Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Airwallex plots bigger US presence

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 5h

Airwallex plots bigger US presence

The payments platform will use its recent acquisition of U.S. startup OpenPay to build out a billing platform in the Americas.

www.paymentsdive.com/news/airwall...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech

The payments platform will use its recent acquisition of U.S. startup OpenPay to build out a billing platform in the Americas.

Social media traffic referrals to news sites have fallen 30% since 2022

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 6h

Social media traffic referrals to news sites have fallen 30% since 2022

The shift to short-form video on platforms like Instagram and Facebook has made it harder for link-based posts to break through.

www.axios.com/2025/10/18/s...

#DigitalMarketing

The shift to short-form video on platforms has made it harder for link-based posts to break through

www.axios.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 6h

US seizes $15 billion in huge bust of cybercriminal group

The US and UK took coordinated action against two vast criminal networks in Southeast Asia involved in human trafficking and financial fraud.

www.americanbanker.com/news/u-s-sei...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #CyberSecurity #PigButchering

US seizes $15 billion in huge bust of cybercriminal group

Coordinated sanctions target two networks behind so-called pig butchering scams, human trafficking and money laundering for North Korean cybercrime groups.

You're reading more AI-generated content than you think

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 6h

You're reading more #AI-generated content than you think

Over half of new published articles are AI-generated. However, the percentage of AI-generated articles is plateauing. AI-generated articles don't perform well in search.

www.zdnet.com/article/your...

#DigitalMarketing

You're not imagining it. A new report highlights AI's growing takeover of the internet.

www.zdnet.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 7h

The bill payments company Bill to cut workforce by 6%

Bill is cutting about 140 jobs as it comes under pressure from activist investors, including Starboard Value.

www.paymentsdive.com/news/bill-ho...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech

Bill to cut workforce by 6%

The bill payments company is cutting about 140 jobs as it comes under pressure from activist investors, including Starboard Value.

China accuses US of cyberattack on national time center

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 8h

China accuses US of cyberattack on national time center

Any damage to related facilities could have disrupted network communications, financial systems and power supply.

apnews.com/article/chin...

#CyberSecurity

China has accused the U.S. National Security Agency of cyberattacks on its national time center. The Ministry of State Security claims the U.S. agency exploited vulnerabilities in a foreign mobile…

apnews.com

Cornerstone Capital to acquire another Texas bank

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 8h

Cornerstone Capital to acquire another Texas bank

Cornerstone Capital Bancorp, a one-time independent mortgage banker that acquired a depository, has agreed to purchase another bank, Peoples Bancorp of Lubbock, Texas.

www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/corners...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

Approximately three years after the one-time non-depository bought Roscoe (Texas) State Bank, Cornerstone Capital Bancorp agreed to purchase Peoples Bancorp.

www.nationalmortgagenews.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 9h

‘Phased Out’—Google Confirms Bad News For All 3 Billion Chrome Users

Google has suddenly confirmed #Privacy initiatives “are being phased out.”

www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...

#DigitalMarketing #CyberSecurity

‘Phased Out’—Google Confirms Bad News For All 3 Billion Chrome Users

Is it time to quit the world’s most popular browser as privacy nightmare comes true?

www.forbes.com

The alleged 'sweeping betrayal of trust' that rocked Zions bank and spooked Wall Street

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 9h

The alleged 'sweeping betrayal of trust' that rocked Zions bank and spooked Wall Street

Behind it all is a tangled web of loans that Zions said were surreptitiously subordinated by the borrowers all while the collateral was effectively eliminated.

buff.ly/Eib16Ke

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

Zions Bancorporation lost $1 billion of its valuation in a single day on Thursday after disclosing $60 million worth of loans it had made that were unlikely to be repaid.

buff.ly

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 10h

Massive leak exposes how China’s ‘Great Firewall’ is being exported to other countries

www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

#CyberSecurity #Censorship

Massive leak exposes how China’s ‘Great Firewall’ is being exported to other countries

For years, China’s government has used what’s known as the “Great Firewall” to censor the internet inside its country and block access to select foreign websites. Now, a document leak shows that a…

www.pbs.org

Jamie Dimon was the 'master architect' of JPMorgan's new $3 billion skyscraper, the bank's real estate head says | Fortune

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 10h

The real reason for Dimon’s attitude about return to the office.

Jamie Dimon was the ‘master architect’ of JPMorgan’s new $3 billion skyscraper, the bank’s real estate head says

fortune.com/2025/10/18/j...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

The CEO and other execs were intimately involved in the design process, Dimon told The Wall Street Journal.

fortune.com

If you've got this VPN installed on your phone, you're cooked

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 11h

If you've got this #VPN installed on your phone, you're cooked

Security researchers at Cleafy have written an extensive report about a new form of malware, called “Klopatra”, that’s not tied to any known families of malware.

www.makeuseof.com/if-you-have-...

