Kalshi doubles valuation to $11B with a $1B mega-round (3 minute read)
Prediction-market startup Kalshi has raised a staggering $1B at an $11B valuation just weeks after its prior $300M round, cementing its rivalry with Polymarket as the space explodes. Kalshi's trading volume has surged to $50B annualized, driven by global demand for markets on elections, pop culture, and economic outcomes. Despite rapid growth and heavyweight backers like Sequoia and CapitalG, Kalshi continues to battle state regulators over whether its markets constitute gambling. |
Prediction Markets Go From Fringe to Frenzy as Wall Street, Silicon Valley Pile In (9 minute read)
Prediction markets are suddenly becoming a mainstream obsession. Fueled by massive investments from Wall Street titans and tech leaders who see "event contracts" as the next frontier in financial speculation, startups like Polymarket and Kalshi are raising billions, striking partnerships with pro sports leagues, exchanges, and gambling giants as they push to legitimize trading on everything from elections to game outcomes. Regulators and critics warn that the industry is blurring the line between finance and gambling. Still, the momentum, backed by outsized capital and political influence, suggests the trend may be too powerful to slow. |
Capital One joins FedNow (4 minute read)
Capital One just plugged into the Fed's instant payments network, marking another major bank moving toward real-time money movement. FedNow is essentially the Fed's upgrade to allow real-time, always-on settlement directly between financial institutions, raising pressure on remaining holdouts like Bank of America. With onboarding getting faster and transaction limits now at $10 million, the system is quickly becoming table stakes for large banks looking to keep pace with instant-payment expectations. |
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EMVCo moves to standardize "agentic payments," creating a new 'agent-present' category (3 minute read)
Visa/Mastercard's standards body EMVCo is developing a global framework for "agentic payments," giving AI agents a cryptographic passport to transact on behalf of users. The model extends FIDO/SRC so users authenticate once with Face ID, set spending limits, and let agents present a delegated token—no 3DS required—unlocking interoperable, low-friction AI-driven commerce. The new "agent-present" category will come with its own liability rules, shifting fraud risk to issuers when merchants adopt the standard. |
What Is Apple Up To With Its Digital ID? (15 minute read)
Apple Pay is estimated to have facilitated more than $6 trillion in payments in 2022, driving nearly $2 billion in revenue for Apple. With Apple's nascent digital identity credential offering, it seems to be demonstrating slow-but-steady patience and is, no doubt, hoping to repeat the success it has been able to achieve with Apple Pay. Apple first announced it would support mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) in September 2021, with Arizona and Georgia the first two states to support the capability. Today, Apple supports mDLs for users holding licenses and/or state IDs issued by many other states. |
Is it truly a neobank revolution? (10 minute read)
Neobanks are mostly selling a superior, low-cost front-end experience while relying on a profitable and heavily regulated back-end controlled by the institutions they claim to be destroying. They are attacking the low-margin edges of the incumbent business, and the big US banks, with multi-line asset businesses. Big banks are well placed to stem losses of any profitable segments and are quite happy to let their low margin high cost to serve customers flee. |
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Block explores Cash App accounts for preteens to expand family banking (3 minute read)
Block is seeking federal approval to roll out Cash App accounts tailored for kids ages 6–12 — along with savings tools for parents of children under five — as it pushes deeper into family-focused financial services. The company already serves over 5 million teens and hopes early engagement will help convert young users into long-term customers, while positioning Cash App as an easy hub for future-focused savings and investing. |
Zopa launches investments (3 minute read)
Zopa is rolling out a new investing product for existing customers, giving first-time investors a low-friction way to move from sitting on cash to putting money to work. The beta includes seamless transfers between its current Cash ISA and a new Stocks & Shares ISA, powered by Upvest's investment infrastructure. With £1 minimums, instant withdrawals, and upcoming ETF options, Zopa is positioning itself as a simple, confidence-building entry point for the 15 million UK adults who haven't yet started investing. |
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Consumers say it's not you, it's Chime (7 minute read)
Chime is quietly becoming the top destination when consumers open new checking accounts, thanks to a wave of "soft switching" where people open fresh accounts without closing old ones. JD Power found that most new accounts are being opened with providers other than a consumer's primary bank, and over half of those quickly become the customer's new primary relationship. With exceptional conversion rates, simple onboarding, and perks like early pay and fee-free overdraft, Chime is locking in everyday Americans at moments when frustration with traditional banks is highest. |
Senate Democrats press BNPL firms for borrower data amid rising debt concerns (3 minute read)
Senate Democrats sent letters to seven major BNPL providers — including Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, PayPal, Zip, Sezzle, and Splitit — demanding detailed data on who uses their loans, how often, average loan sizes, and late-payment rates. Lawmakers cited CFPB research showing BNPL users carry significantly higher credit card debt and tend to be more financially vulnerable, arguing the fast-growing industry lacks adequate transparency or federal oversight. BNPL companies pushed back, noting publicly reported default rates remain below 1% for many providers. |
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Why Payments Still Break Marketplaces (2 minute read)
In 2025, you'd think payments would move as fast as the businesses they power, but for many digital-first companies (especially marketplaces, lenders, and online platforms), the basic task of reliably moving money in and out is still a daily struggle. |
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