seen some notable attempts, including a maturity model from Microsoft. In a blog post last week, the company sharpened its vision for its own use of agentic AI, saying it wants to be a “frontier AI” company. You may recognize the phrase because Meta uses it to describe super-intelligence. At Microsoft, frontier AI has a decidedly human inclination. In its latest Inside Track article, Microsoft describes how it is reorganizing itself around agentic AI and laying the groundwork to operate as an…

Apple is reportedly preparing to name a new leader to replace longtime CEO Tim Cook. Cook, who has led Apple for more than 14 years, could step down as soon as next year, the Financial Times (FT) reported Friday (Nov. 14), citing sources familiar with the matter. These sources told FT Apple’s board and senior executives have stepped up preparations for Cook to turn things over to a new chief executive. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely viewed as Cook’s most likely replacement, although no decisions have been made, these sources said. PYMNTS has contacted Apple for comment but has not yet…

Dubai, UAE — 17 November 2025 — DATEwithTech Dubai 2025, one of the region’s most influential gatherings for digital transformation and emerging technology, has announced a powerful lineup of Spotlight Sessions designed to shape the future of innovation across the Middle East. Taking place on 26–27 November 2025 at Madinat Jumeirah, the event will welcome over 1,000 global leaders, policymakers, investors, innovators, and industry pioneers. With the Middle East entering a new phase of AI adoption, sovereign technology development, and digital economy expansion, DATEwithTech Dubai 2025 is positioned as a catalyst for strategic cooperation and next-generation solutions. 🚀 Spotlight Sessions:…

Zeni, an AI bookkeeping software, has launched its AI Accounting Agent automation solution, designed to manage complex accounting workflows such as transaction processing, reconciliations, flux analysis, and receipt matching with machine-level precision. The AI Accounting Agent aims to reduce manual workload for financial professionals by automating routine tasks and learning from user input. According to Zeni CEO Swapnil Shinde, “This is a revolutionary technology for founders and financial professionals. Our AI Accountant handles the tedious tasks of bookkeeping and accounting so teams can focus on strategic financial planning.” The solution is intended to streamline finance operations and allow teams to…

Microsoft’s AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, has given a strong warning amid the pursuit of artificial superintelligence. He believes that once AI reaches the state of artificial general intelligence (AGI), humans may find it extremely difficult to control. Suleyman’s comments come at a time when the likes of OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and xAI are working to reach AI superintelligence. On an episode of the Silicon Valley Girl Podcast, Suleyman gave his take on a future where AI may be smarter than humans. He believed that such a scenario “doesn’t feel like a positive vision of the future.” Mustafa Suleyman asserted that…

Edtech firm Multiverse and software giant Palantir have launched a partnership to upskill NHS staff with the goal of giving workers skills in AI and data practices. The tech firms will work with health service staff on the use of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP). Supplied by Palantir, the NHS FDP connects data from various separate systems to give staff access to key information in a centralised platform. The firm claims its use can support more operations and quicker discharges across the 77 NHS Trusts signed up to it. Multiverse will supply the digital skills training, with the company’s…

Dubai, UAE — 16 November 2025 — With only 10 days remaining, the excitement continues to rise as the region prepares to host one of the most influential technology gatherings of the year — the Digital Acceleration & Technology Expo (DATE) Dubai 2025, taking place on 26–27 November 2025 at Madinat Jumeirah. Bringing together over 1,000 elite decision-makers, the two-day global expo will gather government leaders, enterprise executives, investors, innovators, and world-class startups to shape the next wave of digital transformation across the Middle East and beyond. A Premier Platform for Global Tech Innovation DATE Dubai 2025 is designed to…

Bitcoin reportedly declined for a fourth day on Friday (Nov. 14), dropping as low as $94,491.22 early in the day.  Week to date, the cryptocurrency was down nearly 9%, CNBC reported Friday. The report attributed Bitcoin’s decline in part to investors selling cryptocurrency in response to a pullback in Big Tech stocks, noting that many of the investors in those stocks also invest in Bitcoin. Tech stocks have been slipping this week amid concerns about companies’ spending on artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, according to the report. The price of Bitcoin hit a record $125,000 in October but, just days later, Bitcoin saw “the largest…

Anthropic reported Thursday (Nov. 13) that its Claude Code model was manipulated into carrying out a wide-reaching cyber-espionage operation across about 30 organizations in finance, technology, manufacturing and government. The company said in its disclosure that the mid-September incident marks the first confirmed case in which an artificial intelligence (AI) agent handled most steps of an intrusion normally performed by human hackers. AI industry insiders who PYMNTS spoke with about the incident said it shows fraudsters are evolving alongside technology, posing risks to automated systems from outside AI systems and requiring safeguards. Eva Nahari, chief product officer at AI solutions firm Vectara, told PYMNTS…

Google introduced a set of agentic shopping features inside its artificial intelligence (AI) mode that allow users to search for products, check inventory, monitor prices and authorize the system to complete purchases when conditions are met. In announcing the update, Google said it wants shopping queries to feel more conversational. The company noted that users can describe what they want “just as you’d say it to a friend,” and the system will pull from what Google describes as a constantly refreshed Shopping Graph containing “more than 50 billion product listings, 2 billion of which are updated every hour.” The blog explained…