Citi buys Kard, Databricks hits $190B, AI rewrites credit
The Big Story
AI is reshaping credit underwriting from end to end

In what ways must banks identify the highest-impact AI use cases across underwriting, workflow automation, risk monitoring and servicing?

Daily Basis Take

Banks that nail AI deployment across the full credit lifecycle will compress risk costs and leave manual-first lenders structurally uncompetitive.

Where AI creates the sharpest competitive moat in lendingPost this before your competitors do →
via Finextra
Regulation Watch
AI agents turn regulatory firehose into manageable workflow

FIs using agents to track and operationalize regulatory change cut compliance lag — a real threat to the compliance consulting and RegTech middleware layer.

How AI agents are making legacy compliance infrastructure obsoleteWarn your network →
via Finextra
Money Moves
Citi buys Kard to own the personalized rewards layer
ACQUIRED

Citi is acquiring commerce media infrastructure to compete with co-brand card players and retail media networks — loyalty is now a revenue line, not a perk.

Citi's Kard acquisition signals banks reclaiming the rewards stackPost the numbers →
via PYMNTS
Databricks raises $5B as AI infrastructure demand overwhelms supply
$1B

Investor demand tripled Databricks' target raise — at $190B valuation, this signals AI infrastructure is priced as essential utility, not speculative bet.

Databricks' oversubscribed round resets AI infrastructure valuationsAdd your angle →
via TechCrunch
Quick Hits
London's best founder meetups, ranked for your calendar

A curated map of where London's fintech founders and VCs actually build relationships outside formal deal flow.

Where London's fintech deal relationships are actually being builtYour network needs this →
via Sifted
Bitwise moves to tokenize its Solana staking ETF on-chain

Tokenizing a regulated ETF via Superstate bridges TradFi and DeFi rails — a test case for whether on-chain ETF shares can unlock 24/7 secondary liquidity.

Bitwise's tokenized ETF experiment could set the template for on-chain fund distributionYour network needs this →
via The Block

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