ReportWire

Tag: Email

  • You can finally change your Gmail address without losing data

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    For years, one of the most frustrating limits inside the Google ecosystem was simple but painful. You could not change your primary Gmail address without creating a brand-new account. That meant losing history, purchases and years of saved data. That is now changing.

    Google has started rolling out a feature that lets people replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one. Even better, everything tied to the account stays exactly where it is.

    Given that Gmail has close to 2 billion active accounts, this update affects almost everyone. It also helps people who stopped using an old Gmail address tied to a past job, a move or a major life change.

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report

    Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

    HOW TO STOP GOOGLE AI FROM SCANNING YOUR GMAIL

    Google now lets you change your Gmail address while keeping your emails, files and purchase history in one place.  (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    Why this Gmail change matters

    Many people created their Gmail addresses years ago. Some picked usernames that no longer feel professional. Others tie an address to a relationship, employer or location that no longer applies.

    Until now, Google treated Gmail usernames as permanent. The only workaround involved creating a new account and manually rebuilding everything. This update removes that burden. You can refresh your digital identity without starting over.

    How changing your Gmail address works

    If your account ends in @gmail.com, you may now be able to replace it with a brand-new @gmail.com address.

    Here is what stays the same:

    • Your inbox and email history
    • Google Drive files and folders
    • Google Photos and backups
    • Purchase history and subscriptions

    Your old email address does not disappear. Google automatically converts it into an alias. That means messages sent to both addresses arrive in the same inbox. You can also sign in using either email.

    NEW GMAIL TOOL MAKES IT EASY TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM EMAILS IN BULK

    laptop

    Your old Gmail address becomes an alias, so messages sent to both addresses land in the same inbox. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    Important guardrails to know before switching

    Google added limits to prevent abuse and confusion. Once you change your Gmail address, you cannot create another new Gmail address on that same account for 12 months. You can switch back to your original address at any time.

    There are also a few areas where friction may occur. If you use Sign in with Google on third-party websites, you may need to sign in again. Chromebook users and Chrome Remote Desktop users may need to re-authenticate. Before making the switch, Google recommends backing up critical data and reviewing connected apps.

    How to check if the Gmail change feature is available

    Google is rolling this feature out gradually, so it may not appear on every account yet.

    Google may test different layouts, so wording can vary slightly by account

    To check your account:

    • Go to myaccount.google.com on a computer
    • Select Personal Information from the left menu
    • Scroll to the Contact info section
    • Click Google Account email
    • Look for an option to change your Google Account email address

    If you see the option, you can check availability and choose a new Gmail username. If the option does not appear, the feature has likely not yet reached your account. Accounts managed by schools, workplaces or organizations usually require administrator approval.

    What an email alias means and why it matters

    An alias is an additional email address that delivers messages to the same inbox. With this update, your old Gmail address becomes an alias automatically. Aliases are useful beyond Gmail. They help you keep access to old contacts while presenting a cleaner primary address going forward. They also reduce disruption when changing emails across services. If you want to change your email address on other platforms, aliases are often the safest option.

    CYBERSECURITY EXPERT REVEALS SIMPLE TRICK TO STOP COMPANIES FROM TRACKING YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING

    A woman types on her laptop.

    This update gives you a fresh email identity without losing access to the Google services you already use.  (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    How to create an alias in Outlook.com

    Outlook.com allows you to create additional email addresses (aliases) that are linked to your primary account. Emails sent to an alias will arrive in your primary inbox, and you can send messages using the alias as well.

    Example:

    If your primary email is johnsmith@outlook.com, you can create an alias like john.smith123@outlook.com. Emails sent to john.smith123@outlook.com will still go to johnsmith@outlook.com, but you can choose to send emails using either address.

    Steps to create an alias:

    • Sign in to your Outlook.com account.
    • Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner to open Settings.
    • Scroll down and select View all Outlook settings.
    • Navigate to Mail
    • Then click Sync email.
    • Click Manage or choose a primary alias under Account alias.
    • Select Add email and follow the prompts to create your new alias.
    • Choose whether to create a new Outlook.com email as an alias or use an existing email (non-Outlook) as an alias.
    • Click Add alias to confirm.

    Once added, you can send emails using your alias by selecting it in the “From” field when composing a new message.

    Important limitations to note:

    • You can add up to 10 aliases in total
    • There’s a limit of 10 new aliases that can be created in one year
    • You can only add two aliases per week
    • Existing Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com and MSN addresses can’t be added as aliases
    • Aliases can only contain letters, numbers, dots (.), underscores (_), or hyphens (-)
    • It’s no longer possible to create new aliases with @hotmail, @live.com, or @msn.com domains

    How to create an alias using your Apple ID

    Apple allows you to create up to three email aliases through iCloud. These aliases can be used for specific purposes, helping you manage your inbox effectively. Here’s how to create one:

    • Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in to your Apple Account if necessary.
    • Click the gear icon at the top of the Mailboxes list, then choose Settings.
    • Click Account, then click Add Alias.
    • Provide the requested information:
    • Alias Address: Enter the text to create your alias (e.g., alias@icloud.com). The alias must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
    • Label: Assign a label for the alias. Aliases are listed alphabetically by their labels.
    • Full Name: Enter the name that will appear in the From field of emails you send using this alias.
    • Click Create to finalize the alias.
    • Once created, any email sent to this alias will be forwarded to your primary iCloud email address. For example, if your primary email is yourname@icloud.com, and you create an alias shopping@icloud.com, any emails sent to shopping@icloud.com will appear in your yourname@icloud.com inbox. This allows you to use different addresses for different purposes while keeping everything in one place.

    It’s important to note that you can still create up to three email aliases through iCloud. Remember that while these aliases provide some flexibility, they do not create separate Apple IDs or completely hide your primary iCloud email address.

    Using the “Hide My Email” feature on Apple devices

    Hide My Email is a feature available with iCloud+ that allows you to create unique, random email addresses that are forwarded to your personal email account. This helps keep your real email address private when filling out forms, signing up for newsletters or sending emails. Here’s how to set up Hide My Email:

    • Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
    • Tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud.
    • Tap Hide My Email. Here, you can create and manage your unique email addresses.
    • Tap Create New Address and follow the on-screen instructions to generate a new random email address.

    Here’s how to deactivate a Hide My Email address.

    • Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
    • Tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud.
    • Tap Hide My Email.
    • Tap an existing address.
    • Click Deactivate Email Address to stop forwarding emails to your personal account.
    • Confirm your decision by clicking Deactivate.

    You can also generate Hide My Email addresses directly in Safari, Mail and supported third-party apps by tapping the email address field and selecting Hide My Email above the keyboard.

    Note that Hide My Email has limitations. You need an iCloud+ subscription to use Hide My Email. This feature is not available with the free iCloud plan. While there is no official limit on the number of aliases you can create, some people have reported creating hundreds of addresses without issue. Hide My Email works with iCloud+, Apple Pay and the Mail app. Support for other apps and services is expanding but may not be available for all. Some people have reported occasional issues with email deliverability when using Hide My Email addresses. Managing multiple aliases can become cumbersome, especially if you need to deactivate or update them frequently. 

    How to create a new email alias in Yahoo Mail

    • Open Yahoo Mail:Go to Yahoo Mail and sign in to your account.
    • Go to Yahoo Mail and sign in to your account.
    • Access Settings:Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner to open the settings menu.Select More Settings from the dropdown menu.
    • Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner to open the settings menu.
    • Select More Settings from the dropdown menu.
    • Navigate to Mailboxes:In the left-hand menu, click on Mailboxes.
    • In the left-hand menu, click on Mailboxes.
    • Add a New Alias:Under the Email alias section, click the Add button.Enter the name of your new email alias (without the “@yahoo.com” part) in the field labeled Create a new Yahoo Mail address.Click the Set Up button.
    • Under the Email alias section, click the Add button.
    • Enter the name of your new email alias (without the “@yahoo.com” part) in the field labeled Create a new Yahoo Mail address.
    • Click the Set Up button.
    • Provide Additional Information:Enter your name and a description for the alias and choose whether you want replies to be sent to the alias or your main Yahoo email address.Click the Finish button.
    • Enter your name and a description for the alias and choose whether you want replies to be sent to the alias or your main Yahoo email address.
    • Click the Finish button.
    • Limitations:Limited Number of Aliases: You can only create one main email alias that can both send and receive messages. Additionally, you can create up to 10 send-only email addresses and 500 disposable email addresses.Editing Restrictions: You can only edit your email alias up to two times within a 12-month period. This means you need to choose your alias carefully.Compatibility Issues: Some websites and services may not accept email aliases, especially those that use the “+” character in the address. This can limit the usefulness of aliases for certain sign-ups.Potential for Mix-Ups: Using multiple aliases can sometimes lead to confusion or mix-ups, especially if you forget which alias you used for a particular service.Spam and Security: While aliases can help manage spam, they are not foolproof. Spammers can still send emails to your aliases, and if an alias is compromised, it can lead to spam in your main inbox.Communication Challenges: Managing multiple aliases can complicate communication, especially if you need to reply from the correct alias to maintain clear and consistent communication.
    • Limited Number of Aliases: You can only create one main email alias that can both send and receive messages. Additionally, you can create up to 10 send-only email addresses and 500 disposable email addresses.
    • Editing Restrictions: You can only edit your email alias up to two times within a 12-month period. This means you need to choose your alias carefully.
    • Compatibility Issues: Some websites and services may not accept email aliases, especially those that use the “+” character in the address. This can limit the usefulness of aliases for certain sign-ups.
    • Potential for Mix-Ups: Using multiple aliases can sometimes lead to confusion or mix-ups, especially if you forget which alias you used for a particular service.
    • Spam and Security: While aliases can help manage spam, they are not foolproof. Spammers can still send emails to your aliases, and if an alias is compromised, it can lead to spam in your main inbox.
    • Communication Challenges: Managing multiple aliases can complicate communication, especially if you need to reply from the correct alias to maintain clear and consistent communication.