#CyberSecurity

Remove this dangerous, fake VPN now—if you can.

www.makeuseof.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 1d

This new credit card is giving the world’s wealthy an AmEx Platinum alternative—no SSN required

With 22 banking partners and $5.4 million in funding, Karta is bringing luxury perks to an overlooked class of U.S.-connected

buff.ly/Ybkuo5z

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

BNY moves quickly to adopt #AI solutions, platforms

BNY said it counted 117 different AI solutions in production at the custody bank, as of Sept. 30.

www.americanbanker.com/news/bny-top...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

BNY moves quickly to adopt AI solutions, platforms

The Bank of New York Mellon had 117 different AI solutions in production at the end of September, Chairman and CEO Robin Vince said. That's up 75% from the second quarter.

The San Francisco-based payments infrastructure startup to pour additional capital into its agentic AI capabilities.

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Basis Theory raises $33M: The San Francisco-based payments infrastructure startup to pour additional capital into its #AgenticAI capabilities.

www.paymentsdive.com/news/basis-t...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech #AI

Basis Theory raises $33M

Supply Chain Risks Lurking in VS Code Marketplaces

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

#SupplyChain Risks Lurking in VS Code Marketplaces

Researchers discovered more than 550 unique secrets exposed in Visual Studio Code marketplaces, prompting Microsoft to bolster security measures.

www.darkreading.com/application-...

#CyberSecurity

Researchers discovered more than 550 unique secrets exposed in Visual Studio Code marketplaces, prompting Microsoft to bolster security measures.

www.darkreading.com

Affirm takes a page from Amazon's playbook with 0% Days

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Affirm takes a page from Amazon's playbook with 0% Days

The #BNPL lender is looking to draw more people into its app, which will allow it to offer the Affirm Card to more consumers.

www.americanbanker.com/payments/new...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech

The BNPL lender is launching a three-day shopping event that pushes 0% financing offers to draw more consumers into the app and increase sales volumes for merchants ahead of the holiday season.

Nation-state hackers deliver malware from “bulletproof” blockchains

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Nation-state hackers deliver malware from “bulletproof” blockchains

Malicious payloads stored on Ethereum and BNB blockchains are immune to takedowns.

arstechnica.com/security/202...

#CyberSecurity #BlockChain #DLT #ETH #BNB

Malicious payloads stored on Ethereum and BNB blockchains are immune to takedowns.

arstechnica.com

Fed to boost payments services’ days of operation

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Fed to boost payments services’ days of operation

The Federal Reserve plans to have the Fedwire Funds Service and the National Settlement Service operate on Sundays, but not until several years from now.

www.paymentsdive.com/news/federal...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #Payments #PayTech

The Federal Reserve plans to have the Fedwire Funds Service and the National Settlement Service operate on Sundays, but not until several years from now.

Cyberattackers Target LastPass, Top Password Managers

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Cyberattackers Target LastPass, Top Password Managers

Be aware: a rash of phishing campaigns are leveraging the anxiety and trust employees have in password vaults securing all of their credentials.

www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks...

#CyberSecurity

Be aware: a rash of phishing campaigns are leveraging the anxiety and trust employees have in password vaults securing all of their credentials.

www.darkreading.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Chase adds login step to fight Face ID spoofing, #AI deepfakes

A new opt-in security feature called Extra Security at Sign-In gives users the option to require their device PIN as an additional safeguard when signing into the mobile

buff.ly/llQs2L4

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking #CyberSecurity

Chase adds login step to fight Face ID spoofing, AI deepfakes

Amid growing deepfake threats and successful biometric bypass attempts by fraudsters, the bank added an extra layer of security to strengthen the authentication process.

buff.ly

As the Wealth Gap Widens, Banks May Have to Pick Between Two Distinct Customer Sets

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

As the Wealth Gap Widens, Banks May Have to Pick Between Two Distinct Customer Sets

The two fundamentally different financial realities: expanded credit access and financial education for struggling households versus wealth management for the affluent.

buff.ly/dkQKu5b

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

New analysis from BofA argues that there are now two consumer economies in the U.S. Which should your bank serve?

buff.ly

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Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Inside Bobby Leibrock’s first 100 days as ACI Worldwide CFO

The former IBM and Red Hat executive discusses why collaboration, motivation and curiosity are the pillars of his approach to this new CFO role.

www.cfo.com/news/inside-...

#FinTech #FinServ #Banking

Inside Bobby Leibrock’s first 100 days as ACI Worldwide CFO

The former IBM and Red Hat executive discusses why collaboration, motivation and curiosity are the pillars of his approach to this new CFO role.

www.cfo.com

Alex Jimenez @alexisrjimenez.bsky.social · 2d

Meta adds parental controls for #AI-teen interactions

But parents won’t be able to turn off Meta’s AI assistant, which Meta says will “will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities

apnews.com/article/meta...

#Tech

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls to kids’ interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots — including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether.

apnews.com