Connected Economy

The innovations in technology, connected devices, software, payments and cellular technology make it possible for people and businesses to connect with each other and do business via any device, an in any digital or physical location safely, securely, and in real time. This integration of the digital and physical worlds will transform the economy across the ten pillars that today represent its key cornerstones – pillars that are already experiencing the impact of disruptive innovation as new blended, digital-first experience-driven ecosystems are now taking shape.

EverBank-WaFd Deal Bridges Banking’s Digital and Branch Divide
EverBank-WaFd Deal Bridges Banking’s Digital and Branch Divide
September 08, 2026  |  Banking

A merger between EverBank and WaFd pairs digital reach with a large branch network at a time when banks are finding value in customers who...

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Trace Finance CEO: Stablecoin Scale Still Runs Through Banks
Trace Finance CEO: Stablecoin Scale Still Runs Through Banks
September 08, 2026  |  Cryptocurrency

Stablecoins may replace part of the machinery used to move money across borders, but they will not eliminate banks from international payments, according to Trace...

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Smart Checkout Gives Merchant Data New Bargaining Power
Smart Checkout Gives Merchant Data New Bargaining Power
September 04, 2026  |  Connected Economy

Payments platforms have plenty of transaction data. Smart checkout is raising the value of the merchant information they do not have. The technology can draw...

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Lawmakers Test the Rules for AI Agents That Move Money
Lawmakers Test the Rules for AI Agents That Move Money
September 03, 2026  |  Payments Innovation

Artificial intelligence (AI) agents, stablecoins and tokenized securities put some of the mechanics of digital finance before lawmakers Wednesday (Sept. 2), including how software-driven transactions...

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Digital Sales Give Small Businesses a Map for Growth
Digital Sales Give Small Businesses a Map for Growth
September 03, 2026  |  SMBs

Digital channels gave small and medium-sized businesses more than reach in 2025. They gave those companies a measurable growth edge: Digital-led SMBs were 14 percentage...

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Most Banks Wait Six Years for AI Payback. Discovery Didn’t.
Most Banks Wait Six Years for AI Payback. Discovery Didn’t.
September 02, 2026  |  Artificial Intelligence

Banks have a lot of data on their customers, but most of it sits unused. The customer gets flooded the same generic offer everyone else...

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Spreedly Sees Good Bots Becoming an Agentic Commerce Channel
Spreedly Sees Good Bots Becoming an Agentic Commerce Channel
September 02, 2026  |  eCommerce

Watch more: Digital Shift With Spreedly’s Adam Hiatt Bots are bad. That, at least, has been digital commerce’s operating assumption since the category’s inception. Automated...

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AI Agent Security Startup AIR Raises $50 Million to Guard Enterprise Supply Chains
AI Agent Security Startup AIR Raises $50 Million to Guard Enterprise Supply Chains
September 01, 2026  |  Investments

Artificial intelligence (AI) security startup AIR publicly debuted Tuesday (Sept. 1) with $50 million in seed financing to help businesses monitor and secure the software...

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Jackson Hole and G20 Map a Future of 24/7 Payments and AI
Jackson Hole and G20 Map a Future of 24/7 Payments and AI
September 01, 2026  |  Payments Innovation

A financial market that trades around the clock can’t wait until the next banking day to settle. A business selling digital services overseas has a...

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