    For recommendations on private and secure email providers that offer alias addresses, visit Cyberguy.com

    Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

    Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com     

    Kurt’s key takeaways

    This Gmail update fixes a problem people have complained about for years. It finally gives you flexibility without forcing a fresh start. Your files, photos and purchase history stay put. At the same time, you get to move on from an email address that no longer fits your life. That kind of upgrade is rare in a digital world that often makes you choose between convenience and control.

    If you could redesign your online identity today, would you finally retire the email address you created years ago? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report 

    Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter. 

    Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.

    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

    Source link

  • Finovate Global: A Salute to Our 2025 International Alums – Finovate

    Before heading out for the holidays, Finovate Global shared a look back at the entrepreneurs and innovators we interviewed in 2025.

    Today, as the new year begins in earnest for many, we are officially saluting those companies hailing from outside the US that made the journey to our fintech conferences in London, San Diego, and New York in 2025. As you can see, Finovate continues to attract innovative fintech talent from around the world to be a part of our unique events.

    Want to join the roster? FinovateEurope is currently accepting applications for the upcoming February conference in London, February 10 and 11. Wherever you and your team call home, we are happy to learn more about you and your ready-to-demo innovation. Check out our FinovateEurope Apply to Demo page to learn more!

    APIMatic

    Founded in 2014, APIMatic is a developer experience platform for APIs that enables organizations to drive fast, widespread adoption of their APIs. The platform supports every stage of the API journey, from design and dynamic SDKs to code sample generation and end-to-end automation. Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, APIMatic made its most recent appearance on the Finovate stage at FinovateSpring 2025.

    AQ22

    Founded in 2024, AQ22 offers an Agentic Orchestration Banking platform that enables banks to deploy AI agents to automate core banking processes and operations. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, AQ22 made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Aurem

    Founded in 2022, Aurem offers an intelligent operating system for retirement and wealth providers. Their platform helps institutions unify and optimize their products, processes, and data and deliver them globally in days. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Aurem made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025.

    b-next

    Founded in 1989, b-next is a corporate software provider specializing in capital markets trading surveillance and compliance solutions. Headquartered in Herford, Germany, b-next made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Cinareo Solutions

    Founded in 2022, Cinareo Solutions offers a capacity planning platform that provides pro-active resource planning and financial analysis to cost-efficiently manage front- and back-office team members, as well as support staff. The company is a winner of Finovate’s Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship Program. Headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, Cinareo Solutions made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2025.

    Copla

    Founded in 2023, Copla is an ICT security and compliance automation platform that transforms paper compliance into real-world resilience. The platform provides the capabilities of a full cybersecurity and compliance department at a subscription cost. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, Copla made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Deriskly

    Founded in 2020, Deriskly provides AI-driven communication intelligence that deciphers customer feedback, automates compliance, and enhances trust by transforming complex regulations into actionable insights. Headquartered in London, England, Deriskly made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Dimply

    Founded in 2020, Dimply enables organizations to optimize operations, enhance customer engagement, uncover growth opportunities, and accelerate digital transformation. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Dimply most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025.

    Doshi App

    Founded in 2021, Doshi App empowers financial institutions to deliver engaging, rewarding, and scalable financial education experiences that build money confidence. Headquartered in London, England, Doshi App most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025.

    ebankIT

    Founded in 2014, ebankIT empowers financial institutions to innovate quickly, reduce costs, and deliver personalized services across all channels, accelerating growth and future-proofing their digital strategy. Headquartered in Porto, Portugal, the two-time Finovate Best of Show winner most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025.

    FintechOS

    Founded in 2017, FintechOS enables banks and credit unions to launch any product faster, modernize customer experiences, and adapt quickly to market and regulatory changes—without replacing their core systems. Headquartered in London, England, FintechOS made its most recent Finovate appearance at FinovateFall 2025.

    Homely

    Founded in 2021, Homely is an AI-powered platform that empowers the journey to homeownership by combining education, spend management, and financial rewards in a hyper-personalized way. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Homely made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Hyperdesk

    Founded in 2022, Hyperdesk provides an AI-powered search engine that helps credit unions and community banks grow their loans and deposits by better engaging with local businesses.  Headquartered in San Francisco, California, and Mexico City, Mexico, Hyperdesk made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2025.

    ID-Pal

    Founded in 2016, ID-Pal facilitates business growth with AI-powered identity verification and AML screening, increasing operational efficiency and customer trust. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, ID-Pal most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025.

    Intrepid Fox

    Founded in 2024, Intrepid Fox leverages GenAI to make KYC 10x faster for banks and fintechs. The company’s technology streamlines onboarding by instantly processing documents and engaging in value-added interactions. Headquartered in London, England, Intrepid Fox most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Intuitech

    Founded in 2018, Intuitech uses agentic networks to automate complex workflows, maximize efficiency, and elevate the customer experience for companies in financial services. Based in Budapest, Hungary, Intuitech made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Keyless

    Founded in 2019, Keyless replaces outdated MFA with biometrics, improving UX and saving millions. One bank saved $3.5 million by eliminating call centers for OTP-based recovery. Based in London, England, Keyless won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. The company returned to the Finovate stage later in the year for FinovateFall 2025.

    LemonadeLXP

    Founded in 2018, LemonadeLXP’s InsightAI improves staff and customer education while driving significant operational efficiencies. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, LemonadeLXP won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2022 and again at FinovateFall 2025.

    MDOTM

    Founded in 2015, MDOTM specializes in analytical and GenAI solutions for banks, insurance companies, asset managers, and wealth management companies. Headquartered in London, England, MDOTM made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Mifundo

    Founded in 2022, Mifundo provides a data solution that offers cross-border credit information and standardized credit scores to help lower banks’ credit risk for international customers by up to 7x. Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Mifundo made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    MoneyPlanned

    Founded in 2021, MoneyPlanned empowers institutions to offer intelligent, automated financial planning—boosting advisor efficiency, reducing cost-to-serve, and delivering personalized client experiences at scale. Based in Bengaluru, India, MoneyPlanned made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025.

    Moonjelly

    Founded in 2024, Moonjelly offers a scalable, transparent, and reliable GenAI platform that enables businesses to leverage AI agents and custom AI solutions to retrieve information, derive insights, and complete tasks. Headquartered in South Holland, Netherlands, Moonjelly made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Offset Labs

    Founded in 2022, Offset Labs (formerly Byne) enables companies to build secure LLM agents and host LLM applications within their secure perimeter (on premise or private cloud) to ensure safe handling of sensitive data and integration with internal systems. Headquartered in London, England, the company made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    OPL

    Founded in 2015, OPL’s cash-flow-based lending helps banks transform their operations through agile lending, AI-driven insights, and intelligent credit underwriting—expanding credit access to SMEs. Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, OPL made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025.

    PayIP

    Founded in 2021, PayIP is a specialized fintech provider that helps banks and financial services companies optimize both interchange and Visa and Mastercard billing costs. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, PayIP made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Plumery

    Founded in 2016, Plumery offers a cloud-native digital banking experience platform that empowers financial institutions to build distinctive and customer-centric mobile and online experiences. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Plumery made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Primer

    Founded in 2023, Primer is an AI-powered financial analysis platform for investment professionals at banks, hedge funds, and asset management firms. Headquartered in London, England, Primer made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    PromoComply

    Founded in 2024, PromoComply offers a comprehensive platform for financial promotions compliance. The company helps financial sector companies ensure their financial promotion campaigns are continuously compliant with UK FCA regulations. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, PromoComply made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    R34DY

    Founded in 2019, R34DY helps organizations transform their business by taking the pain out of integrations and making it easy for business owners to create use cases and reduce time to market. Headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, R34DY won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025 and returned to the Finovate stage later in the year for FinovateFall 2025.

    Regsearch AI

    Founded in 2019, Regsearch AI offers a regulatory compliance solution that leverages AI agents to streamline compliance processes. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Regsearch AI made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Torus

    Founded in 2021, Torus is a SaaS intelligence platform for banks and fintechs that enables them to enhance profits on card transactions by up to 50%. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, Torus most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Tweezr

    Founded in 2024, Tweezr is an AI-powered developer assistant tailored for legacy environments that helps accelerate time-to-market and boost developer productivity. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tweezr won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Xaver

    Founded in 2023, Xaver offers a sales platform that enhances advisory quality and efficiency for financial institutions by delivering an AI-enabled, personalized, omnichannel customer journey. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Xaver made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025.

    Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world.

    Middle East and Northern Africa

    • Commercial Bank of Dubai and Pay10 launched Open Finance services under the UAE’s Open Finance Initiative, AlTareq.
    • Middle East Economy looked at the potential for growth in the Oman fintech market.
    • The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) inked a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a pan African Gold bank.

    Central and Southern Asia

    • Paytm secured approval from the Indian central bank, RBI to expand its payment aggregator license to include offline and cross-border transactions.
    • Freedom Bank Kazakhstan added eSIM services to its Freedom SuperApp courtesy of a partnership with Boxo.
    • VEON’s Mobilink Microfinance Bank launched Islamic banking operations in Pakistan.

