News

Banking
Regional Banks Cut Back on Lending to Preserve Capital
July 24, 2023

Regional banks across the United States are reportedly deciding to cut back on lending in order to preserve capital and improve margins. Banks are unloading low-yielding bonds and loans or letting them mature and not replacing them in order to raise the average interest rates...

Banking
FDIC Warns Banks Over Estimated Uninsured Deposit Inaccuracies
July 24, 2023

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said some banks have been incorrectly reporting their estimated uninsured deposits. In an open letter to bank executives posted on its website Monday (July 24), the banking regulator highlighted common errors and called on banks that have misreported their deposit data to amend...

Social Commerce
Twitter’s Iconic Blue Bird Logo Replaced With ‘X’
July 24, 2023

On Monday (July 24), Twitter officially pulled the trigger on an ambitious rebranding effort spearheaded by its multibillionaire owner, Elon Musk. After months of speculation, Musk confirmed that the social media company’s blue bird logo will be replaced with a simple “X,” a move that...

Security & Fraud
IRS Reduces Unannounced Visits Due to Increased Security Concerns
July 24, 2023

Unannounced visits by IRS revenue officers will be replaced with mailed letters to schedule meetings, except in a few unique circumstances. Increased security concerns and the presence of scam artists posing as IRS agents have contributed to the decision to end unannounced visits, the IRS said in a Monday...

Social Commerce
YouTube Presents Contextual Commerce Opportunity for Food Brands 
July 24, 2023

Among consumers who make purchases from social media, PYMNTS research shows, food and beverage shoppers disproportionately turn to YouTube to find inspiration and products. By the Numbers For PYMNTS’ study “Tracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Monetizing Social Media Edition,” created in collaboration with Amazon Web Services,...

Investments
Business Travel Platform BizAway Receives $11 Million to Drive Innovation
July 24, 2023

Business travel platform BizAway has received 10 million euros (about $11 million) of new medium-term funding to help propel its growth. BizAway will use the new capital from illimity’s Growth Credit division to further the development of its technology-driven business model, the company said in a July 17 press...

Investments
Bunq Raises $49 Million to Further International Expansion and Growth
July 24, 2023

European neobank bunq has closed a 44.5-million-euro (about $49 million) funding round that brings its total capital raised this year to nearly 100 million euros (about $111 million). With this latest injection of capital, bunq’s investment valuation stands at 1.65 billion euros (about $1.8 billion), solidifying its status as...

Retail
HSN and QVC Go Back to Their Livestream Roots to Boost Market Share
July 24, 2023

When was the last time you scrolled past or even watched HSN or QVC? If you’ve ever watched even a few minutes of a stream, you’d know how addicting it can quickly become. That’s a feeling livestreams are looking to capitalize on.   The concept of...

Retail
Seeing Pink: Barbie Collabs Run Rampant as Movie Debuts 
July 24, 2023

“Barbie is one of the most inventive, immaculately crafted and surprising mainstream films in recent memory.” That’s what news outlet The Independent said in regard to the Barbie movie premier last weekend.   But leading up to the much-awaited premiere, Barbie collaborations — both official and unofficial...