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Microsoft Refreshes Surface Line with Biz-Friendly Features – and a High Price Tag
Microsoft recently announced a new Surface Pro for Business, alongside two variants of its Surface Laptop for Business devices – a premium model available in 13.8- and 15-in. versions and a lower-cost 13-in. option that Microsoft describes as its “entry-premium tier.” The 13-in. Surface Laptop for Business is available with 16GB and 24GB of RAM and starts at $1,499 — with an 8GB option available later this year for $1,299. The 13.8- and 15-in. Surface Laptop for Business devices start at $1,949 and also feature a haptic touch pad. The launch of the business-focused devices follows a recent price hike for the rest of the Surface line-up, likely due to the ongoing memory chip shortage.
RTX Spark May Split the AI PC Market into Mainstream Laptops and Premium Workstations
Nvidia’s RTX Spark could give PC makers a new high-end category, built around machines that run more demanding AI workloads locally rather than in the cloud. The chipmaker and Microsoft said RTX Spark Windows PCs will be built for personal AI agents and heavier local AI workloads, from AI development to engineering and content creation. Nvidia’s new platform could help PC makers lift prices at the high end, but analysts say early demand is likely to come from specialist users rather than broad enterprise laptop refreshes.
‘Agentic AI’ PCs? Not Much New Here, Say Analysts
Nvidia and Microsoft this month touted the reinvention of computers with a new class of “agentic AI PCs” that will “reinvent the way PCs work.” Nvidia’s new RTX Spark PCs are the first in a major “PC reinvention for 40 years,” Nvidia's CEO said, likening them to AI phones. “You could talk to it, it could look at you. You could ask it to read files… [or] go help you do research.” On the other hand, some analysts argue that the computers are mostly repackaged AI PCs that shouldn’t necessarily drive enterprise upgrades.
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Microsoft Unveils Scout, an Autonomous AI Agent Built on OpenClaw
Microsoft has developed a new AI agent that can run autonomously around the clock to complete tasks across Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft Scout is a new type of always-on agent based on the OpenClaw agent framework that Microsoft calls “autopilots.” Microsoft Scout connects to apps such as Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint, and accesses data from chat, email, calendar, and contacts. Accessed via Teams, it can also interact with a user’s browser and with external apps via model context protocol (MCP). The tool functions across cloud, desktop, and the web.
Microsoft to Cut Windows 365 Price for SMBs
Microsoft recently cut the price of Windows 365 subscriptions for small and mid-sized businesses by 20%, though analysts expect little impact on uptake of the Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform. The price change for Windows 365 Business took effect May 1 for new subscriptions; existing subscribers will receive updated pricing at renewal, Microsoft explained on its Partner Center page.
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Should ATMs Ditch Keys to Fight Jackpotting?
ATM topboxes are more vulnerable than ever to jackpotting threats. One possible solution is integrating keyless locks. This article dives into jackpotting trends and why keyless techniques might prevent them.
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Mobile Phishing Is a Bigger Threat than Email Now - How to Stay Protected
In Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), the company said that mobile-centric cyberattacks are increasing in popularity and have a higher click rate than the same phishing attempts sent via email. A set of phishing simulation assessments backs up this claim, in which mobile-centric attack vectors -- including voice-based phishing (vishing) and text scams -- were successful lures, achieving a 40% higher click-through rate than traditional email phishing scams. The article looks at how to how to stay protected from the increasing mobile phishing threats.
Why Mobile Wallets Are the New Branch
Mobile wallets can no longer be considered alternative payment tools. Across many markets, they have become integral to how consumers receive money, make payments, transfer funds, and access financial services day to day. This article argues that FIs' cross-border payment infrastructure need to adapt accordingly to this widespread mobile wallet adoption.
Win Digital Consumers with Better Mobile Identity
Mobile apps, digital wallets, remote deposits, digital onboarding, and the emergence of virtual banks have reshaped what consumers expect from FIs. Mobile number authentication is familiar, effective, and deeply embedded in the financial ecosystem. The author argues that FIs must continually educate accountholders about phishing, password hygiene, fraud alerts, card controls, and account security, and that they must make sure that mobile identity is part and parcel of that same conversation.