    Latin America and the Caribbean

    • Ecuadorean transactional network COONECTA teamed up with BPC to deploy the SmartVisa platform across 90 credit unions and 75 member institutions.
    • International IT solutions provider JMR Infotech joined the Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) as a Service Member.
    • Zigi, the digital innovation unit of Guatemala’s Banco Industrial, expanded its partnership with core banking software provider Thought Machine.

    Asia-Pacific

    • South Korea’s KakaoBank announced a deepened partnership with Indonesian digital bank Superbank.
    • Mastercard introduced its Open Finance Business Solutions offering in Australia.
    • Singapore-based fintech Fingular opened a new hub in Malaysia and launched a new Smart Limit financing solution.

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    • Tech in Africa reviewed 2025 investment trends for startups in Africa, noting Nigeria’s lead in fintech spending.
    • Zawya profiled South African SME lender Bridgement.
    • Disrupt Africa looked at how Nigerian fintech Pay4Me is helping students make international payments.

    Central and Eastern Europe

    • Lithuanian regtech iDenfy introduced an automated identity verification app for Shopify that triggers ID verification checks on high-risk orders.
    • Romania’s Banca Centrală Cooperatistă CREDITCOOP deployed Allevo’s FINTP-Instant payments solution.
    • German savings and investment platform Raisin announced plans to enter the US market in 2026.

    Photo by Saj Shafique on Unsplash

    Views: 70

    David Penn

    Source link

  • Mark Cuban says he doesn’t do calls and prefers email because ‘if we do it by phone, I’m going to forget half the stuff that we talked about’ | Fortune

    “No, I don’t do calls,” said the former Shark Tank star and Dallas Mavericks owner in a TikTok video posted by Masterclass. “You know, I’ll engage with you via email, and trust me, I do this all the time. I’m really good at it.”

    But Cuban’s logic for his proclivity toward email over the phone is very different from younger generations. He said conversing over email gives him more time to craft a thoughtful response. 

    “I’ll give you more comprehensive responses than if it was via phone,” said Cuban, who’s worth an estimated $6 billion. “And if we do it by phone, I’m going to forget half the stuff that we talked about because I’ve got so much going on.” 

    While Cuban is no longer starring on Shark Tank and sold off his majority stake in the Mavericks, he’s still plenty occupied running Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company and serving as an investor and advisor to the dozens of companies he invested in during his time on the show.

    Meanwhile, Gen Zers prefer email or text because they are anxious about talking on the phone. A 2024 study shows nearly a quarter of the generation is so hesitant about talking on the phone that they never answer calls. A college in the U.K. last year even launched a class aimed at helping Gen Z overcome its fear.

    While it’s always easy to poke fun at younger generations for their professional-life quirks, the hesitancy for some is actually a deeply rooted fear called “telephobia.” This form of phone anxiety can lead to increased heart rate, nausea, shaking, and trouble concentrating, according to Verywell Mind. 

    “It speaks to a broader fatigue with immediacy and urgency, where people have grown tired of the hassle culture and obsession with efficiency,”  Zoia Tarasova, an anthropologist with consumer insight agency Canvas8, previously told Fortune. “People are quietly rebelling against this immediacy by taking their time to respond to those calls.” 

    Other business leaders even told Fortune that this telephobia trend has hurt their bottom line. Casey Halloran, CEO and cofounder of online travel agency Namu Travel, said in the 25 years he’s been in business, management has “never seen anything quite like the generational divide” between older and younger travel agents in how they make phone calls. He also said combating telephobia has been a “frequent, uncomfortable topic” at his company, as management has recognized that his younger travel agents register fewer than 50% of the calls compared to older employees.

    “As to solutions, we have been doing extensive training, incentives, call observing with our veteran reps, and even hired a business psychologist,” Halloran previously told Fortune. “After more than two years of this struggle, we’re nearly to the point of throwing up hands and embracing SMS and WebChat versus continuing to fight an uphill battle.”

    Still, for his own business purposes, Cuban says he prefers emails over phone calls because he can go back and reference what he’s said. 

    “If we do it via email, I can search for it, always,” he added. 

    What research tells us about communication styles at work

    Just like most business approaches, emailing instead of talking on the phone has its pros and cons. 

    Research by recruiting firm Robert Walters shows more than half of younger-generation professionals find instant messaging or email, instead of calls or meetings, is the best way to “get things done,” showing how they believe talking over the phone can be inefficient. That’s the “it could have been an email” mentality.

    “Younger generations are less inclined to spend hours in a restaurant or cafe when they can have a quick discussion online,” Emilie Vignon, associate director of Robert Walters California, wrote in the 2024 study. To be sure, Vignon also said there are also “downsides” to only conversing via email or text.

    “Face-to-face interactions allow for meaningful connections and provide an opportunity for non-verbal communication cues, building trust and rapport with clients and colleagues,” Vignon added. “The subtleties of body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice contribute to a deeper understanding and connection that often cannot be fully conveyed through text or even video chats.”

    To be sure, other research from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the University of Chicago, as well as studies by McKinsey & Co., show calls can help resolve issues more quickly than an email, especially as workers spend nearly one-third of their time on email. A 2022 study from DePaul University researcher David J. Bouvier also shows that email enables easy information sharing and can reduce stress.

    Sydney Lake

    Source link

  • 16-year-old killed, 4 wounded in Christmas Day shooting in Lancaster

    A 16-year-old boy was killed and four others were injured during a Christmas Day shooting in Lancaster, authorities said Thursday night.

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that deputies responded to the 1000 block of E. Angela Court, a suburban street that ends in a cul-de-sac lined with single-family homes with red tile roofs and two-car garages. The incident was reported shortly after 1:00 p.m.

    They discovered the 16-year-old at the scene of the shooting, where he was declared dead. A 17-year-old girl, 15-year-old boy and two men, 19 and 29, the statement said, were taken to a local hospital with “non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.”

    The department said in an email late Thursday that “[a]t this time we don’t expect any other updates.”

    The department is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. To report a tip anonymously, call “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), download the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store, or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

    Connor Sheets

    Source link

  • Finovate Global: Our Top Interviews of 2025 – Finovate


    Our Finovate Global interview series provides deep dives and extended conversations about fintech innovation around the world—especially in countries outside of the US. This year, we have featured seven different discussions on fintech topics ranging from payments and regtech to Islamic finance and workforce management solutions. Click the headlines below to access the interviews.

    If you are a Finovate alum headquartered outside the US and would like to share your story with our readers, then consider being a part of our Finovate Global interview series in 2026. Reach out to me at [email protected]—we’d love to have you join us!

    With that, we hope you enjoy these conversations and maybe even find one that you might have missed. And thanks to Jac, Karen, Kirill, Stav, Stuart, Maya, and Dilshod for being a part of our Finovate Global interviews of 2025.

    Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world.

    Central and Eastern Europe

    • German fintech Trade Republic reached a valuation of €12.5 billion following a €1.2 billion secondary share sale.
    • Mastercard unveiled its WhatsApp chatbot for users in Azerbaijan.
    • Deutsche Bank has gone live with digital wallet and payments app, Wero.

    Middle East and Northern Africa

    • Israel VC firm Viola Ventures launched a pair of new funds totaling $250 million to invest in Israeli fintechs innovating in AI and fintech.
    • UAE-based Lucid Capital raised $2.5 million to expand AI-powered algorithmic trading.
    • PayTabs Egypt teamed up with Edita Trade, a subsidiary of Edita Food Industries, to integrate a unified cash collection and payments solution across the company’s distribution network.

    Central and Southern Asia

    • Bangalore, India-based tax management infrastructure startup Prosperr.io raised $4 million in seed funding.
    • Google introduced its UPI-linked credit card in India.
    • Unlimit secured final authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate with a payment aggregator-cross border license.

    Latin America and the Caribbean

    • Mexican fintech Plata secured a $500 million line of credit courtesy of an arrangement with Nomura Securities International.
    • Payment infrastructure company Juspay launched Visa’s Click to Pay in Brazil.
    • Contxto looked at recent venture capital investment trends in Latin America, with an emphasis on the rebound in fintech investing.

    Asia-Pacific

    • Fintech holding company Fingular established a new hub in Malaysia.
    • Invoice Lifecycle Management company Basware acquired Australian AP automation vendor Redmap.
    • A debate over which entities can issue KRW stablecoins will determine how the digital asset is regulated in South Korea, CCN reported.

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    • Payments, cash management, and capital markets solutions company Montran opened its African regional headquarters in Kenya.
    • Zawya profiled South African SME financing company Bridgement.
    • Ghama officially legalized cryptocurrency trading as the country’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill is passed.

    Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

    Views: 145

    David Penn

    Source link

  • 2026 Will Punish Lazy Email Marketing

    With 93 percent of people checking their inboxes at least once a day, email is still one of the highest-ROI channels out there. But over the past few years, email marketing has become easier to do poorly. Artificial intelligence and automation have removed friction, but they’ve also made it easier to overlook the basics that mailbox providers now scrutinize more closely. Here are some of those basics, and the problems they bring.  

    Email marketing feels easier, but that can be a trap: Email marketing is far more accessible than it was even two years ago. That’s a good thing, but it’s also why many businesses have picked up habits that quietly hurt performance.

    Sending at scale takes minutes: Modern platforms make it easy to upload a list and automate campaigns, often without pausing to evaluate list quality or engagement metrics.

    Content creation no longer slows anyone down: Templates, drag-and-drop editors, and AI-generated copy mean emails look polished, even when the strategy behind them is thin.

