News

Wearables
XReal Raises $100 Million and Unveils Latest Smart Glasses
January 08, 2026

Smart glasses maker XReal reportedly raised $100 million and is now valued at over $1 billion. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily...

Retail
Walmart’s Retail Media Scores Wins While Amazon’s AI Goes Ambient
January 08, 2026

The holiday shopping spree has come to a close. And while returns are no doubt occupying a fair amount of time at the world’s two biggest retailers, a relatively quiet (but consumer retail-focused) week at Amazon stood in contrast to some interesting developments around AI...

Fintech Investments
Swap Raises $100 Million to Expand Global Commerce Solutions Platform
January 08, 2026

Swap raised $100 million in a Series C funding round to continue expanding the capabilities and reach of its global commerce solutions platform. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no...

Retail
Toast Cooks Up New AI Capabilities for Retailers
January 08, 2026

Hospitality platform Toast is introducing “retail specific” capabilities for its Toast IQ artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS...

Regulation
Meta’s $2 Billion Manus Deal Meets Regulatory Scrutiny in China
January 08, 2026

Chinese regulators are investigating Meta’s $2 billion purchase of artificial intelligence startup Manus, CNBC reported Thursday (Jan. 8). Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to...

Retail
Retail Media Networks Turn Data and AI Into Growth Engines
January 08, 2026

Retail media networks are moving from the margins of advertising strategy to the center of how brands and retailers compete, as data and media increasingly converge to shape consumer experiences and marketing outcomes. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and...

B2B Payments
What Agentic Commerce Can Learn From B2B Payments
January 08, 2026

For years, checkout has been consumer commerce’s single gravitational center. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this...

Artificial Intelligence
SAP Debuts AI Tools for Agentic Commerce
January 08, 2026

German software giant SAP introduced a series of artificial intelligence enhancements for retailers. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today....

News
BNPL’s Next Act Is as Consumer Working Capital
January 08, 2026

In 2026, Buy Now, Pay Later stops being a checkout feature and becomes working capital for the modern middle class, replacing overdraft and late fees as the default way paycheck-to-paycheck consumers manage timing gaps between income and expenses.