News

Retail
Ulta: Consumer Engagement With Beauty and Wellness Drives Record Results
March 10, 2023

Consumers’ interest in beauty and wellness products and services remained strong in the fourth quarter for Ulta Beauty. The company completed a year of record sales, profitability and member growth during the quarter ended Jan. 28. Its annual revenue topped $10 billion for the first...

Retail
Amazon and Walmart Duke It Out Over $808 Billion Healthcare Industry
March 10, 2023

Is it the rumble in the jungle? Or is it just Amazon and Walmart battling it out over new territory? Both players are making big moves to address a product every single consumer buys: healthcare. While the world might be approaching the end of the...

Digital Banking
Traditional Financial Institutions Vital to Embedded Banking Revolution
March 10, 2023

Traditional financial institutions (FIs) have an opportunity to increase customer retention by embracing embedded banking. Consumers worldwide quickly embraced the industry’s seismic shift toward digitization, which was hastened by the pandemic. Many FIs that had hesitated to invest in their digital offerings found themselves left...

Banking
SVB Financial Group Share Trading Halted After 68% Premarket Plunge
March 10, 2023

SVB Financial Group share trading was halted Friday (March 10) after a 68% premarket plunge. This move followed a 60% drop in the share price Thursday after SVB — which is the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank — said it had a $1.8 billion...

Retail
Sure Launches Embedded Insurance Tech and Return Shipping Protection
March 10, 2023

Sure has launched an embedded return shipping protection solution for eCommerce merchants. The new Retrace Return Shipping Protection is enabled by two new offerings: the protection product itself and a new technology called Retrace that lets online merchants offer embedded insurance and protection at any...

Payment Methods
Fewer ATMs May Force Cash-Heavy Establishments to Reconsider Digital Wallets
March 10, 2023

If trends are any indication, bars and restaurants waiting to modernize their payment options may find it’s time to embrace change. Cash isn’t going away anytime soon, remaining the most-used payment method for in-person transactions and purchases under $25. However, the number of ATMs are...

Retail
Allbirds Goes Back to Basics as Efforts to Attract New Customers Fail
March 10, 2023

Allbirds is struggling to soar high after going public, with the company recording the first quarter of negative growth in its nearly decade-long history. The direct-to-consumer (D2C) shoe company fell short of full-year sales and profit targets, but its leadership believes with some adjustments, it...

Banking
Silicon Valley Bank Crisis Threatens FinTech Funding
March 10, 2023

In Silicon Valley, and specifically for smaller tech firms, the tremors threaten to become a quake. Just a day after Silvergate Capital said it would shutter and liquidate its bank offering services to the crypto industry, we’re seeing additional focus on liquidity within the banking...

Fintech Investments
Lending Platforms Plunge as Tech Rout Sends FinTech IPO Index Down 4.9%
March 10, 2023

It wasn’t just crypto that had investors running for the exits. And it wasn’t just talk of more rate hikes from the Fed that had investors hitting the sell button. This week’s downdraft for the FinTech IPO Index was a confluence of above, yes, but...