Wireless Security Is a Battle of AI vs. AI
Wi-Fi networks are facing intensifying security risks as AI tools make it far easier for bad actors to ply their trade successfully. Mounting a strong defense means fighting AI with AI, and companies including Cisco are developing tools to do just that. But experts make clear that well-known strategies, including zero trust and network segmentation, will also go a long way toward offering sound protection.
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Fraud and Scam Initiators Are Adapting, Again, Visa Says
In its “Spring 2026 Biannual Threats Report,” Visa points to four shifts in the second half of 2025 as fundamentally changing how criminals interact with consumers. The report shows on a global scale that controls are helping improve outcomes for those caught up in fraud and scams even as attack volume rises, Visa says. Other changes are that scams are the primary source of consumer harm and AI is speeding up both the attack and defense aspects. Fourth, the economics of ransomware, though still prevalent, are changing.
Zscaler Launches Zero Trust Platform for Agentic AI
Zscaler announced what it calls the first complete zero trust platform for agentic AI, aimed at securing how AI agents access data and talk to one another. Zero trust for agentic systems means treating every AI agent, tool, and action as untrusted until it is explicitly verified and authorized. To this end, the new Zscaler AI Broker will secure MCP [Model Context Protocol] and A2A [Agent to Agent] communications. MCP and A2A are the top open standards for how AI agents connect to data and to each other, respectively.
Jack Henry and Google Cloud Expand Collaboration to Deliver AI-Driven Security
Jack Henry and Google Cloud announced an expanded collaboration to deliver AI-driven security capabilities for FIs. Jack Henry will use Google Cloud's suite of agentic defense products to develop a proprietary AI security platform purpose-built for the financial services ecosystem.
Entrust Solution Helps Stop Fraud Attacks Against “Moments of Truth”
Entrust has unveiled its Entrust Biometric Authentication solution to help FIs defend, high-risk, “moments of truth” in the accountholder lifecycle, such as account onboarding and device transfer, from fraud and financial crime. These high-risk moments are increasingly the targets of choice by AI-powered fraud threats including presentation, injection, and deepfake attacks. Entrust’s new solution uses three different authentication strategies, based on varying risk levels. These include a biometric passkey that provides biometric authentication at high-risk moments by linking authentication to a verified human identity; face authentication that accelerates everyday verification and step-up authentication, and motion authentication that leverages advanced liveness detection to combat deepfake, replay, and injection attacks in high-assurance use cases.
Pen Tests Show AI Security Flaws Far More Severe than Legacy Software Bugs
Penetration tests of AI systems expose significantly higher severe-flaw density when compared to legacy apps. New attack surfaces, larger blast radii, and unclear remediation ownership compound the risks. Security consultancy Cobalt’s annual State of Pentesting Report reveals that 32% of all AI and large language model (LLM) findings are rated as high risk — nearly 2.5 times the rate (13%) of severe flaws found in enterprise security tests more generally.
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Five Companies Powering Financial Wellness and Consumer Engagement
This article states that for traditional FIs whose offerings can seem static, providing personalized experiences that help accountholders save smarter, build better financial habits, and feel more in control of their financial lives can help build loyalty. It goes on to profile 5 companies that can help in this quest: 1) Plinqit; 2) Goodfin; 3) Level; 4) BankUniverse; and 5) Bluum Finance.
Adobe Bets on AI Agents to Stay at the Center of Marketing Workflows
Adobe is rolling out agentic systems to coordinate and execute creative work across workflows and apps. Using natural language prompts, the agent can autonomously carry out multi-step workflows across Adobe Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop, Premiere, Express, and others. Aimed at both novice and expert users, Firefly AI Assistant can also guide users through tasks spanning image, video, audio, and design.
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Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design
New Network Intelligence API for FedNowIt
Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) announced its latest risk mitigation tool which includes a new network intelligence API. The API provides FIs and service providers with receiver account-level data observed over the service, adding an extra layer of information to help participants assess the risk of a potential payment.
Many Consumers Say ‘No Thanks’ to Agent-Based Payments
It’s still early days for agentic commerce, in which AI agents could complete a shopping transaction on behalf of a consumer. And it appears consumers may want to forestall such transactions until they get much more comfortable with the technology, suggests the Riskified Agentic Commerce Pulse first-quarter report. The report, which surveyed 2,000 consumers in the United States and the UK, found that 61% of them have used AI tools to discover products and receive recommendations, though 55% of all respondents were not comfortable with AI agents making purchases on their behalf.