    Automation creates a false sense of “set it and forget it”: Once workflows go live, many teams stop reviewing who they’re sending to, how those emails perform over time, and how they can be improved.

    Volume can feel like progress: More emails, more campaigns, more activity. But activity isn’t the same as effectiveness.

    The problem isn’t that these tools exist. It’s that they make it easy to confuse convenience with good email marketing, at a time when mailbox providers are doing the opposite and tightening standards.

    Avoid these pitfalls

    Here are some of the pitfalls to watch out for, and how to make the most of AI without losing the human judgment email marketing still depends on. 

    Dirty data: Sending emails to outdated contacts has never been a good idea, but today, it can hurt your campaigns even more. A bounce rate higher than 2 percent is an immediate red flag: It signals poor list quality, typical of spammers, so your emails may start going to spam.

    Keeping your bounces at a minimum is part of ongoing data maintenance, and it’s quite easy to do. Before you add a new contact to your list, check it for accuracy. Also, once every few months, verify your entire list to identify and remove disabled email addresses. 

    Automation without oversight: You can save hours by automating welcome emails or re-engagement campaigns. When your email platform makes it so convenient, it’s easy to adopt a “set it and forget it” mindset, but these setups can age badly. 

    Your customer base is always evolving, so your messaging can become irrelevant or repetitive. Also, automated volume can cause errors as you scale. So at least once a quarter, set a reminder to go through all your automated emails and check them for relevance. Sometimes, all you need is a few small tweaks to keep your campaigns current and high-performing. 

    Over-mailing can backfire: Emailing your customers regularly is a cornerstone of good email marketing, but more emails doesn’t always mean better results. Frequency without strategy can burn out your list and lead to low engagement, unsubscribes, and even spam reports. They all affect your ability to reach the inbox.

    Restraint is a competitive advantage, so in 2026, be more intentional about the emails you send. Scrutinize every message and only hit send on those emails that communicate something worthwhile. 

    Bonus tips to keep your email marketing effective in 2026

    In 2026, mailbox providers are less forgiving, and small mistakes add up faster. Save these extra tips to help your emails perform:

    • Monitor your metrics after every send. Opens and clicks are powerful trust signals, so you can’t afford to ignore engagement. If you notice a dip, be ready to quickly switch to a new approach.
    • Avoid replacing yourself with AI. Using AI to write your emails entirely is tempting, but never copy and paste bot-written copy into your templates. Even if your emails are imperfect, use your own words as much as you can to preserve authenticity.
    • Make review part of your routine. Regularly audit your campaigns and automated flows to make sure they still reflect how your business and your audience have evolved.

    In 2026, email rewards intention and discipline, so stick to these habits and you’ll continue to see steady, satisfying returns. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Liviu Tanase

    Source link

  • Claims about Trump in Epstein files are ‘untrue,’ the Justice Department says

    WASHINGTON — Tips provided to federal investigators about Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s schemes with young women and girls are “sensationalist” and “untrue,” the Justice Department said on Tuesday, after a new tranche of files released from the probe featured multiple references to the president.

    The documents include a limousine driver reportedly overhearing Trump discussing a man named Jeffrey “abusing” a girl, and an alleged victim accusing Trump and Epstein of rape. It is unclear whether the FBI followed up on the tips. The alleged rape victim died from a gunshot wound to the head after reporting the incident.

    Nowhere in the newly released files do federal law enforcement agents or prosecutors indicate that Trump was suspected of wrongdoing, or that Trump — whose friendship with Epstein lasted through the mid-2000s — was investigated himself.

    But one unidentified federal prosecutor noted in a 2020 email that Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported,” including over a time period when Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s top confidante who would ultimately be convicted on five federal counts of sex trafficking and abuse, was being investigated for criminal activity.

    The Justice Department released an unusual statement unequivocally defending the president.

    “Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the Justice Department statement read. “To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”

    “Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims,” the department added.

    The Justice Department files were released with heavy redactions after bipartisan lawmakers in Congress passed a new law compelling it to do so, despite Trump lobbying Republicans aggressively over the summer and fall to oppose the bill. The president ultimately signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law after the legislation passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers.

    One newly released file containing a letter purportedly from Epstein — a notorious child sex offender who died in jail while awaiting federal trial on sex-trafficking charges — drew widespread attention online, but was held up by the Justice Department as an example of faulty or misleading information contained in the files.

    The letter appeared to be sent by Epstein to Larry Nassar, another convicted sex offender, shortly before Epstein’s death. The letter’s author suggested that Nassar would learn after receiving the note that Epstein had “taken the ‘short route’ home,” possibly referring to his suicide. It was postmarked from Virginia on Aug. 13, 2019, despite Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail three days prior.

    “Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls,” the letter reads. “When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch,’ whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system. Life is unfair.”

    The Justice Department said that the FBI had confirmed that the letter is “FAKE” after it made the rounds on Tuesday.

    “This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual,” the department posted on social media. “Nevertheless, the DOJ will continue to release all material required by law.”

    The department has faced bipartisan scrutiny since failing to release all of the Epstein files in its possession by Dec. 19, the legal deadline for it to do so, and for redacting material on the vast majority of the documents.

    Justice Department officials said they were following the law by protecting victims with the redactions. The Epstein Files Transparency Act also directs the department not to redact images or references to prominent or political figures, and to provide an explanation for each and every redaction in writing.

    The latest release, just days before the Christmas holiday, includes roughly 30,000 documents, the department said. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

    Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a statement in response to the Tuesday release accusing the Justice Department of a “cover-up,” writing on social media, “the new DOJ documents raise serious questions about the relationship between Epstein and Donald Trump.”

    Documents from Epstein’s private estate released by the oversight committee earlier this fall had already cast a spotlight on that relationship, revealing Epstein had written in emails to associates that Trump “knew about the girls.”

    The latest documents release also includes an email from an individual identified as “A,” claiming to stay at Balmoral Castle, a royal residence in Scotland, asking Maxwell if she had found him “some new inappropriate friends.” Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has come under intense scrutiny over his ties to Epstein in recent years.

    Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, Trump said the continuing Epstein scandal amounts to a “distraction” from Republican successes, and expressed disapproval over the release of images in the files that reveal associates of Epstein.

    “I believe they gave over 100,000 pages of documents, and there’s tremendous backlash,” Trump told reporters. “It’s an interesting question, because a lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein. But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party, and you ruin a reputation of somebody. So a lot of people are very angry that this continues.”

    Michael Wilner

    Source link

  • Socure Acquires BNPL Consumer Credit Database Qlarifi – Finovate

    • Identity verification, compliance, and risk decisioning platform Socure has acquired Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer credit database, Qlarifi. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
    • The acquisition will create a unified, identity, anti-fraud BNPL credit infrastructure to help consumers build credit responsibly.
    • New York-based Socure has been a Finovate alum since 2013. Johnny Ayers is Founder and CEO.

    Global identity, compliance, and risk decisioning platform Socure has acquired real-time Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer credit database, Qlarifi. The combination will create a unified identity, anti-fraud BNPL credit infrastructure helping consumers build credit responsibly, enabling lenders to confidently offer financing to more qualified customers, while providing transparency and increased consumer protection that regulators increasingly demand.

    “BNPL has outgrown the legacy systems that were never designed to support their innovative lending products,” Socure Founder and CEO Johnny Ayers said. “At the same time, consumers deserve a safe path to build credit, lenders need real-time visibility to reduce fraud and risk, and regulators require transparency and reporting. Qlarifi built the first real-time BNPL consumer credit database, and by combining it with SocureID and our Identity Graph, we can deliver the unified infrastructure that all market participants have been asking for.”

    Buy Now Pay Later is a growing component of the e-commerce ecosystem, with nearly 6% of all online transactions in the US relying on BNPL. With growth of more than 20% in the US, spending on BNPL is poised to top $700 billion globally by 2028. The rise of BNPL presents a challenge to both conventional credit reporting systems and infrastructure, however. These systems were not built for the kind of high frequency, small dollar amount lending decisions made in milliseconds that characterizes BNPL. Moreover, lenders have little visibility into the creditworthiness of borrowers, especially when it comes to cross provider visibility. This can expose merchants to significant losses and even increased fraud rates. Furthermore, unlike other credit schemes, BNPL also tends to leave consumers without a path to build credit.

    In response, Qlarifi’s platform enables BNPL providers to safely extend financing to qualified customers, while identifying high-risk behavior such as loan stacking and financial crime such as first-party fraud. Already piloted effectively with its partners in Europe, Qlarifi is designed specifically to help lenders protect their customers from overextension and reduce the risk for BNPL providers. Integrated with Socure’s Identity Graph intelligence and RiskOS decisioning engine, lenders will be able to validate identity across BNPL providers, enable thin file customers (those with limited credit history) to access credit responsibly, and reduce fraud-related payment costs for merchants.

    “We built Qlarifi to solve a very real pain point: the lack of infrastructure to protect consumers from overextending themselves across multiple BNPL providers,” Qlarifi CEO and Co-founder Alex Naughton said. “By joining forces with Socure, we now have their tremendous commercial scale, balance sheet, and world-class analytics behind us to build the infrastructure that will enable responsible lending at scale and demonstrate to regulators that the industry can protect consumers while expanding access to credit.”

    Headquartered in London and founded in 2023, Qlarifi offers a BNPL consumer credit database, providing lenders with BNPL transaction history data to enable them to make more informed underwriting decisions. The solution helps consumers access the right credit products for their needs, provides enhanced fraud protection, and reduces scoring costs while enabling lenders to mitigate operational risks through an emphasis on data privacy and data minimization.

