Every Mastercard transaction undergoes a split-second fraud assessment, with 175 billion transactions analyzed last year. Chief AI and Data Officer Greg Ulrich revealed at VB Transform 2026 that Mastercard’s risk system, once designed to block bots, is now evolving to accommodate them. This shift requires a new framework that balances security with enabling bot transactions. Mastercard’s Safety Net has already prevented over 70 billion fraudulent transactions, leveraging AI to identify 300-400% more fraud without disrupting genuine purchases. Beyond consumer fraud, AI powers a third of Mastercard’s services, driving faster growth in marketing, security, and business intelligence. Ulrich detailed five security layers—identity verification, verifiable intent, controls, execution via Mastercard Agent Pay, and intelligence monitoring—that ensure trust in agent-driven commerce. As AI agents gain autonomy in complex transactions, especially in B2B procurement, Mastercard is building scalable trust infrastructures that link multiple agents across organizations. Learning from initial models, Mastercard prioritizes embedded security and continuous monitoring to prevent vulnerabilities. Identity verification, including emerging standards for agentic identity, remains pivotal. The company is already re-engineering its AI systems to handle the new reality where bots do the buying, not just the stealing.
India's app ecosystem is evolving, with users now spending real money on apps rather than just downloading them for free. In the second quarter, the market generated a record $345 million, signaling a shift toward monetization and greater user investment in digital services.
Index Ventures has successfully raised $2 billion across three new funds, increasing its total investment capital to $3.5 billion after its recent payout from Wiz.
A recent study conducted by Imperial College in the U.K. and Emlyon Business School in France has shed light on the prevalence of fraud among Silicon Valley startups backed by venture capital. The research explores how founders engage in fraudulent activities and examines the influence investors have in these practices.
Ellis AI has officially come out of stealth mode, securing $10 million in seed funding to develop AI solutions tailored for private credit managers. This new venture, led by repeat founder Ryan Williams, aims to innovate within the private credit space using advanced artificial intelligence.
Apple has nearly doubled its inventory to $11.1 billion from $5.7 billion last September, reflecting concerns over impending supply shortages.
The hedge fund led by a former OpenAI researcher was compelled to liquidate its public equity holdings following significant losses on leveraged bets. Despite this setback, the fund continues to hold shares in Anthropic, indicating ongoing strategic potential.
Meta's free cash flow has plunged dramatically from $8.55 billion to $784 million. With AI-related expenses expected to rise significantly next year, investors are growing increasingly cautious about the company's financial outlook.
Investors were rattled last week as a surprise move by Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT sent shockwaves through the AI chip market. CXMT's startling 466% surge on the Shanghai stock exchange challenged Western chipmakers' stronghold, sparking uncertainty among global investors trying to gauge the rapid shifts in the AI economy.
The labor force saw its largest one-month decline in prime-age participation since 1976, excluding the impact of the pandemic, with nearly 720,000 individuals stopping work or job seeking during this period.
