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Speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin, tech investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban shared his thoughts on how AI technology can help small businesses outperform their competition. In short, he told the crowd that AI was not the answer, in and of itself; it’s meant to serve as an aid that can help entrepreneurs by making it easier to get started growing their businesses and answering questions along the way. Cuban suggested that today’s entrepreneurs should spend “every waking minute learning about AI” because of its potential. “There’s so much changing that rapidly,” he said, adding that it’s different for…

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — California gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment announced Thursday that its popular event BlizzCon is coming back after several years off.The celebration of all things Blizzard, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, is scheduled for September 2026. Blizzard last held the event in 2023. Next year’s BlizzCon will include staples like its opening ceremony — which typically includes big game announcements — as well as panels and other experiences. Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment, said BlizzCon is part of Blizzard’s role as an entertainment company that stretches beyond the boundaries of making games. BlizzCon,…

Last year, Hugging Face, the AI dev platform, launched LeRobot, a collection of open AI models, datasets, and tools to help build real-world robotics systems. On Tuesday, Hugging Face teamed up with AI startup Yaak to expand LeRobot with a training set for robots and cars that can navigate environments, like city streets, autonomously. The new set, called Learning to Drive (L2D), is more than a petabyte in size, and contains data from sensors that were installed on cars in German driving schools. L2D captures camera, GPS, and “vehicle dynamics” data from driving instructors and students navigating streets with construction…

FinScan, an anti-money laundering (AML) compliance solution from Innovative Systems, has enhanced its payment screening solution, FinScan Payments, to accelerate transaction workflows while strengthening financial crime prevention.According to recent research from Datos Insights, 91% of surveyed financial institutions (FIs) are investing significantly in payment modernisation. Despite this, many firms still operate with legacy AML compliance systems that were not designed for today’s real-time payment rails, making them ill-equipped to handle instant settlement workflows.With digital payments surging and financial crime risks rising, FinScan Payments enables FIs, FinTech firms, and other organisations to navigate evolving payment infrastructures efficiently. The latest enhancements introduce…

Gen Z is demonstrating a strong commitment to financial planning, prioritising long-term financial security over short-term luxuries, according to a new study.Research from international law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, which surveyed 4,000 individuals, revealed that over two in five (43%) Gen Z adults would use financial support, such as inheritance or monetary gifts, to save for the future. Meanwhile, a third (33%) would opt to buy a property outright, and 32% would use it as a deposit for a home.In contrast, only 22% would spend financial assistance on a significant one-off purchase, while one in five (20%) would use it…

The first major set of economic reports last week reflect the state of the United States economy during President Donald Trump’s first full month in office. The data reveal a spike in layoffs and slower hiring growth across both the public and private sectors, with looming cuts suggesting larger economic woes in the months ahead. The US economy added 151,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department report, which came out on Friday – well short of economist expectations showing a stall in economic growth. Approximately 7.1 million Americans are currently receiving unemployment benefits compared with 6.5 million this time last…

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could allocate extra money to educate poor public school students for the first time under a House budget approved on an 171-4 vote Tuesday.However, the $28 million proposed is far less than what advocates argue is necessary.House Bill 68, which would spend $37.7 billion in state money and $73.1 billion overall in the year beginning July 1, advances to the Senate for more debate. It would further boost spending on prisons, provide another bonus payment for some state retirees and raise judges’ salaries.Georgia’s 40-year-old K-12 school funding system provides extra money to school districts with low…

In the latest banking survey results published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in February 2025, customer perceptions of service quality were illuminated, offering insights into the competitive landscape of the banking sector.   The survey’s results are intended to foster a culture of competitiveness and continuous improvement, making the rankings a critical benchmark for banks. Chase UK emerged as the leader in this year’s survey, closely followed by Starling and Monzo. This outcome echoes a persistent trend over the past three years where digital banks have outperformed their peers, primarily due to their innovative use of technology which enhances overall customer…

PARIS (AP) — Paris has spoken, and fashion’s final authority has laid down the law: This coming fall, it’s all about power shoulders, enveloping outerwear, and a color palette that runs from somber to surreal.If Milan softened up with romance and New York leaned into Y2K grunge, Paris countered with sartorial surety — a wardrobe built for the sharp, the serious, and the spectacular. Coats are enormous, tailoring is back, and drama is dialed up on every front.While trends may start in luxury, they quickly trickle down, as fast fashion companies like Zara, H&M, and Shein race to transform runway…

Zolve, a neobank specialising in financial services for global citizens relocating to the US, has secured $51m in equity funding and an additional $200m in debt as it seeks to scale its operations and enter new markets.The Series B funding round was led by Creaegis, with participation from HSBC, SBI, GMO, and DG Daiwa, according to a report from TechCrunch.Existing investors, including Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sparta Group, and DST Global, also contributed.The $200m debt financing will allow Zolve to underwrite expat credit risks by purchasing loan books from its partner banks.Founded in 2021, Zolve provides seamless financial access to…