    New York-based Socure has been a Finovate alum since 2013. The company leverages AI and machine learning, along with trusted online and offline data intelligence, to verify identities in real time. A leading digital identity verification and trust platform, Socure has more than 2,000 customers in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, and other industries, and includes four of the top five banks, seven of the top 10 card issuers, and more than 250 of the largest fintechs among its clients.

    Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

    Views: 136

    David Penn

    Source link

  • New SantaStealer malware is after your passwords and crypto

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Christmas is around the corner, and so is the SantaStealer malware. While the name sounds jolly, this malware is more than capable of ruining your happiness this festive season. The worst part is that this new strain is available to almost anyone willing to pay a small fee. It essentially works as malware-as-a-service, letting buyers target people at scale, obviously not for any legitimate use.

    SantaStealer is starting to make noise across Telegram channels and underground hacker forums. It is being marketed as a stealthy, memory-only information stealer that can quietly siphon data without leaving obvious traces on disk. 

    Memory-only does not mean undetectable. It simply reduces disk artifacts, which can delay detection rather than prevent it altogether. That promise alone is enough to attract cybercriminals, especially at a time when browser-stored passwords, session cookies and crypto wallets remain high-value targets.

    MALICIOUS BROWSER EXTENSIONS HIT 4.3M USERS

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report 
    Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

    SantaStealer malware is spreading ahead of Christmas, with cybercriminals marketing the data-stealing tool for hire across Telegram and underground forums. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    SantaStealer and how it actually works

    SantaStealer operates as a malware-as-a-service, charging $175 per month for its basic tier and $300 per month for the premium plan. Researchers at Rapid7 say the operation rebrands an earlier project called BluelineStealer, with a Russian-speaking developer pushing toward a wider launch before the end of the year.

    Despite bold claims about evading detection, Rapid7’s analysis paints a more grounded picture. The samples they examined were not particularly difficult to analyze and lacked the advanced anti-analysis techniques being advertised, which is good news for us. If it can be detected, security tools have a better chance of removing it before it can do serious damage.

    Functionally, SantaStealer is still dangerous. It uses 14 separate data-collection modules that run in parallel, pulling information from browsers, messaging apps like Telegram and Discord, gaming platforms such as Steam, crypto wallet apps and extensions, and even local documents. The malware can also take screenshots of your desktop. Stolen data is written to memory, compressed into ZIP files and sent out in 10MB chunks to a hardcoded command-and-control server.

    One notable capability is its use of an embedded executable to get around Chrome’s App-Bound Encryption, a security feature introduced in mid-2024. This workaround typically requires the malware to be executed at the user level and is not a remote bypass of Chrome’s security model. Similar tricks have already been used by other info-stealers, showing how quickly attackers test and adapt to new browser protections. 

    What this says about the current threat landscape

    SantaStealer is not fully operational yet and has not been distributed at scale, but it reflects a broader trend in cybercrime. Modern info-stealers are modular, configurable and sold much like regular software. The affiliate panel that Rapid7 observed allows buyers to fine-tune exactly what data the malware steals, from full system sweeps to narrowly targeted attacks focused on specific apps or crypto wallets.

    The malware also includes options to avoid infecting systems in certain regions and to delay execution, which can throw off both victims and security analysts. As for how SantaStealer might spread, researchers say recent campaigns increasingly rely on ClickFix-style attacks. These tricks push victims into pasting malicious commands directly into the Windows terminal, often disguised as steps to fix an issue or enable a feature.

    More traditional methods are still very much in play. Phishing emails, pirated software, torrent downloads, malicious ads and even deceptive YouTube comments remain effective delivery channels. Once malware like this runs on a system, it needs very little time to grab saved passwords, session cookies and wallet data that can later be abused or sold.

    7 steps you can take to stay safe from SantaStealer malware

    A few sensible habits and the right tools can significantly reduce your risk, even if malware like this continues to evolve. Here are seven practical steps you can take to stay safe:

    1) Use strong antivirus software

    Modern antivirus tools don’t just look for known malware signatures. They also monitor suspicious behavior, such as programs trying to grab browser data or run hidden processes. Keep real-time protection enabled and take alerts seriously instead of dismissing them.

    The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

    Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

    Someone typing on a computer in a dark room.

    A new malware-as-a-service threat known as SantaStealer targets passwords, session cookies and crypto wallets while promoting itself as a stealthy, memory-only attack. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

    2) Keep your operating system and apps updated

    Updates are not just about new features. They often patch security flaws that malware actively targets. This includes your OS, browser, browser extensions, crypto wallet apps and messaging tools. Delaying updates gives attackers a wider window to exploit known weaknesses.

    3) Switch to a password manager

    Info-stealers love browser-saved passwords because they are easy to grab. A password manager stores your credentials in an encrypted vault and reduces what your browser keeps locally. It also helps you use strong, unique passwords for every service without having to remember them.

    Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

    Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com. 

    FAKE WINDOWS UPDATE PUSHES MALWARE IN NEW CLICKFIX ATTACK

    4) Turn on two-factor authentication wherever possible

    Even if your password is stolen, 2FA can stop attackers from getting in. App-based authenticators are more secure than SMS codes and should be your first choice for email, crypto exchanges, cloud services and social media accounts.

    5) Be extremely careful with commands and “quick fixes”

    ClickFix-style attacks rely on trust and urgency. If a website, pop-up or video tells you to paste a command into the Windows terminal to fix something, stop. Unless you fully understand what that command does, assume it is dangerous.

    6) Use a personal data removal service

    When your email, phone number or other personal details are widely available online, attackers can target you more convincingly. Personal data removal services help take your information down from data broker sites, reducing the chances of targeted phishing or malware lures.

    While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

    Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

    Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

    HACKERS PUSH FAKE APPS WITH MALWARE IN GOOGLE SEARCHES

    7) Avoid pirated software and unverified extensions

    Cracked software, torrents and shady browser extensions remain some of the most reliable malware delivery methods. They often bundle info-stealers that run quietly in the background. Stick to official app stores, trusted developers and verified extensions, even if it means skipping a “free” download.

    Person wearing a hoodie works on multiple computer screens displaying digital data in a dark room.

    SantaStealer can quietly siphon sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    Kurt’s key takeaway

    SantaStealer may not yet live up to its own hype, but that should not make you complacent. Early-stage malware often improves quickly once developers patch obvious mistakes. Be cautious with links and attachments from unfamiliar emails, and think twice before running unverified code or browser extensions pulled from public repositories.

    When was the last time you checked which extensions have access to your data? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report 
    Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

    Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.

    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

    Source link

  • 11 Finovate Alums Raised More than $1.4 Billion in Q4; More Than $3.3 Billion in 2025 – Finovate


    Finovate alums raised more than $1.4 billion in the final three months of 2025. The funding total in the fourth quarter of the year is the best Q4 for alum funding in more than a decade. The historic Q4 also takes the annual total capital raised by Finovate alums to levels not seen since 2021.

    As we learn more about the overall level of fintech funding in the fourth quarter and for the full year, it will be interesting to see if this impressive performance by Finovate alums reflects broader investment trends in the industry.

    Previous Annual Comparisons

    • 2024: $553 million
    • 2023: $1.2 billion
    • 2022: $2.7 billion
    • 2021: $8.4 billion

    A total of 46 Finovate alums reported funding in 2025, totaling more than $3.3 billion. This figure represents the largest fundraising year for Finovate alums since the blow-out year of 2021 in which more than $8 billion was raised.

    Previous Quarterly Comparisons

    • Q4 2024: More than $132 million raised by seven alums
    • Q4 2023: More than $307 million raised by 11 alums
    • Q4 2022: More than $380 million raised by 15 alums
    • Q4 2021: More than $1.2 billion raised by seven alums

    The pattern of billion+plus Q4s arriving every other year continued in 2025. 11 Finovate alums reported raising more than $1.4 billion in the fourth quarter of this year. This includes one company’s investment (Qolo’s fundraising in October) for which the amount is unknown. The last time Finovate alums raised a comparable amount in funding in the fourth quarter was in 2014, when 26 alums raised more than $1.4 billion.

    Top Quarterly Equity Investments

    The top equity investments of the quarter were the $500 million secured by both Avalara and Ripple. Also among the top fundraisings of the quarter was the $280 million raised in two separate, back-to-back rounds by MoEngage.

    Here is our detailed alum funding report for Q4 2025.

    October: More than $108 million raised by four alums

    November: More than $1.1 billion raised by five alums

    December: More than $191 million raised by two alums

    If you are a Finovate alum that raised money in the fourth quarter of 2025, and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at [email protected]. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.

    Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

    Views: 88

    David Penn

    Source link

  • Vince Zampella Cause of Death: ‘Call of Duty’ Creator Was 55

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We have tragic news to report from the world of gaming today.

    Vincent Zampella — the tech executive who was best known as one of the architects behind the Call of Duty franchise — has passed away.

    He was just 55 years old.

    Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment, introduces the video game “Titanfall 2” during Electronics Arts news conference on June 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

    News of Zampella’s death comes courtesy of Los Angeles NBC affiliate NBC4.

    According to early reports, Zampella was killed in a single-car accident on Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway.

    The head of Respawn Entertainment and the former CEO of Infinity Ward was driving his Ferrari when he suddenly lost control and struck a concrete barrier.

    According to the California Highway Patrol, one passenger was ejected and later died at an area hospital.

