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Investments
Swan Raises $43 Million to Expand Embedded Banking Services
January 30, 2025

French FinTech Swan has raised $43 million to expand its embedded banking offering. 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...

Artificial Intelligence
SoftBank Reportedly Weighs $25 Billion OpenAI Investment 
January 30, 2025

SoftBank is reportedly in discussions to invest up to $25 billion into OpenAI. 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....

Artificial Intelligence
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: DeepSeek’s Threat to AI Companies ‘Greatly Overstated’
January 29, 2025

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in an essay posted Wednesday (Jan. 29) that claims about Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek’s potential threat to U.S. AI leadership is “greatly overstated” and that the drop in chipmaker Nvidia’s stock driven by the release of the DeepSeek’s...

Retail
D2C Channels Drive Levi Strauss in Q4, With US Sales Up 11%
January 29, 2025

Labeling the company’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) business as “our overarching strategy,” Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Michelle Gass noted D2C channels drove considerable success during the fourth quarter. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all...

Investments
Naboo Raises $21 Million to Expand Corporate Event Planning Tool
January 29, 2025

Paris-based corporate event planning startup Naboo raised 20 million euros (about $21 million) to expand throughout Europe. 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...

Retail
As Economic Pressures Grow, Retailers Focus on Value, Customer Experience and Community Ties
January 29, 2025

As escalating costs strain household budgets, PYMNTS Intelligence’s latest paycheck-to-paycheck study, “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: Struggling Consumers Go to Short-Term Strategies to Manage Higher Expenses,” reveals that 78% of consumers have experienced higher costs for essential services and about two-thirds live paycheck to...

Artificial Intelligence
BIS: Central Banks Need ‘Comprehensive Risk Management Strategy’ for AI
January 29, 2025

Central banks must balance innovation and risk mitigation when looking to adopt artificial intelligence, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said in a report released Wednesday (Jan. 29). Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to...

Investments
Gallabox Raises $3.5 Million to Help Small Businesses Create AI Agents
January 29, 2025

Gallabox raised $3.5 million in a seed round to strengthen the capabilities and expand the geographic footprint of its platform that enables small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to use artificial intelligence to automate their communication on WhatsApp. Get the Full Story Complete the form to...

Banking
Lloyds Shuttering 136 Branches Amid Digital Banking Shift
January 29, 2025

British lender Lloyds is closing 136 branches as its customers choose digital financing services. 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...