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MAY 6, 2025 |
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Up and down: Did retail fintech VC funding increase or decrease in Q1 2025? |
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A) Increase B) Decrease |
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PAYMENTS |
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Block’s gross profit increased 9% YoY in Q1 2025, per its earnings release—down from 22% a year ago. |
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Cash App’s gross profit grew 10% YoY, versus 25% in Q1 2024.
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Square’s gross product increased 9% YoY, compared with 19% a year ago. |
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Most of Block’s issues center on Cash App. |
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The number of Cash App monthly actives has been stagnant since March 2024.
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Total Cash App inflows grew 7% YoY, versus 17% a year ago. |
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |
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Toast launched an AI-based intelligence engine called ToastIQ for its point-of-sale (POS) platforms, per a press release. It uses AI to analyze historical patterns like recent sales so restaurants can better automate their workflows and personalize their offerings. |
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Menu Upsells prompts staff to recommend additional items to diners’ orders.
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Digital Chits pulls guest details and visit history so servers can personalize their service.
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And Shift at a Glance streamlines communications between managers and staff. |
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CRYPTOCURRENCY |
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With Bitcoin once again moving up and to the right, legacy financial institutions and fintechs are taking a much closer look at a key corner of the crypto ecosystem—stablecoins. |
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Coinbase told BankingDive that it has been “very busy meeting demand for banks, brokers and fintechs” as federal regulators walk back implicit and explicit limits on banks’ crypto activity.
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SoFi expects to “expand beyond [crypto] investing” once Congress passes a long-anticipated stablecoin bill, per CNBC. |
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REPORT |
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Nonbank lenders face lighter regulatory oversight than traditional lenders, allowing them to take on more risk when it comes to AI. When used in the lending process, AI can speed up approvals and communications while personalizing service. |
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CHART OF THE WEEK |
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Key stat: Less than half (47%) of college students believe their generation is good with money and the same percentage feel pressured by their peers to spend money beyond their means, according to April 2025 data from WalletHub. | | | |
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