    CEO, Respawn Entertainment Vince Zampella speaks at the 7th Annual Produced By Conference at Paramount Studios on May 31, 2015 in Hollywood, California.
    CEO, Respawn Entertainment Vince Zampella speaks at the 7th Annual Produced By Conference at Paramount Studios on May 31, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

    The driver died at the scene after being trapped inside the vehicle, which was engulfed in flames.

    “For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed,” said the California Highway Patrol in a statement issued Monday (via Deadline).

    “The passenger was ejected from the vehicle and the driver remained trapped. Both parties succumbed to their injuries. It is currently unknown whether alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in this crash.”

    Zampella co-founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. The studio was acquired by EA in 2017.

    Respawn is best known for the video games Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, and STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order.

    Vince Zampella and Brie Larson attend the BATTLEFIELD 6 reveal celebration hosted by Electronic Arts and Battlefield Studios at Sunset Room Hollywood on July 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
    Vince Zampella and Brie Larson attend the BATTLEFIELD 6 reveal celebration hosted by Electronic Arts and Battlefield Studios at Sunset Room Hollywood on July 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for EA Entertainment)

    Zampella was widely regarded as one of the gaming industry’s greatest success stories.

    Across social media today, fans from around the globe are paying tribute to his beloved body of work.

    “Vince Zampella had one of the most legendary runs in video games. Anything he touched turned into gold. His loss will be felt deeply in this industry,” wrote one X user on Monday.

    “Nah, man. Not Vince Zampella. We lost a fucking LEGEND. Shocked ain’t even the word,” another added.

    “In absolute shock right now. Rest in peace to an absolute legend and giant of our industry,” a third stated.

    Zampella is survived by three children. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones as they attempt to process this devastating loss.

    Vince Zampella Cause of Death: ‘Call of Duty’ Creator Was 55 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

    Tyler Johnson

    Source link

  • Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News – Finovate


    Welcome to Finovate’s final Fintech Rundown of 2025! DeFi and crypto have dominated the fintech news in recent weeks, with some companies in the space launching stablecoins and stablecoin-related services, while others announce expansion into new markets. We will update this post over the next several days to keep you informed on the final big headlines of the year.

    Investing and wealth management

    An investor group led by Permira and Warburg Pincus has announced plans to acquire Clearwater Anaytics in a transaction valued at $8.4 billion.

    DeFi and crypto

    Coinbase launches Stablecoins-as-a-Service solution, Custom Stablecoins.

    Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit re-launches in the UK.

    SoFi launches fully reserved stablecoin.

    US-based digital currency platform CoinFlip opens its Crypto Center in Mexico City.

    AI

    Pendo announces the general availability of its Agent Analytics solution.

    Insurtech

    AI-native commercial insurer Nirvana Insurance raises $100 million in Series D funding.

    Payments

    Visa and Aldar announce strategic collaboration and live implementation of end-to-end voice-enabled agentic payments.

    Digital banking

    Financial services software company Finastra announces opening of new offices in Atlanta and in Trivandrum, India.

    Fraud prevention and financial crime

    ComplyAdvantage partners with Sutherland to launch an AI-powered compliance solution for banks and fintechs.

    Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

    Views: 10

    David Penn

    Source link

  • The Real Reason No One Sees Your Marketing

    You’re spending time and money crafting marketing messages, but if you’re like most business owners, a large portion of them never actually get through. Nearly 1 in 6 marketing emails is never seen, and even when they are, the average open rate across industries hovers around 20 percent.

    Add to that the rise of spam filters and call screening apps that block or silence unknown numbers (with only 13 percent of Americans even willing to often answer a call from an unknown number) and you have a serious reach problem.

    It’s frustrating, right? You know your business could be helping people, but it’s like shouting into the wind.

    At PostcardMania, we’ve worked with 127,785 small and independent businesses and have seen this challenge up close. The solution isn’t blasting more and more communication into already-crowded spaces. Instead, it’s building a smarter, balanced plan that meets people where they are, when they’re ready, so you can see what’s working and scale it.

    Let’s talk about three ways to make that happen.

    1.  The most reliable way to reach real people

    When your emails vanish into spam folders, direct mail still lands—literally—right in your prospect’s hands. It’s one of the few marketing tools left that almost guarantees your message gets seen.

    About 90 percent of direct mail gets opened, compared to just 20–30 percent of emails. That means nearly everyone who receives a postcard will at least glance at it—and that alone puts you miles ahead of digital-only marketing.

    Even more impressive: response rates for direct mail range from 4–9 percent, while social media delivers less than 1 percent in most categories, email averages 1 percent, and paid search is about 2 percent.

    Unlike a digital ad that disappears in seconds, a postcard lingers. It’s tangible. It gets pinned to a fridge, handed to a spouse, stacked on a desk—and that physical presence drives recall.

    Just ensure you’re mailing to the right people. Smart targeting lets you mail only to prospects who fit your ideal customer profile by geography, homeowner status, annual income, and more. And if you’re B2B, there are a multitude of targeting options as well.

    Take this a step further by utilizing automations to ensure your direct mail outreach is responsive to consumer behavior, adding relevance and timing to the mix. There are a few types of direct mail automations to choose from:

    • A CRM-driven automation will allow you to trigger mailers based on changes that happen within your CRM, like if someone becomes a new lead, goes a few weeks without responding, receives a quote, buys something, etc.
    • Direct mail retargeting is a type of automation that triggers mailers to website visitors based on various factors like how long they’re on your site, which pages they visit, if they convert, etc.
    • You can also set up location-based automations that automatically trigger mailers to people moving into a designated area, or people living near jobsites (popular with home service businesses).

    Direct mail automation allows you to combine precise targeting, timing, and tangibility—all of which increases results.

    The best part? Your competitors can’t outbid or out-algorithm you here. Just your message, delivered.

    Make it easy for leads to find you

    If direct mail is your outreach, inbound marketing like search engine optimization (SEO) is your magnet. It attracts leads who are already searching for what you offer, building credibility before you ever speak to them.

    More than 68 percent of all online experiences start with a search engine, and blogging is a top driver of ROI for B2B. A strong SEO strategy ensures that when prospects search for your product or service, they find you—not your competitors.

    Start by answering the real questions your audience asks. Use their language—not industry jargon—and focus on creating genuinely helpful content. When you consistently create content that answers real questions and uses the same language your customers do, you build trust before you ever talk to them. That trust turns into clicks, calls, and conversions.

    The secret to marketing that actually works

    Here’s where most businesses lose steam. They do the marketing but never measure what happens next. And that’s a huge mistake. Because when you track your results, you find out exactly what’s working and what’s wasting money.

    Plus, businesses that use tracking and analytics in their marketing have 2.8 times higher reporting of double-digit growth. That’s because they’re not guessing—they’re learning.

    Use call tracking numbers for every channel. Any call tracking service (or maybe even your CRM) can generate these numbers and track them for you, and walk you through setup. Once you have call tracking established for each channel, take it a step further and make sure that every campaign also has its own unique number. The goal is simple: If the phone rings, you know exactly what made it ring.

    Next, you’ll want to generate tracking URLs that tell you:

    • Which ad brought the person in
    • Which postcard they scanned
    • Which email they clicked
    • Which platform (Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) did the heavy lifting

    Google makes this incredibly easy. Use their Campaign URL Builder to generate UTM links, which are normal URLs with a few extra “tags” added to the end. These tags are magic—they tell you exactly where a visitor came from when they land on your website.

    That’s how you stop guessing and start improving—by spending smarter.

    Your audience is harder to reach than ever, but not impossible. You can’t control spam filters or call screening, but you can control how you reach your audience.

    Joy Gendusa

    Source link

  • Justice Department releases Epstein files, with redactions and omissions

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department released a library of files on Friday related to Jeffrey Epstein, partially complying with a new federal law compelling their release, while acknowledging that hundreds of thousands of files remain sealed.

    The portal, on the department’s website, includes videos, photos and documents from the years-long investigation of the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, who died in federal prison in 2019. But upon an initial survey of the files, several of the documents were heavily redacted, and much of the database was unsearchable, in spite of a provision of the new law requiring a more accessible system.

    The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, unequivocally required the department to release its full trove of files by midnight Friday, marking 30 days since passage.

    But a top official said earlier Friday that the department would miss the legal deadline Friday to release all files, protracting a scandal that has come to plague the Trump administration. Hundreds of thousands more were still under review and would take weeks more to release, said Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general.

    “I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more,” Blanche told Fox News on Friday.

    The delay drew immediate condemnation from Democrats in key oversight roles.

    Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, accused President Trump and his administration in a statement Friday of “violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring,” and said they were “examining all legal options.”

    The delay also drew criticism from some Republicans.

    “My goodness, what is in the Epstein files?” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who is leaving Congress next month, wrote on X. “Release all the files. It’s literally the law.”

    “Time’s up. Release the files,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote on X.

    Already, congressional efforts to force the release of documents from the FBI’s investigations into Epstein have produced a trove of the disgraced financier’s emails and other records from his estate.

    Some made reference to Trump and added to a long-evolving portrait of the social relationship that Epstein and Trump shared for years, before what Trump has described as a falling out.

    In one email in early 2019, during Trump’s first term in the White House, Epstein wrote to author and journalist Michael Wolff that Trump “knew about the girls.”

    In a 2011 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted of conspiring with Epstein to help him sexually abuse young girls, Epstein wrote, “I want you to realize that the dog that hasn’t barked is trump. [Victim] spent hours at my house with him … he has never once been mentioned.”

    Maxwell responded: “I have been thinking about that…”

    Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and downplayed the importance of the files. He has also intermittently worked to block their release, even while suggesting publicly that he would not be opposed to it.