Digital Debit Card Use Surged in the First Quarter
Consumers turned to debit cards in increasing numbers in the first quarter, finds the inaugural Galileo Debit Spend Index. The report found that consumer use of debit cards at both fast food and sit-down restaurants increased more than 18% in the quarter, a reversal of a downward trend in the fourth quarter of 2025. Debit cards, along with credit cards, have eaten into cash use, according to the 2026 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice report by Federal Reserve Financial Services. In 2016, the first year for the payments diary, a consumer conducted on average 12 debit card transactions and eight credit card transactions a month. In 2025, they made 15 debit and 16 credit card payments.
Visa Unveils a Host of AI, Token, and Stablecoin Initiatives
Visa recently announced multiple technological initiatives that aim to enhance the roles of AI, stablecoins and tokens in payments. A notable development is what Visa calls a “strategic collaboration” with OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT, to support payments across OpenAI’s system.
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6 Reasons Why Firefox Is the Better Browser for Most Users
The author loves Firefox becasue he says that it is fast, customizable, bloat-free, serious about privacy and security, regularly updated, and its developers listen to users. Here is why he believes Firefox makes sense in today's world: 1. Firefox isn't developed by a major company with a vested interest; 2. Better transparency through open source; 3. Improved privacy; 4. No deep integrations; and 5. AI is opt-in, not opt-out.
AI-Powered WAF, Virtual Patching: How F5 Is Hardening Networks Against Frontier Threats
F5 announced an expansion of its web application and API protection (WAAP) capabilities for its Application Delivery and Security Platform. The new features span three areas: 1) AI-powered web application firewall (WAF): Conducts enhanced behavioral detection in F5 Distributed Cloud Services, using a neural network model to score every request in real time rather than relying on signature matching. 2) API Security Local Edition: Delivers on-premises API discovery, visibility and security for air-gapped and regulated environments with no cloud dependency. 3) Virtual patching: Enhanced capability combines BIG-IP Advanced WAF and F5 Distributed Cloud Web App Scanning to apply runtime protection at the application delivery layer while remediation proceeds.
The Big Three Cloud Providers Are More Alike than Not
The author states that for most organizations, compute and storage services are the main uses of the public cloud, and these capabilities are pretty much the same across providers. Compute includes processor options, memory configurations, instance families, operating system support, elasticity models, and the ability to reliably provision capacity at scale. Storage includes block storage, file storage, and the all-important object storage services that now underpin a massive share of enterprise applications and analytics platforms. He concludes that if you compare the major providers through that lens, the differences are not profound in most use cases.
Microsoft Says It's Making AI 'Safe for Work' in Your Browser
Microsoft is testing the addition of agentic AI to its corporate browser, Edge for Business. A new version, currently available in a limited preview, will help perform routine tasks more efficiently, according to Microsoft. A key feature of the new browser version will be its ability to protect corporate data. Organizations will be able to block the use of copy and paste, and all AI prompts and responses will stay within their Microsoft 365 tenant and will not be used to train models.
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How Should FIs Think About AI and Consumer Experience?
This article states that FIs must think beyond conversational AI and consider how AI can automate workflows, surface insights from accountholder interactions, and help human agents have better conversations. The goal is is not simply using AI to reduce costs, but leveraging it to improve experiences while helping organizations better understand what is happening across customer interactions.
Glia Launches AI Outreach as a Growth Engine
Glia announced Glia AI Outreach which they say helps FIs proactively connect with accountholders through outbound voice and SMS messages regarding important financial moments — CD renewals, loan payment reminders, new account opportunities and more. The solution can initiate outbound conversations automatically, answer common questions in real time, handle objections and transfer qualified opportunities to agents with full conversational context preserved.
Deploying Compliant AI Voice Agents in Financial Services
There is a wealth of key issues that FIs need to address in order to deploy technologies like AI voice agents safely and effectively while remaining compliant with an ever-shifting range of regulations. This article includes a link to a YouTube video on deploying compliant AI voice agents.
IPH – the Greatest Acronym You Never Knew
This article takes a deep dive into a contact center metric called IPH, or Interactions Per Hour. It concludes that if IPH is going to evolve into a truly modern productivity metric – one that reflects how contact centers actually operate in 2026 – it needs to account for the full interaction ecosystem, not just the slice that lands in an agent’s queue.
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