    His administration’s resistance to releasing all of the FBI’s files, and fumbling with their reasons for withholding documents, was overcome only after Republican lawmakers broke off and joined Democrats in passing the transparency measure.

    The resistance has also riled many in the president’s base, with their intrigue and anger over the files remaining stickier and harder to shake for Trump than any other political vulnerability.

    It remained unclear Friday afternoon what additional revelations would come from the anticipated dump. Among the files that were released, extensive redactions were expected to shield victims, as well as references to individuals and entities that could be the subject of ongoing investigations or matters of national security.

    That could include mentions of Trump, experts said, who was a private citizen over the course of his infamous friendship with Epstein through the mid-2000s.

    Epstein was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution in Florida, but served only 13 months in custody in what was considered a sweetheart plea deal that saved him a potential life sentence. He was charged in 2019 with sex trafficking, and died in federal custody at a Manhattan jail awaiting trial. Epstein was alleged to have abused over 200 women and girls.

    Many of his victims argued in support of the release of documents, but administration officials have cited their privacy as a primary excuse for delaying the release — something Blanche reiterated Friday.

    “There’s a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim,” Blanche said, noting that Trump had signed the law just 30 days prior.

    “And we have been working tirelessly since that day to make sure that we get every single document that we have within the Department of Justice, review it and get it to the American public,” he said.

    Trump had lobbied aggressively against the Epstein Files Transparency Act, unsuccessfully pressuring House Republican lawmakers not to join a discharge petition that would force a vote on the matter over the wishes of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). He ultimately signed the bill into law after it passed both chambers with veto-proof majorities.

    Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), who introduced the House bill requiring the release of the files, warned that the Justice Department under future administrations could pursue legal action against current officials who work to obstruct the release of any of the files, contravening the letter of the new law.

    “Let me be very clear, we need a full release,” Khanna said. “Anyone who tampers with these documents, or conceals documents, or engages in excessive redaction, will be prosecuted because of obstruction of justice.”

    Given Democrats’ desire to keep the issue alive politically, and the intense interest in the matter from voters on both ends of the political spectrum, the fact that the Justice Department failed to meet the Friday deadline in full was likely to stoke continued agitation for the documents’ release in coming days.

    In their statement Friday, Garcia and Raskin hammered on Trump administration officials — including Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi — for allegedly interfering in the release of records.

    “For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena,” they said. “The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself.”

    Among other things, they called out the Justice Department’s decision to move Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, to a minimum security prison after she met with Blanche in July.

    “The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ,” Garcia and Raskin said.

    Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), in response to Blanche saying all the files wouldn’t be released Friday, said the transparency act “is clear: while protecting survivors, ALL of these records are required to be released today. Not just some.”

    “The Trump administration can’t move the goalposts,” Schiff wrote on X. “They’re cemented in law.”

    Michael Wilner, Kevin Rector

    Source link

  • OnePay Becomes Infrastructure for Agent-Led Commerce – Finovate

    • OnePay has joined Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), moving the Walmart-owned fintech from traditional payments into providing infrastructure for agent-led, AI-driven commerce.
    • Unlike networks such as Mastercard, PayPal, and American Express that provide payment rails within AP2, OnePay is joining as a credential provider that will define how AI agents store credentials, interpret user intent, select payment instruments, and disclose financing options.
    • By positioning itself upstream of transactions, OnePay is aiming to govern the rules and guardrails of autonomous payments.

    OnePay, the Walmart-owned digital banking platform, announced yesterday that it is joining Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2). The partnership moves OnePay from offering traditional payments to becoming infrastructure for agentic payments.

    Google launched AP2 in September 2025 to provide an open, standardized framework for digital payments. AP2 connects banks, fintechs, and merchants with its protocol that creates a common language for how AI agents can transact on behalf of users.

    While OnePay joins heavyweights such as Mastercard, PayPal, and American Express in enlisting in AP2, it will not serve in the same capacity as the payments players, which are providing the payment rails. Instead, OnePay is joining as a credential provider, meaning the company will focus on how payment credentials are stored, secured, and reused by AI agents, how the user intent is expressed, how agents choose between different payment instruments, and how financing options are disclosed. Essentially, OnePay is taking on the role of defining the rules and guardrails that govern agent behavior.

    For OnePay, joining AP2 positions the company as critical infrastructure for agent-led commerce. By acting as a credential provider within AP2, OnePay helps solve how agents securely store, select, and reuse payment credentials while respecting user constraints like spending limits, merchant rules, and financing preferences.

    “We’re excited to collaborate with Google and the broader ecosystem to bring these ideas to life,” said OnePay CTO Moe Matar. “As AI begins handling more of the everyday work in commerce, consumers deserve a payments infrastructure that is fast, trustworthy, and aligned with their intent.”

    Notably, this move positions OnePay upstream of payments. Since it was founded in 2020, the company has focused on facilitating transactions. Today’s announcement indicates OnePay has much bigger plans as it broadens its scope into governing how autonomous commerce decisions are made.

    Views: 62

    Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

    Source link

  • Romy Reiner Mocked For Political Beliefs Following Brutal Murder of Parents, Rob and Michele Reiner

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    When the world learned that Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner had been murdered in their home over the weekend, there was an immediate outpouring of love and support from famous colleagues and a legion of adoring fans.

    But this is 2025, a time when everything — even a horrific tragedy such as the Reiner murders one — must be politicized and exploited for personal gain by soulless social media grifters.

    So even though Romy Reiner, 28, just discovered her parents’ bodies less than a week ago, she’s already being dragged into a discourse that she surely wants no part of.

    Rob Reiner, wife Michele Singer and daughter Romy Reiner attend the 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night Gala And 30th Anniversary Screening Of "When Harry Met Sally" - Arrivals at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
    Rob Reiner, wife Michele Singer and daughter Romy Reiner attend the 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night Gala And 30th Anniversary Screening Of “When Harry Met Sally” – Arrivals at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)

    Just weeks before tragedy tore the Reiners apart, the family took a beach vacation together at an undisclosed location.

    At one point, Romy posted a mirror selfie, along with a caption reading:

    “Thankful for family, health, and followers of any age. Not thankful for the president and the state of our country.”

    That’s a sentiment that’s shared by tens of millions of Americans, and it’s pretty mild, as far as politiccal commentary goes.

    But multiple blue-checkmarked demons have used to try and sic their followers on a grieving family.

    Rob Reiner with his wife Michele Reiner (L) and daughter Romy Reiner (R) attend the 'Shock and Awe' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on September 30, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Rob Reiner with his wife Michele Reiner (L) and daughter Romy Reiner (R) attend the 'Shock and Awe' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on September 30, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland.
    Rob Reiner with his wife Michele Reiner (L) and daughter Romy Reiner (R) attend the ‘Shock and Awe’ premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on September 30, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

    “Earlier this month the Reiners vacationed on a private island and this was the caption,” a user named Almost Jingo tweeted, alongside a screenshot of Romy’s post (he added an eyeroll emoji, in case his feelings about her content were unclear).

    Horrifically, many of Jingo’s followers applauded him for pawing through the social media feed of a woman whose parents just got murdered in his search for ragebait chum to toss to his bloodthirsty followers.

    Thankfully, there’s still an ounce or two of humanity left on social media, so many others — including a few who seemed to agree with Jingo’s general worldview.

    “If you’re looking up someone who’s parents just got murdered by their brother on social media to try to score a cheap dunk over politics, you really should log off and touch some grass,” wrote one user, in a tweet that received thousands of likes.

    Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner attend the Los Angeles Premiere of LBJ at ArcLight Hollywood on October 24, 2017 in Hollywood, California.Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner attend the Los Angeles Premiere of LBJ at ArcLight Hollywood on October 24, 2017 in Hollywood, California.
    Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner attend the Los Angeles Premiere of LBJ at ArcLight Hollywood on October 24, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Electric Entertainment)

    Reiner murders become unexpected political issue

    Though obviously best-known for his work as one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors and directors, Rob Reiner was also a prominent political activist who never shied away from a spirited political debate.

    And so, people who benefit from the deepening political divide in this country have been quick to focus on Reiner’s politics rather than his worth as an artist, father, husband, and human being.

    President Donald Trump shocked millions earlier this week when he blasted Reiner for his political beliefs in the wake of film icon’s gruesome murder.

    Trump claimed that Reiner’s death stemmed from anger that he caused “through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease.”

    The president continued: “known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”

    Thankfully, in both of these cases, many others were able to set aside politics and point out that celebrating a tragedy is shameful no matter what political party the victims belonged to in life.

    Hopefully, it’s an attitude that more Americans will adopt in the years to come.

    Tyler Johnson

    Source link

  • CoinJar, Australia’s Top Cryptocurrency Exchange, is Coming to America – Finovate

    • Australian digital currency exchange CoinJar announced its expansion to the US.
    • As part of its expansion to the US, the company is unveiling its intelligent, AI-powered assistant, CoinJar AI, for customers in both the US and Australia. CoinJar AI helps users query the platform for portfolio information and market activity data.
    • Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, CoinJar won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2015 in London. Asher Tan is CEO.

    Digital currency exchange CoinJar, which won Best of Show in its debut at FinovateEurope 2015, is coming to the US. As part of its expansion to the US, CoinJar will launch CoinJar AI, an intelligent AI-powered assistant, integrated directly into its exchange platform that helps users access portfolio information and data on market activity.

    “The US market has reached a point where we can plan and build with greater confidence,” CoinJar CEO and Co-Founder Asher Tan said. “That applies not only to market access, but to the kinds of tools we can responsibly deploy for users. CoinJar AI shows what becomes possible when regulation and technology move forward together. It’s no coincidence we’re launching this capability first in the US, where oversight is evolving in a way that supports innovation while maintaining strong consumer protections.”

    CoinJar’s expansion to the US has been years in the making, but recent shifts in policy and political leadership—e.g., the passage of the Genius Act and the return of Donald Trump to the White House—have only bolstered reasons for the move. “Right now, the president has his own memecoin,” Tan said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review. “It’s a change of temperature in the US, and that changes a lot.”

    In a statement, the company highlighted the growing interest within the cryptocurrency and digital asset space for embedded, AI-driven trading tools capable of operating in regulated environments. CoinJar is one of a small group of digital asset exchanges that are bringing AI-enabled portfolio and market analysis tools integrated into the core platform to the American market.

    Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, CoinJar made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2015. At the conference, the company won Best of Show for its technology that enabled users to buy, sell, receive, and spend both digital and traditional currencies. A pioneer among Australian fintechs, CoinJar is the longest-running cryptocurrency exchange in the country and is regarded as the #1 cryptocurrency exchange in Australia. To date, the company has helped more than 800,000 customers in the UK, Australia, Ireland, and the US buy, sell, and spend billions of dollars in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 60+ other cryptocurrencies.

    In addition to its exchange and crypto wallet, CoinJar also offers institutional DeFi solutions. These products include CoinJar Clear, which enables fintechs to integrate cryptocurrency trading capabilities into their platforms via secure APIs, and CoinJar Payout, which empowers companies to integrate Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 60+ other cryptocurrencies into their cashback, rewards, or loyalty programs.

    Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

    Views: 254

    David Penn

    Source link

  • How Citi is Thinking About Fintech Funding Trends with Mary Joseph – Finovate

    As the macroeconomic landscape changes and startup valuations adjust, financial services companies face new questions about where to spend their funds. Both investors and founders find themselves asking questions about what future funding will look like, which fintech niches are the most promising, and how startups can thrive with tighter funding restrictions.

    At FinovateFall 2025 in New York, Citi’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Investments, Mary Joseph, shared her perspective on these trends with William Mills, CEO of The William Mills Agency. During the conversation, Joseph shared her outlook on current funding dynamics, sector leadership, and what founders should consider as they build resiliency and relevance into their businesses.

    I think there was a time when companies could raise and raise and raise and spend and spend and spend, and the view was that, you know, at some point in the future, investors would be able to recoup that investment, right? Because the IPO market was hot, we were seeing more mergers and acquisitions. That’s not the case now, right? So we need to see companies that are really strong in terms of what they’re offering to the market.

    Mary Joseph leads Citi’s global investments in fintech and B2B SaaS startups, focusing on opportunities that enhance Treasury and Trade Solutions and broaden the bank’s technology ecosystem. Before her current role, she worked within Citi’s Investment Banking fintech M&A advisory team and also served as a venture investor at GreenHouse Capital, where she focused on early-stage fintech innovation across Africa and the Middle East. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from Columbia University.

    Citi is a strategic player in fintech investment. Through its strategic investments arm, Citi aims to partner with companies that complement its core banking and corporate finance services, while also helping startups gain access to enterprise scale and regulated banking capabilities.

    Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

    Views: 338

    Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

    Source link

  • SoFi Launches SoFiUSD Stablecoin, But Could it Actually be a Tokenized Deposit? – Finovate

    • SoFi has launched SoFiUSD, a fully reserved US dollar token issued by SoFi Bank, positioning itself as a stablecoin infrastructure provider for banks, fintechs, and enterprises seeking faster, always-on settlement.
    • Although branded as a stablecoin, SoFiUSD’s cash-only backing and on-demand redemption model place it closer to a tokenized bank deposit.
    • SoFi’s approach aligns more closely with JPMorgan’s JPM Coin than with non-bank stablecoins like KlarnaUSD, underscoring a growing divide between bank-issued tokenized deposits and fintech-issued stablecoins as programmable money adoption grows.

    Lending and wealth management fintech SoFi is entering the stablecoin market today. The San Francisco-based lending and wealth management company has launched SoFiUSD, a fully reserved US dollar token issued by SoFi Bank.

    The new tool blurs the line between a traditional stablecoin and a tokenized bank deposit. The distinction between these two terms matters, as banks and fintechs are increasingly taking different approaches to bringing regulated money onto blockchain rails.

    SoFiUSD will allow SoFi, an OCC-regulated insured depository institution, to serve as a stablecoin infrastructure provider for banks, fintechs, and enterprise platforms with an aim to streamline operations with the faster and more efficient money movement that stablecoins offer. SoFi’s new stablecoin will enable partners to leverage SoFi’s framework to issue white-labeled stablecoins or integrate SoFiUSD into their own settlement flows.

    SoFiUSD will be used for:

    • Settling SoFi’s crypto trading business
    • Offering third parties such as card networks, retailers, or businesses faster, safer settlement 24/7
    • Powering SoFi Pay for international remittances and point-of-sale purchases
    • Serving as an alternative form of payment for Galileo’s partners
    • Acting as a secured dollar-denominated asset for companies operating in countries with volatile currencies

    “Blockchain is a technology super cycle that will fundamentally change finance, not just in payments, but across every area of money,” said SoFi CEO Anthony Noto. “With SoFiUSD, we’re using the infrastructure we’ve built over the last decade and applying it to real-world challenges in financial services. Companies today struggle with slow settlement, fragmented providers, and unverified reserve models. SoFi is helping address these gaps by combining our regulatory strength as a national bank with transparent, fully reserved on-chain technology to provide a safer and more efficient way for partners to move funds.”

    While SoFi is calling SoFiUSD a stablecoin, its reserve model acts more like a tokenized deposit. That’s because the token is fully backed by cash held at SoFi Bank and redeemable on demand, representing bank deposits on-chain. This structure removes liquidity and credit risk and positions SoFiUSD as regulated bank money rather than a crypto instrument.

    SoFi may be using the term “stablecoin” for three reasons. The first is market familiarity, as the term “stablecoin” is more widely recognized than tokenized deposits. The second is regulatory ambiguity, since US regulators have yet to formally define how tokenized deposits should be treated. The third is interoperability, with “stablecoin” indicating compatibility with today’s on-chain payment rails.

    By launching what is effectively a tokenized deposit, SoFi joins a small but growing group of regulated banks experimenting with blockchain-based bank money, most notably JPMorgan Chase, which launched JPM Coin in November. Like JPM Coin, SoFiUSD keeps reserves inside the banking system and uses on-chain rails to modernize settlement rather than to create a parallel form of money.

    The tokenized deposits approach stands in contrast to KlarnaUSD, Klarna’s recently announced stablecoin, which is issued by a non-bank and backed by reserves held outside the issuer’s balance sheet. While KlarnaUSD is designed to improve payments efficiency for cross-border commerce, SoFiUSD’s approach leverages a bank charter to embed stablecoins directly into deposits, lending, and treasury workflows.

    As banks and fintechs experiment with programmable money, the distinction between bank-issued tokenized deposits and non-bank stablecoins may prove critical in determining which models scale beyond payments into the core of financial services.

    Photo by Dawid Sokołowski on Unsplash

    Views: 6

    Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

    Source link

  • UPSTACK on Empowering Businesses with Strategic Tech Advisory and Innovation – Finovate

    Businesses today are confronted with a dizzying array of options when it comes to digital modernization and embracing technological innovation. Decision-making when it comes to technology investment is often slow, and the costs incurred when those investments do not work out as planned can be painfully high. Poor solution choices have resulted in failure rates of up to 75%, according to some estimates, and even those investments that do succeed often come with hefty price tags that can put a drag on revenues.

    To learn what companies in the financial services space can do to make better technology choices, I caught up with Charlie Day, SVP, Sales and Advisory, at UPSTACK, at FinovateFall 2025 earlier this year. UPSTACK is a technology advisory platform that helps businesses reduce costs, accelerate deployment, and simplify IT decision-making. The company offers vendor-agnostic expertise, with recommendations powered by both AI and UPSTACK’s vendor experience, all informed by the firm’s proprietary dataset.

    In this conversation, Day explains how UPSTACK combines a focus on long-term relationships, human expertise, and AI-powered insights to drive business success and help companies achieve their goals in an ever-evolving technology landscape.

    Technological advisory has really shifted into more of a strategic relationship. It’s not just about a transaction, an event, or a sale, but a true, long-term relationship beyond the technology choice. We mix the technology expertise we have with marketing insights—everything from pricing to integration capabilities to how certain selections will mix into their overall IT landscape—to ensure that our customers are making not only the right decision in a short snapshot in time, but also what’s going to keep them achieving their goals over the long term.

    Charlie Day brings more than 20 years of experience in enterprise sales and strategic partnerships. He has held leadership roles at 8×8, RingCentral, Oracle, and AT&T. Day has business degrees from the University of New Hampshire and Southern New Hampshire University.

    UPSTACK is a vendor-neutral, full-service technology brokerage. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York City, the company provides expert advisory and execution services to help businesses make smarter technology decisions. UPSTACK works with companies across the entire technology landscape, including colocation, cloud, connectivity, networking, cybersecurity, AI, and more. With more than 60 customers in the Fortune 1000, UPSTACK recently acquired Breakwater Cloud Advisors, a CX consultancy specializing in contact center modernization, automation, and AI transformation. Christopher Trapp is UPSTACK’s Founder and CEO.

    Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash

    Views: 287

    David Penn

    Source link